Ask HN: Anyone use a treadmill desk daily?

save the money and buy an actual treadmill to keep in your office

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)

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

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!

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!

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)

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.

Here's a profile of a NYTer who loves her treadmill desk: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/04/technology/personaltech/t...

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.