Are you thinking about getting in shape but don’t make the time after work to get to the gym? Getting a treadmill desk and working out while you are working may be the answer!
In this article, I will share with you what I have discovered as I have tried many different treadmill desk options and give you my review and recommendations.
Getting more exercise while working may help you improve your productivity.
Let’s first start with when you can use a treadmill desk when working. The tasks which are most conducive to walking or jogging on your treadmill are:
- Making phone calls
- Checking email
- Texting
- Researching topics on the internet
- Watching a webinar
- Listening to podcasts
- Uploading videos
- Tracking your to do list
- Networking on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter
- Checking on your team members
- Some of your meetings
- Thinking
- Planning
- Saying Affirmations
- Some writing, at lower speeds of walking
Here are things that I absolutely could not do while I was walking on the treadmill at a treadmill desk:
- Writing – I could not write and walk/jog at the same time
- Blogging – typing is really hard for me to do while walking
- Taking in depth notes
- Editing photos and videos
- Doing my website design and client website design
- Working on platforms like WordPress
- Invoicing
- Banking
- Accounting and bookkeeping
My favorite Treadmill Desk system:
LifeSpan TR1200-DT5 Treadmill Desk
This treadmill desk comes in two parts. The desk is separate from the treadmill. The treadmill fits very nicely right under the included Standing desk. It is a stand alone desk.
Some people call it a workstation.
The features include:
- Size: 68.5″ D x 38″ W.
- Top of desk is: 38″ W x 29″ D.
- Height: 4.6″.
- Walking Belt Size: 20″ W x 50″ L.
- You can use it if you weigh under 350 lbs.
- The Treadmill weighs 119 lbs.
- The desk weighs 60 lbs.
- 12 month warranty ( please always check the current warranty as the company could change it from time to time).
The top desk is adjustable. It is very sturdy. The desk top is white and the frame is a dark charcoal color. The surface of the desk is amazing!
The surface of the desk will hold your laptop, supplies, and additional monitors. The sturdiness of the desk is very good. It is balanced and I can put my elbows on it without it wiggling around.
The monitor for the treadmill is attached to the front of the desk in the center. The treadmill monitor keeps track of your speed, distance, calories and more.
There is a padded armrest around the front of the desk. This makes it very comfortable to lean your hands, arms, or elbows, on the desk.
This treadmill is also very quite. You can conference call at the speed of 2 MPH to 2.5 MPH without having sound that will interfere with your phone calls and conferences.
There is hardly any set up involved. You need to put the desk on the base ( the legs) and push the treadmill in between. That is it. And off you go – running or walking while working.
Click here to check the current price on Amazon. Amazon is where I happened to find the best price.
The LifeSpan treadmill desk has been around for a while and still in business. The company has a good reputation.
I met someone who has used the same treadmill desk for over 6 years now and has walked over 6,000 miles on it with no problems. He made sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the maintenance schedule at different mile markers.
The LifeSpan TR1200- DT5 Treadmill desk is about the middle of the road in price.
If you need to find a lower priced Treadmill Desk there is the option of just buying the treadmill part that fits under your standing desk that you already have.
There is one other treadmill desk at a lower price point that I found to be good enough to recommend.
Treadmills for Under Your Desk
If you don’t have the room for a treadmill desk in your home or your office, a treadmill that you put under your desk and your can pull it out easily from under your desk to use, may be your best choice.
The treadmills under your desk come in many different price ranges depending on how fancy you want the monitoring and technology.
There are two under the desk treadmills I recommend. The biggest difference is the price because the one that is a little higher priced has some more bells and whistles. You will do fine with either of these models.
2 in 1 Under Desk Folding Treadmill
This treadmill has a bar that you pull up to use when the treadmill is not under your desk. You can use the treadmill under your desk and outside of your desk. When you roll it under your desk you just put the handle bar down. It is very easy and mobile. It has wheels so you can roll it around by yourself.
Features:
- It limits your speed under the desk for safety
- Using it outside of your desk you can run up to 7.5 MPH
- 7 layer shock absorber to reduce stress on knees and feet
- Noise reduction
- 2.25 horsepower
- LED display
- Remote control
- No assembly required
- Running area is 40 x 16 inch
- Max weight it can handle is 225 pounds
- Monitors and displays: time, Speed, Distance, Calorie
- Portable
Popsport Under Desk Treadmill
This treadmill fits under your desk, it does not have a handle bar. Also, please keep in mind that this one is better for shorter people with smaller feet it has a narrow walking path.
The Popsport treadmill is a great price, budget friendly. It has just about everything the 2 in 1 has, except it is not a 2 in 1.
- Running area is 40 x 14 inches
- Remote control
- No assembly required
- LED display
- Monitors and displays: steps taken, walking time, calories burned, distance traveled and walking belt speed
- It makes a little more noise than the 2 in 1
- Portable
- Up to 3.73 MPH
Treadmill Desk Attachment
If you already have a treadmill and don’t want to get rid of it to start all over again with a new one, this option of a treadmill desk may work for you.
This is a desk top like structure that is put over your treadmill. You can put your laptop on it to work, a book, your iPad, etc. It is not very big but it does fit across most treadmills.
It fits in the front of the monitor of your treadmill. You can not carry it in a backpack to the gym, but you can use it at home on your treadmill.
Make sure you measure your treadmill arms to make sure it will fit. It is 34 inches wide.
Treadmill Desk attachment Features:
- Universal design to fit most treadmills
- Made in a way that it does not shake when you are using the treadmill
- Rubber surface – keeps things from slipping
- It can also be placed over a chair to use as a lap desk
- 35″W x 17″D
Click here to see the most current price on Amazon for this treadmill desk attachment.
For my taste, this is not my favorite option. But for those who are really tight budgets, this is most likely your best option for being able to work while walking on your treadmill.
About Treadmill Desks
There is some controversy over how productive you can be while working on a desk with your treadmill or having a treadmill under your standing desk.
Personally, I think it is great to be able to walk and work at the same time. I doubt that I could run or jog and work, unless it was listening to podcasts or watching videos for work which I can do without a desk.
I stand at my standing desk and I sit at my sitting desk and on my chairs and couches, I move around often while working in order to not get too slouchy and immobile. I am currently overweight so this is very important to me to make sure I move as much as I can throughout the day.
I do have a harder time concentrating on my work when I am on my treadmill and working. So you need to take that into consideration before you spend the kind of money it takes to buy a treadmill desk. Maybe you don’t have the same problems.
Don’t just go with what the manufacturers say about their treadmill desks. They need to sell their product so they are going to glean from their good reviews and results. I did read a lot of good reviews on Amazon about the treadmill I like the best, you can read them here on Amazon.
There are some studies done by University research departments who say that some companies have seen a loss in productivity from their employees using treadmill desks. This is because the employees are slowing down on their typing on the computer. It is harder to type and walk at the same time.
Of course, that does not mean everyone. You may be coordinated enough to type and walk without losing your typing speed.