Tricia Meyer

Affiliate Marketer, Blogger, and Consultant

How to Build a Treadmill Desk

by

Treadmill Desk ReviewI get a lot of questions about my treadmill desk and how it works. All of the treadmill desks that I looked at were pretty expensive, and I didn’t know if I would really even use one. So my husband and I decided that we would try to build one using an older treadmill that we didn’t feel comfortable running on anymore.

In the first picture you can see the basic setup. We basically drilled 2 shelf brackets ($7 each at Home Depot) into the top of the treadmill and placed a wireless keyboard mouse on top of a plain wood shelf ($10-$20 at Home Depot depending on the size and type). You could use a SurfShelf if you didn’t want to try to make one yourself. We already had a television in the “exercise room” (unfinished basement), so we just plugged one of our laptop docking stations into it. I simply take my laptop from the docking station in my office to the docking station in the basement to keep working. If you don’t have any of the above already, you can always go the TrekDesk route for about $500 (available from Amazon).
[Read more…]

My Old Friend Weight Watchers

by

If you’ve seen pictures of me over the last few years, you know that I struggle with my weight. In fact, I’ve struggled with it since I went away to college. In law school I joined Weight Watchers for the first time. Over the years, I experimented with pills (all legal…but still bad ideas!) and lots of different diets. When it came down to it, I learned to love Weight Watchers. It’s kind of like a challenge to me to arrange the puzzle pieces every day…how do I make the points fit and still eat what I love?

Inspired by Shawn Collins and his Fatblogging, I’m going to start posting a little about my trials and tribulations. I will NOT be disclosing my weight though. It’s just too personal for me.

I’ve belonged to the WW online program for years. Maybe 6? Even when I fall off the wagon, I keep my subscription. I know that it is always waiting for me and I have to be accountable and go back and weigh in again. Since I am on the computer all day anyway, it’s convenient for me to use the online tracking.

I had done a great job of getting in shape before our Sunshine Rewards cruise last October. It was the best that I had felt in years. But then the holidays came and I gained about 7 pounds. I started training to run the mini marathon and stopped counting points. I thought the running alone would keep me in shape. Wrong! I gained another 5 pounds! So I found myself up 12 pounds from the fall. Disappointing for sure. But I’m back on the points and the tracking and know that I’ll turn things around by varying my exercise routine and making better food choices.

Have some Weight Watchers tips and tricks? Leave a comment. Over the coming weeks, I’ll post some of my own. First tip? Record as soon as you eat. In fact, if you know what you are having for lunch, record it before you even eat it so you can see how many points it is going to be. You’ll be less likely to get a second helping or dessert if you already have committed to the points in your tracker.