As I type this, I'm walking at two miles an hour. This isn't anything unusual for me, as I've been walking at this pace every day for the past month, usually for at least three to four hours a day. I guess that means I'm now walking at least five miles a day on the LifeSpan treadmill, although I decided not to log that. I also don’t keep track of how many calories I burn—because that feels too likely to trigger me to equate calories with my health, and because that’s not why I use a treadmill desk. I just walk at work because it feels good. In fact, it feels amazing.
While I've always felt uneasy in the office—I was the first to get a standing desk at Bustle, and was often found standing up, sitting down, sitting on the floor, etc.—I didn't get a chance to try it until LifeSpan offered to let me test the treadmill desk for a month. At the risk of sounding completely evangelical, it changed my life. not kidding.
I've noticed a lot of changes in my life over the past month that seem to stem from switching from a standing desk to a treadmill desk. Some are physical, some are emotional, and most overlap because that’s how health works—and I’ve been reminded of this vividly over the past month.
1. I’m no longer afraid of the office
I didn't hate my job, but I hated the office. They make me feel claustrophobic and restless. I'm happiest and most productive at home, where I can move around as much as I want, take breaks, and even work out during lunch. Unfortunately, my job involves being in an office, which makes me very frustrated at times. We have the nicest, most fun office you could hope for, but put me in any room indoors every day and I would feel imprisoned.
When I started walking, it was like I went from black and white to color. I smile and - strangest of all - sometimes even look forward to walking into the office. In some ways, seeing how happy I am with my treadmill desk makes me feel more like a hamster, happy to finally have wheels. But overall, I feel better at work. I've always preferred working pretty much anywhere outside of the office, but if I have to work in an office, this is definitely the most human place I've ever felt.
2. My back no longer hurts
My back started hurting every day while at my treadmill desk. It wasn't great; no matter what I did - standing, sitting, stretching, lying down - I was in pain. I even went to an acupuncturist and chiropractor to try and fix the problem. Although they helped me, within a week of using the treadmill desk, the pain was gone and I was able to stop going to the doctor.
LifeSpan President Peter Schenk tells Bustle that his company's survey of the effectiveness of treadmill desks found that about 89 percent of users acknowledged at least one health benefit from walking at work. "Reduced back and joint pain, increased alertness, and weight loss highlighted direct health benefits," the survey noted. Apparently, my improvements weren't unusual—and it makes sense. Walking is known to relieve back pain, while being stationary can make it worse. "I know if I stand (or sit) for eight or nine hours a day, my back will hurt," Schenk added.
3. My relationship with my manager has become closer
After a few days of walking on the treadmill, I felt better emotionally. All those endorphins are good for me and I get new ideas all over the place. I even went home one day and sent my manager a thank you note and suggested we have our weekly meeting outside because I knew she was a walker too. I think she appreciated the gesture, and over the course of this month I found it easier to stop reacting defensively to any attempts to contact me and even easier to accept and appreciate her help. Since my body felt less closed off, I did the same.
4. Actually I really want to get up early and exercise
This is the most confusing side effect. Moving more during the day at work seems to make me crave to actually get up and exercise in the morning, something I haven't been able to do...well, ever. But when I started using a treadmill desk, the weirdest thing happened: I was able to fall asleep earlier (probably because I was making myself more tired) and actually had the option to wake up at 6:30 AM or 7 AM , do something. Drink coffee and run. I'm even more careful about getting dressed in the morning because I'm no longer just running out the door.
I have more energy in the morning and throughout the day because I lead a more active lifestyle at work. It was so awesome that I was almost jealous of my new self, as if she were a stranger.
5. ...but it doesn’t matter if I don’t exercise
Since I know I'll be walking at least during the day, I won't start feeling like crap if I miss more intense cardio a few days in a row. Normally if I don't do some kind of exercise for more than two days I lose sleep and start to feel sluggish and depressed, but since I was walking this happened a few times and I felt good because I was at least walking.
6.My abs appear
I didn't expect that walking on the treadmill would cause a huge physical change - I wasn't trying to lose weight, and I was already doing cardio 3-4 times a week (when I felt like it). So imagine my surprise when I started seeing a bit more of my abs in the last month without changing anything else - I even got Brad Pitt's side muscles, regardless of them what is it call!
More importantly, I feel like my core is getting stronger. Exercising on the treadmill is easier and I even feel like my posture has improved slightly because my core is better supported.
7. I realize that some tasks are better suited to the treadmill than others
Schneck said he has found that meeting by phone is one of the best work tasks to perform on the treadmill. “If I were sitting on the phone right now, I would actually get antsy,” he told me. From there, he recommends "light typing activities" (such as browsing the web or going through email), noting that writing or filling out spreadsheets -- anything that requires concentration -- may be more difficult.
Since I don't really have any conference calls and most of my day is spent editing or writing, I decided to try both activities. I find that I am able to edit and write most "easily" on the treadmill at a slower speed. However, the best activities on the treadmill were the ones I dreaded: answering emails and sales pitches. If I'm putting off editing, the treadmill is also an effective way to get myself into a different headspace. I may have to sit and do the final reading, but it really keeps me going when I'm procrastinating or feeling tired. Not surprisingly, concentrated writing is best done while seated.
8. I have more energy in the late afternoon
LifeSpan's survey found that most treadmill desk users report an increase in energy, and that's certainly true for me—especially in the afternoon. On the (rare) days when I don't sleep well, walking also makes me feel more alert once I allow myself to walk. Previously, I might reach for coffee or sugar when I was feeling sluggish in the afternoon, but I've found that getting on the treadmill gives me the energy boost I'm looking for, especially if I have a healthy snack after my walk. This got me thinking...
9. I need more snacks
I'm a big snacker and I already eat a lot every hour, so it's no surprise that all that walking makes me extra hungry. Like I said, I don't keep track of the calories I burn each day because I personally don't want to. I'm sure I burned a lot, though, because even though I didn't go to the point of sweating, I got extra hungry. I think it’s great – it just creates the opportunity for more snacks!
10. I moved from self-awareness to awareness that my coworkers are DGAF (also like desks)
The first day I got my desk, I felt like a weirdo. I was worried that the treadmill desk would be too loud or interfere with our open office plan, but to my surprise, it was really, really quiet. I'm also aware that I might look like a jock, especially since I'm already so thin, and people might make the wrong assumption about that. However, I quickly realized that no one was (at least visibly) interested in judging me. In fact, many of my colleagues took me up on the offer and tested it out themselves when I wasn't on the treadmill, and while their interest seemed to wane as the months went by, mine stayed steady.
11. I panic at the thought of the treadmill being taken away
I really can't go back to my old lifestyle now. While this is supposed to be a loan pending review, if they tried to take this treadmill desk away from me, I would buy it—which is saying something, since it retails for $999. They had to pry it from my warm, energetic hands. I know there is another feeling at work now and I simply cannot go back to being miserable and upset.
If you think a treadmill desk sounds good, talk to your HR department about purchasing one. This may save employees money on sick days in the long run, and you could even argue it's a necessary workplace accommodation if you suffer from chronic back pain. Whatever the case, don’t let looking like a weirdo stop you. If you enjoy moving, or you want to move more, no amount of money or self-awareness should get in the way of our right to feel more human even if we're stuck in our offices.
Photo credit: Kenny Suleimanagich/Bustle; Jiffy; Lifespan
