After a number of months of using a treadmill desk, I’ve decided it’s a keeper. There are definitely some things (namely proofreading) that I can’t do while on it, and I generally alternate between walking for an hour and sitting for an hour during the day. Still, I find the treadmill desk to be ergonomically fantastic, it really eliminates a lot of the joint and muscle issues that come with sitting at a desk all day.
My original treadmill desk setup had some problems. These can probably be solved by spending $500-$3,000 for a purpose-built treadmill desk, but here in Colorado we like to take things into our own hands and reuse wherever possible. I started out by positioning my monitors on a board placed across two computer towers in front of the treadmill, but this proved to be too far away (and I have good eyes; definitely don’t try this if you wear glasses!). For the keyboard and mouse, I used another board across the treadmill arms, but this was a little unstable and didn’t leave much room for my phone, date book, etc.
I enlisted the help of my super-DIY’er husband, who came up with the idea of making a larger desk surface that would extend out farther than the treadmill arms in order to accommodate the monitors and the keyboard on the same surface. In order for this to work, you have to have a treadmill with a pretty long belt, so check the length before you make a large desk surface. My husband cut a piece of plywood to size, attached it to the treadmill arms with some metal strapping and screws (you can see this in the photo below) and used two shelving boards to make a “riser” for the monitors. This works really well; the plus/minus is that it’s hard to reach the treadmill control panel while you’re on the belt (since the monitors are in front of it). The minus is that I have to step off the treadmill to turn it off and on, but the plus is that because it’s harder to shut the treadmill off, I tend to just keep walking for a longer time.
That is amazing! How innovative!
I am especially happy about the reusing + DIY factors. I am all about reusing these days.
My desk right now is a table, which I wish had drawers. You have inspired me. I will brainstorm and get some DIY and reusing going!
Happy to see another proud treadmill desk owner reaping all of the benefits from this particular way of working and walking. Interesting note about the proofreading. I find my reading speed drops precipitously with a book or printed material whilst walking, especially if it is a technically dense, but a website is no problem. Thinking now, does walking aid or hinder comprehension and retention of information. I shall have to look for and conduct studies.
With the proofreading, is it the reading that bothers you? Or the marking up of the proofread text?
Also, you have one of the rare treadmills with horizontal arms that you can mount boards on. The two treadmills here at the office have sloping arms, so I had to construct desks to accommodate that.
How is the stability? Not many treadmills are designed to take 50lbs or 60lbs of monitors and equipment over an extended period of time.
Thanks for your inspiration and guidance. I added a desk to my treadmill and quickly dropped 10 pounds, as well as feeling more alert and active during the day. Here are my detailed instructions: http://tiny.cc/tread
Hi Corinne, I am pleased to have found your blog and found your post about the walking desk very interesting. I too enjoy being active as much as possible and trying out new things. I have made several attempts at a standing-only workstation, which proves to be quite uncomfortable after a short time. Walking on the other really sounds doable and would provide me with the basis I need for an active lifestyle. So my question is do you still use a walking workstation today in 2012?
Thanks for your comment! I agree that stand-up desks (non-moving) sound like a good idea, but for most people they are uncomfortable after a while. I passed my treadmill desk on to a friend about 2 years ago because my office is small and the treadmill takes up a lot of space. Now I use a yoga ball instead of a standard office chair and I really like that too!
This has always been a subject that’s interested me, although I’ve yet to take the plunge myself. Although I know you don’t use yours any more, Corinne, I thought this link from today’s BBC website is interesting: “Treadmill desks: How practical are they?” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21076461.