On Wednesday, Fitneff officially launched its WalkTop treadmill desk, which is now available in Canada and the United States. Retailing for $479 CDN ($439 US), Ron Bettin, Fitneff CEO and president, explained that treadmill desks often retail upwards of $2,000, not to mention the price of the treadmill it needs to attach to.
The WalkTop is adjustable and looks to be able to fit any shape of treadmill. It attaches to the arms of the treadmill with the same type of straps you’d see on a snowboard. The desk is an adjustable glass tray for people of all heights. It’s plenty sturdy and can easily hold a laptop and a few other items.
As Bettin explained to me as I got on, the idea behind the WalkTop isn’t to run at breakneck speeds on the treadmill while working on something. The idea is to not sit. And numerous studies have shown that sitting for extended periods of time is seriously harming human health, even with regular exercise.
When I first got on the treadmill, I started at the speed of one mile an hour, though I decided to go up to two, since I’m a bit taller. I then began typing on a laptop, and to my surprise, found that walking and doing work isn’t as hard as it sounds.
As Bettin explains (and as research proves), working while on a treadmill is more beneficial then just burning a few extra calories. You have fewer distractions — no chairs to swivel in, less room to move around. As a result, you actually focus better on the task at hand.
After about 20 minutes on the machine I was already working up a light sweat, though I’m admittedly not one who actively exercises. Still it felt better than sitting around, and Bettin explained that fitness products are often aimed at the 20 percent of people who work out regularly. He hopes the WalkTop will appeal to the other 80 percent.
The treadmill desk is not something a worker will use for the entirety of an eight-hour workday, but being active on it for even one quarter of that time will make a huge difference.