I’m lazy. So I like to multi-task whenever possible. But two things I’ve never been good at combining with other activities is reading books and doing that other thing I’m supposed to do. What is it? Oh yeah, writing The Great American Romance Novel.
Like 98% or so of women, I want to lose weight and be healthier. For me, I know it’s mostly exercise that I need to work on adding into my day. I sit in front of a computer all day, then come home and sit in front of one all night too. Makes for a fat butt and not much else.
So, cruising one of favorite tech blogs this morning, I was reminded about some people who combine computer work with being on a treadmill. I read about this idea years and years ago, but didn’t know how far it had gotten. Apparently far enough that you can buy desks that incorporate treadmills into them for $4000 or so. But many have cobbled their own together. Go check out these links:
http://jkontherun.blogs.com/jkontherun/2008/03/add-a-desk-to-y.html
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/TurningPoints/story?id=3771802&page=1
You knew I had to try this, didn’t you?
A stop at my local computer s
tore netted me a wireless keyboard and mouse to hook up to the computer. $40
Then off to the local home improvement store for a pre-finished bit of shelving (9″x36″) to lay over the handlebars of the treadmill. $6
And this is what I got —>
Now, the blogs are aflutter whether walking on a treadmill while working really is useful in burning calories and overall weight loss. One camp eschews the notion, saying it’s better to go out and work at a higher cardio pace for a longer time. The believers simply point out that a slow walk for several hours is better than sitting on your butt.
I happen to trust the math of it. One calorie calculator I found online says one hour of writing (for my weight) burns 100 calories, and walking at 2mph for the same 60 minutes burns about 264 calories. (2 mph IS slow, I know, but all the blogs and recommendations say that the average speed you can comfortably maintain and still use the computer is between 1 and 2 mph.) I happen to be blogging right now at 1.8mph according to my treadmill.
So do the math with me. 100 vs. 264. It seems like a no brainer to me. While not a substitute for good cardiovascular exercise, I have to think that (a) it’s better than nothing and (b) every calorie burned helps.
I wonder if we can add the writing calories in on top of the walking? Nah, probably not.
Anyone willing to jump on their treadmill and join me?
