Surf Shelf is a little plastic shelf that attaches via sturdy velcro strips to the front of the treadmill. It essentially turns any treadmill into a treadmill desk, a concept developed in recent years to help workers who spend most of their time writing or on the phone to be active at the same time.
I first learned about treadmill desks a number of years back when I saw on the news (CNN maybe) a story about a Mayo Clinic doctor who used them and recommended them for weight loss and just general fitness. I thought it sounded like such a cool idea. Here's a NY Times article describing the trend and the physician, Dr. Joe Levine. But professional treadmill desks are hugely expensive, and take up a ton of space. At that time we didn't even have a treadmill, and several of our children were babies, making it way less than practical. I just thought it sounded like a cool concept. My dear husband, though I love him dearly, thought it was a goofy concept (and I'm pretty sure he still does), especially in a work setting.
But about a year ago, we finally got a treadmill, and it's actually gotten quite a bit of use at our house from everyone, not just me running on icy days. A few months later I discovered the Surf Shelf. I was a little skeptical, but I thought that $40 was worth a shot. I ordered my Surfshelf from Amazon since I have a Prime membership (another one of my favorite things), so it shipped free.
The Surf Shelf takes up just a little space in front of the treadmill. It was a little tricky to figure out the way to attach it to our treadmill (a NordicTrack from Sears), and I don't have it attached exactly the way they describe, but it works fine for me. When someone wants to walk or run on the treadmill, we can easily slip the shelf out of its plastic holder to provide more room on the treadmill.
Yes, I'm actually walking at a super slow speed on my treadmill as I write this. I tend to keep it at a 1.5 or 2 mph speed, though many people recommend keeping it at a 1. I just find I can do 1.5 the same as 1, so why not log more miles while I am working. I don't usually get sweaty at all, and I just wear whatever I'm wearing and my older pair of running shoes.
I go in cycles of using the SurfShelf and and not using it. I tend not to use it on days when I run, or just when I'm checking email. In the summer I barely used it as all as we were pretty busy, but now that the kids are back in school I plan to begin to use it again. I don't use it for all my writing, and I also usually check my columns for the Catholic Post after printing them out and reading them through. That must seem terribly 20th century, but it truly is the best way to edit. Sometimes about those red marks.
For me, running and exercise are essential to keeping healthy both physically and emotionally, as well as sharp mentally. One of the people quoted in the NY Times article said she found working on a treadmill desk actually improved her concentration "taking care of the ADD thing" and I found that to be true as well. When I want to focus, the walking actually helps me a little bit, so I probably have some ADD. I also find that when I need to quite a bit of writing, staying on the treadmill keeps me rooted, instead of getting up to do laundry or putz around the house. Now, if the SurfShelf could only do something about the lure of checking Facebook...
Do you think turning your desk into a treadmill sounds goofy or cool?
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