Walking While You Work
August 11, 2021
Where Do I Work?
- I work remotely at home
- I work in my bedroom closet
I've been working remotely for many years. When I first made that transition, finding a good place to work was tricky with young kids at home. I soon found myself working from our bedroom closet! That may sound odd, but it ended up being the most tucked-away place in our home. If you are interested in that transformation, take a look at Bedroom Closet to Work Office Transformation from January 29, 2011.
NOTE: I've moved since the above blog post, but I still work from my bedroom closet (4'7" x 6'5").
Why Am I Walking?
- To Stay healthy
- For convenience of exercising while close to home
- It's an affordable alternative to a gym
- Because of competition and gamification
To stay healthy, I used to go to the gym and get cardio by using an elliptical machine, however, a while back I canceled my membership and switched to exercising around my neighborhood. This change ended up being more convenient and helped eliminate a monthly cost.
Before too long jogging started to aggravate my left knee (I tore my meniscus years ago), so I started to focus on walking. As a goal, I wanted to hit 10,000 steps per day.
Although as summer approached, my lunch-time walks started to become more uncomfortable in the heat. In addition, I needed more than my lunch period to reach 10,000 steps, so I was walking after work as well.
After I was walking regularly, my work started a new exercise competition using an app called MoveString. I'm very motivated by competition and gamification, so this propelled me to step up my game.
Enter the Treadmill Idea
- Some friends online have treadmill desks
- Want to utilize existing hours of sitting or standing
- Reclaim my lunch and after-work walking time
- Because of competition and gamification (again)
The idea of a treadmill desk wasn't new to me. I know several friends I've met online that regularly use one.
The idea became more real to me since I found myself walking a lot during lunch and after work. I wanted to reclaim that time, if possible, and a treadmill desk seemed like a good way to do that.
When Do I Walk at Work?
- Alternate between walking and sitting
- Walk while on non-coding zooms
- Walk while doing low mental tasks
- Sit while doing focused work
- Sit after a long period of walking (tired)
You might think that I walk 8 hours a day while at work. Umm, no. I regularly alternate between walking and sitting throughout the day. I try to start the day by walking since I am fresh and haven't gotten into anything too deep yet. Then I'll take a break after a while and sit.
When I'm walking I'll typically shift between 2 different speeds. If I'm in a leisurely meeting or coding then I typically walk at 2.0MPH. However, if I'm more of a participant of a larger zoom meeting I sometimes bump up the speed to 3.0MPH. I find it hard to type at the keyboard if I'm walking any faster than 2.0MPH. Your mileage may vary (pun intended) based on your height, etc...
Since I work from my bedroom closet, I'm somewhat limited in space. I can't easily move the treadmill away from my desk. So, I purchased a workout bench to straddle the treadmill when I want to sit. I try to use good posture while sitting.
What Treadmill Did I Purchase?
- UREVO 2 in 1 Under Desk Treadmill
- Looked at other makes and models, but this one seemed like a good fit
After a bit of research on Amazon, I finally landed on the UREVO 2 in 1 Under Desk Treadmill. It's a 2.5HP folding electric treadmill with a remote control. Since my office space is tiny, I keep the handle down which limits the max speed of 3.8MPH, but that's okay because I don't go that fast anyway.
At the time of purchase, the item was $338.66, which compared to many other makes and models seemed like a good price. It has been over a month since the purchase and I'm still happy with the treadmill.
How Is It Going?
- I'm walking much more than I used to
- My daily steps vary more than they used to
- I've been able to reclaim my time at lunch and after work
You might be wondering how it has been going since I've started using the treadmill. The above image from June is my walking steps from before I had the treadmill and the image on the right is after getting the treadmill. I've definitely been walking more. The consistency is a bit more variable, but the main benefit is that I'm getting most steps during work hours and not during my lunch or after work! I've reclaimed those times for other things!
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