Walking pad treadmill — are walking pads worth it? How much do they cost? Is it hard to walk on them and work at the same time? Have you ever fallen off?
Since getting my walking pad treadmill, I have gotten so many questions about what it’s like to use it, if I love it, and what one I have. Spoiler, I love my walk pad and I’m happy to talk through all of the questions you have if I can help get one more person to add more movement into their day.
Let’s talk through all of your walking pad treadmill questions and see if it’s a fit for you!
How do you use your walking pad?
There are a lot of ways to use a walking pad. Since the surge of work from home and remote positions, lot of people use their walking pad treadmill under their desk while they work during the day for more focus and added movement.
Others love using a small foldable walking pad for consistent fitness (think walking and running pad!) in a home or apartment with a small footprint in leiu of a bulky treadmill.
I know many moms who have one and use it in their living room while they are watching TV!
There definitley a bunch of scenarios where a walking pad treadmill makes sense. I personally use it to get more movement in while I’m working from home.
I have been working at a remote-friendly company for over a decade, but it wasn’t until the pandemic that I started to work from home most days of the week. And overtime I was getting stir crazy! From my room to my office it was about 25 steps, from my office to the bathroom 5 steps, from the office to the kitchen 10 steps. I was not moving much during the day and for me, movement is medicine. So I snagged a walking pad and I am sooooo happy I did. I love it. I get 80-90 miles in each month while I’m working.
p.s. If you’re interested in seeing a day in the life as a work from home mom on my walking pad, check out my day in the life reels and follow me on Instagram!
Is it hard to walk and type on a walking pad?
Surprisingly, it’s not as hard as you might think to walk and type on a walk pad treadmill! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but with so many people using walking treadmill pads under their desk, I didn’t think it would be an issue, just a learning curve. But it was easier than I expected!
I think the key is finding the right speed for you. It might honestly, be faster than you think. When you first get your walking pad, try out a few different speeds to find what works best for you.
Are there any work activities that you find hard to do while walking?
There are definitley some things that are easier than others when it comes to the work I do on my walking pad. I am a marketing director that reviews a lot of content, writes content, works with contractors, writes and posts on social media, etc. So much of my work is well-suited for the the walking pad life.
I find it difficult to use the walkind pad while I’m doing things that require finer movements and accuracy. When I’m building a slide deck or working on a FigJam board for a brainstorm, I don’t like to walk. I have a friend that is a designer and she said it’s much tougher for her. She reserves her walking pad activity for when she’s doing more admin-type work.
How fast do you walk on the walking pad?
For context, I am a fast walker and a tall human (6 foot). When I first got the walking pad I walking at 2.6 mph, after the first few weeks I increased it to 2.8 mph, and just recently I went to 3mph. I think I’ve gotten better at walking and working at the same time over time, which has allowed me to increase my speed.
How far do you walk each day?
Since I got the walking pad, I knew I wanted to track how many miles I was walking each day and over the course of a month so I could push myself and create some goals.
On average, I walk about 4 miles each day, somedays it’s 2 miles and other days it’s 8 miles, but on average it’s 4 miles a day. I set a goal for the first couple of months to hit 80 miles, which I barely did! Then I started to aim for 90 mile a month, which I also hit! I’m hoping to make 100 miles a month my average.
I made a Google Sheet Mileage Tracker so you can track yours too! It’s colored coded for each month and allows you to track towards a goal for the month and year. If you have a walking pad or you’re thinking of getting one, download the tracker for free!!
Do you have a foldable walking pad treadmill?
There are foldable walking pad options, but I don’t have one that folds. Since we have the space for it, I didn’t think I would actually ever fold it. And I was right! The way I’m using the walking pad, I probably never would have folded it. If you’re tight on space and/or plan on putting the walking pad treadmill away each day, then you might want to consider a foldable option, like this walk pad treadmill that’s highly reviewed and purchased on Amazon.
Buy walking pad, but what one?!
Once I decided that I wanted a walking pad, I jumped online and started to research which one! Treadmill walking pads are all over Walmart, Target, and Amazon. I got an understanding of features and typical size. I noticed there wasn’t much difference from walking pad to walking pad when it came to the width and length. Most of them had wheels to move around easily. Some folded but that wasn’t a deal breaker or maker for me. The biggest differences were color and price.
I was hoping to just get a black or white walking pad (there are pink, red, blue, etc. if that’s your style) that was high quality for the price. I ended up getting this walking pad treadmill from StarPower that was about $200 cheaper than my runner up at the time I purchased. It’s been great! No issues.
Are walking pads worth it?
If you’re asking me, walking pads are 100% worth it. I love my walking pad, I love how I feel during the workday from getting extra movement in, I love the focus and the ideas that I get while walking, and I love that it’s so easy to move around so I can sit or stand.
Are walking pads worth it? YES. 10/10. Five stars from this gal!