Treadmill Desk

Treadmill Desk: Lose 57 lbs in One Year...Really!

2007-12-31T05:28:00.003-07:00

Change your life!

Want to lose up to 57 lbs in one year?
Can't find enough time to get to the gym?
Spend lots of time in front of a computer?

If you answered Yes, Yes and Yes, then welcome to the solution...the Treadmill Desk.

Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic came up with the idea of a "Treadmill Desk". The idea is 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 average his subjects burned 100 extra calories every hour while walking slowly, less than 1 mile per hour, at a Treadmill Desk.

Dr. Levine believes that if individuals were to replace 8 hours a day of sitting at their "normal" desk with a Treadmill Desk, and if other components of energy balance were constant, a weight loss of 57 pounds a year could occur.

What you need: (1) an old used treadmill (2) $39 to build the desk and (3) the desire to change your life.

Click to enlarge image.

Update: The Treadmill Desk really works! For 10 years I had been trying to lose 10 lbs with absolutely no success (I actually gained 5 lbs during those 10 years). After just four months of working/walking at my office Treadmill Desk, I lost 16 lbs! Now I have the wonderful problem of trying to eat more every day. Details below in "Is it possible to walk Across America..." Jay Buster

2007-07-28T17:38:00.004-06:00

Is it possible to walk across America...

Map Channels: free mapping tools

...while working at your Treadmill Desk?

I'm going to find out! This is a virtual journey. I'm walking on my Treadmill Desk while working in my Boulder Colorado office. Google Earth tracks my progress as I "walk across America" while working at my Treadmill Desk.

My goal is to walk from New York City to Chicago in one year. Then Boulder Colorado in year 2, Santa Monica Beach by April 1, 2009, then...

Update 2-18-09: I did it!
1.75 years and approximately 20 lbs lighter, I finished my walk across America while working at my office desk. You can do it too!

The map is "LIVE". Double click to center & zoom, drag with your cursor, click the markers, etc.

2007-07-21T06:18:00.000-06:00

2007-07-20T17:01:00.002-06:00

How far can you walk in 1 day while working at your Treadmill Desk?

Answer:
Bloomingdale's front door (NYC) to Secaucus, NJ

This is the average distance (5 miles) I walk while working at my Treadmill Desk every day. You can too!

Click on the map
to enlarge it

Weight Loss Website : Excellent!

2007-07-20T13:41:00.000-06:00

If you'd like to lose some weight may I recommend that in addition to using your Treadmill Desk that you check out TheDailyPlate.

You enter your weight goal and then The Daily Plate computes what it will take for you to achieve your goal. The main feature is that it tracks what you eat every day. The site has a 175,000 food item database. Because of this extensive database, it's easy to enter what you ate.

The cost is also excellent: FREE!

If you're a geek like me, you'll have fun while losing weight.

Test: Audio Player

2007-07-20T13:06:00.000-06:00

How far can you walk while working at your Treadmill Desk?

2007-06-23T15:07:00.001-06:00

New York City to Secaucus, NJ

This is the average distance (5.2 miles) I walk while working at my Treadmill Desk each day.

Click on the above map to enlarge it

Treadmill Desk Questions? Ask Jay

2007-06-10T05:22:00.013-06:00

Have a question? Post your questions in "Comments" and Jay will reply ASAP.

Q: What was the total cost of your Treadmill Desk?

A: Not much! About $39 to make the desk. My approximate costs were:
1) $11: 2' x 4' x 3/4" Melamine Particleboard from Home Depot. This is used as the desk.
2) $23: 4' x 8' x 2" blue Styrofoam panel (used in new home insulation). I cut this into 12"x40" planks. I place these planks across the handrails to raise my desk to a comfortable height.
3) $5 : Black water based spray paint. The blue Styrofoam planks were really ugly, so I painted them black. A great water based spray paint to use on Styrofoam: Krylon H2O Latex.

Click here for more details on the $39 Desk.

My one luxury, which I would recommend, were my two Ergotron monitor arms . These are about $90 each online.

Q: Do you know of any commercially available Treadmill Desks? Lee Abrahamson

A: Here's some products that may work if you really don't want to build your own. I have never used any of these products and I do not endorse them.

Signature Treadmill Desks

Steelcase's Walkstation for only $6,000!

TreadDesk

TrekDesk

Air Desk

Easy Chair Workstation

Q: What speed do you go at?

A: I like 1.1 MPH (Note: I've increased the speed from 0.8 MPH as I got more comfortable with the Treadmill Desk) . I'm able to walk, use the keyboard and mouse and watch my two monitors with few issues. Dr. James A Levine of the Mayo clinic, who came up with the idea of the Treadmill Desk, recommends 0.7 MPH.

Q: My job is all about talking on the phone. Does either the
walking or the treadmill noise interfere with your calls?

A: Because you're only walking at 0.7 to 1.2 MPH your breathing is very normal. Talking on the phone is not an issue. At this low speed the treadmill emits a very low level white noise. This noise has never bothered me when I've been on the phone. People are very surprised when I tell them that I've walked a mile while we've been talking. They didn't have a clue. No one has ever said "What's that noise?"

Q: What are you selling?

A: The only thing I'm selling is my passion for Treadmill Desks. I love my Treadmill Desk. I can't imagine using my "normal" desk as my primary desk anymore. I appreciate why Dr. Levine of the Mayo Clinic, believes the Treadmill Desk is the solution for many of the problems plaguing our modern day office environment.

Q: Does the Treadmill Desk make noise that would bother a fellow office mate?

A: I wouldn't think it would bother most people. Treadmills create more of a white noise than anything else. For a test go to your nearest health club on a quiet day when no one else is using the equipment and set a treadmill at 1 MPH and see what you think. The exception would be if you had a treadmill like mine where the roller's ball bearing are wearing out and it creates an annoying sound.

Q: Is it hard to keep your balance while working at the Treadmill Desk?

A: A little, but if I rest one or both of my hands on the keyboard, desk or mouse then my balance is excellent.
Sometimes I lose my balance if I reach for something that isn't on the desk in front of me. For example, my printer sits on top of a filing cabinet next to the treadmill. So when I reach sideways or backwards to the printer I find myself somewhat unsteady.

Q: I'm a programmer. I touch-type and mouse around for most of the day. I'm
wondering how much harder it is to interact with the computer while you are walking. To put it another way-- if you had a very serious bit of work to do, would you get off the treadmill and sit down, or are you just as good (if not better!) while walking? Berkeley, CA

A: I would only sit down at my normal desk if I was working with a bunch of papers, like a tax return or if I had to write a lot with a pencil. My job is trading obscure financial securities against other obscure financial securities (arbitrage). I've had no problems doing this at my Treadmill Desk.

Clear Head: I believe my ideas are fresher and clearer while working at my Treadmill Desk. Also, I've never experienced an after lunch sleepy feeling that I often got while sitting at my normal desk. I believe these to be huge benefits!

Keyboard & Mouse: I've lost some efficiency with my mouse. I'm still experimenting with different mouse styles and models to minimize this loss. Keyboard is AOK.

Pencil: I find writing with a pencil or pen to be challenging. Also, I read a lot and use a yellow highlighter to mark the important sections. Some of my pages look like I was drunk while highlighting.

Q: Have you noticed any weight loss?

A: Yes, I lost 16 lbs in four months. 16 pounds was my goal, so now I get to eat a lot more every day. If you look below the big map on the home page you'll see a spreadsheet where I track my weight loss (or gain).
A great resource for losing weight is The Daily Plate. I've learned so much about foods and calories. It's like having your own weight loss coach. (Note that I have no connection to The Daily Plate....I just love it!).

Q: How many hours a day do you work at your treadmill desk? Do you feel tired at the end of the day? Do you work up a sweat?

I walk about 6 hours a day at my Treadmill Desk Monday through Friday.

I don't feel tired at the end of the day. On the contrary, I feel GREAT. I would say this is probably the biggest benefit of using a Treadmill Desk. When I sat at my "old" desk I almost always felt sleepy after lunch. No more! Employers would experience a boom in worker productivity during the post-lunch period if they installed Treadmill Desks.

I don't work up a sweat. I converted a detached garage into my office ("World Headquarters"). It can get warm in the summer, but a portable air conditioner combined with a small fan that's pointed at my upper body keeps me cool and sweat free.

Q: How do you attach the foam to the treadmill arms and to the plywood?

The foam is not attached to either the treadmill or the wood. It's just sitting there sandwiched between the wood desk and the treadmill's arms.

Mr. Thomas Kat's Treadmill

2007-06-03T16:05:00.000-06:00

Can't see the movie? Download Adobe Flash Player

Various Designs

2007-06-03T15:23:00.001-06:00

Can't see the slideshow? Download Adobe Flash Player

John Daugirdas, Editor HDCN.com

2007-06-03T14:44:00.001-06:00

John Daugirdas, Editor of HDCN.com

Can't see the movie? Download Adobe Flash Player

Anders Burvall Movie

2007-06-03T14:31:00.001-06:00

Anders Burvall's Home Page
Can't see the movie? Download Adobe Flash Player

Mice, Monitor Display, etc

2007-06-03T13:02:00.002-06:00

Although it isn't very difficult to actually work on a Treadmill
Desk, there are certain tools that will make the transition more efficient and enjoyable.

Keyboard
Desktop real estate is very precious. I use a mini-sized keyboard to save space. Check eBay or Google "small or mini-size keyboards".

Mouse
Sometimes it can be challenging to use a mouse to highlight a website link while walking. I use a standard wireless mouse, but some Treadmill Desk walkers love their trackball mouse.

Monitor Display
Positioning your computer monitor is very important for the Treadmill Desk to work well. Without a doubt, the best purchase I made was for two monitor arms (I have two monitors) that attach to the wall. My monitor arms extend up to 24" from the wall and pivot to every possible position.

Good Choice: Ergotron

I bought the Ergotron LX Wall Mount LCD Arm and I love them!

But to install this model (wall mount) you need to attach to a wood wall stud. I spent several hours learning how to do this.
Step 1: To locate where the wood studs are hiding behind the drywall, use a "rare earth" magnet to locate where the drywall screws are attached to the wood stud.
Step 2: Then once you know where the stud is, use a very small nail (8 d or 8 penny) and actually pound it into the wall to determine the exact location of the two edges of the wood stud.

Telephone
The less cords and cables the better. Therefore, buy a cordless telephone and keep the base unit elsewhere in the room. Just keep the handset on your desk.

VGA Splitter
This device allows you to split the VGA video coming out of your computer to two monitors. The same image is seen on both monitors. Therefore, you can have one monitor at your Treadmill Desk and a second monitor on your "normal" desk. That way you can switch back and forth between your Treadmill and normal desk without having to move your monitor.

The difference between the following two choices is that the Aluratek provides a split signal all of the time, whereas the 2-1 HD15 only provides an output to the monitor you choose via the manual switch. The 2-1 HD15 works great and it's only $10!

Aluratek AVS02 2-Port VGA Video Splitter $34

My Choice: 2-1 HD15 VGA Manual Switch Box

Two Mice and/or Two Keyboards
It's been my experience that if you're using a USB mouse and/or USB keyboard (either wired or wireless) then you may have two of each plugged in at the same time with no ill effects. That is, you can have one set of mouse and keyboard for your normal desk and one set for your treadmill desk. This is a great configuration so you may easily go back and forth between the two desks.

Editor of HDCN

2007-06-03T11:55:00.000-06:00

Editor of HDCN

Can't see the slideshow? Download Adobe Flash Player

Paul West

2007-06-03T11:11:00.001-06:00

Can't see the slideshow? Download Adobe Flash Player

Design by: Anders Burvall

2007-06-03T10:39:00.002-06:00

Anders Burvall's Home Page
Can't see the slideshow? Download Adobe Flash Player

Design by : Sharon Odom Fling

2007-06-03T09:09:00.000-06:00

Sharon Odom Fling
Can't see the slideshow? Download Adobe Flash Player

Buying a Treadmill

2007-06-02T02:32:00.016-06:00

Update 2/4/09: I've walked about 100 miles on my new treadmill. It's the Smooth Fitness 7.6HR Pro It's great and here's why:

3 HP Motor: With 3 HP you have all the power that you'll ever need.
Running Belt: 20"x60" Perfect.
The console is narrow, elevated and out of the way so I was able to build a large desk surface on top of the arms. My new desk is almost as big as the desk surface on the $4,000 SteelCase Treadmill Desk.
Almost perfectly straight arms. This makes for a level desk...no more catching my pencil as it rolls off my desk.
310 lbs. It's heavy so it doesn't shake as I walk.
Warranty: Lifetime Frame and Motor, 5 years parts & electronics and 2 years in-home service WOW!
Finally, shipping is included in the price.

Following is what you should look for when choosing the treadmill in a Treadmill Desk.

A treadmill is the foundation of the Treadmill Desk. If you choose poorly, you're setting yourself up for one headache after another. How do I know? I made every mistake in the book in building my original Treadmill Desk, including the purchase of the wrong treadmill.

After scouring CraigsList for several days, I spotted a "great bargain". The Nordic Track 7100 R, originally sold at $2,200, was being sold by a kind older gentleman for $375. What a steal! What can go wrong? Well, the answer is everything can go wrong on an older treadmill. My Nordic Track has so many problems, I'm thinking of giving it away for free (Update 2/1/09: I finally gave away this old treadmill for free via CraigsList).

Lesson Learned: Unless you know the pedigree of a treadmill, you may want to consider buying a new treadmill.

For a Treadmill Desk your treadmill should have:

a) Substantial Weight. A lighter treadmill may shake and rock. When you're trying to type on a keyboard, you don't want to have your desk shaking.

b) A Wide and Long Running Belt. Try to get a 20" wide and 55" long running (walking) belt. Try to avoid the common 14", 16" or 18" wide belts. When your eyes are focused on your computer monitors or papers, you don't want to worry about steeping off of the running belt. Also, your desk will take up some valuable space at the front of the running belt so don't buy a treadmill with less than a 50" long running belt.

c) Straight Arms. In some Treadmill Desk designs, your desk will be sitting on the arms of the treadmill. If the arms are uneven, then your desk will be uneven. My old used treadmill of course had uneven arms. I was constantly testing my reflexes as I tried to catch my pencil as it rolled off my desk. It was a fun game that I played. Look at the treadmill arms in the photo at the top right of this page. This is what you want (Smooth Fitness 7.6HR Pro).

d) Other considerations. Your typical treadmill, in general, will start to have problems after a lot of use. You can't imagine what can go wrong (ball bearings wear out, Mylar needs to be replaced, electrical problems, etc). I would never consider buying an extended warranty on a new product, except for a treadmill. Buy it if it's available. A service call, even if it's just 15 minute, will run $100 to $200.

Reviews and Recommendations
When you buy or replace your treadmill focus on these websites:

Consumer Search : ***Great Source*** This website provides a summary of reviews from other websites. I love this site!

Treadmill Doctor : A wonderful unbiased source for treadmill reviews. Also, tons of information about repairs and treadmill problems. Why didn't I listen when I read about the used treadmill (Nordic Track 7100 R) I was purchasing " They have had a flurry in the past of failures including, upper boards, lower boards, rear endcaps, etc. and they are typically much more expensive to repair..."

About : Lots of reviews and advice on buying (Budget, Mid-Range, Quality) and using a treadmill.

Runner's World : The online version of the runner's magazine has a section devoted to treadmills.

2007-06-01T15:08:00.000-06:00

Treadmill Desk

Hello from atop my Treadmill Desk,

I have a blog devoted entirely to building your own “Treadmill Desk”.
Don’t miss the movies and slideshows!

Heres the URL: http://www.Treadmill-Desk.com/

Thanks,
Jay Buster
Boulder, Colorado
Treadmill Desk

Build an Attached Desk

2007-06-01T03:00:00.000-06:00

There are two main designs to support your desk. In this post we'll discuss:

Design #1: Attach the Desk to the Treadmill
The idea is to attach or rest the desk onto the actual treadmill.

Benefits
-Less construction involved (good for people like me who don't know a bolt from a screw)
-A less bulky unit for tight spaces

Drawbacks
-If your treadmill is shaky, then your desk will be shaky.
-Each treadmill is different in its design, so there isn't one design solution for all treadmills

Following are examples of the desk being attached to or resting on the treadmill:
Can't see the slideshow? Download Adobe Flash Player

Build a Freestanding Desk

2007-06-01T01:00:00.000-06:00

Design #2: Build a Freestanding Desk
The idea is to build a separate frame that is not connected to the treadmill. Rather, you place the structure over or next to the treadmill.

Benefits
-Your desk will be stable even if your treadmill isn't
-If designed properly, the structure is easily moved away from the treadmill. This would enable you, your spouse or children to utilize the treadmill for "after work" activities like running.

Drawbacks
-Lots of woodworking or other construction

Here are some examples of freestanding desks:
Can't see the slideshow? Download Adobe Flash Player

Alexander K. Gunkel

2007-05-28T19:05:00.000-06:00

The pictures and the following article are from Alexander K. Gunkel's blog "AKG".

Increasing NEAT - A better way to lose weight?

Several months ago I read this CareerJournal.com article about Dr. James Levine's obesity work at the Mayo Clinic and I found myself inspired.

Dr. Levine's work is based on the fact that there are three primary ways the human body uses the calories you eat: basal metabolic rate (how much energy you need just to keep your body alive, even when you aren't doing anything), thermic effect of food (just digesting and metabolizing your food takes some energy too) and activity thermogenesis, which is the energy required to do everything else you do during the day. Dr. Levine's group then split activity thermogenesis into two parts: directed exercise (e.g., going to the gym) and everything else. The "everything else" is NEAT, or Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis. An extensive 10 year study of NEAT was then performed.

While a large part of our nation's obesity problem originates with our super-sized food culture, the coffin is nailed shut with our low NEAT lifestyles. Most Americans spend the majority of their days sitting on their butts. The NEAT study demonstrated that your daily activities alone can change your caloric requirements by up to 1000 kilocalories (the actual scientific unit referred to simply as "calories" on food packaging) per day. What does that mean? Quite simply, it means a highly active person can eat a lot more food and still stay thin.

Since the conclusion of the NEAT study in mid-2005, Dr. Levine's group has worked on ways of changing our living and work environments such that people's NEAT energy usage can be significantly increased. As part of this work, they have dreamed up an office of the future concept. One piece of this concept is the computer-desk treadmill combination, which allows you to work on your computer while using the treadmill.

This simple innovation is pure genius. Like many people, I spend at least 10 hours every day sitting at a computer. This is a way to have my cake and eat it too; a way to do the sedentary activity I love while also getting enough physical activity into my day to get healthy, all without traditional exercise. I had to try it.

However, there was a slight problem: these treadmill desks are not yet available. So I built my own.

The first step was to buy a treadmill. I bought a Weslo Cadence 78e, which ran about $400 with the extended 3-year warranty. I normally don't buy extended warranties but since the standard warranty was just 90 days and this is a mechanical product which I plan to put a lot of miles on, I figured that it was a smart move in this case.

Once I had the treadmill, the next thing to do was to build the desk to go with it. After pondering this for sometime and coming up with some rather elaborate (and expensive) designs, I decided to start with a very basic prototype instead. The treadmill is still a treadmill without the desk. However, if I were to decide that this whole treadmill desk thing wasn't workable, I would end up with an expensive desk with working surfaces far too high to be of any use.

So, I sketched out a basic design consisting of an adjustable work surface and an adjustable shelf to hold my computer and monitor. Then I made my way to Home Depot to pick up the following:

1. Seven 2"x3"x8' Studs @ $1.95 = 13.65
2. Two 4' Shelving Uprights @ $2.95 = 5.90
3. One 2' Shelving Upright @ $2.17 = 2.17
4. Five 12" Shelving Brackets @ $1.80 = 9.00
5. Two 48" Shelves @ $8.27 = 16.94

Adding in the sales tax, all of that came to $51.59. So, all told, this contraption has cost me about $450USD, thus far.

A shot of the frame, without the shelves:

A shot of the frame, with the shelves:

A shot of the completed project, with the treadmill and my Mac mini in place:

So, how well does this scheme work? In the month and a half I've had it, I've had a net weight loss of 16 pounds, without dieting. I probably would have lost a bit more if not for the fact that this time includes a week-long out-of-town vacation where I gained back 4 pounds which then had to be burned off again.

I generally spend between one and three hours using the treadmill every evening. I do confess that this device has led to a slight cut back of my computer use when at home.

From a usability standpoint, I find it to be pretty good, with a few snags. I have no problems typing or reading while walking. However, I did have some difficulty using my optical mouse. Due to the top heavy and slightly flimsy design of the desk, combined with the fact that I'm walking while using it, I have found accurate mousing to be a challenge. My solution was to circumvent this by dumping my mouse for a Fellowes hand-held trackball. After a period of adjustment and tweaking settings, I have found this to be a far more usable mousing solution.

Going forward, I expect to continue enjoying my NEAT desk. This entire post was composed while walking on it. At some point I'm going to replace the prototype frame desk with my more elaborate design but for now the prototype does the job well.

The $39 Treadmill Desk

2006-12-16T06:54:00.009-07:00

It's really easy to build the "Desk" in "Treadmill Desk" for $39. It's not as pretty as the $4,000 Steelcase Treadmill Desk, but with the$3,961 in savings, you can take your family on a Colorado skiing vacation.

Excellent photos that illustrate the simple $39 design: Anders Burvall Design Photos.

I used Anders' photos as the guide for my desk design. The only difference is that I used 2" x 12" x 40" planks of blue Styrofoam instead of the foam blocks that Anders used. Anders has a PhD in engineering, so his design is probably better than mine!

Only 3 items are needed to build your $39 Desk:
1) $11: 2' x 4' x 3/4" White Melamine Particleboard from Home Depot. This is used as the desk. I just replaced my old 1/2" birch plywood existing desk with this 3/4" thick melamine particleboard. The Melamine Particleboard added more weight, and thus stability (and it's cheaper!) You may need to cut the Melamine particleboard so that it fits your specific treadmill.

2) $23: 4' x 8' x 2" blue Styrofoam panel (used in new home insulation). I cut this into 12"x40" planks. I placed these planks across the handrails to raise my desk to a comfortable height.
The foam is not attached to either the treadmill or the desk. It's just sitting there sandwiched between the Melamine desk and the treadmill's arms. Try to avoid the foam material that is made out of millions of little compressed balls. Of course, I first bought this type of foam from Home Depot with disastrous results. When I cut the white foam into the 12" x 40" planks, thousands of these little balls were released and were scattered into every nook and cranny of my office. Look for the blue styrofoam with the "Styrofoam" brand on the material. If you can't find it at Home Depot or Lowes, ask the guys at a new home construction site if they'd be willing to sell you one sheet of it for $20.

3) $5 : Black water based spray paint. The blue Styrofoam planks were really ugly, so I painted them black. A great water based spray paint to use on Styrofoam: Krylon H2O Latex.

It's a really simple design, but it works great. I've taken a virtual walk from New York City to California using this desk, and I see no reason to change it. It works!

$6,500 Treadmill Desk by Steelcase

2006-10-25T09:49:00.000-06:00

Adam from Australia

2006-08-22T20:17:00.000-06:00

Adam's Words of Wisdom:
I could never imagine going back to a "normal" desk.

People think I'm mad, but I think they are, for missing out on such a good opportunity and investment in ones health.

According to Adam those extra work surfaces are "some old monitor stands that I picked up second hand, and they work very well."

Great idea, I'm going to eBay!

About the Editor

2005-06-01T05:42:00.004-06:00

This site is edited by Jay Buster. Jay has been a professional options trader for 25 years. Jay is a former exchange member, floor trader and CPA.

Today, while walking on his Treadmill Desk, Jay manages a private investment fund which is involved in option and structured product arbitrage.

Interests
Masters Swimming, chess, running, movies & cross-country skiing

Kent Sayre's Design

2001-02-20T12:57:00.001-07:00