What do I want that would help me in my writing?

Well, there’s always the obvious.
More books for research.
A newer laptop (and smaller; an 11- or 12-inch would suffice).
A second modem or a mobile hotspot.

My parents to leave me alone while I’m writing, and stop treating every slightest thing they want me to do as loads more important than my writing (e.g., I want them to actually be patient, and accept that “hold on” means “wait a moment so I don’t have to cut off what I’m doing in the middle of a thought”).

But there’s also the health issue.
See, I love to write, and my handwriting is atrocious. I also majored in Computer Science, and would like a related job.
Either one means I’m on the computer all the time. I need to exercise and lose weight, but how could I possibly get more exercise without taking time away from the computer?

The obvious is simply to budget my time. Spend less time at the computer and more actually exercising.
But that’s the easy answer. And easy answers are boring. 😉
Isn’t there a way to exercise and get my work done at the same time?

An exercise-powered computer, or any similar solution, would be nice. But it’d still probably mean splitting my time between the two. I couldn’t work at the computer while exercising, after all.

Then, just today, I found out about laptop shelves for treadmills.
I thought that was a great idea! Just a couple of problems:

• I don’t have a laptop.
• I don’t have a treadmill.
• I’m not about to pay $30.00 for something that might not work for me.

Granted, the shelf is said to be good on exercise bikes, recumbents, ellipticals, and the like. But I have a Gazelle, and I saw no mention of whether those would work.
A wireless keyboard for my desktop PC, plus some way of using the TV as a monitor might do it. But I have neither a wireless keyboard nor a “TV=monitor” solution.

But I do have the Gazelle, and I do have an AlphaSmart, and I do have a small tablet.
$30.00 is still high for a “might work,” but $5.99 for experimenting with a book holder sounds well worth the effort. I’m not certain the book holder can hang on the Gazelle, but I’m willing to risk that little bit of cash.
Just…I think I’ll leave the tablet out of the experiment. It’s the AlphaSmart or nothing.

Update
I gave the book holder a try, only to discover that it won’t hold onto the Gazelle. And since we don’t have any other exercise machines and the house…and since I’m not so dedicated to this experiment to bring my AlphaSmart to the YMCA…I’ll just say the book holder doesn’t suit my needs just yet.

I have, however, come across this compact “exercise bike” with desk attached, called the FitDesk.
More than a little outside my price range, but it’s no worse than most exercise bikes, according to my folks. And its size makes it far more convenient than a book holder plus treadmill/bike if I want or need to move to another room. It might be worth investing in, once I have the funds to invest. And if I get my hands on a wireless/bluetooth keyboard and mouse, I could use it with my monstrosity of a desktop computer….even while playing Skyrim!
The only drawback–besides price, of course–is I wouldn’t want to use it just for exercise; every review I’ve seen seems to imply that it’s no good for intense workouts. It’s really better for “I’m going to be sitting on my butt anyway, I may as well find a way to burn a few extra calories.”

Related articles

• Treadmill Desk Now Available at Leisure Fitness (prweb.com)
• How to Make Your Treadmill Desk Last Longer (prweb.com)
• Dual-monitor work stations aims to keep you on the treadmill longer (hackaday.com)
• Note 304 – Laptop stands can help with posture issues (mywritingnotebook.com)
• Grab Writing Moments (terrywhalin.blogspot.com)
• DIY Treadmill Desk (suddenlyfrugal.com)