Full Body Working
I’ve been writing software almost every day for over 30 years. That’s a lot of time to do anything, especially something so demanding of focus. If you’re not a software engineer, the analogy would be closing a mortgage every day for 30 years. There’s no way I make it that long without developing recharging techniques.
Software engineering is easy from some perspectives. Compared to digging fence posts or laying down a new roof, it’s hardly physically taxing. Compared to customer service or floor trading derivatives, the communication challenges aren’t on the same level. But at the end of a day of software engineering, there is a deep mental exhaustion that leaves the mind feeling like it’s been through a blender.
Taking short breaks helps, especially if you actually get up and step away from the desk. Getting good sleep at night helps, especially if you optimize your slow-wave sleep. But of all the techniques I have adopted, nothing made the impact that my treadmill desk has made. The rest of this post is part revelation of my personal experiences, and part recipe for setting up your own treadmill desk.
Treadmill Desk Revelation
I still remember my shock and amazement at how good I felt at the end of the first day using my treadmill desk. Shock because I was expecting to be even more tired, what with walking 8 miles on top of my normal work effort. Amazement because I felt neither physically tired, nor mentally tired. The best I can describe the feeling is: balanced. My brain felt like it was used but not overused. My body felt like it was worked but not overworked.
What I understand from my own research is that when you are non-ambulatory (sitting or standing), there is a restriction of normal blood flow throughout the body, including the brain. That means a restriction of oxygen, hydration, proteins, fuel, and minerals. So after 8 hours no wonder you feel drained.
When you are ambulatory your mind-body is properly fed. But not only that, leading research is showing a correlation between lateral eye movement and it's reduction of stress. This is the exact kind of eye movement that is induced by walking! You literally feel better because you walked.
Another benefit is your ability to sustain heightened focus. Rather than hitting a wall and needing to take a break, you never hit that wall. The act of walking is tricking your body into a state of alertness that we have evolved to sustain. We know how to walk long distances while staying alert for challenges.
The first thing people say when they see my setup is: "Wow, this is cool!". The second is: "How can you type and use the mouse while walking?" The answer is that you start slow, between 0.5 and 1.0 mile per hour. At that speed you literally barely notice you're moving. Gradually you increase the speed, developing your ability to deal with microshifting of your torso from walking.
Another question I get is: "Don't people hear the treadmill during conference calls, or in the next cubicle?". The answer is no. Walking treadmills are designed to be quiet. It's one of the top features used to compare products, and manufacturers know this is a differentiator.
But what about space? Well that depends on the product and model, but you're in luck: the options available today far exceed what I found 10 years ago when I built my treadmill desk. Rather than provide a review of products (many exist), I will instead give a recipe which you can adapt to your particular needs.
Treadmill Desk Recipe
Ingredients
- Something to elevate your monitor, keyboard, and mouse
- Walking treadmill
Elevating Peripherals
You’re going to be walking, which means your peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse) will need to be elevated. You can go low tech: use a box or even a stack of books. You can go high tech: mount your monitor on the wall and build a riser to sit on top of your desk. The advantage of the riser is you can have room for other stuff like your lunch ;). A friend of mine went to the extreme and built a hydraulic lift for his monitors and desk because he wanted to be able to sit at times. I don’t recommend that, just ditch the chair and don’t look back.
Walking Treadmill
I’m going to recommend two products, but please do your own research to tailor things to your specific needs. I have no relationship whatsoever with these companies - they simply are the two products I would choose if I were building my own treadmill desk today.
The WalkingPad is what I would go with if I had limited space, or needed a more portable work station. Reviews are mostly positive and it did win some design awards, including one for quality. I plan on replacing my existing LifeSpan TR 1200 DT with one of these.
The LifeSpan products are solid, long-lasting, and customer service is good. As I mentioned I have a TR 1200 DT model that is 10 years old and shows literally no sign of wear. If space is not an issue, I recommend going with one of the LifeSpan products.
Conclusion
The truth of the matter is that you don’t even need the treadmill. The critical piece is that you move, upright. Dip your toe in by stacking your peripherals on something you already have at hand, and use a fidget bar to simulate some of the walking movement patterns. At around $75 that’s a great way to start changing your software engineering experience from slow mental starvation to a fully balanced activity.
Good luck and if I can be of assistance feel free to hit me up @RjaeEaston.