Some years back, not content with sitting at a computer all day for work and not happy just to stand in one spot, I embarked upon a quest to walk while working. Since then, I built two of my own “treadmill desks” for a few hundred bucks each and logged thousands of miles on them.

They certainly aren’t flashy kit, but they keep me happier and healthier when I work from home. And in the midst of our global quarantine, I thought my setup might prove inspirational to some of my fellow geeks.

Work walking

I have now built two different DIY treadmill desks, one in the US and one in the UK. In both cases, I purchased an old treadmill for about $200, added either shelving from Home Depot (about $100) or a standing desk from Ikea (about $150), and was good to go. When I first did this about seven years ago, pre-made “treadmill desks” started at around $1,500—though entry-level walking units—now appear to start around $500. Personally, though, I preferred an older, heavy-duty treadmill to an inexpensive, light-weight model.