Climate Pledge Friendly
In one word - FANTASTIC! As my title says, this item COMPLETELY changed my workout life! First - about the product itself: It is lightweight and VERY sturdy. I have been using it for a couple weeks now and have had no problems what so ever. It came nicely packed with good instructions. I did a lot of research before I finally settled on this item. Many thanks to the people before me who wrote reviews that lead me to make a great decision. The company also has a very nice website [...] The pictures and FAQ really helped me make sure this product would work on my treadmill. I have a short display on my treadmill so it does cover my controls BUT that is NO problem at all. My DH set this up on the treadmill using the pivot hook-up. It works great. The SurfShelf comes in 2 pieces. I leave the one piece attached to the treadmill all the time - it is small and easy to move out of the way. I usually leave the tray attached but it removes easily. The straps hold the SurfShelf and my computer on tightly. I have a 17" monitor and have no issues. I could easily get a larger laptop and it would still work. I also use my mouse without much problem. I generally do a walk speed of 2.5 - 2.7 MPH and have been able to surf the net, type Word documents, use Excel, send email and even type THIS review while walking on the treadmill! Depending on your walking/running speed you may be able to do more or less but whatever you want to do with your computer on your workout equipment, THIS is the item to buy. I started out looking for a rack to hold my Kindle while I worked out. What I really want to do was to get some work done on my computer while I walked and stumbled upon the SurfShelf on Amazon. I'm so glad I did. I've already recommended it to friends. It has only been a couple weeks and I would be lost without it. My recommendation is to check out the seller's website to make sure this will work for your equipment. It looks to me like it should work with ALMOST everything but they do have a list and some work arounds you should check out. I also recommend that the safest way to use your computer on the SurfShelf is to set up all your controls (if you have any) first - like putting in your weight, speed, the program you want to use, etc BEFORE you put your computer on. Then PAUSE your machine (if necessary - like a treadmill) THEN attach your computer to the SurfShelf and un-pause / restart and "enjoy". If you use the pivot set-up and use your mouse with your computer, you have to be careful with your mouse. You need to remember to move your mouse to someplace where it won't fall off when you pivot; then get your mouse after your computer is flat again. I have little cup holders on my treadmill. I guess you can tell by my statement that I have had my mouse fall to the floor a couple times because I pivoted FIRST. If you are on a treadmill, I also recommend placing your feet to the sideboards (off the moving belt) before pivoting or changing the controls - just a safety thing. I am using this at home. If you belong to a gym and wanted to take your computer there and use the SurfShelf, you could. It does not take that long to set it up and take it down. That's just not something I have to do. Not sure I want to take my expensive laptop to the gym but some people do. There are times when I want to write something (using the SurfShelf as a table) or I'm walking fast and my mouse is bouncing around little when trying to click something small - I just step on the sideboards - do what I have to do then get back to my workout. On occasion, I have zoomed the page on my computer and that solves the mouse click problem.
So - how has this changed my workout life and really my life in general? As others have stated, working out is an easy thing to avoid. It can get boring, the time just craws by and if you have a lot of other things to do - especially things on the computer or things you need to do on a flat area, working out just seems to take time that you don't have to spare. Your body gets a workout but your computer work just sits. I work at home and pretty much stopped working out because I was just too busy (sitting most of the day) working on the computer or other things at my desk and no matter what I did, my workout time just dragged by - I hated it. I knew I needed to get back into workout out. Reading helped a little and so did listening to music but not enough to really get me moving plus I still had work to do on the computer after my workout was done. I thought if I could do my workout AND my computer stuff at the same time, that would be FANTASTIC! I found the SurfShelf and couldn't wait for it to arrive. I had all kinds of plans and a list of things that I was going to accomplish on my computer while I walked. I thought I would be able to handle doing an hour a day using my computer on the treadmill then go back to my desk for the rest of the day. BOY WAS I WRONG! I got my computer all set up on the treadmill using the SurfShelf, started walking and working - reading and sending emails, putting bill information into Quicken, updating some Excel spreadsheets....THEN the treadmill went BEEP, BEEP, BEEP and stopped! I couldn't figure out what was wrong at first. Remember, my treadmill controls are hidden by the computer. I had only been working for a little while and felt pretty good about what I was getting done and didn't even feel like I was exercising. I pivoted the computer so I could see the controls (my mouse fell on the floor), and to my surprise, I had been on the treadmill 90 MINUTES!! I had walked over 4 miles and burned over 500 calories. I WAS COMPLETELY SHOCKED!!! I didn't even know the treadmill would shut off after 90 minutes because I have never walked that long. I started keeping a log of the time I walked each day, the distance and the calories I burned. I've been averaging 3.5 hours a day (YES PER DAY), 10 miles a day and burning over 1,000 calories per day. Everyone's results are going to be different and everyone has their limits on how much time they can workout and how much time their body will let them. I work at home as I said and the time I spend on the treadmill with my computer is time I used to spend sitting at my desk. I look forward to walking on the treadmill EVERYDAY and using my computer. Eventually I hope to catch up on my work and have some time to watch online TV on my computer and do a few fun things but for now, I'm getting a lot of work done, exercising (happily) every day, trimming up, losing some weight and best of all I FEEL GREAT!!! I feel like a commercial but really, it is hard to believe that a piece of plastic has change my life so much. Doctor Oz - you need to have someone demo this on your program. I would be great if gyms, the YMCA, etc bought a few of these for their machines.
So far, I have been able to do just about everything on my computer using the SurfShelf on my treadmill. I've also used it as a desk to sort papers, check bills, review paper reports against receipts and bills, etc. The seller website also has a link to a website where they provide online things to read, shows, etc. I briefly looked at it - [...]
I do make sure that I keep the following things close by: a bottle of water, my cell phone, paper for notes, a pen and pencil. As I think of things I can accomplish on the treadmill using the SurfShelf, I write them down, do them and cross them off the list. This is all just my opinion but I now love working out because I am accomplishing my daily computer chores AND losing weight. I'm so glad I found this item! By the way, I'm 50+ so this is something that should work for ANY age!
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 14.37 x 12.4 x 1.73 inches |
|---|---|
| Package Weight | 0.93 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 15 x 14 x 6 inches |
| Item Weight | 907 Grams |
| Brand Name | SurfShelf |
| Model Name | FBA_SurfShelf |
| Color | clear |
| Material | 100% Polycarbonate |
| Manufacturer | SurfShelf |
| Part Number | FBA_SurfShelf |
| Size | One Size |
