
Ask HN: Anyone use a treadmill desk daily? - ykevinator
Considering trying this but it&#x27;s such an expensive investment, I wanted to get some advice first.  I spend most of my day writing code or on phone calls, if you have any experience with either, I&#x27;d love to hear about it.
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floatingatoll
Hospital workers at a local hospital have warned me personally to never use a
treadmill desk. They tried them for some of the staff and after one injury per
week for a while — to people’s noses, mouths, and faces — the treadmill desks
were banned outright.

They are not a viable substitute for being away for monitor. It’ll work fine
for a while, but the eventual injuries that occur are to the most sensitive
human-social area available: your face.

Overwork isn’t worth that. Please take breaks instead of using a treadmill
desk.

~~~
ironmagma
How did that come to pass? Was it people losing their balance and falling?

~~~
floatingatoll
I didn’t ask, sorry. It seems safe to assume PEBCAK as an outcome of
distractions, surprises, and overwork tiredness.

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kotrunga
I did this for a few months when working at home. I bought a used treadmill
for $100, and built a desk on top of it using spare parts and material I had
lying around. It went pretty well, as I was writing code all day, but
sometimes I would still need to stand still or sit when doing something like
writing. For what you're doing, you should be fine.

Before spending a lot of money, try out something cheap like a used treadmill
and building your desk. If you love it and want something even more
convenient, then you may feel more confident about spending more money on it.
If you don't like it, well, you found out and didn't have to spend a lot of
money!

Edit:

All I did was take the top of an old desk I no longer used and taped it to the
top of the desk where the handles are. It wasn't very professional looking,
but I didn't care. If you're working in an office, it may be more challenging,
as a normal treadmill probably makes more noise than an "official" walking
treadmill built for an office. But if you can, still try it out the cheap way
first!

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greygore
I've been using a treadmill desk almost daily for the last 2-3 years and I
absolutely love it. I had two laminectomies for herniated discs about 5 years
ago and the dynamic motion of walking has helped me maintain my back health
better than an ergonomic chair or a standing desk would. On days when I had a
lot of meetings and couldn't walk at my desk it was noticeable.

It works particularly well for me, but your mileage may vary (literally). I
tend to walk fast (2.0 mph) which means I need light clothing and a fan
blowing on me. That seems to be faster than most people who walk (and beyond
the speed you should start at). I'm also able to walk longer than a lot of
people do (I've walked a marathon distance several times during 24 hour
hackathons). Contrast this with my partner who found it almost impossible to
work while walking.

I tend to pace when I think, something about walking helps me think; my
treadmill allows me to stay at my computer where I can still write code or
make notes, versus getting up from my desk and wandering away. This really
helps me switch rapidly between deep thinking and focused working.

Two things I highly recommend if you want to take the plunge: make sure you
position your keyboard and monitor(s) carefully as it makes a huge comfort
difference, and use a trackpad over a mouse. I've used my Magic Trackpad and
had no problems controlling my cursor, but the few times I tried to use a
mouse I found it very jumpy (especially at my faster pace).

If you're unsure I recommend looking for a used TR800, take a lot of breaks,
and start slow. And a quiet fan can help keep you cool.

~~~
aegon_is_coming
2 mph is a very slow walk... People typically say that with a standard walk
you can walk a mile in 20 minutes. 2 mph means a mile every 30 minutes, or 50%
slower than standard.

~~~
greygore
You are correct: it's a fairly slow walk around the neighborhood. Typically I
average between 3.5 and 4 when strolling around outside.

That being said, it's fast by the standards of treadmill desk usage (judging
by what I've read and a coworker that bought her own treadmill). I can't speak
authoritatively but the impression I get is that most people walk around 1.0
mph which is maddeningly slow for getting around, but appropriate for
mindlessly pacing while typing or talking on the phone.

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towelr34dy
It doesn't have to be. I put together my own. Here is what I purchased:

Jarvis Stand Desk Frame Only ($445) Home Depo Door ($60) Confidence Power Plus
Motorized Electric Treadmill Black ($200)

So total of $700~ for basics.

Additionally, to make it look nice I added: WireTamer Cable Trays ($20) Shelf
and Drawer Liner Wood Grain (x3 for a total Of $27) LED Lights ($20) Drill-
able Cable Clips (x2 for $10) Belkin Power Strip ($22)

Since the higher position meant I started getting hit by the AC stream and I
also didn't like people being able to see me through the windows when
standing, I added: Frost King Air Deflectors ($10) Gila Privacy Window Film
($30)

~~~
PascLeRasc
Sounds cool, can we see a photo of it?

~~~
ykevinator
Second

~~~
Doyniish
Third!

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vosper
I do. Against all the online advice to not DIY I have a normal running
treadmill (a freebie from the people we bought our house off, who didn't want
to move it) with a couple of polystyrene blocks across the bars. The blocks
support a bluetooth keyboard and a wireless mouse. I use normal garage
shelving (also left for us) to support a 32" 2560x1440 monitor. My laptop sits
on the shelves, but the one screen is plenty big enough for work.

I use the treadmill for 2 hours every day, and have done so for the last 6
months. I do 40 minute sessions, with a decent break in-between, at 5.3km/h,
with the incline set to the point where I can feel it, but not to where it
changes my gait or makes me sway so much that I can't type.

Honestly, it's great. Because I work from home I don't get any of the walking
exercise I used to from going to and from work. But I get more now - 10kms a
day, at a fairly fast pace. Combined with intermittent fasting I have been
slowly losing weight over the past 6 months.

And it feels really good to walk. It was something I missed. Being able to
work it into my... work... has been great.

I don't think it's probably a good idea to walk all day. After some
experimenting I settled on 2 hours. I used to do 3 hours, but by the end of
the week my back would be getting a bit sore.

~~~
ykevinator
Wow, this is exactly the situation I was looking for and your practical "get
healthier slowly" approach is exactly what I have been contemplating.

~~~
vosper
If you can get a cheap treadmill I'd say give a shot. It doesn't have to be
expensive to setup. Especially if you're working remotely and noise isn't an
issue (my treadmill is in the garage; I have noise-cancelling headphones that
help a lot, but it's really not that bad without them - and this is an old
treadmill).

The (well-intentioned) concerns that I see about posture if you DIY I think
are aimed at people who are planning to walk all day. To me walking slowly all
day never made sense, I'd much rather walk faster for a short period of time
and then return to my desk and rest.

I also think the safety concerns are overblown. I look straight ahead at my
screen, which is at head height; I'd also be looking straight ahead if I was
walking without working. I've never fallen, tripped, etc... I don't see how
it's any more dangerous than running would be, probably less so because is
everything is moving a lot more slowly.

If you do try it out be sure to put the speed up periodically to see what you
can handle. I walked at 3.5 kp/h for months before my wife mentioned she was
walking at 5 kp/h and I discovered I could handle faster speeds, too.

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Kagerjay
I owned a lifespan tr1200 for 3 to 4 years. I use it every morning to watch TV
and do a 4 mph warm-up jog before working out.

I used to walk and do work as well at 1.6mph, but it's still distracting to me
even after many years. I sometimes use the treadmill while playing Xbox
controller games like rocket league.

If I had to buy a treadmill desk vs a stand/sit desk I'd buy it again. I hate
running because it's boring but with a treadmill desk it doesn't matter to me.
Standing up all day doesnt bother me either, since I have a specialized
antifatigue mat. Also I never wear the safety attachment it's not necessary

I wish they made treadmill desks past 4 mph, with incline mode. I am
considering retrofitting an actual treadmill to a desk so I can go up to 8
mph. Something that you can add detachable arm rails.

Also the tr1200 is incredibly stable sturdy compared to many sit stand desk
such as jarvis, bc it's really heavy and has a big crossbrace

Also I have never once fallen off my treadmill. I run three monitors and a
laptop.

I run a blue yeti mic and sometimes I wear socks while using treadmill, it
causes some static electricity buildup in my headphones and mic.

For reference this is my desk. My gym is right behind it, if you want to see
that to let me know.

[https://imgur.com/a/78m8sCr](https://imgur.com/a/78m8sCr).

Its pretty easy to do a 5+ mile walk on a treadmill desk in a single day. But
there's not much benefits to that imo unless your trying to lose weight

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cweiss
Our company has several LifeSpan treadmill desks (~$1200) scattered throughout
campus. For a while, I was using one daily. My experience:

1\. You're bouncing up and down while you're walking. At best, you can read
something - typing/mousing is a challenge. I had little success writing or
coding. I ended up using the desk first thing in the mornings while I caught
up on emails, news and such. This was the dealbreaker for me in getting a
setup at home.

2\. I wanted a separate set of footwear for the treadmill. I suppose I was
right on the edge of sweating too much to be comfortable the rest of the day
in my 'walking clothes', but swapping out shoes/socks was a must.

3\. It _is_ much better than not using one. For all the same reasons that any
regular exercise is good - better mood, lost weight, break in the day, etc.

The desks had 'dead mans switch' leashes (strap that kills the treadmill if
it's pulled out), workout computers with HRM, adjustable height desks with
memory and were beefy solid machines. I think the only thing they missed was a
USB charge port. I would think a cheaper machine might be flimsier, which
could aggravate the bouncing issue.

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jefflombardjr
When I worked at Salesforce we had these. I loved them. Especially when I had
to do something like writing test coverage. It was great being able to just
focus on work and walk for an hour or two without even realizing it. There is
definitely an adjustment period, just like if you were trying a new keyboard.

If you have the ability to work on something uninterrupted and you get into
that 'flow state' I'd say yes go for it, well worth the investment. Phone
would be fine though if you have a handsfree setup.

That being said, if you work in a noisy environment with alot of distractions,
walking just becomes another added stressor. An additional downside is that
you can get sweaty if you forget for how long you've been walking!

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askafriend
How about you just go to the gym and build real strength and endurance instead
of having a treadmill desk. The treadmill desk will only make yourself feel
better about sitting around all day but it won't move the needle significantly
on much else besides emotion.

The reason I chose the harsh wording is because there truly is no substitute
for getting in the gym to correct posture, build strength, build endurance,
and prevent injuries long-term among other things.

You just have to make time for it and do the work, just like with anything
else worth having in life.

~~~
simplify
An hour a day at the gym is no substitute for working on your posture
throughout your waking hours. It'll help, sure, but it's not even 10% of your
day, even less so of your week.

~~~
kojeovo
I'd recommended doing both. Ultimately, you need resistance to strengthen
upper back / rear delts, but you should for sure be taking breaks to 'reset'.

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akulbe
Daily. Multiple times daily. I _LOVE_ it. No more back pain. No more sciatica
from sitting too long. I feel way more alert.

It took some getting used to, but now I can't imagine working without it.

I'm walking an average of 2-3 hours per day.

When I'm not walking, I swivel the monitor over to the left side of my desk,
and lower the desk.

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PascLeRasc
Here's a profile of a NYTer who loves her treadmill desk:
[https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/technology/personaltech/t...](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/technology/personaltech/treadmill-
desk-office.html)

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knaik94
Another question for those that do, what speed do you usually walk at?

~~~
greygore
I walk at 2.0 mph. This is about as fast as I can walk without becoming too
overheated, but even then I need to wear light clothing and have a fan blowing
on me. Walking at 1.5 mph would probably reduce my need for cooling, and 1.0
or less just feels too slow for me.

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hiaux0
I was able to try it out for ~1 week.

Can highly recommend.

A cheaper alternative would be two have a 'high' desk with a separate
treadmill (haven't tested this one myself, but am considering this setup)

~~~
qnsi
Isn't it too hard to type using it? I tried using something improvised to
mimic (I used the high desk as you say) but it was too hard for me to type
consistently.

~~~
hiaux0
Def. needs time to get used to, was l-2 days for me. But hadn't have big
problems typing after that.

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quickthrower2
What about something like google glass, voice recognition, a good 4G signal
with a decent PC running in the cloud, and then just go walk in a circle the
countryside.

