It’s been four months since I wrote my first post on my treadmill desk setup and so I now feel I have more insights to share, especially as I’ve gone from feeling ever so slightly dizzy after every session on the machine to being able to dance to rumba and salsa music (no, sorry, no videos available. You’ll just have to take my word for it that it is actually possible to groove on a 33-cm moving band).

Back in January and February I was working on a large editing job so I didn’t use the treadmill very often when I first got it (I’ll explain below). Since then, however, I’ve not only increased the amount of time I walk (my target is 2–3 hours per day, although I don’t often manage this), but also upped the speed to 3 km (1.9 miles) from the 2.5 km (1.6 miles) per hour I first felt comfortable at. I reckon this is due to four main factors: using Dragon NaturallySpeaking (DNS) to translate, which obviously drastically reduces typing; treadmilling becoming almost second nature (it really hasn’t taken that long to get used to); determination to make a few lifestyle changes to become healthier and lose weight; acting on NHS (UK Health Service) recommendations to aim for 10,000 steps per day (around 5 miles/8 km).

1. Can you really type and walk at the same time?

Yes, it is possible. The slower you walk, the easier it is to type. Given that I now set the pace at 3 km (1.9 miles) per hour, the motion often makes my hands hover slightly backwards and forwards making it quite hard to hit the correct keys (and I’m sure it’d be even harder with a laptop). It’s also more difficult to control the mouse properly. That’s why I don’t use the treadmill when I’m revising/editing others’ translations/texts, because I often have to make a number of changes requiring accurate use of the keyboard and mouse. As walking was definitely slowing my typing speed down, I decided to buy DNS (see question 7).

2. Can you concentrate on two things at the same time?

This article suggests that when you really need to think, you stop walking (who else is old enough to remember Gerald Ford and that joke about him not being able to chew gum and walk at the same time?). Personally, I think this is ridiculous, but perhaps it depends on the individual. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve taken the dogs out deliberately to mull a few problems over and come up with solutions.

These days, just before I’m about to start the treadmill for an hour session, I find that I’m positively looking forward to focusing all my attention on the translation in hand, rather than getting distracted by emails/social media/family, etc. Perhaps because part of my brain is already working on keeping me on the treadmill (it’s far narrower than ones down the gym), the rest cannot afford to wander; or perhaps it’s due to that burst of motivation inspiring me to get on with it when I glance over and see the bright red display telling me how many minutes I’ve both walked and worked. Regardless, walking keeps me relatively energised and alert (and I’m not alone, according to this article).

3. When you get tired, do you think it could impact negatively on your work, e.g. increased typos? Do you spend more time on self-review?

When I’m tired, I believe that standing and walking actually help channel my concentration. I don’t think I need to spend more time revising that I would otherwise have done, and I’m not aware that there are more typos than usual; in fact, if I dictate my translation with DNS, there are virtually none because I correct anything weird before moving on to the next segment.

4. Do you fall off a lot?

Actually no, hardly ever, even though it is a narrow treadmill (33 cm/13 inches). And thankfully, when I have fallen off, I haven’t hurt myself (yet?). I usually stumble off the treadmill when I turn my head too far to speak to someone at the door to my room or when I’m trying to write on paper, so I cannot use the treadmill if I need to jot a lot of things down  (that’s why I couldn’t use it for the big editing job I was working on earlier in the year as I needed to make a lot of handwritten notes).

5. Does the treadmill make a noise?

Yes, it does. Despite oiling it as often as necessary (every 30 hours), it is getting slightly noisier. I’ll have to try to clean it with soapy water as the instructions suggest. I also have to check it’s still running straight and adjust as necessary before every use.

6. Does the noise affect your concentration while working?

No, I seem to be able to shut it out quite easily, especially when I’m wearing the headset to listen to a webinar or work with DNS.

7. Can you combine it with DNS?

Yes, I find that DNS and the treadmill are a perfect combination. Obviously, it’s another learning curve, as you need to adjust from coming up with the translation whilst typing to thinking and then dictating and then re-dictating (which is what I tend to do at the moment). The impression I’ve got so far from my use of this tool is that I think more carefully about the wording as I’m speaking out loud.

When my hands are idle, I can also incorporate some arm stretches and apply some hand cream to my exceedingly dry skin. I should perhaps point out, however, that DNS picks up my accent really easily and has been pretty accurate from the word go.

8. Does DNS pick up all the huffing and puffing?

What huffing and puffing? 🙂 No, DNS sometimes asks me to repeat what I’ve said, but it doesn’t type anything ridiculous. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend walking so fast on the treadmill that you end up out of breath.

9. Does it mean the dogs get shorter walks?

No, not usually. Our main routes take around an hour (2.5 miles). Given that treadmill walking according to the article I mentioned in no. 2 is not nearly as good for you as proper walking because it’s the same repetitive motion all the time, I try to ensure I get out with them for a proper walk every day.

10. Do you use your stand-up desk all the time?

Pretty much. However, I am becoming increasingly mindful of the fact that standing all day might not be all good, so whenever I feel that I can do a job, or part of it, equally well without a mouse and keyboard, I head off to the summerhouse if the weather’s good or another part of the house where I can put my feet up and rediscover the joys of sitting.

11. How many hours do you find you can stand for before it becomes uncomfortable? Did you have to build up a tolerance?

I have a back problem, the result of an injury many years ago, and standing for a long time can make it painful sometimes, but as I also experience pain when lying in bed too long or in an uncomfortable bed when I’m away from home, I would say this pain is negligible. It’s also eased over the weeks as my body has become stronger and more used to this new setup.

It’s my feet that hurt the most, which also depends on my footwear, since I only tend to put my trainers on when I’m actually going to use the treadmill.

I can now stand for 6 to 8 hours a day no problem. But if I spend one day standing a lot, the next I will probably seek some relief by ensuring I sit down more.

12. What do you do when you’re not walking?

I’ve been standing either on the treadmill or balanced on its sides, which is probably not good for the machine and certainly doesn’t seem to do my feet any good as it’s not comfy. To ease some of the pain and get my circulation going, I bought a couple of massage balls that I roll around with my feet when sitting watching television. However, it eventually became obvious that I couldn’t continue to stand on the treadmill, so I have bought a Steppie balance board and a wobble board in an effort to keep moving whilst standing. In fact I’m polishing off this post right now rocking from side to side.

13. Has using the treadmill helped you to lose weight?

When I first got the machine, rather annoyingly my weight went up a fair amount, but I also wasn’t using it much because of the type of work on my plate at the time. For the past eight weeks, however, since starting a 1,000,000 mile challenge, I have managed to shed all the extra kilos and some, which naturally I’m delighted about. But this has also coincided with another major lifestyle change, giving up dairy completely (I’m now an eggetarian), which cuts out lots of cakes, chocolate and biscuits besides cheese, so my calorie intake has gone down.

Most articles I’ve read seem to agree that treadmills aren’t going to help you lose much weight if you do nothing else because you have to walk too slowly to make it possible to work (it’s light rather than moderate exercise); however, as a piece of the healthier-living jigsaw, I think they have undoubtedly earned their place.

14. What other benefits have you found?

It’s easier to be generally more active when you’re on your feet. Before I used to sit and sit and let the world come to me. My children popped in with questions, my husband brought me some of my endless cups of tea and even food sometimes, but now I get up and go to them and do things myself.

After suffering from insomnia off and on for the past eight and a half years, I’m also sleeping much better and generally feel more refreshed than I used to.

15. And what has been the major drawback?

The swelling in my legs, especially around my feet and ankles. That’s the main reason why I don’t work at a sit-down desk any more, because when I do sit down to work, I want to raise my legs up as high as possible to aid circulation.

After being told too much sitting is bad for us, we’re now being told too much standing isn’t good either, which I can definitely relate to. Combining the two by alternating regularly throughout the day is a far better plan. Because of my setup, I don’t always do that, but I do feel that standing rather than sitting for me is the way to go. I’m not even vaguely tempted to sit back at my normal desk and cannot even remember the last time I did so. I’m now looking forward to throwing the Steppie balance board into the mix. I’ll keep you posted on how it all goes.

TEDEd Video: Why sitting is bad for you – Murat Dalkilinç

If you’re interested in this topic, you might find these links useful. Start with the Get Britain Standing site as it contains lots of information that can help you decide on the best setup for you. Seven standing desks are compared in this article.

Lundia is a UK stockist of several ergonomic solutions.

Besides the articles I’ve already mentioned above, you might like to read this one on the health hazards of sitting too much as it gives some ideas of what you can do instead.

For more info on standing work setups on this blog, please go to the Work-Life Balance page.

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