Someone joked on another blog that one of the main benefits of getting a treadmill desk is that then you get to tell people you have a treadmill desk. More of that is truer than I’d like to admit, but I came across mine for a current total cost of $40: I helped my dad move and he gave me his treadmill. I use the term “gave” lightly because he suggested that it’d be nice of me to pay him eventually, which I will…eventually. Who doesn’t like getting $50 checks in the mail for 4 months? That’s way better than $200 all at once, right?

So right now, besides endangering my husband’s sanity and safety by roping him into carrying it down into the basement with me, it’s all set up, complete with a SurfShelf, the aforementioned $40 investment I mentioned earlier. Promises of 5 minute setup times are laughable when you’re on your 5th attempt at proper configuration and feeling dumb that you can’t wrap straps and plastic around some more plastic.

How the SurfShelf is supposed to look on a treadmill

How the SurfShelf is supposed to look on a treadmill

Eventually I ended up with something that works. The SurfShelf isn’t flat against the surface, but after thirty minutes of hell attempting to make it so (a sweaty hell for some reason), I gave up and am happy with what I’ve got. So far, it’s been better than my attempts at a standing desk because I don’t notice the walking as much as I did the standing. I walked over 5 miles Thursday at 1.8 MPH and didn’t have any pain or soreness, unlike the standing desk.

I can type and walk and then rub my FitBit steps into everyone’s faces (silently of course, I let the rankings do the talking), so I see this as a win-win.

 

Kelsey Jones

Kelsey Jones

Founder/Chief Marketing Consultant at Six Stories
Kelsey Jones helps clients around the world grow their social media, content, and search marketing presence. She enjoys writing and consuming all kinds of content, both in digital and tattered paperback form.
Kelsey Jones
Kelsey Jones