As I type this, I'm walking on my workstation treadmill. This isn't anything unusual for me lately, because over the last month, I have been walking every day at around this pace, usually for at least three to four hours a day. I guess that means I'm now walking a minimum of five miles a day on my Walking Desk (or you can call it a desk treadmill).
I don't like to keep track of things, because that's not my reason to use desk treadmill. I just love walking and it makes me feel good. In fact, it feels amazing. But this walking desk comes with preset workout and weight loss programs with measurements of time, speed, calories burned, pulse and body fat tester. Adds up more benefits of having a desk treadmill.
Although there are many imported brands in the market, my desk treadmill is made in India and parts are available locally for easy maintenance and repair. Plus it has an inbuilt standing desk (with a fixed height), so that I don't have to buy a new one, although sit stand converters for laptops ( or desktops ) is a great way to convert your existing desk into a standing one.
Over the past month, I've noticed a lot of beneficial changes in my life that seem to have stemmed from switching from a normal work desk to a treadmill desk. Some are physical, some are emotional, and most fall somewhere in the overlap, because that's the way health works — something I was starkly reminded of over the past year of pandemic
1. I started loving working again
I don't dislike my job , but I just hate sitting for too long. Sitting too much makes me feel claustrophobic and restless and unfortunately being in BPO and IT industry I used to have long hours in front of my laptop screens , makes me straight up depressing. Sitting for long hours in an indoor environment makes me feel caged all the time. I am happy and very productive when I can go out on breaks and even exercise during lunch
When I started walking on my desk treadmill, it was like I moved from black-and-white to color. I was smiling and — weirdest of all — sometimes even looking forward to work on my workstation under desk treadmill. In some ways, seeing how much happier I was with the treadmill desk benefits made me feel even more like a hamster who was just glad to finally have a wheel. But, by and large, I just felt better at work. I'll always prefer to work almost anywhere but an office, but if I have to be in one, this is definitely the most human I've ever felt.
2. My Back and Neck Stopped Hurting
Before the treadmill desk, my back was beginning to hurt every day. It was bad; no matter what I did — standing, sitting, stretching, laying down — I was in pain. I was even going to doctor to try to address it. While they helped me, one of the benefits of using a desk treadmill was that the pain was gone within a week and I was able to stop going to the doctor. Walking is known to help in back pain, and being stationary either standing (or sitting) is known to worsen it . Now I know why, because walking helps to strength the core and improve posture.
3. I become more emotionally expansive
It felt like all my negative energy started to flow out of my body through walking. All the endorphins from exercising helped me to get new ideas for work or home thus improving my productivity.
4. Helped me to sleep better
One of the best benefits of walking desk was that I get too tired and able to fall asleep early and actually get up early by choice by 6 am to go for workout. It helped me to plan my day much better. Suddenly from a night owl now I am a morning person
5. Even I missed my workout, at least I can walk
Because I knew I would at least be walking during the day, I didn't start to feel like crap if I missed more intensive cardio for more than a few days in a row. I know treadmill cannot replace the benefits of a workout but something is better than nothing. Some days you don’t have extra time for exercising, that when I realized that walking and working on my laptop is one of the best benefits of using a desk treadmill
6. I started to loose weight and coming back in shape
I don't expect to see much physical changes from walking on a desk treadmill, but to my surprise I started to lose weight from lower sections of my body without making any changes in my every day schedule. Even though I had no intentions of using desktop treadmill for weight loss, using desktop treadmill after a month my core felt more strong and general normal posture improved.
7. Some tasks are better suited for desktop treadmill than others
Sitting for long hours and when web calls makes me feel quite anxious. One of the best benefits of using a desk treadmill is that it helps me to get more creative while talking on phone with my clients. Also light typing activities like browsing the web, scrolling social media or going through a mail are some of the best suited tasks which can be done while using the desk treadmill. But work related to intensive focus on the screen can harder. So I tend to break my work into easier editing and writing on the treadmill, at a lower speed and sitting while doing other office work.
8. I had more energy in the late afternoon
I found that my dependency on coffee or sugar during afternoon has been largely reduced; I found that walking on desk treadmill gave me the energy boost I was looking for. A natural boost without any energy drinks or coffee which was great for my high blood sugar
9. I am hungry all the time
All this walking on my desk treadmill made me burn a lot calories and hungry at the same time. And when you give in your sweat to stay in shape, binge eating on junk food is probably the last thing in your mind.
Consciously, I started eating less spicy and oily food (of course with cheat meal after couple of days) but overall I felt great eating a lot and guilt free at the same time.
10. Cannot go back ( I love my treadmill )
I cannot go back to my old workstation now. Although this desk treadmill was given to me to write a review, but the idea of giving it back kind of scares me. I simply cannot go back to being in pain and feeling restless at work all the time…
This Desk treadmill has so many benefits:
Pocket Friendly Prices: Usually an imported brand like lifespan fitness will costs around 1 Lakh INR not to mention a standing desk somewhere around 50K, costing bomb. This desk treadmill comes with inbuilt stand desk for a price of 80K, all-inclusive taxes, transport and home installation !
Made in India: Call me to patriotic, but I really believe in vocal for local, plus after sale service is quick and less costly too since all the spare parts are sourced from local market
Space Efficient : Same space accommodates both the desk and the treadmill underneath it making it very compact for home or office use.
If you're thinking a treadmill desk sounds good, talk to your HR department about getting one. It might save them sick day costs for employees in the long term, and if you have chronic back pain, you might even be able to argue that it's a necessary workplace accommodation.
Either way, don't let looking like a weirdo stop you. If you love to move, or you would like to move more, no amount of money or self-consciousness should be able to get in the way of our right to feel more like humans, even if we are trapped in an office.
No matter what, always love yourself
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