After my initial soreness on Day 2, I have not become sore again from using this treadmill for multiple hours. My rough estimates show I’ve walked the following distances:

Day 1: Forgot to keep track. Might have been around 3-4 miles.
Day 2: 2.5 miles
Day 3: 3.3 miles

If I keep these averages up, I’ll have walked about 15-20 miles in one work week. Not bad! Compare that to at most five miles if I manage to walk a mile during lunchtime every day (which I don’t normally get to every day). Now instead of taking a break from working to exercise, I take breaks from working/exercising to sit down and rest a little. It’s a welcome reversal that I’m positive will reduce my risk for diseases later in life.

I’m also proud to say that treadmill fever is spreading. While I was out on vacation for two days, a coworker eagerly tried my treadmill desk setup. Before I left, we moved the treadmill and coffee table to her office and set everything up. I got a text message during my vacation saying that she absolutely loved it and wants the same setup permanently in her office as well. She ordered the treadmill yesterday, and it arrived today! A coworker from another office was visiting yesterday and was curious about my treadmill desk. After telling him about the accounts of other users reducing their back pain from its use, he became very interested. He’s tried various office chairs to alleviate his back problems, but nothing has been particularly effective. This might be the answer for him.

How has the treadmill desk affected me? I feel a lot more alert during the usual sleepy times between 2-4pm. Instead of lethargically reaching for some tea and staring blankly at my screen, I’m able to continue working at a normal pace. I don’t feel like my appetite has increased at all, though it’s only been a few days. My feet do get hot being in shoes all the time (my feet prefer being barefoot or in socks, shoes are so confining), so sometimes I’ll take them off and walk in socks for awhile. I think my legs are still building endurance, because I’ll be tired of walking by about 3pm (after which I convert my desk back to a sitting one). But overall I think this setup increases my productivity because I feel less need to get away for a walk due to feeling stagnant.