Shawn Collins' Blog

Affiliate marketing and other stuff from Shawn Collins, co-founder of Affiliate Summit.

First the Treadmill Desk, and Now the Treadmill Wii

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I created a treadmill desk a couple years ago, so I could work and workout at the same time.

Treadmill desk keyboard and monitor

It’s a regular treadmill outfitted with a SurfShelf and other customizations to make it a workspace I can use at 3.5 MPH.

I use it frequently, when I want to work up a sweat, but have too much work to get outside.

Anyhow, there are times when I want to get away from work and do some mindless stuff like video games.

But I hate to just sit there and be lazy.

Then, one day recently on Facebook, I saw that Sean Dolan, COO of PushFire, plays games while on his treadmill.

I loved that idea, so I went out and got a Wii to rig up to my treadmill.

Treadmill Wii

I’ve played a few games of Madden 2013 so far, and I’m really enjoying it.

A typical game has been good for about 2 miles at an average of 3.5 MPH (the same rate I use to work on the treadmill). I’m going to see if I can speed it up as I get more used to it, but it gets tricky using the controller at too fast of a speed.

So far, I haven’t fallen off, but I’ve come close. Even if I do tumble while making a sack or something, I’m definitely not telling anybody.

How I Put Together My Treadmill Desk

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I have pulled everything together to have a treadmill desk to use for work and exercise at the same time.

Treadmill desk keyboard and monitor

Now, for anybody who is not familiar with a treadmill desk, it’s a way to get some work done while walking. Some people build attachments to their treadmill, as well as free-standing desks to go up and over the treadmill.

Since I’m not particularly handy, I relied on things that were available to purchase, and I’ll share all of the items I assembled to have a comfortable, productive environment for walking and working.

Treadmill desk setup

The treadmill desk is set up in an area of my garage with a TV used as a monitor, desktop computer pulling in WiFi, wireless keyboard and mouse.

The three most important elements are the treadmill, the treadmill desk (SurfShelf), and the keyboard (SIIG Wireless Mini Multimedia Keyboard).

Treadmill desk and keyboard

Next up is the computer. Some people work with a laptop on their treadmill desk. I sweat a lot and didn’t want to kill my laptop, so I got a new computer (Dell Inspiron 560) that would sit far from my sweat.

I got the slim-tower version with Intel Pentium dual-core E5800 (3.20GHz, 2MB); 6GB DDR3 SDRAM 3X2GB, integrated Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X4500; and 500GB NCQ Serial ATA Hard Drive (7200 RPM) w/ 16MB DataBurst Cache.

One thing it didn’t come with was the ability to pull in a WiFi signal, and I don’t have a hard Internet connection in the garage. So I got a little USB network adapter (Cisco-Linksys WUSB54GSC Compact Wireless-G USB Network Adapter with SpeedBooster).

I’ve got the computer sitting on a little fridge near my treadmill desk – I need my cold water!

That’s a little iPod stereo thing on the top, so I can play podcasts, music, and audiobooks when working.

Treadmill desk computer

Finally, I use a 32″ LCD HDTV for a monitor (LG 32LD350 32-Inch 720p 60 Hz LCD HDTV).

The TV/monitor is mounted to the wall with a bracket that swings out with a tilt and swivel articulating arm (CheetahMounts 32″-55″ LCD TV Wall Mount Bracket), so it can be comfortably positioned for either the treadmill desk or elliptical machine.

I connect the TV/monitor to the computer with an HDMI Audio Video Cable that is 6 feet long.

This setup enables me to do any of the tasks I usually would do at my desk, and once I had all of the pieces, it was easy to get everything up and running.

I started out walking 4 miles per hour with the treadmill desk, but I found that it was too brisk to get things done with accuracy.

I played around with various speeds while working, and I brought it to around 3.5 miles per hour to keep moving, but still do everything I do at my old, wooden sit-down desk.

My Treadmill Desk

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I’ve been thinking about getting a treadmill desk since I interviewed Lauren (aka Turbolapp on WickedFire) on doing her affiliate work on a treadmill desk a couple years ago for issue 7 of FeedFront Magazine.

I liked the idea of optimizing my time by working and exercising on days when I can’t fit both in. But I didn’t have the space for a treadmill.

Treadmill dog

More recently, affiliate Tricia Meyer posted to her blog on how to build a treadmill desk.

The idea of a treadmill desk was interesting again, and I recently moved into a house with a spot that worked for a treadmill.

So, I went out and got a Precor 9.23 Treadmill and set out to find an attachment to place a keyboard or laptop.

I Tweeted to ask what people were using and got some help from Morgan Thomas of EDK Innovations, when he told me how he’s using the Lapdawg.

Morgan Thomas

I picked up a Lapdawg for myself, and it fit in nice and sturdy. But it sits too low for me, and I can’t seem to set it up any higher.

My Lapdawg

Even so, I was able to work at 3 MPH, but doing it hunched over while walking isn’t so comfortable.

On to the next solution.