In my family walking is a panacea for everything, or at least that’s what I grew up thinking. “Walk it off’ we tell each other. I think its akin to ‘suck it up’ or “buck up.” My Mom, who pioneered the saying, may well be ahead of her time.
Our bodies are not meant to sit for eight, or more hours a day. We are made to move, a fact not lost on Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic, innovator of the treadmill working station. My body wholeheartedly agrees.
I’ve been relegated to a desk, and meetings, for the better part of my work day for about five years. My back, neck and hips protest regularly, begging for a return to my full time fitness days. Inspired by a friend, I’ve decided to invest in a mobile work station for my home office, so at least I can be walking the talk, while blogging.
It turns out there are several options. Steelcase produces a dream unit called the Walkstation, but at $6000.00 (including the treadmill) its a little out my price range, particularly given a skookum treadmill isn’t really needed here. This is about keeping the body moving, not working out. A simple model enabling you to walk a couple of miles per hour while working will do the trick.
If you already have a treadmill, you can purchase a special desk separately. Some companies offer very slick, polished models, but Trekdesk has a modest option for about $500. Or for the truly budget concious (me), there are also some do-it-yourself solutions.
At Primal Media, a workstation was created using simple inexpensive shelving from Home Depot. This option is ideal if you already have a good quality running treadmill and would like to leave it available for running workouts, without having to dissemble absolutely everything.
Or, cheaper yet, Jenny Evans at LifeHacker has a great 6 minute video on how to construct a working platform from a board and two brackets. Despite not owning a drill or measuring tape, I’m thinking this is my best option. Then if I want to vary height I can always add an inexpensive key board tray or monitor arm.
I’m excited. What about you? Ever contemplated the idea?
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A body in motion stays in motion. ~ Isaac Newton
I have visions of me falling over if I try to do this
I’ll let you go first and you can report in on how it goes. Maybe you should shoot a video of your first attempts to type and walk at the same time. My personal goal would be to type ‘help’ before flying off the end of the treadmill.
I still think jogging in the morning still a little better than spending time on treadmill. How much time do you spend on it a day?
Good comment – the problem is that we often try to combat the effect of sitting for 8 hours a day or more with an hour a day of exercise and it doesn’t really work. The idea with this is that you are not ‘working out’ per se, but rather keeping your body moving and avoiding sitting. You walk at a very slow speed – 1 – 2 mph per hour. I think, or I hope, it sslow enough you don’t really notice. I haven’t got it all rigged up, but I’ll update as I get it going. My hope will be to spend the majority of the day moving rather than sitting.
Well Jean, I am a kllutz extraordnaire and I have wiped out majorly on a treadmill, so really if I can pull this off, anyone can. I will keep you posted.