The Drawbacks of Using A Treadmill Desk

The treadmill desk is one of the health trends in recent years that are slowly gathering a following. It’s no surprise, since the benefits of using one in your workspace are many, and you’ve probably heard them all. However, does that mean that using a treadmill desk has no drawbacks? The answer to that might be no. Before you invest in a treadmill desk, be sure that you are okay with the drawbacks that it may present.

Cost

Let’s face it; ready-made treadmill desks are not cheap. In fact, the prices of some treadmill desks go into the thousands. Compared to the prices of regular sit-down desks, this can seem ridiculous, especially if you have a small budget. Of course, you can build your own treadmill desk for a lower cost, but you will still have to spend quite an amount of money.

Suitability

While you can reap the benefits of using a treadmill desk if you use one, what happens if you can’t use it? Not everyone is capable of working and walking at the same time, as this requires some coordination. If your coordination is downright bad, you may find using a treadmill desk difficult, or even impossible.

Size

A treadmill desk is a convenient way to get a “gym” into your office, but that doesn’t mean that it does not take up space. The average treadmill desk is quite big, which may not make it suitable if your workspace is just a small cubicle at work. However, this does make it a good reason to work hard, get a promotion, and get a bigger office.

Maintenance

Naturally, maintaining a treadmill desk is going to take a little extra effort compared to a regular desk. If you can’t even keep your regular desk at work clean, you may want to think twice before getting a treadmill desk. It’s not that a treadmill desk takes a whole lot of maintenance; it’s just that if you’re lazy, any extra maintenance is going to be a burden.

All in all, there are some drawbacks to using a treadmill desk, but for most people, these drawbacks are trivial compared to all the benefits it can offer. If you feel you are well-coordinated enough to work while moving, and you really want to make the best use of your time at the office, then go ahead and consider buying a treadmill desk. You will probably wind up loving it.

6 Benefits of Using a Treadmill Desk At Work

If you could work out while at work, would you? If your answer is yes, then you should definitely consider getting a treadmill desk. A treadmill desk is a workstation where you can walk on a treadmill as you work. Naturally, you won’t be working out heavily, but the benefits of using a treadmill desk are well worth the investment.

Here Are 6 Benefits of Using a Treadmill Desk:

Benefit #1: You no longer need to rush home after work to get in some exercise for the day. You can exercise while typing up documents, answering emails, and looking at invoices, which means you can exercise at a slow pace for several hours in a workday, if not all day!

Benefit #2: Research has shown that exercising throughout the day is better for your health than sitting all day and exercising just for an hour at the end of the day. You can exercise the right way using a treadmill desk.

Benefit #3: As opposed to just sitting down, having a treadmill desk will do wonders to your fitness and general strength. Your muscles will get stronger, your endurance will improve, and over time you may find that you no longer pant when you go up stairs or walk for prolonged periods of time.

Benefit #4: Better fitness also means that you will be less likely to develop certain diseases later on, such as heart disease, strokes, embolisms, diabetes, and so on. You will also strengthen your immune system in general, which could mean fewer sick days in the year.

Benefit #5: If you are on a diet, using a treadmill desk will allow you to be a bit more flexible with how much you are allowed to eat. You’d be burning more calories throughout the day, which means you can eat more calories without gaining weight than if you were just sitting at your desk at work.

Benefit #6: Being on the move all day will also help you stay alert at work, preventing those afternoon crashes and accidental naps on your keyboard! :-) This will increase your productivity at work.

As you can see, the advantages you can reap from switching to a treadmill desk at work are not just one or two; there are many!

If your company has a person who is in charge of ergonomics, you can talk to them for suggestions on how to make the switch. If there isn’t such a person, you can always go to a dealer who sells such treadmill desks, and ask them for recommendations.

A note though: be sure to check first that you have the space for a treadmill desk in your workspace, and also find out whether the administration of your company allows you to use one.

4 Quick Ideas For Exercising At Work

In the modern world, our careers take up most of our time, and some people work from early in the morning 'til late at night. This often means we are sedentary all day, just sitting at our desks and hardly moving around at all. Sometimes, there isn’t even time to work out outside of work. Don’t worry though, as there are several things you can do to sneak in some exercise while you are at work. Here are four of them.

1. Take the Stairs

(Photo credit: Chocolate Geek)

It’s rare that people don’t have to move between floors during the course of the workday. You will most probably use an elevator or escalator during the course of the day, but why not use the stairs instead? Climbing stairs is one of the best workouts you can give yourself. You can gauge your progress by seeing how many flights you can climb without getting overly tired!

2. Park Your Car Further Away

Okay, it definitely is tempting to park your car as close as possible to your office’s entrance. But do your body a favor and park it further away so that you need to take a short walk to and from the office.

If you don’t drive, maybe you can take the bus or train earlier, and get off one stop away from your usual stop. The extra walk certainly could not hurt and it would force you to exercise (of course, be sure to do this only if you are going to be walking in a safe public area).

5. Take Breaks at Work

No, not coffee breaks, but exercise breaks. Every hour, spend 5 or 10 minutes walking around and stretching your body. If you work eight hours a day, that’s already 40 minutes at least of walking and stretching. It does add up, doesn’t it?

6. Use a Standing or Treadmill Desk
A standing desk is a desk that can only be used when you stand, while a treadmill desk has a treadmill attached to the desk that you walk on as you do your work. These nifty inventions force you to stand or walk as you carry on with your work day, thus forcing you to exercise throughout the day. This of course is the best way to exercise at work, without compromising productivity or wasting time.

Try these helpful tips and watch as you get fitter and more energized as days go by. As you can see, you won’t even need to break a sweat trying to exercise at work. Don’t give up if making these changes seems hard at first; it’ll all become routine and habit over time - and your body and your health will benefit.

Review: LifeSpan 2013 Model TR800-DT3 Standing Desk Treadmill

As we discussed last week, if you spend 8 hours a day sitting at your desk, staying fit and in shape can be difficult. The human body was not meant to sit stationary that long, and indeed our sedentary lifestyle shows in our declining health as a nation. Some have even dubbed our modern health crisis as "Sitting Disease." But as discussed in Dr. James Levine's book, Move A Little, Lose A Lot, it doesn't have to be this way. Even if you work a desk job, there are things you can do to get more exercise throughout your day. One great way is to get a treadmill desk.

This is a treadmill designed especially for those who are desk-bound for most of their waking day and so find it hard to get adequate daily exercise. It’s also meant for those simply too busy to work out at the end of the day. By allowing you to get exercise at the same time as you work, it becomes possible to save time and stay healthy without leaving the desk.

The TR800-DT3 is one of several LifeSpan treadmill machines designed for this kind of purpose. This one is a little different in that it’s free of any frame, offering the treadmill itself only. But is it any good in practice or does it fail to make an impression? Read on to find out.

Key Features Of The TR800-DT3 Standing Desk Treadmill


MSRP: $1,999 ($799 on Amazon.com)
Year of Release: 2013
Dimensions: 66 x 29 inches
Maximum User Weight: 350 lbs
Number of Workout Programs: 4
Warranty: Parts: 1 year ; Labor:  1 year

TR800-DT3 Standing Desk Treadmill: The Pros

Be Fit And Stay Productive: The reason that machines like this are designed is to allow people to get a work out while they work. So if you’re someone who struggles to break free of the desk on a daily basis and is in need of some baseline exercise to keep healthy, or if you just don’t have time to exercise, you’ll find that this product is beneficial to you.

The treadmill is able to fit under most types of standing desk. This means that you can do your regular office duties as you walk on the treadmill. Using the treadmill gives your cardiovascular system a work out, improving your general health and also working on the strength and endurance of your legs. Allowing you to work out as you work saves time and makes this an efficient solution to the difficulties experienced by those with desk-oriented jobs.

Large Treadmill Surface: The treadmill itself has a large surface area. This makes it comfortable to walk on, giving you a greater range of stride motion and plenty of wobble room if you put your foot out slightly too wide. In turn you’re able to get a better and more enjoyable workout, and also pay more attention to your work rather than worrying about whether you’re walking right.

Combines With Standing Desks: This treadmill has been designed especially to combine with standing desks. That’s rather obvious from the outset as this treadmill lacks any kind of hand rails or elevated control panel. Instead it’s meant to slide under a standing desk – a desk that’s meant to be used in a standing position. This treadmill can be used in conjunction with a great number of standing desks. Any desk with feet wider than the width of the treadmill will be compatible.

Statistics: This machine records statistics to help you monitor your progress. It includes distance, time and step count readings. It also has a calorie count, though these are notoriously inaccurate. Having a statistics readout helps with motivation.

Bluetooth: Taking the statistics one step further, it’s possible to upload this data to a computer using Bluetooth. This means you can analyze your statistics, looking for trends and making it easier to monitor your improvement. Again, this helps greatly with motivation.

Weight Limit: The 300 pound weight limit of this machine is respectable. Many machines only go up to 250 pounds, and the extra 50 pounds means a great many more people will be able to hop on and get some exercise. This is particularly valuable for a machine that’s primarily aimed at users who are likely leading very sedentary lifestyles and so are likely to weigh more than most.

No Concerns Over Stability: Because this machine isn’t connected to your work surface in any way, using it won’t cause your desk to wobble in the slightest. Other machines do suffer from this problem which can reduce typing accuracy and impair hand writing amongst other things.

TR800-DT3 Standing Desk Treadmill: The Cons

Price: One of the biggest issues with this machine is the price. It’s such a stripped down device that the price tag of around $800 seems pretty steep. It does carry out its function well, but it’s a little hard to see where all that money is going. Then again, if you already have a standing desk, and just need the treadmill part, you won't have to buy a whole treadmill desk set, which can cost upwards of $1,200.

Maximum Speed: For a machine of this price, it seems pretty lacking to have a maximum speed of 4mph. It’d be much better to offer the full range of speeds that conventional treadmills offer so that when the machine isn’t being used for work you can get a more intense workout from it.

Is The TR800-DT3 Standing Desk Treadmill Worth Buying?

If you’ve already got a standing desk then this is a great compliment if you’re looking for a way to get more exercise. However, if you don't have a standing desk, you would need to buy one separately, and you can probably find something better for the price. Still, this machine works great for those who already have a standing desk, and want to add some exercise to their work day.


Other Treadmill Desk Options:

   

How To Get More Exercise When You Work In An Office

When asked why they don’t have time to exercise, many people say that their job keeps them seated most of the day, and when they get home, they have so many other things to do that exercise is often the last thing on their mind. If this is your excuse as well, let’s first get it straight that it is a weak one.

Yes, there are so many things that require your time, but if you don’t take an effort to lead a more active lifestyle, you are going to regret it down the line when your habits take a toll on your health. Fortunately, there are several ways you can get more exercise even while you're at work, including:

1. Taking periodic breaks throughout the day to stretch, or even take a very short walk. These small amounts of exercise will add up over the day.

2. Investing in a standing desk so that you will be on your feet instead of sitting down the whole working day. A standing desk is a desk that at the right height only when you stand up.

Amazon.com: LifeSpan TR1200-DT5 Treadmill Desk (2013 Model). (Photo credit: Wickerfurniture)

3. Getting a treadmill desk for a more vigorous workout at your desk. A treadmill desk is similar to a standing desk, but additionally you will be standing on top of a treadmill, of which you can adjust the speed. (For more on how much this simple addition can really change your health and your life, see Dr. James Levine's excellent book, Move a Little, Lose a Lot.)

4. If you often park near the office entrance, try to park a little bit further so that you will have to walk a little before you reach your office. Instead of taking the elevator, take the stairs instead when you need to get from one floor to another. If you are taking a call, stand up and walk around while you attend to the call.

Additionally, try your best to schedule exercise at least three times a week outside office hours. If you can’t afford a gym, invest in some exercise DVDs or just go for a jog around your neighborhood. Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-paced activity every time you exercise outside working hours. Check our website, and keep an eye on this blog, for some other fun ways to exercise as well.

With these simple steps, you can easily sneak some extra exercise into your day, throughout the day. The benefits of exercise are well worth the effort; you’ll have a slimmer, fitter, and healthier body if you manage to keep up a more active lifestyle. Couple your newfound exercise habits with a healthy, nutritious diet, and you will feel better than you ever have felt in years. Just give it a try, you certainly have nothing to lose (other than some excess weight), but lots of benefits to gain!