Tuesday
Jan182011
The Amazing Treadmill Desk
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 4:00AM
As a writer, I spend a lot of time sitting and staring at a computer screen. I don't think I have to tell you that this is not good for anything, including the width of my behind, my posture, and my attention span.
Enter....the treadmill desk.
A treadmill desk is exactly what it sounds like -a treadmill with a desk mounted on or around it. You walk at a slow speed while you work.
You can buy the fancy one mentioned in the video above for about $4000, treadmill included. There's also a separate desk (that I think is adjustable-height) for about $400. I bought a treadmill and then built the desk for about $100. Here she is:
Isn't it beautiful?
I absolutely love it. It's made all the difference in my energy and focus, and I never get tired of sitting all day, because I'm not sitting very much at all!
Since treadmill desks are still fairly rare (though I think everyone should have one), I've answered a few of the most common questions people ask me here:
Isn't it hard to walk and work at the same time?
Nope. I usually walk between .5 and 1.5 mph while I'm working, depending on what I'm doing. That's really slow. It didn't take me long to get used to it, and now I don't even think about the fact that I'm walking while I'm typing. I started at .5 for everything, and now my speed varies depending on what I'm doing.
I find it very difficult to hand-write anything or do detailed work in Photoshop, even at the slowest speed, so I usually stop or hop off when I have those things to do. My laptop is in a docking station so I can pull it out at any time and go work sitting down if I need to.
How long do you walk each day?
It depends. Most days I walk between two and four hours. If I have a lot of phone calls, it's on the higher end, if I've got a lot of Photoshopping, it's on the lower end. I also find I don't walk continuously, as I thought I would. I tend to walk for about a half hour at a time, hop off to do some laundry or eat lunch or check my email, and then hop back on for another half an hour.
Do you feel different?
YES. I have much more energy and focus when I'm on the treadmill desk. When I sit all day, I find that my energy dips, especially mid-afternoon, and I'm ready for a nap. I don't feel that at all with the treadmill desk.
How much weight have you lost?
A little.
The treadmill desk is not going to make anyone into a supermodel. You're walking pretty slowly, and you're unlikely to get your heart rate up (and certainly on phone calls I'm trying NOT to - I don't want to pant in people's ears!). I do find it's much easier to get to 10,000 steps in a day, and I have lost some weight, but let's just say the folks on The Biggest Loser aren't quaking in their boots.
This is not a replacement to going outside for a walk if I need to clear my head, and I still go to the gym daily. What the treadmill desk does is keep me from sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day, which was making me completely crazy.
I have noticed that I have more endurance and can see that my legs are more toned, but the biggest change is the amount of energy I have. It's wonderful.
Does this drive everyone in your office crazy?
While I work at home, there are plenty of people who work in regular offices who use this. Check out the video above and the link to the Office Walkers Ning below for info on how it's handled in a typical office setting.
When you choose your treadmill, you'll want to make sure it's pretty quiet at all speeds under 2 MPH, which will take care of the noise factor.
Alternately, if you can't make it work at the office, you can make it work at home - do you use the computer or watch TV there? A treadmill desk doesn't only have to be used during the workday.
How did you make it?
Probably the most time-consuming part of the process was choosing the treadmill. You need something quiet, with a continuous horsepower motor that will function well at low speeds for extended amounts of time.
Once I had that, I needed two things: a place to put my monitor, and a workstation for my wireless keyboard and mouse and all my papers. We did a little research on ergonomics and then measured while I was standing on the treadmill to figure out how high the monitor and workstation needed to be (those two things will vary depending on your height and the height of the treadmill). Luckily, Target had a bookshelf that was the exact height I needed for my monitor. $60, some sweat to put it together, and I was done (bonus: extra shelves for storage!).
The workstation was a little trickier. We bought some MDF and had it cut at a local hardware store. We cut it into three pieces, used brackets to put them together, and then belatedly added a crossbar to cut down on the wiggle (we'd never built anything before - this was a big achievement!). Total cost for materials: under $50.
Other treadmill desk resources:
I found these sites helpful when I was considering my treadmill desk.
Fellow writers with treadmill desks: Katie Alender and Joelle Anthony.
The Office Walkers ning forum: Hear from other people considering, building, and using treadmill desks.
Jay's treadmill desk blog: Lots of great links in the sidebar.
If you have any other questions about treadmill desks, leave a comment below!
Enter....the treadmill desk.
A treadmill desk is exactly what it sounds like -a treadmill with a desk mounted on or around it. You walk at a slow speed while you work.
You can buy the fancy one mentioned in the video above for about $4000, treadmill included. There's also a separate desk (that I think is adjustable-height) for about $400. I bought a treadmill and then built the desk for about $100. Here she is:
Isn't it beautiful?
I absolutely love it. It's made all the difference in my energy and focus, and I never get tired of sitting all day, because I'm not sitting very much at all!
Since treadmill desks are still fairly rare (though I think everyone should have one), I've answered a few of the most common questions people ask me here:
Isn't it hard to walk and work at the same time?
Nope. I usually walk between .5 and 1.5 mph while I'm working, depending on what I'm doing. That's really slow. It didn't take me long to get used to it, and now I don't even think about the fact that I'm walking while I'm typing. I started at .5 for everything, and now my speed varies depending on what I'm doing.
I find it very difficult to hand-write anything or do detailed work in Photoshop, even at the slowest speed, so I usually stop or hop off when I have those things to do. My laptop is in a docking station so I can pull it out at any time and go work sitting down if I need to.
How long do you walk each day?
It depends. Most days I walk between two and four hours. If I have a lot of phone calls, it's on the higher end, if I've got a lot of Photoshopping, it's on the lower end. I also find I don't walk continuously, as I thought I would. I tend to walk for about a half hour at a time, hop off to do some laundry or eat lunch or check my email, and then hop back on for another half an hour.
Do you feel different?
YES. I have much more energy and focus when I'm on the treadmill desk. When I sit all day, I find that my energy dips, especially mid-afternoon, and I'm ready for a nap. I don't feel that at all with the treadmill desk.
How much weight have you lost?
A little.
The treadmill desk is not going to make anyone into a supermodel. You're walking pretty slowly, and you're unlikely to get your heart rate up (and certainly on phone calls I'm trying NOT to - I don't want to pant in people's ears!). I do find it's much easier to get to 10,000 steps in a day, and I have lost some weight, but let's just say the folks on The Biggest Loser aren't quaking in their boots.
This is not a replacement to going outside for a walk if I need to clear my head, and I still go to the gym daily. What the treadmill desk does is keep me from sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day, which was making me completely crazy.
I have noticed that I have more endurance and can see that my legs are more toned, but the biggest change is the amount of energy I have. It's wonderful.
Does this drive everyone in your office crazy?
While I work at home, there are plenty of people who work in regular offices who use this. Check out the video above and the link to the Office Walkers Ning below for info on how it's handled in a typical office setting.
When you choose your treadmill, you'll want to make sure it's pretty quiet at all speeds under 2 MPH, which will take care of the noise factor.
Alternately, if you can't make it work at the office, you can make it work at home - do you use the computer or watch TV there? A treadmill desk doesn't only have to be used during the workday.
How did you make it?
Probably the most time-consuming part of the process was choosing the treadmill. You need something quiet, with a continuous horsepower motor that will function well at low speeds for extended amounts of time.
Once I had that, I needed two things: a place to put my monitor, and a workstation for my wireless keyboard and mouse and all my papers. We did a little research on ergonomics and then measured while I was standing on the treadmill to figure out how high the monitor and workstation needed to be (those two things will vary depending on your height and the height of the treadmill). Luckily, Target had a bookshelf that was the exact height I needed for my monitor. $60, some sweat to put it together, and I was done (bonus: extra shelves for storage!).
The workstation was a little trickier. We bought some MDF and had it cut at a local hardware store. We cut it into three pieces, used brackets to put them together, and then belatedly added a crossbar to cut down on the wiggle (we'd never built anything before - this was a big achievement!). Total cost for materials: under $50.
Other treadmill desk resources:
I found these sites helpful when I was considering my treadmill desk.
Fellow writers with treadmill desks: Katie Alender and Joelle Anthony.
The Office Walkers ning forum: Hear from other people considering, building, and using treadmill desks.
Jay's treadmill desk blog: Lots of great links in the sidebar.
If you have any other questions about treadmill desks, leave a comment below!
Reader Comments (11)
This is so cool. I found your post through Vitamin G. I was wondering if your monitor is close enough for you to see it well enough...how close to your eyes is it exactly? And how high is the keyboard?
Hi, Julie!
I do wish the monitor were a little closer - that's an improvement I'd like to make. It's supposed to be between 20 and 40 inches - mine is just about 40 and I'd like it closer. It's tricky because of the way the treadmill is configured.
The keyboard is perfect - we measured with my elbows bent at a 45 degree angle when I was standing on the treadmill and then built to that specification. It looks high because I am very tall. If you click on the links to Joelle or Katie's posts at the end of my post, you can see how it looks with someone shorter and a different configuration.
I did a lot of research on ergonomics before we did the measuring and building - OSHA has a good site here with more information: http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/computerworkstations/index.html
Hope that helps!
Eleanor
Thanks, Eleanor!
I was just saying the other day that I think I might like one of these, but I'd be nervous that I wouldn't actually like it. I'd want to be able to try someone else's out for a few days before committing. Did you have a way to test it out, or did you just take the plunge?
I just took the plunge. I was a little nervous about spending that much money on it, but I basically told myself that by buying it, I was committing to using it, no matter what.
A good arbiter of whether it would work for you or not would be whether you enjoy reading on a treadmill at the gym. I would give that a try and see how it works for you - if you get seasick or easily distracted, the treadmill desk probably isn't going to work out.
You're always welcome to come to Colorado and try mine on for size!
This is really cool! I do a lot of reading at the gym but it doesn't require the same thought process as writing, although I guess it would work as long as you weren't walking too fast which you aren't.
Next up you'll have to build a stationery bike that powers the laptop while you petal, I think that'd be great motivation for exercise.
It's surprisingly easy. I think it's Deb Katie who said she walks at 2.0 which is way too fast for me, but at a slower speed, it's not a problem, especially if you're doing easy things like reading Facebook. Reading a particle physics textbook might be a little harder!
I definitely would love it if my laptop didn't work unless I were walking - great motivation!
Wow. That is amazing. Even though I exercise regularly, eat well and don't have weight problems, sitting and writing for hours does make me feel like a couch potato. I would LOVE to have one of these! :)
Thanks for coming by, Amanda! This is definitely exactly the thing to combat the couch-potato blues - it doesn't replace my daily workouts or keep me from going for walks during the day to get outside, but I HATED sitting for 8 hours. Made me bonkers. Much better this way!
Thanks Elenor. This sounds like a dream to me.
Can you tell us the model of treadmill you used? It will help me in narrowing down what to get.
Mine is a Sole S77. It gets a little noisy above 2.0 mph, so I'd recommend trying out a few before you pick. Hope that's helpful!