If you’ve watched any of my social media content in the past few years, you’ve likely seen a couple videos from my treadmill desk. Depending on how long we’ve been connected, you may or may not know that I was a full time personal trainer and fitness instructor for a decade before the pandemic. I still get lots of health and fitness questions and several about my treadmill desk, so I thought I’d extoll the virtues and answer most frequent questions here.

Is it difficult to type while you walk? Nope. It is difficult to write long hand. If I ever need to make a quick note for myself, I’ll either just write big and messy, or step off onto the sides for a second, but I’ve never had an issue typing. My advice would be to start the belt at a low speed and gradually increase it to a pace you feel comfortable maintaining while you work. You should be at a comfortable stroll so that your mind is on your work rather than your walk.
You run all the time and lift weights. Why do you need to walk also? Well, because of my fitness background, I know how detrimental it is to your health to sit on your ass all day every day. You don’t have to Google too extensively to find an article on decreased life expectancy, etc. And, unfortunately, working out for one hour a day doesn’t counteract this much. (Don’t get me wrong, it’s better than nothing.) When I accepted a full time work from home job, I was concerned about sitting for most of my day. Since writing is what I love to do when I’m not working, I felt I needed to find a way to keep some light movement in my life.
How can you concentrate when you’re walking? I actually think that my brain is stimulated when I move. I love it. A lot of my ideas and problem solving happen during my morning runs. The problem with that is that I can’t write anything down, so if I forget it, it’s gone. Being able to work and write while I’m moving has been fantastic. In fact, I prefer to do some of the more tedious projects while I’m on the treadmill because I’ve set everything up and I’ve made the time to be there. If I stop the belt to get off for any reason, I know I only have a limited time before my mileage is erased, so it keeps me from running off and distracting myself with other things.
How long do you walk? Do you walk all day? How long should I walk? This is going to be different for everyone. If you’re considering starting up a treadmill desk, definitely keep track of how long you’re on at first. My ankle is still very delicate since I suffered for so long with Achilles Tendonitis, so I have to be careful not to overload myself. When I first got on the treadmill, I was doing about four miles a day with occasional hills thrown in. I injured my hip, and I had to divide things up for a while. I’d do two miles, sit for a while, do another two, and even then I’d have to jump off occasionally to stretch. Then I had to stop running for six months. I bumped my walking up to six miles and took out all the hills. But start small and work your way up. Right now I usually walk in the mornings, then eat lunch and chill the rest of the day. It gives my ankle time to recover before the following morning’s workout. I also take Fridays off.
How did you decide what kind of treadmill to buy? Well, I’m an insane runner and lived in Chicago for years, so I already had a treadmill to prevent hypothermia. I simply bought the adjustable desk thing than went across the arms. When that treadmill died, I got a new one and the board still worked. I have a wireless keyboard and mouse and set my laptop up on the spot where a magazine would go. However, if you don’t intend on using the treadmill for running, there are tons of cheaper options. Some are small enough to just slide under a bed or desk. Then you can get a separate adjuster that will move your laptop up to standing height. You could use these things anywhere theoretically. They’re just an internet search away.
Are there any cons to working at a treadmill desk? If you go on vacation or work away from home where you don’t have access, you’ll miss it. My hips actually started aching one Christmas that I worked the entire week from my parents’ house. I just wasn’t used to sitting that much. Sometimes it can be difficult for people to hear you during meetings, so make sure you have headphones for those, or just schedule meetings for when you’re not on the treadmill. Other than that, not much. Your cats will even still jump on your keyboard!
Did you notice a difference in weight when you started walking? Yep! When I moved to Tennessee, I went from fitness instructor to gym manager and there was a lot less moving around as a manager. I also bike commuted everywhere in Chicago and that’s not as easy to do in Nashville. So I gained about seven pounds. The treadmill walking evened it all out. I even drink more water when i’m on the treadmill, I just keep a huge bottle there with me. I weighed myself this morning and I’m at about 120 pounds, which is a comfortable spot for me.

I’d love to hear your experiences if you also have a walking desk set up! I’m pretty much obsessed. If you have a question that I haven’t answered here, feel free to drop it in the comments!

Seven things to know about working on a treadmill desk.