100 Miles and Counting!
Earlier today I hit the 100 mile mark on the treadmill (yeah!) so thought I would give an update on everything. It has been a few days shy of 4 weeks since I first started and overall things are going great. Here are some things I've learned, changes I've made and so forth.
— I feel a LOT better. I have more energy and overall just feel a lot healthier. I haven't changed my eating patterns in any way except that I don't feel as hungry as I did before I started so I'm not snacking as much.
— I haven't weighed myself yet but I can really tell a difference in my body. I don't know if it's obvious to anyone else yet but I can definitely tell it's changing. My legs are a lot firmer than they were when I started. My legs had gotten a bit flabby but now they are firmer. They aren't as firm as I would like quite yet but they are getting there. Also, my belly is flatter. It still has a ways to go also but it's getting there too.
— The walking/typing/reading action has become second nature at this point. It isn't a big deal typing and walking even at higher speeds. My normal range now is between 1.6 and 1.8 mph. Sometimes when I'm concentrating a lot I turn it lower but overall I keep it pretty steady. The only other time I turn it down is when I'm on the phone. I usually walk around 1.2 mph when I'm on the phone.
— The speed I started out walking and working at earlier in the month which was around .8-1 mph seems way too slow for me now. So, I think it's one of those things that as you get used to it and more comfortable with it you naturally increase your speed.
— Tennis shoes are a must. At least for me anyway. Sometimes at the end of the day I will change from my tennis shoes into my sandals and then forget I have them on and will walk for an hour or so while I mess around on the computer. When I do that I notice my feet hurt later that night. When I wear my tennis shoes I never have that problem. My feet and legs hurt a bit at the beginning but now they don't hurt at all - unless I wear my sandals and walk for more than a few minutes like I said. I think it's just a matter of your body getting used to walking 5-6 miles a day.
— One thing I've noticed that I never expected is that I'm not on the computer as much as I was when I was sitting. Now, when I'm at my computer I mainly seem to spend the time working. I still surf some but not nearly as much as I did before. Now I seem to get more accomplished and I'm at the computer for less time. I wasn't really expecting that at all but it's been a nice side benefit.
— The whole "finding a chair for the treadmill desk" angst I went through earlier was a complete waste of time. I don't have a chair at my desk at all anymore and don't need one. I wish I had made my desk less wide. I made it big enough to fit both a chair and a treadmill. Completely unnecessary. I sat every so often for the first few weeks as I was getting used to the treadmill but I moved the chair about 10 days ago and haven't missed it at all.
Overall I am still THRILLED that I have my treadmill desk and wish I would have gotten it sooner.
Do you have a treadmill desk? If so I would love to hear about your experiences with it. The more information the better for everyone.
Kip - sounds like we are at about the same stage -- I just cleared 100 treadmill desk miles earlier this week. Keep up the good work!
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That's awesome! What does your treadmill desk look like? If you send me a picture I'll post it.
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Hi Kip,
Do you still find yourself liking your set-up? How about the treadmill itself? I am thinking of getting it, plus an adjustable up-down desk. The walkstation is great; I've been on one. But it is CRAZY expensive--I could not get it for less than $4000 (actually a bit more). I'm figuring the Tread Desk company would be about half that.
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Hi Ken,
I still really LOVE it. The treadmill is great. I built my desk wider than necessary because I thought I would sit down at it from time to time and wanted the option for both - sit and stand. That was totally unnecessary. For the first week or two as I got used to the treadmill and built up my stamina on it the extra space for a chair was nice but after that it's been a total waste. I always walk when I work now. It feels really strange not to. I moved the bar stool I had at the desk out of my office since I wasn't using it at all.
Each person is different but based on my experience I would say just get a high desk for the treadmill to start and see how you like it. You can pull up a bar stool for when you need to sit as you build up your comfort with standing/walking all the time. That way you can try it out and see if you really miss sitting or need to sit. If you do, you can always get an adjustable desk but they are so expensive I would try just the fixed height desk to start. I bet after 2-3 weeks you won't want a chair.
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I've looked at the Treaddesk treadmill, but it does not have any cushioning. The Walkstation does, but as the person above said it is VERY expensive, and has very limited desk size options (most big).
One thought on no chair - what if you get a cold but still want to do some work? This is why I feel compelled to have the option to sit. Maybe a bar stool would suffice.
Back to my question for you: what do you think on the lack of cushioning? How are your shins?
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I wish the treadmill had more cushioning. Even though it has more than most treadmills I wish it had more. My shins are fine but if I don't wear really good tennis shoes my feet sometimes hurt after I walk for a long time on the treadmill but I wonder if they would hurt like that regardless of where I walked for 4-8 hours at a time. Regardless, I think it's really, really important to wear good shoes when using the treadmill. I sometimes walk on the treadmill in sandals which is always a mistake.
As far as the no chair, I was sick a few weeks ago with flu-like symptoms. I just walked a lot slower but it wasn't a big deal to walk instead of sit. Usually if I feel really bad I won't be at my computer so it's kind of a non-issue for me. You can always move the treadmill out and put a bar stool in when you need one. If I had it to do over again I would not have extra space for a chair. It makes the desk too big in the room and I don't feel it's necessary.
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Thanks for the reply. The picture doesn't look like it has any cushioning. I tried the Walkstation treadmill, which is comfortable, but not only is it expensive, it only comes with their desks, and those desks don't work well in my space. So I'm leaning toward the Treaddesk - and good shoes!
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Yes, good shoes are definitely a must. I totally agree.
As far as the cushioning goes, it actually has more than a lot of treadmills. Check out the comments in the previous entry about Treadmill Noise Level. Bob and I had a discussion about the cushioning issue. I even took a picture so he could see the cushion.
Although it has more cushioning than most treadmills I still wish it had more, but I think that any treadmill that has a lot of cushion is going to cost big bucks.
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I built a standing desk at work by adding table legs to my desk with joist hangers. I love standing at my desk all day, but when I added a cheap manual treadmill ($160) I discovered that it takes WAY TOO MUCH coordination to use a manual treadmill with a desk. I need a motorized treadmill!
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Neat idea about the joist hangers. Very clever. Considering I'm such a klutz I wouldn't even attempt using a manual treadmill. I would probably fall off it and hurt something. lol!
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Congrats on the progress and success with the migration to a treadmill desk.
The points you make about overall benefits for well being should really make a lot of people consider trying out the Treadmill desk.
Question though, how loud is your treadmill? Are all treadmills sound levels about the same? Just say you had your setup at work with other colleagues close by, would they really get pee'd off from the constant sound???
cheers
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There is noise but the treadmill isn't that loud. Unless I have the speed up high, most people I'm talking to on the phone can't even tell I'm on a treadmill.
All treadmill sound levels are not the same. My last treadmill - just a regular treadmill, not part of a treadmill desk - was a lot louder than this one. I'm not sure if all treadmill desk treadmills are the same, louder or quieter than the one I have. I only have experience with the one I have.
I don't think other people near you would get ticked off with the sound but then again some people are just unhappy and get ticked off with everything so if you happen to work near one of those people, then they probably wouldn't be happy with the treadmill or even if you were just sitting there.
It really just sounds like low level white noise. There is definitely noise - kind of a whirring sound that sounds like a lawnmower several yards over that you hear with your windows closed - but like the lawnmower you make note of it but it isn't that bothersome and doesn't interfere with your activities. It's just kind of white noise in the background.
To me, it isn't annoying at all but then again I work alone and am on it so I can't tell what co-workers who aren't on it might think.
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Are you still using your treadmill desk? As often as you originally did? Did this help with long term weight loss?
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Yes. I still use it everyday. Whenever I'm at my computer I'm walking on it. As far as the weight loss goes, I've definitely toned up a lot, especially my legs. I'm not sure pound wise how much I've lost as I don't track my weight that way. I can tell a difference in my body and I've had 4 or 5 people comment to me (unsolicited) that I look thinner and ask if I've lost weight. I haven't made any changes in my diet so the only explanation I have for it is the treadmill.
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Great! I just got an environment set up at home, but am trying to convice my company to let me get one in the office as well. Has the treaddesk treadmill held up well? I ended up getting a more expensive model at home, but if I have to pay for the work one, I'd prefer to get a cheaper one and was thinking about the treaddesk mode.
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The treaddesk treadmill has been super. I did mention that I had an issue at the beginning - I can't even remember what it was now - but the people at the company were really super and fixed me right up. I can't say enough about how nice and friendly they were to deal with. Other than that I've had no problems at all with it. It runs great.
How many miles a day do you walk? How long did it take you to get used to it? Those are the questions I get asked a lot and it's always nice to hear the experiences of others too.
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I got my treadmill in November, but have only had it set up as a desk in the last week. I got a trekdesk for the desk which is pretty nice and has lots of room. My first day, I only did 3 miles or so. I went from .8 MPH to 1 MPH and 1 MPH seemed pretty easy. I was feeling it after I got off in my legs, but I didn't have too much trouble working on my laptop at the same time. I did find out a couple of limitations with my smooth fitness treadmill at least on the controller. The first was that the total time rolls over at 99:59 minutes of time
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Cool. The total time on the tread desk does roll over at 99:59. The mileage, overall minutes, etc. do not reset unless the machine is unplugged or power is interrupted. There isn't a power saving feature. The machine is on/off - and it continues to accrue mileage and times over multiple sessions but when the treadmill is unplugged it resets everything to zero. Like the total time, the mileage has an upper limit before it rolls over but I can't remember what it is it's 100 miles or 1000 miles.
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