I think I’ve got the treadmill desk sorted out finally (see all posts in this series).

Here are the parts you will need for a cheap treadmill desk:

Treadmill (duh!) . They all say you should buy an expensive treadmill, and they are right. The one I got was very cheap new, and has lots of problems, like … It forgets how far you’ve gone after 5 minutes (so if you go to grab a cup of tea, then it resets itself). It has massive RF interference problems (now solved — see below). And it picks up mobile phone signals and emits a loud disturbing noise.

How to get an expensive treadmill at a reasonable price? I suggest ebay. Now is about the time when those unwanted Christmas presents should start coming online …

. They all say you should buy an expensive treadmill, and they are right. The one I got was very cheap new, and has lots of problems, like … It forgets how far you’ve gone after 5 minutes (so if you go to grab a cup of tea, then it resets itself). It has massive RF interference problems (now solved — see below). And it picks up mobile phone signals and emits a loud disturbing noise. How to get an expensive treadmill at a reasonable price? I suggest ebay. Now is about the time when those unwanted Christmas presents should start coming online … RF filter . There’s only one I would recommend, which is the Tacima Mains Conditioner and Radio Frequency Interference Filter. Note that a standard “surge-protected socket” is not the same and won’t filter RFI. This looks like one of those bollox “audio buff” annealed cables that are aligned to the earth’s magnetic field and cost thousands of pounds. It’s not — this one really works, and it’s a reasonable price. Make sure you plug only the treadmill into this otherwise the leads going to other equipment will also act as antennae for the unwanted RF radiation.

. There’s only one I would recommend, which is the Tacima Mains Conditioner and Radio Frequency Interference Filter. Note that a standard “surge-protected socket” is not the same and won’t filter RFI. This looks like one of those bollox “audio buff” annealed cables that are aligned to the earth’s magnetic field and cost thousands of pounds. It’s not — this one really works, and it’s a reasonable price. Make sure you plug only the treadmill into this otherwise the leads going to other equipment will also act as antennae for the unwanted RF radiation. Desk (aka “a piece of wood”) . I taped a piece of wood to the arms of the treadmill with gaffer tape, and then I piled some boxes up to lift the laptop up to a comfortable height: a lo-tech, no cost solution which has proven sturdy and effective. Even food and drinks haven’t been a problem.

. I taped a piece of wood to the arms of the treadmill with gaffer tape, and then I piled some boxes up to lift the laptop up to a comfortable height: a lo-tech, no cost solution which has proven sturdy and effective. Even food and drinks haven’t been a problem. Padded trainers . Thick padded trainers have really made the difference for me. I happened to have some old trainers, but you don’t need to spend much money on this.

. Thick padded trainers have really made the difference for me. I happened to have some old trainers, but you don’t need to spend much money on this. Anti-static wrist strap. Yes, with some combinations of clothes, trainers and humidity, you will start generating static. This can damage computer equipment easily, not forgetting that it bloody hurts! A cheap anti-static wrist strap cures the problem.

I’ve only been doing this for two weeks, but I feel noticeably better already. The other good thing is it doesn’t feel like exercise. I’ve done about 4 hours today, and most of the time I forgot I was on a treadmill.

Update

Some mainstream press articles about treadmill desks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.