Love the idea of a treadputer and happen to own the well-loved, easy-to-Craigslist IKEA Jerker? Turns out it makes for a really nice treadmill desk.
The muscle soreness I'm experiencing today after walking around Comic-Con this weekend made me realize: I've got to incorporate more standing and walking into my daily routine. Maybe a treadmill desk? There are some expensive desks made to fit over a treadmill (sold separately), but someone on Hacker News modified an IKEA Jerker desk to do the job. The discontinued but beloved model of desk, which I already own, plus one of those inexpensive but utilitarian wire shelving units gives you a wide monitor stand plus plenty of keyboard and mouse room. It's not the prettiest thing in the world, but it looks really tempting to try. The owner says:
Coding while walking works fine for me. As far as the mechanics, it's not hard to walk and type at the same time. 2MPH isn't very fast. I can't draw with the mouse while walking, so the occasional graphics work has to be done standing. Mentally, the consistent motion sometimes helps with flow, sometimes not. It's hard to tell, but switching between walking and standing seems to be enough for me to support the various required mental states. I've been doing this for about two months now, and while I have no hard data, I've done what I consider to be some of my best and most creative work ever in the last two weeks, so worst-case the walking isn't too great an obstacle to my coding. And this is indeed a huge improvement for my back over both sitting and standing.
I pace while I think, so this whole walking-while-typing thing is something I'd love to try. For now, I may just adjust my Jerker tabletop to standing position, and try that for awhile, before making the treadmill investment. If you've already got a treadmill and would rather go with a lower-commitment alternative, check out this walking work station you can make in 20 minutes with $20.
My Treadmill Desk [Hacker News]
IKEA Jerker Do-It-Yourself Treadmill Desk [Smarterware]