I had a baby 15 months ago and cringe daily when I look at myself in the mirror. I’m not too far off from my pre-pregnancy weight but things sure don’t look the way they used to.  I know my body went through a lot to create my amazing little one and that I should have more patience with myself but I don’t. I’ve tried dieting since Clover was born but haven’t had much success with it because I’m not doing it the right way – I’m trying to drastically cut calories rather than make healthy food choices and then I find myself starving at the end of the day with my hand at the bottom of a box of Cheez-Its. By the time I get done with work, pick up Clover from day care, have some one on one time with her, get dinner on the table, give her a bath and get her down for the night it’s 7:30 pm and I am beat. The last thing on my mind is exercising. So, how is a busy working mom like me ever supposed to get back in shape??

My employer has a Wellness Team – a group of staff who are dedicated to helping employees find solutions to make their lives healthier – and one of the projects they have been working on is getting Walkstations (a low-speed treadmill connected to a desk with a computer over it) installed in different departments. My office has two and I’ve been trying to get on them at least once a week in an attempt to whittle my waist while I work. Being on the walkstation doesn’t necessarily scorch calories but I have to believe it’s better than sitting on my behind all day. So, in an attempt to make better lifestyle choices, I hereby pledge to get on that walkstation a minimum of twice a week for an hour at a time. There, I put it in writing so now I have to do it!

Does the idea of a walkstation sound interesting to you? You can make your own with the directions (below) I found on Self magazine’s website, self.com, or talk to your employer about buying one for your office (google treadmill desk to find online retailers).

How to Build a Treadmill Desk

What you'll need:

A treadmill
Wood
Shelf brackets
Bolts
A saw, a drill and a tape measure

How to do it:

1. Get a treadmill. You can find new treadmills at your local sporting goods store, but Wilhelm recommends scanning Craigslist for deals on used exercise equipment. Face your treadmill to the wall. Although walking at about 1 mph (the speed Wilhelm recommends) won't cause too much of a stir, attaching some desk components to the wall could further help prevent your computer from crashing. Literally. What you can expect to pay for a used treadmill: less than $200.

2. Build your computer monitor shelf.  Measure the width of your treadmill, and make your shelf at least as wide as your treadmill. While standing on the machine, look horizontally across at the wall. This is where your shelf goes. Center your shelf over the treadmill, and use the brackets to mount the shelf against the wall.

3. Build your keyboard platform. Measure the width of your treadmill, and measure and cut a wood plank accordingly. This plank will act as the horizontal platform where your keyboard will rest.

Make the platform legs as long as you see fit. To find out, stand on your treadmill and extend your arms as if you're typing. Grab a friend, and have her measure the distance from the bottom of the handrails to this height (where you'll type). Drill holes into the handrails, and bolt the vertical wood planks to them. Bolt the horizontal wood plank (the surface) to rest on these two vertical planks (the legs).

A tip: Cover the treadmill with a plastic sheet to protect it from wood shards, Wilhelm says.

What you can expect to pay for the shelf and keyboard platform: about $30.

4. All done! You're ready to walk and work.

Tell me, how do you make time in your life for fitness?