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I've tried desk treadmills with a standing desk, bike desks which are designed for a laptop and under desk pedalers like this. I end up ditching them all in th
by novok 6y ago
I've tried desk treadmills with a standing desk, bike desks which are designed for a laptop and under desk pedalers like this. I end up ditching them all in the end because the movement is distracting enough to not let me get into the zone. Whenever I need to focus on something I instinctually stop moving to 'free up' brain power to execute whatever I'm doing better, be it a computer game, writing or coding.
Also you get more total workout by just going outside on a 30m walk, not to mention all the benefits of sunlight. Now I just do walks and explicit exercising vs. the fence sitting that is a treadmill walking desk.
- pacman83 6y agoMy experience was the same. I ended up standing on a balance board at my stand-up desk. This strengthened my core and helped me to be more alert without actively distracting me. And yes, this should be a supplement and not a substitute for outdoor activity, normal cardio and strength training, stretching, etc.
- StavrosK 6y agoA 30 meter walk doesn't even get me to the door!
- terry_y_comb 6y ago"Free up" brain power: I turn off the radio when I need to focus driving on the road (e.g. traffic, rain, snow) It sounds absurds. But I think some may do the same.
- Darmody 6y agoIt is not absurd. There's a reason why people lower the volume to park their car.
- mandeepj 6y ago> "Free up" brain power Same. When I have to seriously think about the code I'm writing - I stop the music. I think that goes against a lot of people who continuously jam music while writing code.
- brailsafe 6y agoI don't mind music when the work is mundane, but I fucking hate needing to have something playing to drown out the sounds of people around me when I need to really think (best done in silence or with cafe noise for me). I honestly don't know how people actually do hard things in an office.
- emodendroket 6y agoI took up Dance Dance Revolution again, which I used to be into in high school. I thought I "couldn't do it anymore" but it just took several weeks before I was conditioned enough to not be in pain the next few days.
- brailsafe 6y agoI love DDR and would love to play, but all my mats are destroyed!
- emodendroket 6y agoThere’s a company called L-Tek in Poland that’s making pretty sturdy ones out of wood and sheet metal. After shipping and everything it worked out to like $350. Not too bad if you’re serious about it.
- brailsafe 6y agoThat's a bit impractical atm, but good to know there's still some kind of market for that.
- AuryGlenz 6y agoI’ve got a treadmill walking desk - two, actually. I’m in a bit of a unique situation where I do two types of jobs on my computer. I do both photography and some development. I can do all my photography tasks while walking at a fairly slow pace, 2mph or so. I’ll often walk 4 or 5 hours a day. I can’t, however, concentrate on an audiobook at the same time while culling photos. Editing and retouching are so automatic I can do all three. Programming though? Only if I’m doing something I know how to do fairly well I can walk. That’s pretty rare due to how little time I can commit to coding. In either situation it keeps me more awake and energized, even if I can’t concentrate as well.
- HenryBemis 6y agoWhen I was coding, I could only listen to (soft) music when I was doing the visuals (colors, buttons, screens). At the time of writing code I would require absolute silence (noise cancallers I mentioned on another comment further up).
- hellbannedguy 6y agoThere’s a study out there that Dr. Edell used to talk about. It compared the mood of treadmill vs. outside walking. Outside was perfected by a lot. (I miss Dr. Edell. I thought someone would replace him, but no.)
- toyg 6y agoIt’s the same for me except if I’m talking. When I present or have long conversations, my body automatically starts walking, and the more I walk the more I can focus on the conversation. It’s unreal, but it absolutely works. I end up pacing all over the house (thank goodness for wireless headsets) for hours. I have not found yet a way to reconcile this with the need for notes and screen when I present remotely, but for anything else it’s a great help.
- hibbelig 6y agoWe had student surveys at university, and one professor was admired for his leg work during lecture :-)
- watchdogtimer 6y agoI think how well you can get "into the zone" while being physically active depends partly on how physically active you are to be begin with. If your body is not used to cycling or walking on a treadmill, then you're going to find it difficult to multitask when doing that activity. I have used a bike desk for more than a decade. I have no difficulty getting into the zone; in fact, I find the rhythmic motion actually helps. You can get far more exercise while you work than you can in your free time, simply because time spent working > available free time for most people. It all depends on how long and how much you exert yourself. Based on my desk's power meter, I burn about 1200 calories/day while I work.