Columnist Danny Sullivan recently tried a treadmill desk and measured just how much more productive he was. He reported his findings on CNET and gave some great advice on how to use a walking desk. Sullivan provided insight to standing versus walking, what to consider when buying a treadmill desk, and how to prepare yourself to walk the majority of your day.

As a recent standing desk user, he noted that using the desk for basic tasks like emailing, and reading worked perfectly. Then he took it to the next level with a treadmill desk.

The results were unsurprising – Sullivan felt great! Not to say he wasn’t tired, but he felt successful that he put in exercise and was able to multitask on a treadmill desk throughout his day. If you’re thinking about investing in a treadmill desk, know that it’s important to start slow and work your way up to walking most of the day.

Unlike jogging or cycling, walking isn’t a high-intensity work out, so your joints won’t ache or be exposed to injury. But you will feel the effects of walking all day on a treadmill desk – in a good way!

Treadmill desk users should also be aware of how to dress while using the desk, the most important being proper footwear. No one wants to walk all day in uncomfortable shoes, or worse, barefoot, so Sullivan noted that running shoes paired with comfortable, loose-fitting clothing was the best option.

Sullivan reported that toward the end of his work day he found himself leaning on the treadmill desk for added support. After realizing his poor posture, he stopped. And once he started to get used to being on his feet all day, it prevented him from leaning.

One result from his experiment (again, unsurprisingly) was weight loss. He lost about four pounds during the trial period, so that’s one small step toward long-term health benefits!

Another interesting outcome of using a treadmill desk was when he compared standing to walking. Obviously treadmill desk users don’t have to walk wall the time, but he said that he started to crave walking during the day, and felt odd if he wasn’t moving. So be careful if you’re thinking about a treadmill desk, you may find yourself itching to walk more and more every day!

Sullivan couldn’t give an accurate answer to which treadmill desk is the best to buy since he only used one, but he did offer sound advice on what to consider before investing.

He emphasized height control as a factor, and said some treadmill desks only offered adjustments within 1-inch increments. Luckily our adjustable height desks solve that problem, with programmable memory presets to set the perfect height to match a treadmill desk. The convex and convex buttons also help you focus on walking and working, since you won’t even have to look at which button adjusts up or down.

The display on the treadmill desk was another factor to consider. The Xdesk Fit has a small, modern console that won’t get in the way of your work. The digital LED display shows steps taken, walking time and belt speed, distance travelled and calories burned. The Intelli-Step feature counts the number of steps taken, and it’s more accurate than a pedometer. The console also has a safety key that shuts down the treadmill once it’s removed, which leads to another factor: safety.

Xdesk Fits have AutoSense, so the belt senses the exact moment your feet stop walking on the treadmill desk. After 20 seconds, the treadmill automatically pauses, so you won’t have to worry about the safety hazard of stepping on and off the treadmill.

Needless to say, after Sullivan’s trial run with a treadmill desk, he was a quick convert. He’s looking forward to a future of walking, and all the long-term health benefits associated with that. See his full story HERE.

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