If you are like me you spend lots of time in front of a computer, could stand to lose a few pounds and have a tough time being consistent getting to the gym. Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic came up with the idea to slowly walk on a treadmill while working at a desk built around the treadmill…a Treadmill Desk.
Dr Levine’s research revealed that on the average his subjects burned 100 extra calories every hourwhile walking slowly — at 1 mile per hour — than while sitting in a chair.
This is the $6000 Steelcase’s Walkstation. Since I already had my own treadmill I was able to build my own version for under $30 using heavy duty plastic shelving found at Lowes. I used a 4 shelf unit (36″W x 18″D x 52″ high) and secured it to the treadmill using 14″ plastic cable ties. I used only two of the shelves and secured them to the treadmill with 14″ plastic cable ties. It literally took me less than 20 minutes to set up. I tested it out immediately and it works great. With the height of my treadmill the shelf height was perfect for my laptop, allowing me to have the right posture to walk while typing and reading online.
My first test “walk” was at 1 mph. With both hands resting on my keyboard I had no problem maintaining my balance even while typing. With the two shelves I have plenty of room for a mouse, TV remote and other tools. I’m able to talk on the phone with ease using my Blackberry and Bluetooth earpiece. My treadmill isn’t exceptionally quiet but there wasn’t enough noise to interfere with phone conversations. My treadmill desk: Photo #1 Photo #2
If you are interested in additional ideas for building your own, Jay Buster, a treadmill desk evangelists, provides some great resources along with the links below on his blog:
- Treadmill Desk: Lose 57 lbs in One Year…Really!
- Design by: Anders Burvall
- The $49 Treadmill Desk
- Good Morning America Article
- Mayo Clinic Office of the Future
- USA Today Article
I was literally reading this post while on a treadmill. Of course I didn’t have my laptop strapped to the front….I usually printout the posts which makes the time on the treadmill go much faster. Not the most environmentally friendly but it works.
I was literally reading this post while on a treadmill. Of course I didn’t have my laptop strapped to the front….I usually printout the posts which makes the time on the treadmill go much faster. Not the most environmentally friendly but it works.
This was amazingly simple and inexpensive. I’m able to walk and work at least 2 miles per day.
Funny. I go for a digitally unplugged run early every morning to think about how to get our agency “off the treadmill,” aka moving without going anywhere. But hey, if you’re going to multi-task you might as well burn a few calories. Enjoy it.
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