Building a treadmill desk
 

As I have mentioned in two other threads now, I have started the process of building a Treadmill desk.

It's a fairly simple concept, you take a standard treadmill and build a desk on top of it so that you can walk and work at the same time. Walking at a very sedate .07mph can burn a lot of calories in a work day. I am hoping to be able to walk up to 5-hours per day but we'll have to see how that goes.

So far I have completed step #1. I purchased a treadmill and brought it home. Damn those things are heavy.



Now all I have to do is figure how how to secure a desk to this thing. Plan-A is to use the huge cardboard box this thing came in to create a template that lies on top of the handrails. Unfortunately the handrails are not at the correct height for a desk so I'm going to have to devise a way to raise the desktop and still keep it stable.

Somehow, I didn't notice your previous mentions of the treadmill desk, but it's an interesting concept. I wonder if anyone did a bike desk. I wonder if I'd get sick of walking.


I think Plan A with the cardboard box for a template is an excellent idea. You can even use it, along with helpers, to determine the right height. I don't know how low the handles are to your body, so is it possible to use a thicker material. Or, could you have a special mount to raise it up higher? I keep picturing a mount that is attached on both arms, one on each 'corner' of the desk, with joints that would allow it to go forward and back, then lock into the position you like. At the dental office I used to work at, we had keyboards with a similar functionality, and I think using a similar 'locking' concept could be stable.

Keep us updated!

Or, what about doing something similar to the blog image - where you could have an external structure that acts as an overlay?

Space is an issue so I am attempting to make it fit the confines of the treadmill itself.

I'll set the thing up tonight and take some initial measurements (Note: the photo in the first post is from Google images, mine is still mostly in the box)

I'm thinking that the back of the desk can rest on the top of the instrument cluster or on the arms where they attach to the cluster and the font of the desk on the arms (with some type of extender)

Two things though that I am sure you thought of -- you are going to have to see the control panel to get the treadmill to start, and putting a desk on the handrails cuts the actual treadmill underneath in half (at least thats what it looks like from that picture), which can be kind of dangerous - you need enough space to actually walk (you don't want to be concentrating on carefully shuffling and not falling off, you actually want to concentrate on work, lol).

Are you wanting to put your computer and everything up there like the photo? I was just curious :) (And I'm curious to see how this project will turn out, its a cool idea!).

In the meantime... are you using the treadmill? :)

I know that our makes an excellent clothes hanger.

Correct. My thoughts so far are: A) The desk will be high enough that I can reach under and hit the start, B) I'll build in a trap door, C) I'll remove the entire instrament cluster, splice in some extra wire and mount it off to the side.

I live for danger, It keeps one on their toes. Don't forget I'm not planning on Jogging or running just walking at a very slow steady pace. Also I selected this particular treadmill partially on the length of it's tread. It's longer than it looks in that photo. Plus the desk will have a U-shaped cutout where I stand to add some extra room.

Yes and no. I will be attaching one or two monitors using monitor arms, and I have a wireless keyboard/mouse that I will be using with the desk. The tower case will remain safely on the floor away from the treadmill.

I just brought it home last night, it's still in the box, so no. However I am walking a mile each morning if that counts for anything...

The next thread Moonie creates will be one that is titled something like "I broke my ankle using my treadmill desk". (Or at least that what would happen to me.)

Perhaps you can utilize an adjustable under-desk drawer to manage your monitor and mouse. Lower it as you need it, raise it as you don't.

:p

Humm, I might be able to use the hardware from two of those to attach to a larger wood desktop. Thanks.

I'm surprised you haven't already broken your ankle just reading this thread.

I am really intrigued, and keep thinking about what a great idea it would be to have one. Heck, if not just for work, how cool would it be to play certain video games and NOT worry about what all that sitting will do to your rear end?

You could burn mega calories during a raid... Just sayin'...

Progress Report:

I unboxed the beast and completed the basic setup.

I'm planning to mount the desk so that I can comfortably rest my elbows on it while walking. At that height the desk will need to be mounted about 1/3 down from the top of the instrument cluster (which I found out has a fan and speakers in it).

The good news is that there are two square cup holders on either side of the instrument cluster. I'd judge they are just the right size for a small fence post cut to the right height. I can easily drill through the bottom of each cup holder and bolt the post to the holder making a nice stable mounting point. I'll cut a small U-shape opening at the top of the desk for the cluster and a larger U-shaped opening at the bottom for me. I think I can stand back as far as the end of the arms and still have sufficient tread left not to fall off the end while walking.

This will leave the desk high enough up that I will be able to easily reach the treadmill controls.

The only unsolved issue I still have is how to attach the bottom of the desk to the arms of the treadmill including an ~1ft height extension on each side.

(Construction photos coming soon....)

Waiting breathlessly!

Before you do all of that might I suggest that you put a keyboard on it in some way and try it out with walking? My gym had web enabled treadmills for a while that included keyboards and a lot of people found it near impossible to type while walking.

It'd suck for you to build it all out and then find that you couldn't use it. (But if you already did that, ignore me.)

I will try that as soon as I get the treadmill fully operational but I think it's just a matter of speed. In the gym people are looking to get the most benefit from a small amount of time. Running or even walking fast would make typing a challenge. I'm planning to walk at just over 1/2mile per hour for hours on end (look at the video link in the first post to get an idea of the speed) I don't foresee having a problem.

Prototyping - Day-1

I completed the basic setup of the treadmill yesterday.

Here you can see the control panel and the two cup holders I'm planning to use to hold the mounting supports for the front of the desk.

Prototyping the desk using the box / packing material the treadmill came in.

These are the four supports, despite the look from this angle they are in fact pretty much level to each other. I played around with the height a bit and decided that the desk should be high enough that I can rest my elbows on it while typing/walking. This gives me an added bit of stability and makes typing easier. To give the desk stability, I will be able to bolt the front posts to the treadmill by drilling holes through the bottom and sides of the cup holders. The rear posts give me more concern. I think I will have to drive a pair of bolts through each arm to secure them to the post.

With the posts set the desk just lays on top.

You can see how the keyboard fits and there is plenty of room for the mouse plus at least a few papers. (Wow another benefit! I'll be forced to keep my desk cleaner). The monitor will be mounted on an arm and sit above the instrument cluster.

The one issue I'm not happy with.

Getting to the instrument cluster is going to be a challenge. Bending over and reaching in while the tread is moving.... Still I'm only going to use one setting so I won't have to dive in there too often. Perhaps I can better address this issue if/when I build Desk v2.0. (Oh and say hi to Jack who's hiding in the photo)

Ta da! A side view of the setup

So this is what I'm planning to build over the weekend. I'm still not sure of what to use for the desktop (wood, drywall, acrylic, etc...) or how I'm going to cut the posts to the right size (I might need more power tools!) but this is the direction I'm heading in. Comments and suggestions for improvements are most welcome!

I might suggest going with a clear desktop - acrylic or some thick plastic or something - so that you can see the controls. Then reaching under shouldn't be as much of a problem as you can see the controls without bending over.

How thick is the bottom of the cupholders? I'm sure your desk will be a bit heavier than the typical water bottle so you may need to reinforce them in some fashion.

Hi Jack! You're a cutie!


Who's that skulking behind the couch?

Good job Moonie! This looks doable, but for me, I'd never be able to get the darn treadmill turned off. Wonder if some Harmony universal remote works for this kind of item? :confused:

That would be patches skulking.

As for turing it off, I'll either just step off and reach in from the side or the other option is to use the safety key. It came with a little key on a string that you can pull out to shut it off.

I've thought about that but I don't think they have acrylic sheets at home depot (I will check however). I might save that for Desk v2.0

They are molded from good strong plastic so I think they will be able to easily hold the weight. From the top, the post itself will distribute the weight across the entire surface and from the bottom/side I'll use an over sized washer.

Most of the weight (where I rest my elbows) will be on the armrests which are designed for that.

Any suggestions on how to attache the desk to the arms? One idea I'm toying with is to extend the desk to just past the ends of the arms and use a post that rests on the ground. Bolting these to the desktop would give it the needed lateral support.

Going to the ground is a good idea, but it is a little difficult to tell from the pics if if that works because of the legs at the bottom of the treadmill.

Another idea it to being the desk supports down a bit from the arms and run another piece of wood or something back around the main support arm (gray with "nordictrack" on them) so that the desk doesn't slide forward.

I've found acrylic sheets at my local Home Depot.

As for attaching the desk to the arms - how about just having the front supports shaped similarly to the cardboard mock-up and have it rest on the arms?

In fact - couldn't you get away without bolting anything?

If the acrylic doesn't work out and you wouldn't be able to see the controls, I recommend taking a good photo of the control panel before covering it up so you can navigate it later without seeing it.

Interesting. I'll have to have a look. That would make for a cool desk. Also I expect I could then epoxy the desk to the arms and not have to rest my arms on bolt heads.

Certainly the cardboard did not provide enough stability but if I could take a wood (or trex) post and carve out an arm shaped hole, I might be able to slide it onto the arm and get enough lateral support. All I would have to do is jigsaw out a cut like I did with the cardboard and then cut-off / glue back in the bottom part to make a round hole. That would allow for sliding the desk on and off without having to put a bolt through the arm.

In a perfect world I would like the option to be able to move the desk out of the way easily and use the treadmill for running. However I also want this thing working by Saturday (the deadline Mrs. Moonie gave for getting that damn thing out of the living room :D ) so I'll add that to the Desk v2.0 features.

Yes. A post pushed up against the end of the arms would just clear the legs. It fact I might be able to attach it to the leg for extra stability.

I don't think that's an issue since the front of the desk is already up against the instrument panel.

You should be able to find many varieties of Plexiglass, Lexan, etc. sheets at HD. The come in various sizes and thicknesses and if they don't have the exact size you need, they will cut it down for you (rectangular shapes only).

Actual Plexiglass, while relatively inexpensive, tends to scratch pretty easily. There is one that is a little more expensive than Plexi but doiesn't scratch as easily. I believe it is Lexan, but check with an informed HD "Assocoiate."
_______________

Also, are you setting the top up on hinges on the back so you can tilt the table up? I would strongly encourage that for several reasons.

Humm, how would you attach a hinge to lexan? Drill through it I guess?

Yep. Just drill slowly so that you don't overheat the Lexan. Use flat-head machine screws and countersink the holes so that the screws are flush with the top of the Lexan.

Surprisingly, hinges can actually make for a good corner brace as well. I have used hinges as braces on corner joints that weren't hinged!

You could also clamp some sort of metal u-bracket to the treadmill arm, and bolt the desk support to that.

Of course one sticking point in the hinge plan is the monitor arm I'm planning to attach at the back of the desk.....

Unless the monitor arm needs to be mounted to a horizontal surface. I was envisioning something with a fixed back panel/support leg/whatever, with the hinges attached to it to be able to tilt up the table. You could even have the very forward part of the table top (maybe 3 inches or so) be horizontal, and attach the hinges there for the table top. Part of the idea of the hinged table is that it would allow for walking on the treadmill without the table being in the way.

Or am I over-engineering this?

For Desk v1.0 probably. But for desk v2.0 or v3.0 definitely not. Keep them ideas rolling....

Looking at the space I have to put this in, there is a bookshelf I was planning to move out of the way. However I might just leave it there and use it as a somewhat oversized monitor stand. Which would make the hinge plan work fairly well....

Instead of building, I'd just buy a standing-height desk kit that would fit over the treadmill. That way, it can always be removed for use as a standing desk, or also if someone else wants to use the machine without the desk in the way.

I did look at that option but there are a few problems:

1. Space. I'm putting this in a fairly tight spot and I don't have much room to each side. The custom desk takes the same amount of space as the treadmill itself.

2. Location, I'm putting this in my work office. I don't want anyone else using it. Having the desk in the way is a good thing.

3. It's just more fun to build things. Especially if I get to purchase new power tools to get the job done!

Building stuff rocks.

Plus, you can cut safety handles (hand-size holes) into the front of the desk to make up for decreased grab bar space. But only if it's affixed to the treadmill will they do any good.

Safety? I spit in the face of safety *Puuhht* *Puuuhht* :D

I really should stop reading the LOT right before bed. I dreamt of a clear lucite treadmill desk with a hydrolic lift

Does Kevy know that I haunt your dreams?

But more importantly, what was the hydraulic lift used for? Can you diagram it? I gotta know!

I went out shopping to the hardware store today.

There is no joy in mudville, I struck out. I went to two different hardware stores. Neither had the rigid lexan in anything close to the size I would need for the desktop (35x38). They also did not have any ANY 4x4 lumber for the posts that was not pressure treated (you really should not use that stuff for indoor use...). So I have to try again tomorrow. I found one store that carries Trex and that should work. Unfortunately I may have to give up on the lexan surface unless I can find another source.

The lift was for lowering it into sitting position : although you'd have to then put a chair on the treadmill. - maybe not so much a good idea.

Welcome to Monday. I had a very busy weekend with a birthday party for the Kid, family in town etc... Not much time was left over for my project. However I was able to nip out to Home Depot for the raw materials for the desk and supports.

First up are the front supports. As I lamented earlier, there is an extreme dearth of 3x3 inch posts in the world. So I ended up purchasing a 1x1-1/5" board that when I screw/glue it together will be close enough. Of course I had to have it cut down into 13" chunks.

For the rear supports (which need a hole cut out of the middle) I went with 5" wide Trex (aka plastic) deck boards. I'll screw/glue two of those together to make a good support.

The desktop is a 35x38 sheet of smooth composite board. I will prime and paint it black along with both sets of supports to match the trim on the treadmill.

I have deck screws and a set of hinges (so I can lift the top if needed) to bring it all together.

I'll start assembly this evening.


THE SUPPLIES

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

I started work on the desk last night. I screwed/glued the 1x1.5's together to make the front supports and cut the holes out of the deck boards I'm using for the back supports. It looks like I will only need one set of the back supports. Just one set seems to be plenty stable wedged onto the arms of the treadmill and that's without affixing them to the desktop. In a rather serendipitous turn, I think my ineptitude with the roto-zip which resulted in a very rough cut actually helped the rear supports grip better on the arms. Rather like a set of teeth.

Next up I will cut the desktop to fit. Right now you can't see the control panel at all. So there will be one rectangular cut at the top to open that up a bit and an oval cut at the bottom to give me some extra room to stand.

After that we prime/paint the various parts, move the treadmill to my office and with any luck I'll be posting from a fully operational death star treadmill desk by the end of the week.





I think I've violated at lest a half a dozen safety warnings so far during construction. It feels good. My inner Tim Taylor is showing....

Looks great!

You sure there's no way for those fromt supports to slip off the arms? They look pretty close to the ends.....

If by front you mean rear (the gray plastic not the wood) then no. At least not in the final version. Right now I just pushed them on far enough be be sure they fit. I will have to take them off to move the treadmill to the office. Once it's in place I'll use a rubber mallet to tap them father up onto the arms. I will also add a couple of screws directly into the bottom of the treadmill arms snug against the supports so that they cannot slide backwards.

I've also rethought how to attach the monitors. There is currently a bookshelf where I plan to locate the Treadmill-Desk. I was planning to move it out of the way but now I'll just leave it there and rework the selves to make the bookcase into an over sized monitor stand. Thank the maker for LCD monitors. :)

That way I can use Kevy's hinge idea so that the desk can be lifted out of the way if needed.

Keep up the good work! This is really cool!

I just completed my first live test walk!

I finished the basic construction on the desk by adding a cutout at the top so I can see the control panel, and a round one at the bottom to give me some room to stand.

I went for a 10min walk while typing and trying various speeds. I started at 0.6 and worked my way up to 1.0mph which seemed to give me the most normal stride. I'll have to see if I can keep up that pace for extended periods of time without breaking a sweat an important factor since I am doing this at work. Being able to rest my elbows on the desk while walking gives me plenty of support for typing/mousing as I had hoped.

Next up (but probably not till Friday....) the final step: Priming and painting.

For anyone keeping score, Yes. Getting this project completed keeps taking longer that I hoped. My schedule does not leave a lot of extra time for this sort of thing which of course is a large part of the reason I need a treadmill desk in the first place.

Nicely done. Looking forward to the completed pics.

Moonie... this is a seriously cool project. I am secretly jealous of you.

I'm aghast agog ! This is great !

It is done!

I finally had some time last night to get this project finished off. I primed and painted the desk and supports. The desk is Disney Black (Home depot carries "Disney" colors so I used that :) )



Here is the finished product: Treadmill Desk v1.0




Now all that's left is to lug this beast down to my office.

Check back in Monday for a report on the next phase.... Using the damn thing.

Is your cat testing it for you?

Patches in more of a manager. He's inspecting it prior to granting his approval.

So, he's the building inspector granting your building permit? Nice!

Very impressive. Looking forward to the infomercial.

And now, witness the power of this fully operational Treadmill Desk!

Commander, fire at will!

Walk. walk walk walk. Walk walk. Walk walk walk walk walk walk, walk walk walk.


Ok, so fear of the treadmill desk won't keep the local systems in line but I'm hoping it will help get me in shape.

Initial impressions:

I had to drop the resolution on my screens down to 1024x768. The higher res I typically use requires too much mouse precision at least for now.

Other than than it seems to work great. I'm posting this from the treadmill desk now and I don't seem to be making any more typos than normal.

I like to use two monitors so I have the CPU on the floor attached to a pair of A/B video switch boxes one for monitor A and one for monitor B. When I want to hop on the TD I just flip the switches and video is moved there (Yes, I am using four monitors). I also have two keyboards and two mouse attached. A wired USB set for my desk and a wireless set for the Treadmill. So to move from the desk to the treadmill all I have to do is flip the video. Easy!

I can't wait for Monday to see how far I can walk, and the reactions from my co-workers... :D


Ps: And I dropped the sensativity of the mouse down a couple of notches to help eliminate the jitters.

color me super impressed! :snap:

Awesome! Did you do a weigh-in prior so you can keep track of progress there too? :)

If the cat walks backwards on the treadmill, will he put weight ON?

To be sure..... :)

I've decided that my goal is to walk my way to Disneyland Resort. When I "arrive" (in about three years) then I will take a celebratory trip to DLR.

I plan to track my progress using a website I'm building.

It will include:

My current weight
Total distance walked
A Google map of my progress
Blog type stuff
Treadmill Desk forums

To help pay for my trip I'll be dumping all my pocket change into a jar for the next few years. Perhaps I'll add the weight of the jar to my statistics.

What a fantastic idea! :snap:

That's a cool idea. I think I will walk the distance to Cold Stone (about .6 miles) and when I "arrive" I will take a celebratory trip to Cold Stone!

Yes, but will you get to pay for a four day park hopper with a bag full of loose change? :D

Are you typing from the desk now? :)

Yyyyeeesss Iiiiii Ammmmm...

Oh, I want to be there for that!

Results from Day-1:

Yes. I can walk indefinitly at 1.0 mph and not work up a sweat.

Yes. I can do this with out annoying anyone else in the office

Yes. I can focus and do real work while walking

Total distance walked today: 3.32 Miles.

At that rate it will take me 794 days to reach DLR.

Working 5 days per week, 49 weeks per year = 245 days / year

So around about June of 2010 I will be DLR bound. Hopfully DCA will be cool by then.

Oh and there is now $0.32 in my DLR fund. :)

I was just able to view the pictures. Super cool!

Thanks.


Day-2 Update...

Another 3.3 Miles today. Not bad for an out of shape geek.

I went to the mall to pick up some better shoes. Instead I found some cool inserts, rather like those gel pads but higher end. They use that memory foam stuff. A dramatic improvement in comfort.

Also I noticed that I was walking much slower in real life than normal. I'm getting attuned to the pace of the treadmill... I'll have to watch that.

I haven't been keeping up with this thread (and I DO offer my hearty congratulations to Moonliner) .... but I had to drop in when I read in Time today that office furniture maker Steelcase is currently marketing a treadmill equipped with a computer.


Um, well. I guess making your own was tons of fun, huh?

Definitly. Oh and making my own saved me over $3,000.000 vs the Steelcase model.

It's funny how an extra zero can make something appear to go from $3,000 to $3,000,000.

Seriously, I thought the same thing. All I was thinking was "Damn, when did Steelcase get so pricey?"

Today was our annual vendor fair (free pens!) and one of the vendors had a treadmill desk. They didn't look amused when I told my companion that I knew of someone who built his own.

I think there are enough of us using/building TD's that I'm planning to setup a vBulletin site (ie like LoT) for it.

Out of curiosity how did it look and what was the cost?

It was quite the deal. Only $400.00000 U.S.

Hey Moonie, you better get moving. It has been 10 days and you have only gone 11 miles. At this rate, you won't be able to get to Disneyland again until February 7, 2014.

Perhaps by 2014 there will be an extra park or two to visit.... :D

My lack of miles is attributable to a spring break of sorts (a work trip to fix up my mother-in-laws-house). I've been out of town since Friday. Yesterday was my first day back at work and I was playing catch up with outstanding tasks. I was only in my office long enough to crank out one mile. I hope to be back on track today....

Thanks for keeping an eye on me.

Note to self:

For Desk v2.0 - Add cup-holders.

Maybe you can find a giant version of those hamster cage bottles and hang it from the ceiling. Office mates will find the visual funny, I imagine.

Like they don't already.

Perhaps I could make one using a camelbak.



Yeah, that could work....

I'm partial to this style of cup holder.

Hummm, if I placed it in front of the treadmill desk I would probably walk much much faster......

Get the hamster bottle worked out and the next step would be to throw some wood shavings on the floor for your napping and defecatory needs.

Is it just sad that I would personally use a giant hamster wheel instead of a treadmill? :blush:

4.1 Miles today Sir! A new personal best Sir!

Drop and give me 20 soldier!

One good way to motivate yourself to exercise is to make the computer get its power from the treadmill. The faster you pedal, the faster your internet connection...

* Help! *

I have created a simple Treadmill Desk website to help track my progress on my treadmill desk.

I could use some help testing the fourms to make sure they are working. Would anyone be willing to sign up for an account on the discussion site and let me know how the process flows?

Thanks.

Seems to work just fine.

I thought of you while watching Nim's Island yesterday. Jodie Foster's character had a treadmill desk in her house and I laughed a litle and thought of you!

Yup, hollywood is awlays taking it's cues from me. ;)

Did they pay you well? They could have at least given you a great endorsement, we could write Moonliner down the side, then they would flock to your website;)

I have to say I'd never heard of anything like this until you started your project. I'm afraid I lack the creative building skills for it but it has been a blast watching your progress:snap:

Registered and read successfully - seems to be working fine :)

This setting may be intentional, but there is a message in the Quick Reply box:Oh, and you won't be getting to Disneyland for a while - see my signature :evil:

I'll check that. Thanks

Tis true, my goal is to average 5 miles a day - 5 days a week - 49 weeks a year. So far my best day is still 4.1 miles but I'm closing in on that mark today. Every day in every way I'm getting better and better.

So I'd suggest you pencil that date in. Cuz it's coming sooner than you think. :p

vBulletin Options->Message Posting and Editing Options->Quick Reply. Select "Yes, Click Not Required".

And I thought all those thread derails around here where intentional.

Indeed.

I realized that if I kept the click requirement on, as long as most people use threaded mode (and most people do) all that would happen is that people would click the last post anyway, so it would still render threaded/hybrid mode confusing.

Besides, I didn't feel like coddling weirdos who can't let go of usenet/newsgroup conventions. Who needs em?

* Ouch, Ouch... *

After a record tying 4.1 mile walk yesterday I rolled out of bed today to find a mild but sharp pin-prick pain going up my right leg every few steps.

I think I'll try and walk out the pain....

That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.

Perhaps you should check your pants for pins.

Here is a quick walking update for anyone keeping track (by which I mean Kevy).....

Ouch.

Back in the pre-kids days, I was active in martial arts. My son decided that he wanted to give it a try. So I said sure, let's do it together I've always wanted to get back into it. We started training last week.

Those of you with keen eyes will notice that date coincides nicely with a sudden drop in my daily mileage as recorded in my sig line. I did a bad thing.

Apparently a sixteen year layoff combined with putting on 40+lbs has a disadvantageous effect on ability. During the second workout I yammied a hammie up something fierce, to the point where bending enough to put on a sock became a major accomplishment for the day. To say the least, my treadmill has not look appealing for the last few days.

However I am on the mend and I hope to be back on tread and making up for lost time as early as this Monday.

In the meantime, I have a new project: Building a home Dojo/Dance Studio into a currently unused basement bedroom. A project that I'm sure will entail the use of many power tools... :D I think bamboo flooring would be esthetically pleasing.....

Dude, you're as bad as the women, you know that?

Except where we search for excuses to start another sewing project (read as: shop for patterns and fabrics and maybe get as far as cutting a few things out before shoving it in a bag and forgetting about it), you search for excuses to do home improvement projects.

(And yes, I believe bamboo flooring would be quite the thing)

Bamboo's pretty soft (carbonized even moreso) and scratches easily. Might not be the best choice for a dance/dojo floor.

Agreed. The carbonized bamboo, while a pretty color, is right out.

However the strand-woven varitety might do well:

But it probably loses some of the beauty.

Then again, given my apparent proclivity for clumsiness, the somewhat softer flooring might be just the ticket...

On a side note:

I went to have a look at the room today. I'd not been down there in months. The cats on the other hand appear to have been down there on a fairly regular basis. Blech! Bad Kitties! No matter what I decided to go with flooring wise, the carpet that is there now HAS GOT TO GO!

SusieAnne Krellingshaw aged 11.5 of Arkansas, who is currently studying ergonomic furniture design doesn't see what the problem is, except the fact that "Mom was real cranky about the dining table".

She goes on to say that "Our neighbour, Mr Costavidalilliakas was none to pleased about his pool ladder either".

"I have some future design ideas in mind, but my brother won't part with his pet hamster."

SusieAnne's Dad is a lot better now that her Mom is out of traction.

A creative design at that.


So Moonie......how goes the workout?

Rocky but I'm still here writing this while walking.

After getting off to a good start I was sidelined with a muscle pull (not related to the treadmill desk thank you very much NA). It sidelined me for a much longer than I expected. While I was fine walking about, prolonged treadmill use was causing a dull pain that made it very hard to concentrate and work effectively.

Also while that was going on there were some political issues I had to deal with. "Oh no! Think of the liability if he breaks his neck", "How come he gets one and I don't", "He won't get any work done", etc.... People suck.

I have now put all that behind me. The leg seems to be fully healed and the voices of the critics have been squashed. I'm working to build back up my daily mileage count while also doing Tae Kwon Do a couple of times a week.

Health wise I can say I see a definite difference when I am walking. Rather than tiring me out I have more energy later into the night. Also I am losing a steady one pound per week as long as I average at least three miles a day.

I have returned to making regular update to my signature line. 2.2 Miles yesterday.

Hence the muscle pull?;)

Indirectly perhaps....

Yeah, but you're still over 8-1/2 years from making it back out here. I am trying to decide if that is too slow or too soon.

While it will (I hope) be much less than the 8.5 years, you will still have plenty of time to decide.

YEAH!

That was awesome!

For last year's DLR trip my feet were in agony by the end of the first day. Overall the limiting factor on how much we could do was how far I could walk. It was depressing.

Well no such problems this time! We rocked six different theme parks (four Disney + two universal) over the course of five days with no foot problems at all! Thank you Mr. Treadmill desk.

That is a great side benefit

Heh, what a rip. I built mine for about 1/4 of that and I can still use it for jogging should I ever care to.

Quick! Draw up some plans and pitch this baby!

Perhaps you could simply sell a mod kit, or a desk that fits various treadmills....

Note that there are less expensive alternatives to the Walkstation. I don't have a treadmill and I have no interest in running so I'm looking at one called the Tread Desk. The treadmill is designed to paired with a more or less regular standing desk or with an adjustable one that they sell. I also like the fact that you can kick it up to a faster walk for times when you're not trying to really work.

What do you like most about working on a treadmill desk? What do you like least? Just trying to get all of the information I can before making my own decision.

There is a lot of good. I tend to stay more focused and as a result the day goes faster and I get more done. The more I walk the better I feel. I sleep better and overall have more energy. That effect could be physical or just in my head but I don't really care much which it is. The effect is real. I do know that (as mentioned above) I can walk a lot farther in the real world without discomfort since I started used the Treadmill desk.

There are some down sides....
If I'm working on a very detailed/thorny problem then walking turns into a distraction and I have to go back to the desk. So don't think you can just get rid of your old desk and chair.

To ease moving between the desk and treadmill, I setup an a/b switch-box for the monitors and attached and extra USB keyboard/mouse. I have also picked up a pair of cheap radio-shack brand wireless headphones so I can rock out and not get tangled up in wires.

Some days I just don't feel like walking and have to live with the guilt.

Co-workers have a wide range of reactions (geek, dork, wow, where can I get one....) and I had quite the fight against the evil forces of management that were sure this radical idea would cause the complete collapse of western civilization.

Design wise, you need to be able to rest your forearms level on the desktop to give you adequate support for typing and mouse moving. If you scroll back up you will see the design I came up with has a 'U' shaped cutout and was custom built to match my height.

I have settled in at 1.2mph as the pace I use. Any faster and I have trouble typing or start sweating. I expect it also helps that I am able to set the temp in my office. I keep it at about 68-69 degrees. On the plus side most visitors don't stay around too long. :D

Overall I rate it five stars - double plus good, how in the hell did I ever live without it.

OTOH, it is going to be nine years until you go to Disneyland again.

Oh yeah, that's the other thing Catfiend..... Naysayers. You will have to deal with that that a lot.

In my case I have pasted a photo of Kevy to the tread of my desk and spend most of my day giggling as I step on his face over and over and over.....

Those are the things I'm most interested in - less the walking distance in the real world as I haven't managed to exhaust mine in years. I LOVE to walk. Losing some weight would be nice but having more zip at the end of the day and sleeping better will help a lot on the weight loss side.

I'm hoping to get rid of the chair side and just use a standing desk. I'm OK standing while I work as long as I don't have to do it for too many straight hours.

For days like that I'll just bop back down to the dining room table - where I've been working for the last 6 months as we work through the project that will, as a side effect, give me some office space where I can setup a small treadmill.

That's one I don't need to worry about. My boss is also a telecommuter and he's looking at doing the same with the treadmill that he already has!

That's an important tidbit that I hadn't picked up elsewhere. As I look at my hands right now, typing at the dining room table, I can see that that's almost exactly how I'm positioned now and it feels very natural. That tells me how tall I need my desk to be.

If you scroll back up you will see the design I came up with has a 'U' shaped cutout and was custom built to match my height.

Sounds like the running theme for people who have tried it: It's fantastic and I don't ever want to go back. Thanks!

I hadn't thought of that.... This has Serious possibilities! I'm lucky that I get along fine with most of my coworkers but there's one.........

The only naysayer that I'm worried about is my wife and I think she's starting to believe that I'll make it work. If she was fully convinced then she'd happily spring for the Walkstation since she's finally figuring out that investing in my (or her) health is becoming more important as we approach 50.

If you set up an automatic link that shows your progress and tie it into your next visit to Disneyland, you will have two naysayers. Just ask Moonie :D

Yes. It's called the Geek-a-cycle - http://www.slimgeek.com/ Unfortunately it looks like they've stopped production. Note that they also said that it doesn't work well with a mouse - they recommend a trackball.

I still don't know what you are talking about. I'm making excellent progress. Just check the sig line....

Obvious forgery since your own damned web site sez you've only gone 30.6 miles.

Liar

I just noticed this and was wondering where the Moonliner Swanking thread was.

There won't be one since Moonie isn't swank.

You will probably find a Moonliner Stanking thread somewhere though.

:(

Time to add more photos of KB to your treadmill? ;)

I just don't understand why he has to be so mean.

Rather unswanky of him, don't you think?

Back in school when a boy was mean it actually meant he liked you. Tell the truth now Kev - do you secretly have a crush on Moonie?

Kevin and Moonie sittin in a tree
K I S S I N G
First comes looooooooove
[then comes Moonie moving to CA]
Then comes Marriageeeeeeee

Then comes Scaeagles in a jealous rage!

I'm telling you, they're off to the spider pool together to "work out their aggression".

I'm loving this!!!

That does not rhyme.

I've make it past the 100 mile mark. Not quite as soon as I might have hoped but still all in all a significant milestone.

WTG!

Wow, that was a three-week delay between posts.

Oh, and Moonie's sig is (as usual) inaccurate: as of today (with 102.9 miles complete), he won't be getting to Disneyland until February 28, 2019.

Still, 100 miles is awesome!

thats cuz the cat (pictured) keeps walking backwards on the treadmill and resetting his progress

:D

Apparently there is no idea so pure that it cannot be perverted. (Nauseating but safe for work)

^^ Haha that was very gay. :) Love it!

I can see it now, the 2009 WoW Marathon!

I'd do a Lord of the Rings Online Middle Earth Marathon. From Thorin's Hall to Rivendell, via the Shire! If you get hungry along the way you can just steal something from the hobbits. Or eat a hobbit, depending on your persuasion.

Woot! I'm a geek! :D

Or, this is a good way to get virtual exercise in WoW too:

Click here.

NSFW!!!!!

Hey, Moonliner! How is your walking going?

And at the rate he is going, they will get to Disneyland long before Moonliner will!

I still at it. Due to some work changes I'm out of my office a lot more than I used to be, but on the days I do walk I average at least 2 miles. Over all I'm very happy with it, primarily because I 'm down nine pounds since I started.

I've also been beset with something that I expect is rather unique to my happy life. Viral Arthritis. Historically, every time I get a cold one or both of my ankles get inflamed and I hobble around like a drunken penguin for a couple of weeks.

How about you? Weren't you talking about building one for yourself?

It's the journey not the destination. So piss off.

:D

Hey guys
some time in the next year, I'll start out ridiculously early, and walk all the way to Disneyland.

We'll meet up and have drinks :)

Great on the weight loss! Pity about the job changes but that's life.

Yep. Still waiting for the office to be finished. I keep trying to convince my wife that I can use it elsewhere while waiting for the office but she's not buying it :( In the meantime I'm getting outside for more walks - something I hope to keep up after I get used to the treadmill routine.

While eternally optimistic, I have to allow for the slight possibilty that I might not be ready to meet up in '09.

I've gotten into the habit of updating my sig on Mondays. So I just updated it to:

Walking to DLR: 2,639 Miles | Miles walked: [197.40] | % Complete: [7.48] | Est. Arrival Date: 11/19/2016

Total miles is based on Google Maps driving directions: 2,639

Miles Walked is directly from the treadmill odometer: 197.40

Percent complete is: Miles Walked / Total Miles

Est. Arrival Date is: Today() + (miles remaining / ave miles per day)

Average miles per day is calculated using a starting date of 3/17/08
Currently we are at 238 days walking.

So my planned arrival date is:

11/10/08 + (2441.6 / 0.833)
11/10/08 + 2931
11/19/2016
A Saturday :D


Also of note:

My miles per day figure is pathetic due in part to a couple of weeks of vacation, a leg injury, a few lazy weeks and the fact that I count weekend days even thought I don't generally work/walk on them.

I have been much more consistent in the last two months, so that figure is slowly climbing and as it does, the arrival date gets closer. I seem to be dropping off about a month each time I update the sig line.

Oh, and I've upped my walking speed from 1.2 to 1.3mph. It makes a difference.

You're still wrong

197.4 miles / 238 days = 0.829411764705882

Skipping the rest of the calculations, I jump to:

Estimated arrival date: December 1, 2016

:D

No no no! Don't let him off the hook. He is presenting misleading information and taking credit he doesn't deserve.

He has consistently lied in this endeavor and I am not letting him get away with it!!!

Ahhh! I see your problem. Well at least one of your many problems.

Today. As of today I have walked 197.4 miles in 238 days. However I have only recorded mileage as of yesterday. So in the spreadsheet formula I subtract one from the total days.

197.4 / 237 = 0.83291139240506329113924050632911
Which I choose to round off to 0.833

The sig line stays as written.

And once again, you can piss off.

But, from earlier today:
So; were you lying then or are you lying now?

Hey, once you stop exaggerating your claims and misrepresenting your actual successes (or more specifically, the lack thereof), I will stop harassing you. Until then, I shall remain ever vigilant against the falsehoods and tyranny that spew forth.

:D

Next thing we know, you two will be picking out window treatments and china patterns. :p

Search your feelings Kevy, you know this to be true. Kevy, I am correct.

Today I was able to update my profile. I am now located in Ohio!



I crossed the bridge from West Virgina into Ohio a little after noon EST today.

Thanks to Google Earth for the street level view of my path!

Great job! I'd advise you to go the other side of the highway though, the cars are coming right at ya!

I don't know why this took so long to occur to me, but as an alternative to building a treadmill desk, people could just put one of these under their desk.

It's been awhile since I posted an update.

I'm still walking my days away, well part of them at least. I have stopped keeping track of my mileage. I found it was causing me to feel like I had to walk and as a result making me resentful of it.

So now I just walk when I feel like it, which is pretty much every day.

One slight change of late, I read an article about how shoes are bad for your feet so I've started walking at least a mile each day in just my socks. So far I'd say the results are positive with my feet feeling better at night. General foot pain has been the bane of my life since well before I started this project.

Weight wise, I'm trending in the right direction. I drop a bit, plateau a bit, gain a bit but overall I'm down over 25lbs which is a third of the way for me.

I'm still waiting for the first person to notice/comment on my weight loss.

Wow Moonie - you're looking quite svelte these days. (I'd whistle at you but never mastered whistling.)

Congrats on your progress!

Eh; you still look fat to me...




runs, ducks and hides...

WTG Moonliner! Smart man, keeping it fun and not mandatory.

Kudos!

Oh no! My treadmill desk has been rendered obsolete.

The Swimming Desk from ThinkGeek.

Too funny! But my job is 40% at my desk, 50% at my work bench, and 10% elsewhere. I'm not sure they would like me walking around the factory or attending meetings in dripping wet swim trunks and flip-flops! ;)

I would love that. Seriously.
Obviously, I'd need waterproof electronics to go with it, but nonetheless, that would be so cool.

Yes. It's still a thing. I'm at work walking on my treadmill desk right now.

Yesterday I received a new badge from FitBit:

The Russian Railway badge. 5,772 Lifetime miles. The length of the trans-Siberian railway.

That's excellent! Good job!

I'm going to a sports doc next week to see if they can tell me what is going on with my left knee and inside ankle. Advil is not doing anything and I am gimping along. Not meeting my step goal.

So, you fitbit types, any specific variant you'd recommend?

So the Russians hacked FitBit too huh?

Personally, I use the most basic one the fitbit flex. A lot of my steps come on the treadmill desk (where your arms do not move much) so I wear my Fitbit strapped to my ankle. As such I don't need a display of any kind on it.

I personally like the Alta HR as it's not as clunky as the Charge and I can keep track of my heart beat- I also like that you can set it to let you know that you should be moving every hour or so. :cool:

I have the Inoic. I really like it but it is big and bulky. I had the Alta before which is totally fine. One of the things I'm liking on the Ionic is you can load music on it. So I can listen to podcasts or music without my phone, just the watch.

Depends on what you want. I have an Alta, slim, removable/replaceable band. I'd skip the Charge due to not having a replaceable band.

I have friend who have the one that looks like an iwatch, too big for me.