So-called “active workstations” not only help desk-bound staff get some exercise but enhance brainpower and potentially productivity, according to doctors at the US-based Mayo Clinic. Putting a walking pad, bike or stepper in front of a computer does not diminish “job performance,” but could help make desk jockeys more effective, all while diluting the ill-effects of being stuck at desk all day – the “new smoking,” according to Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a preventive cardiologist at the clinic. “When participants used the active workstations, their brain function either improved or stayed the sa…