It’s been a while since I started my walking desk experiment and I have finally worked it out. I have a sit/stand desk from Ikea and an elevated monitor, which has really helped my back and neck pain since I no longer look down. (Sorry, laptop in bed and on the couch. I love you, but you’re not good for me.) I had still been using my original treadmill, however, which technically did the job and was undoubtedly cheap. It had a timeout “feature” though and would stop the belt suddenly, which could be quite disorienting if I were in the zone.
So I decided that my proof of concept had already been more than proved, and I upgraded to a new treadmill. This one is much quieter, doesn’t throw me against the desk by jerking to a surprise halt, and has no upright bars, meaning I can use the sit/stand desk without moving anything. Hurray!
The only downside to a treadmill desk is that I wear a watch-style Fitbit, which won’t register steps while I’m typing. I need to take off the Fitbit and stick it in my pocket while I walk and work, or my steps aren’t counted. #FirstWorldProblems
People often ask how fast I go on the treadmill. It’s really not about speed so much as movement. A half mile an hour is just fine for getting the desired benefits. You can certainly go faster — I usually do about a mile an hour — but it’s not necessary. Too fast to type cleanly is too fast!
It’s the end of September, so it was time to mow the annual maze for my parents’ barn party. For years I secretly used themes from my year’s releases, and then a couple of years ago I started admitting to book themes. I’m going to try to get a drone photo of this year’s model.
This year the growth was a little shorter, mostly waist- and chest-height instead of near my height. We were a little short on rain. We’ll see what people think.
I’ve actually been doing some writing, too! I’ve sold two Robin Archer stories to different anthologies, I’ve got revisions on Blood & Bond (following Shard & Shield) nearly done, and I’ve made good progress on the still-unnamed standalone (although I’ve promised to put that on hold for a bit and finish Kin & Kind).
What are you working on this fall?
Hi, Laura! I popped onto here to see the post about your anniversary, and then had to check this out. I’ve been trying to solve the I-sit-way-too-much dilemma for a while, combined with limited-space-that-must-be-multifunctional. I love that you used a treadmill with your standing desk. I think this might be the way to go—when winter comes in the north, I have ZERO motivation to go outside and freeze the jelly in my eyeballs in the name of exercise.
I also love that you are using the same character in stories for separate anthologies. I wouldn’t have thought of doing that (that’s how much of a newbie I am) but I think it’s brilliant!
Have fun corn-mazing. :-)