Is it possible to use a treadmill while editing photos? I’m a photographer – and now I’m hooked on standing desks

As the sort of person with enough coordination to trip over my own feet, I’ve always looked at standing desks with a mix of fascination and fear. I hate the sitting marathons that photo editing entails, but is it even possible to keep a steady hand on the mouse while exercising at the same time?

I finally decided to stop sitting on the idea (pun intended) when FlexiSpot reached out about its new flagship E7 Plus Max. I paired the standing desk with a walking pad. That was more than two months ago – but I already can’t imagine working without it.

I’m both a writer and a photographer, and while much of my time with the standing desk is spent typing (as I’m doing right now) I’ve also used the setup for some photo editing.

I was concerned at first that I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands steady enough while using the treadmill to edit photos. But I find I brace my forearms on the desk as I walk anyway, and that gives me enough stability to work with the Lightroom sliders and even zap zits in Photoshop.

I wouldn’t use a treadmill to hand draw digital art in Photoshop, but I was surprised that I could keep my hands steady enough for culling, slider edits and light retouching.

Now I find that I’ll often spend two or three hours out of my day work-walking. This has really helped to break up the monotony, and also helps relieve some of the soreness in my back and hips that I get if I sit for too long.

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I feel like I need to clarify, however, that I’m not exactly getting in a fantastic cardio workout. Right around 1.1mph seems to be my sweet spot for work-walking. This gets my heart rate above my resting rate, yes, but it’s not quite in the range that gives my heart and lungs a good workout.

I bought an under-desk treadmill to fight the soreness that comes from sitting for too long – and it’s fantastic for that. I burn a few calories, keep my joints loose, and break up some of the monotony of my day, but it’s more of a supplement to a good cardio workout rather than a replacement.

Of course, that’s me and my coordination that favors a slow and steady pace while working the mouse and keyboard.

Following the advice of a chiropractor, I wear good tennis shoes while on the treadmill. I also don’t walk for eight hours straight, either, but try to fit in an hour and a half in the morning and then another similar stretch of time in the afternoon to break up the long stretches of sitting.

One of my biggest struggles with photography is that I’m either carrying a heavy pack while walking and squatting for several hours, or I’m sitting and editing photos for what feels like days. Adding a bit of light walking while editing photos helps bridge the drastic change that occurs between a day of editing and a day of shooting.

The freedom to photo-edit while sitting, standing or walking doesn’t necessarily need the very best desk, depending on how heavy all your computer equipment is. But I love the Flexispot E7’s customizable four-leg design that looks more like a traditional desk, along with the ability to customize the desktop material.

I’m annoyed at the amount of particleboard whenever shopping for furniture online, so it was refreshing to have a wide range of different materials, including real wood, to choose from.

I know not everyone loves standing desks, but as someone who is a bit lacking in athletic coordination, I’m surprisingly in love with photo editing (and writing) while I’m walking.

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