To create an ergonomic workspace—this has become the goal of many individuals today. With the rise of sedentary lifestyle and the accompanying increase in lifestyle-associated diseases such as diabetes, heart conditions, musculoskeletal problems, and even certain cancers, the clamor for creating a healthy work environment has continued to grow over the years.

And the good news is that many individuals have started to respond to the call, transforming their workspaces to encourage themselves to live a more active lifestyle. Ergonomic innovations are now increasingly preferred in many workplaces, and the desk treadmill, specifically, has become a crowd favorite. In fact, in one study conducted among individuals who use a treadmill desk when working from home, it has been called a game changer in terms of the benefit it offers in relieving joint pain.

What is a Desk Treadmill?

A desk treadmill is an equipment you can use to create a healthy work environment. Imagine an ordinary treadmill, the one you find in gymnasiums and homes, used by people to walk indoors and build their step count without having to go outside to actually walk or run.

Now imagine a desk treadmill that you can pair with your standing desk. The purpose is to allow you to walk and increase your step count throughout the day even as you work on your laptop or computer. If you find that your schedule leaves little time for exercise, for walking or running, then a desk treadmill can help you continue to live an active lifestyle despite your busy schedule. Adding a desk treadmill in your workspace can easily transform your home office or workstation into a healthy work environment.

When you look in the market, you will find several desk treadmill options available. You can go for a desk treadmill that is built as one unit—a treadmill connected to a desk. Another option is an under desk treadmill. It is specifically designed so that it can be placed under your standing desk, with the desk and the treadmill as two separate units. A smaller and simpler version of the under desk treadmill is a walking pad. It comes with a similar design, but its construction highlights its portable and handy quality. Some walking pads can be folded for easy safekeeping after use.

Whichever of the three versions you decide to get, all of them can help create a healthy work environment and help you live a healthy and active lifestyle.

How Does a Desk Treadmill Create a Healthy Work Environment?

The answer to this question lies in the habits that a desk treadmill encourages users to build, which is to move more and sit less, to substitute sitting with walking and other light activities. And in doing so, it transforms a workplace or home office, creating a healthy work environment that promotes an active lifestyle for its occupants.

This lifestyle results in a lot of benefits, and below we’ve outlined five of the top ones:

It helps eliminate body pain.

Back pain, joint pain, pain in the shoulders and neck, and even headache—these are some of the common day-to-day challenges many employees face as they perform their daily work, sitting in front of the computer for over eight hours every day. Prolonged sitting subjects an individual to excessive muscle strain, locking muscles in one position for hours. It also makes an individual more prone to developing poor posture, which can cause harm to the spine.

Design a healthy work environment and build healthy habits. Add more walking time to your day with the help of a desk treadmill to engage and stimulate your muscles to keep them working and healthy. It’s also easy to correct poor posture when you are moving, so you can protect your spine from damage.

It improves blood circulation.

Movement means healthy muscles, veins, arteries, and other parts of your body. And, the health of these body parts allows enough supply of blood to circulate and reach important organs that need them, primary of which is the heart.

Sitting for too long slows down blood circulation and causes blood to pool on the lower part of your body. This can reduce the supply of blood to the heart, which will eventually have a negative impact on heart health and may contribute to coronary problems. The only way to combat this is to create a healthy work environment and develop a healthy routine—move more and live an active lifestyle. Using a desk treadmill is one way to do that.

It enhances oxygen distribution in the body.

Apart from improving blood circulation, using a desk treadmill while working will also improve the circulation of oxygen in your body. This is helpful in keeping various body parts in their best health, but more so the brain. It needs enough oxygen to function well, and moving more will ensure good brain health.

This is especially important at work when you need your brain to function in optimal level as you perform various cognitive tasks. The added movement created by walking on a desk treadmill will help you solve problems faster, be more creative in your approach to tasks, and develop ideas better. This has been proven by a study that revealed an overall increase in both the quality and quantity of the work among participants who used a desk treadmill while working.

It reduces stress and anxiety levels.

Did you know that a healthy work environment is crucial not only to your physical health but also your mental wellbeing? Living an active lifestyle has always been linked with stress management, and many studies have proven that movement can help control anxiety, stress, and other mental conditions that are typical in any workplace.

Studies show that the use of a treadmill can lower the level of cortisol, or the stress hormones, in the body. This can translate to increased wellbeing and mindset, one that can be crucial in an office especially during high-stress days. Read more on desk treadmill benefits associated with stress to learn how you can stay sane at work.

It can help with weight management.

A sedentary lifestyle is one of the factors being blamed for the rise of obesity in the workplace. Because of this, many organizations today have recognized that creating a healthy work environment must include ergonomics and a workplace design that will encourage workers and employees to stand more, move more, and generally live a more active lifestyle.

Standing has been proven to help burn calories, and more so does walking. Different studies reveal different numbers in terms of calorie burned by walking, ranging from 100 to 500 calories, depending on who you ask and on the level of movement involved. What’s true is this—moving burns more calories than sitting, and this accumulates over time. The use of a standing desk, desk treadmill, and other ergonomic desks are crucial in creating a healthy work environment for every individual.

How to Create a Healthier Day with a Desk Treadmill

If you’ve decided you want a healthy work environment and a more active lifestyle at work and you feel a desk treadmill is the way to go, that’s awesome! Creating a healthy, active day should be easy once you have the right equipment and tools to help you get started.

Remember, too, that a healthy work environment will not work unless you decide to create a healthier day every day. Here’s how:

Prepare for your day by getting enough sleep

You need the energy to move in the first place—make sure you have it by getting enough rest. Sleep early, wake up early, and get ready for a fun and healthy day!

Start your day with a workout

No time for exercise and need to rush out of the door? Don’t worry, there are ways you can insert some small physical activities to your morning. Can you walk or bike to work? Can you take the stairs instead of the elevator? These are practical ways to get some workout and live an active lifestyle without spending extra time.

Establish a sit-stand-walk routine

An ergonomically healthy work environment is one that will allow you to sit, stand, and walk alternately throughout the day. And the same way sitting all day is bad, standing or walking all day is equally harmful to your health. The key to living a healthy and active lifestyle is proper balance among these three activities.

So, what is the correct amount of sitting, standing, and walking in your day? Experts recommend 30 minutes of standing time every hour. Depending on how comfortable you are, you can increase or decrease the amount of time you spend on this. Meanwhile, if you’re just beginning in the use of a desk treadmill, you can start with a 30-minute walk while working, twice a day. As you become comfortable over time, you can increase the minutes you walk or stand.

Opt for healthy snacks, in moderation

If you want to live a healthy and active lifestyle, remember that you are the primary individual responsible for creating a healthy work environment—not your boss or your organization. One way you can design your space to be healthy is to limit the elements you allow in your space, and one of these elements is food.

While it’s easy to binge on junk food and sweets as you work, it’s important to choose what is right and healthy for you. Choose mindfully and choose wisely. You can exercise on a desk treadmill every day, but eating unhealthy food will just offset the health benefits.

And if you are an individual who wants to help your employees live a healthier life, there are things you can do to create a healthier work environment.

With the right ergonomic furniture and the desk treadmill at the core, it’s easy to create a healthy work environment and establish a healthy lifestyle.

About Us

MotionGrey is a Canadian standing desk company that specializes in ergonomic furniture. We supply and install only the best quality standing desks and ergonomic chairs in the country. We offer free shipping within Canada and the US.

What made you switch to standing desks? Our products are designed with wellness as the focal point. From our electric standing desks to our office and gaming chairs, we deliver best value by putting your health, safety, and comfort as top priority. Boost your creativity and level up work performance. We want you to create great outcomes so we’re providing you only the best tools to make them possible.

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, check out our Refund Policy.