Summary
Host Sarah interviews guest Sarah Kennedy about her experience with a treadmill desk, purchased secondhand on Craigslist after a hamstring injury made prolonged sitting painful. Kennedy chose a Lifespan brand treadmill desk — an all-in-one unit with an integrated desk surface and low-speed treadmill designed for walking, not running. She uses it roughly 80% as a standing desk and walks on it during portions of the day. The treadmill is quiet enough for teleconferences and has helped her hamstring recovery. Kennedy notes improved focus while walking and rarely sits at a traditional desk anymore. The episode also covers the running community and its role in emotional resilience after a devastating Colorado wildfire.
Key Points
- A hamstring injury was the trigger — sitting all day worsened it, making a treadmill desk an appealing alternative
- Purchased a used Lifespan treadmill desk on Craigslist, saving money as people returned to offices post-pandemic
- Uses it about 80% as a standing desk, walking only a portion of the time at low speeds
- The treadmill is very quiet — colleagues on teleconferences can't hear it running
- Improved focus while walking, even though it's not intense enough to count as real exercise
- All-in-one design with integrated desk surface provides ample space for computer, books, and notebooks
- Chose a treadmill over a desk bike specifically to avoid sitting
- Simple movement breaks like walking stairs help reset the brain during sedentary desk jobs
Key Moments
Why a hamstring injury led to buying a treadmill desk
Sarah Kennedy explains that a hamstring injury made sitting painful, which pushed her to get a treadmill desk. She uses it primarily as a standing desk but walks on it during periods of focused work.
"the main trigger for my deciding to get a treadmill desk was, as I've mentioned before, I hurt my hamstring. And actually one of the most painful things for me last summer was sitting."
Finding a treadmill desk on Craigslist and the Lifespan brand
Kennedy found a used Lifespan treadmill desk on Craigslist, taking advantage of people leaving home offices to return to workplaces. It's a low-speed-only design with an integrated desk surface.
"I hopped on Craigslist. I found a few. And the one I found, it has a lot of good reviews, like consumer reports type reviews. It's a lifespan."
Improved focus and breaking the sitting habit
Kennedy reports feeling better not sitting all day and notes improved focus while walking. The host agrees that movement resets the brain, comparing it to running up and down stairs during the workday.
"extra movement and in full disclosure. I mean, I probably use it as just a standing desk 80% of the time. And I only walk, um, a portion of the time, but I actually, I think that there are certain things that I do where I'm really trying to focus, um, where I think I focus better with just that little bit of movement. Um, I don't really count it. It's not like real exercise, but it definitely, it's less sedentary if that makes sense."
