It is interesting to me that my very first post on this blog – the one about my treadmill desk – is the by far the most popular thing I have written.  Everyday I receive several visits to my little site from around the U.S. and the world from curious people who are interested in the treadmill desk.  If you don’t follow me on Facebook, then let me tell you right now…I LOVE MY TREADMILL DESK!!!

A happy bearded dude at his treadmill desk.

This is the 4th week I have been walking and working and I have 98% positive things to say about my new active work station.  I feel like ‘a million bucks’ at the end of the workday instead of feeling like a bloated, fatigued blob.  My creativity, focus and productivity have all increased.  I can’t give you a specific measure on this because I did not set a baseline measurement for productivity since the treadmill desk was built on a whim.  But I am cranking out material at a volume and quality that I have not produced in some time.

The first week I started working on the treadmill I was walking around 2 to 2.5 miles a day at a pace of about 1.3mph.  In my 4th week I am averaging 5 miles a day at a pace of 1.5mph.  This week might be my first ‘marathon’ week at work – banging out 26.2 miles in one week while working.  That kind of mileage isn’t anything new to my body.  When I was in my early 20’s I ran 4 marathons and would hike 20-25 miles a day on my thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail…and that was carrying a backpack with gear.  Alas, time and laziness have caught up and I would be doing well to run 1 mile…but I can still walk like a beast!

The only thing I have found that is bad about working on the treadmill is a nagging foot injury that flares up every now and then.  Some minor discomfort is a fair trade for the productivity I have been enjoying and the increased energy.  I think my wife really enjoys when I come home now because I’m upbeat and ready to play with the kids and help around the house…instead of needing to sit down and rest for a while. Plus I almost always come home in an overly happy mood…I might need to tone that down a bit 🙂

Some have asked…are you losing any weight?  I guess my answer would be no. I’ve noticed that I didn’t put on any weight during the holidays…and I devoured a LOT of unhealthy things this year…so that is a positive.  I do feel ‘trimmer’ though.  My belt has tightened up a notch and clothes feel a bit more loose.  I would assume that walking while I work combined with reducing the amount of soda I drink would lead to a bit of weight loss in the coming months.  But working on a treadmill doesn’t get the heart rate into the target zone for someone my age.  I have to go slow so I can keep my hands still for typing and my head still for reading.

Speaking of reading…many have asked how challenging it is to read and write while walking.  Again, if you go slow enough you kind of forget that you are walking.  The first day was the only day I had a bit of adjustment to the rhythm of walking and reading.  It’s nothing like when I would try to read textbooks while on the elliptical machine at the gym.  At the gym I was trying to go fast enough to stay in the zone and that does not combine well with reading…at least for me.

I have mentioned to some that I don’t feel motivated to get to the gym, but I didn’t feel motivated before the treadmill desk either, so I wouldn’t count that as a problem of the treadmill desk.  I have added in some pushups to my workday.  No set number just a few pushups every now and then to change things up.  Got the idea from “The One Push-Up Challenge” which talked about small changes making a big impact.  I already have enough BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals) that I am working on. None of my co-workers have walked in on me doing push-ups, they still get a chuckle when they come down and see me walking and working but they are super supportive!

As I’ve mentioned before, good footwear is a MUST.  I love my Merrell shoes that I wear to work everyday.  Getting your keyboard, mouse and monitors at the proper height are essential too.  The first few days my keyboard and mouse were too low and I strained my wrist in just a matter of hours.  Took about 4 or 5 days for that to stop hurting.  I really enjoy the height of my monitors.  The placement makes me stand up straight when I’m walking.

Is a treadmill desk for you? I can’t say.  I am blessed to have an employer who let’s me do crazy things like this in my office.  I still have my traditional desk where I probably spend an hour or so a day doing other projects.  I couldn’t imagine having a big setup like this in my house.  If you’re in the DFW area you’d always be welcome to come by and give my setup a try!

I was feeling a bit nerdy today so I setup a camera while I was working and made this quick little video – 41 seconds to be exact:

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As always, thanks for stopping by to take a look.  A share via email, Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest is always appreciated.