[Auracle]

Relevant to both parts of this study: I can’t recommend a walking treadmill with an electric standing desk enough. I walk about 4-5 hours a day at ~2 mph. I can eat what I want and maintain my weight (or lose it), I’m more alert during the day and I sleep better at night.

The only real issue is that if I have to think particularly hard on a problem I might have to step off of the treadmill/turn it off for a bit.

I work from home and most of my work isn’t mentally challenging, so I know I have it better than most. Still, for anyone who thinks it might be doable for them I’d recommend it. It takes a while to get used to, but it happens. Right now I’d love to find a way to incline the treadmill easily to increase the challenge without increasing the speed.

Plus, you should see my calves. The bottom half of some pants look like leggings on me.

[Flankk]

After years of using a standing desk I decided to up my game a bit. I'm now using an inversion table with a built-in laptop mount. This puppy has a 24V DC motor to maximize circulation for extended hacking sessions. I've found it has marginal productivity gains but colleagues no longer bother me during a sprint.

[kingrazor]

This begs the question, do you ever sprint while in a sprint?

[woopwoop]

I've also started using an under-the-desk treadmill lately. Agree it's awesome. I have no idea how people get in 10,000 steps or whatever without it. But holy crap you're walking 8-10 miles a day!

[tt293]

By working a healthy 8 hours a day, and integrating walking into their everyday activities: walk to the store instead of taking the car or getting things delivered, for example. Although I do agree that it depends on the environment you live in - whenever I found myself in dense built-up inner-city neighborhoods with a lack of green, my step average was just half of what it was in more walkable, leafier neighborhoods. While not having lived there myself, I imaging US suburbs would be equally detrimental to my walking habits.

[woopwoop]

But going from grocery delivery to walking to the store is not integrating it into your everyday activity. That's restructuring your life. Sure, I could walk to work and back every day I go to the office, but it'd be 45 minutes a day. That's a highly non-trivial time investment. And it wouldn't get me the equivalent of what I get from my under-the-desk treadmill, which requires a time investment of approximately zero.

[Auracle]

My only wish is that I could do some Pokemon style exp-share so I could distribute the muscle gain to the rest of my body ;)

[woopwoop]

Probably won't get you the equivalent of 8-10 miles a day, but you can buy some dumbbells, put them by your desk, and do a set of something every hour or so during a break. I aspire to do this, but often forget/get too lazy to do it often enough.

[rootusrootus]

For people considering this, I recommend trying something inexpensive before going for one of the nice purpose built walking desk treadmills. The physiology of walking at 1 or 2 mph isn't the same [for everyone] as full speed walking, and some people will have problems as a result. Better to figure that out before you blow a bunch of money on it.

[Auracle]

Yeah, that's not a bad idea. I started with a $150 cheapo Walmart treadmill that you could rig a potentiometer to in order to bypass the controls and make it slow enough.

All that said you absolutely get what you pay for, and it's much nicer to walk on higher end models.

[Qub3d]

Nice! I personally have been amazed at my own increase in energy and weight loss simply by using a sit/stand desk and getting a fitness tracker.

The hourly reminders to move really do show the science is right on when it comes to how effective even a few minutes of movement regularly throughout the day improves your health.

[vaishaksuresh]

Do you mind sharing what treadmill you use?

[koonsolo]

For me, I have an electric standing desk from IKEA, and a FlowFitness walking pad. Very pleased with that, since I can fold it and roll it out of the way with the wheels, once I want to sit down.

https://www.flowfitness.com/treadmills/dtm100i/

[Auracle]

I use the Lifespan TR1200. I also have a cheaper Titan Fitness one, and at least with the case of the two of those you definitely get what you pay for. The Lifespan is much quieter and wider.

That said there might be better stuff on the market now as I purchased a while ago.

[minsc_and_boo]

Not them, but IME anything that uses slat-belts is best for minimizing impact on your body (which adds up over daily use).

[adolph]

I thought that was a big thing in the 18th century but Atlas Obscura says that may not be the case:

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/colonial-calves-men-fa...

[koonsolo]

I'm doing the same thing, but only walk in the afternoon about 1 hour. It makes a difference indeed. Reading, typing and using the mouse is not as difficult as you would think.

For hard problems I also need to sit down (that's why I do it in the afternoon).

[Auracle]

I'd recommend you try to do some mental work when walking. I've found that (over at least a couple of years!) it's a skill that I've developed.

[subsubzero]

> I walk about 4-5 hours a day at ~2 mph

So you are "walking" 8 to 10 miles a day, that is pretty awesome just being stationary so to speak, which translates to 700-900 calories burned a day. Just curious do you get tired at the end of the week?

[Auracle]

I don't really get tired at this point, no. I'm primarily a wedding photographer and I usually go easy on it the day before a wedding just to give my feet a break.

There are days where I push more time than usual and I still feel it at night in my thighs.

[m463]

Don't have a desk treadmill, but I do have one in the garage.

When I exercise I trade off incline for speed.

So I incline it to max (12%) and walk so I'm able to read but increase my heart rate.

I can usually talk on the phone too (but limited circumstances out of politeness)

[gwill]

do you have a treadmill that you recommend?

[Auracle]

I have the Lifespan TR1200 but it's been quite a while since I researched/purchased so I don't know if I'd fully recommend it.

On the plus side it's definitely held up.