Burn Calories, Relieve Back Pain, Improve Concentration & More With a Treadmill Desk

Anyone who faces the prospect of sitting all day at a desk will find that a treadmill workspace is a lifesaver . . . for more reasons than you might think.

Recent studies suggest Americans are gaining weight due to sitting 40 hours or more while at work. But putting on pounds isn't the only problem. Sitting for long hours also poses a health risk. Given my aching back, I worry about this a lot.

In the New York Times, Mandy Katz wrote "I Put in 5 Miles at the Office" about treadmill desks. She bought for herself the cheapest treadmill desk she could find. Soon after, she discovered the benefit was not so much "exercise" as that, when you're on your treadmill, you're not sitting down.

"This was before all the recent studies about how bad sitting is for your entire system," says Mandy in an email to me. Her husband, who's highly energetic, "marches along at his treadmill desk like a Prussian officer in a hurry"  

As for Mandy, she explains, "I plod. I stroll. I amble. One early adopter I read about even named his walking desk 'The iPlod.' If I'm reading something complicated, doing art layouts or writing by hand, I stop walking altogether. But, hey, standing desks are better for your spine than sitting."

Benefits

Mandy says most people who use treadmill desks report losing little if any weight but describe other health benefits including higher energy levels, better concentration and, for some, relief from back or joint pain.

Mandy's design tips for treadmills desks

After the treadmill (or maybe even more than your treadmill), your biggest investment is likely to be a large monitor. It sets up several feet away from your eyes, keyboard and feet, so a regular sized one won't do.

Stand up the monitor on a bookshelf, mid-sized TV cabinet or other furniture about 4 feet tall, and back your treadmill up almost against it. Space beneath provides storage.

Your treadmill does not need to be fancy! My husband uses our 15-year-old model and I bought myself the cheapest option available at Sears.

Your treadmill does need flat arms long enough to hold a stack of boards or, better yet, insulation/wallboard, topped by a wood or laminate desktop about 2 feet by 4 feet. Your keyboard and laptop will fit on this as well as a few pens or papers, but not much else.

For spreading out, set up a table or conventional desk alongside the machine.

Disadvantages

The treadmill workstation, of course, cannot travel to multiple areas of the home the way a laptop can; you can go anywhere with a laptop, but treadmill desks are not portable.

"With the mobility a laptop gives me," says Mandy, "I often abandon my treadmill desk temporarily and work on the porch or in the kitchen—in a chair!"

Footwear

Note from Mandy to women, "The one downside for women is footwear. You can't work-walk well in pumps or even flip flops. Changing in and out of walking shoes, if your feet are as picky as mine, can get tiresome."

How do you keep from being a "desk-chair potato" while working?

See more ways to Stay Fit With At Home Workouts