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Ask HN: Treadmill under your desk – gimmick or worth it?
19 points by herodoturtle 5 months ago | hide | past | favorite | 24 comments
Hi folks,

I’m considering investing in a height adjustable desk + minimal treadmill combo.

Primary goal is to up my step count. With a busy job and babies at home it’s difficult to hit 10k steps at the mo.

I’ll keep my Aeron on the side for when I feel like sitting / need a break.

Wondering if it’s going to be an indulgent expense that I regret. But no way to know unless I try.

Curious what your experience has been?

Thanks ^_^




I've been working from home since 2017. Had a brief (scary) ulna neuropathy (nerve issue in arm) where when you're arm is constantly pressed against the edge of your desk or laptop and causes the pinky and eventually more fingers to go numb.

was diagnosed and recommended surgery... said eff that i'm too young (was early thirties at the time) and landed on switching to a standing setup. within 2 weeks of giving my arm relief, the neuropathy disappeared and hasn't come back since. i've convinced many at my company to switch to a standing setup and miraculously the health problems started to dissipate.

eventually i had a similar thought as you. what if i could get steps in WHILE working?!? i bought 2 under desk treadmills to try, both were fine and with noise cancelling mics, no one could hear the subtle whirring.

since we're a fully remote company, i have some coworkers that would complain that THEY were getting motion sickness looking at me as i walked in our meetings. returned the treadmills after that. fwiw - i ended up training for an ironman and got an indoor bike setup for winter training - no one complained about motion sickness with that. =)


Interesting insight, thanks for sharing.

I am seldom in meetings, so no risk of my meeting colleagues getting motion sickness. My thinking is that I can just wheel away the treadmill in those cases and stand at my desk or lower it and use my chair.

If meetings weren’t a factor would you still be using the treadmill whilst working? I’m curious about the overall comfort / discomfort of such a setup.

I’m hoping to try it some place first before I buy but have yet to find a setup in the part of the world where I stay.


Just be aware that pure step counts are sorta meaningless if you are trying to excersize for health. You generally need to put some stress on the cardiovascular system to start getting benefits. You can do it with the treadmill, but depending on your metabolism and current cardio level, it may not do much for you if you are doing light enough effort to be able to work.


Steps are for burning calories. The amount of calories burned by walking for 4 hours is quite high. If you’re looking to lose weight it’s a very useful tool, even if it’s very low effort.


The issue with relying on exercise to burn calories is you get hungrier after exercise and eat more than you should, otherwise you feel like crap.

Its certainly the fastest way to lose weight if you have the bandwidth/mental fortitude during the day to exercise while eating less and being low energy (i.e not really able to do things like work or household duties), but for most people this is not practical. Diet management and calorie tracking is the best way to lose weight.


Losing weight is a multifaceted problem, no doubt. Walking a bunch is just a very easy way to burn calories without you getting tired. Burning the same amount of calories by running, for instance, is much less sustainable. You can walk almost an unlimited amount but not many people can run or even jog for hours.

Ultimately diet is what dictates weight loss, but it’s psychologically easier sometimes to incorporate additional calorie burn from walking or some sort of cardio than it is to just eat fewer calories. I’d suggest that this is a “yes and” statement. You can’t out walk a bad diet, but walking a ton may turn a diet from a caloric surplus into a deficit.


Still others may simply be trying to activate the lymphatic and glymphatic systems.


You will regret it if it ends up collecting dust.

I have a Xiaomi walking pad that goes to 10km/h. It has a small footprint on the floor and folds up nicely. It feels amazing to walk during a one hour meeting. I work from home, so I often have the chance to use it.

My work is fine with me walking during meetings where i am not actively participating. Be sure to ask if the noise is leaking out to them. These days it shouldn't be a problem, noise cancellation is getting real gud.

Make sure you dont overapply the lubricant! It will make the band slip as you walk or run making it useless, even dangerous.

Consider getting a mat for the treadmill to stand on. The legs on mine need constant adjustment, otherwise it makes a noise as if something is loose.

If you actually end up using it regularly I believe it may change your life. Good luck with your choice!


Thanks for this insight and also for suggesting an actual treadmill model - I hadn’t got that far so this is a nice tip.


WFH dad here. Long working days so I put a treadmill. First a cheap one, as I wanted to try, but it was walked down in some months and you had to maintain. I switched to lifespan. Its maintenance free. For me it is a total game changer to walk half a day. I use it every day for 4 hours for the last 3 years. Then put the gymnastic ball on it and lower the desk to sit for the rest of the day. Threw away the office chair. In video meetings I stop it and stand. I researched a lot about treadmill desks and it seems that it is not for everybody. Some people find it hard to concentrate, others find it easier. You could start with a small investment on a amazon or used one. If you like it and you want to continue you can switch to a more professional setup. There are even treadmills without engine (the walkolution one). Take your time. Body adapts slowly - I would recommend you give yourself some months of getting used to it.


I've just put one in my office and it cost just $150 USD. I plan on using my fitness reimbursement from my insurer to cover the expense. I've used it selectively but recently reorganized my office to make it more accessible. I spent about an hour on it today, alternating between standing and sitting. I find it much easier to stay standing while moving my body. Otherwise, I neglect to focus on my comportment while standing and start to cramp up, similar to sitting with poor posture. Exercise and step count aside, it's worth it to me for that reason. Also, being at a keyboard, my hands are occupied and my watch doesn't always register the additional steps. YMMV, literally.


I’ve had a walking desk for years in my home office. It was transformative for me. I found that once my body adjusted to walking I would go I to flow and find a hour or two had flown by. I particularly liked taking calls while in it. Now matter how much a waste of time the call was I would get a couple of kilometres in. I eventually was up to 10 milles a day. 4 km per hour for 4 hours. I had days when I walked more but I think 4 hours a day is a good limit point for me


Basically I am in a similar situation (my optimal speed was 3km/h) but I gave up as I had no space for treadmill AND the chair. I tried with the gymnastic ball but it take also much space when fully blown.

So what do you do after those 4 hours? You put the treadmill away and sit on the chair, you change the desks, you put a gymnastic ball on top on the treadmill to sit on it?

This question motivates me to rethink the whole operational strategy and to start using it again and maybe your answer would give a fresh idea how to solve my limited space issue. Thanks.


exactly that. after 4 hrs of walking I put the gymnastic ball on the treadmill to sit. Getting used to it may take a while but I think its the optimal solution, as you will never be in a very static position. Regarding limited space, maybe you can bring the ball somewhere else while walking, I mean you switch once a day.


I didn't end up using mine, as walking while keeping both hands on the keyboard doesn't work the right places in my back. I also get really sweaty when walking indoors with no breeze, it turns out.

I'd recommend a cheap second-hand treadmill if you're going to try -- people are always selling these after shelling out a heap of money and realising that they mainly collect dust.


I got one for the winter, and it was fine for getting a little extra exercise. Now that it's summer, I'd rather go outside.

I found I could only really use it when I was watching something on the screen. Watching videos was fine, and so were meetings if I didn't have to have my own video on. The motion was pretty distracting for other people.

Trying to do any work while on it was difficult. I could do a little if I went at a much slower pace than my normal speed. Even then, the static electricity would build up, and I'd get zapped after every time I took a break from touching the desk.


Not quite what you asked for, but I use an under desk bicycle rather than treadmill. I cycle most of the day and do some of the day standing up (on a rubber mat not a treadmill). I love it. The desk cycle doesn't get in the way when sitting or standing.

Whatever you choose, I highly recommend getting an ergonomics expert to help get you set up with all of it. Might sound silly but you can really cook your arms, shoulders, back, and knees if you're not careful lol


I think the standing desk is definitely a good Idea, from my experience at least. but I think that for a treadmill not to distract you from work you would have to run it at a speed slower than pacing, like when you're walking and have to answer an important call you slow down or stop completely, but that's just my opinion if the treadmill has reasonable return policy you could definitely try it out. ;)


I never had one, but IMHO If this is your way of getting steps in than it's totally worth it.

I started getting really busy at work lately and stopped working out. After a while I would start feeling horrible after my 10 hours workdays at my desk.

I decided to start spending my lunches taking a walk at the local park and I am feeling great ever since.

The point is, find a way to MOVE and if this is it, then go for it!


Remember that the treadmill is heavy. Mine is like 35kg. It is compact, foldable, but it is not something you want to play with every day (despite of nice promotional videos showing how easy it is to hide it under the bed). Also consider a rubber mat (like ie. tacx) to put under because of noise and weight distributed on several legs and not the whole surface.


Not a walking desk but I picked up a secondhand yoyo desk bike figuring if it was rubbish I'd resell it

I love it and do 20-30 miles a day on it. It's not training but the cycling helps me think

I've read a few blogs and seen some YouTube since and all the reviews are the same with people surprised how much fun it is


Worth it IMO as a treadmill desker since 2014. Still using the same Lifespan treadmill and the same Uplift desk from the same time. Its good to switch from sit to stand to walk.


> Primary goal is to up my step count. With a busy job and babies at home it’s difficult to hit 10k steps at the mo.

Why do you want to hit 10k steps a day?


It’s a gimmick and a waste. Just walk or jog outside.




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