# The Rise of Work-From-Home Walking Pads in 2024
You've got the perfect work-from-home set-up. You're finally free of the office and able to work from the comfort of your home, but after some time you notice those health and fitness levels starting to drop.
It turns out, commuting to the city for work is actually a daily workout that you are now missing out on. You need a way to stay fit whilst powering through your work projects from your home study. Enter the walking pad.
Basically a treadmill for under your desk, the walking pad is a flat pad that moves as you walk on it. With more people working from home than ever before following the global pandemic, there has been a huge rise in products like this being used by busy employees.
# The Right Type of Walkpad
There's a lot of different types of walking pads on the market. They mostly look similar, and the most common is as if the bottom part of a treadmill has been taken off and a control panel attached to the front of it. Some versions have a bar to help with stability and others have an incline built in for those who want a bit more of a physical challenge.
For working from home specifically, you want to aim for a basic pad that is flat, comfortable and doesn't have any bars as this will likely obstruct your standing desk. Plus if you're walking at an incline, focusing on work and accuracy on a keyboard is going to be a real challenge - and you may sound a little more out of breath on those conference calls and find yourself having to mute yourself more often with MuteDeck (opens new window)!
# Top 3 Walking Pads for Home Use
After considering various factors such as durability, noise level, size, and user reviews, here are three top walking pads for home use:
Dreaver S310 (opens new window)
- Ultra-thin design (only 2.4 inches thick when unfolded)
- Compact and foldable for easy storage
- Large walking area (47" x 16.5")
- LED display for tracking speed, time, distance, and calories
- Speed range: 0.5-3.8 mph
- Weight capacity: 265 lbs
- Pros: Spacious walking area, quiet operation, remote control included
- Cons: Slightly heavier than some competitors at 64 lbs
CITYSPORTS Treadmill (opens new window)
- Slim design with built-in Bluetooth speakers
- LED display showing time, speed, distance, and calories
- Speed range: 0.6-3.8 mph
- Weight capacity: 265 lbs
- Walking surface: 43.3" x 17"
- Pros: Quiet motor, compact design, integrated speakers for entertainment
- Cons: No incline option, shorter walking surface compared to some competitors
UREVO Under Desk Treaddmill (opens new window)
- Innovative folding design (folds in half for compact storage)
- Patented 180° foldable technology
- Speed range: 0.5-3.75 mph
- Weight capacity: 220 lbs
- Walking surface: 47" x 16.5"
- Pros: Ultra-compact when folded, automatic speed control, mobile app connectivity
- Cons: Slightly lower weight capacity, may require practice to master foot-controlled speed adjustments
Remember to consider your specific needs, available space, and budget when choosing a walking pad for your home office setup.
# The Right Height
This refers to your height, not the walkpad's! If you are lucky enough to be taller than 6 foot you may find that a standard size walkpad is actually a bit challenging as they are usually shorter than the treadmill you find in a gym. This means in a natural walking position, tall people may find their feet slip off the back thanks to their increased stride length, and that isn't going to give you a comfortable working experience. So if you are taller than 6 foot, then aim for a walkpad with a bit more in the length of the belt, and check/compare the product dimensions before buying.
# The Right Speed
It's also important to focus on the right speed. Of course at the gym on a treadmill you may do some HIIT sessions and start slow and then really go for it on the speed to get that heart pumping, but do you really want to be doing that whilst trying to type out your weekly sales report? Probably not.
The speed you'll walk at on the walkpad whilst working is actually probably a lot slower than you think. On average to be able to use your mouse and keyboard correctly without inaccuracies and experience a loss of productivity, you want to go no faster than 2.5 kilometers per hour (or 1.5 miles per hour).
However, if you are on a conference call with MuteDeck assigned to your large Stream Deck buttons for example, you'll find you can go up to 4 kilometers per hour (or 2.5 miles per hour) to ensure you are still heard clearly, not out of breath and able to rely on MuteDeck to control all the important features of your call.
# The Right Shoes
Finally, the right shoes are key. Thankfully, nothing too scientific here - a simple pair of decent running shoes / trainers will give you the comfort and flexibility you need to safely walk on the pad for 1-2 hours at a time.
You're working from home, so you likely won't have your best oxford brogues on, but the flatness of your bare feet or socks can cause foot pain if you stand and walk on the walkpad for extended periods of time. A good running shoe, even a budget one, puts your foot in a comfortable slightly raised position to help with the forward momentum and keep you comfortable as you walk and work.
This also means steering clear of flat sneakers, like Vans - they look great and are super comfortable, but not necessarily for a walking pad. Personal experiences may differ depending on their feet.
# Conclusion
A walking pad can truly revitalize your health whilst working from home, especially over the long term once the effects of a sedentary lifestyle start to catch up with you. The beauty of doing it like this is that with the right walkpad and the right speed, you can implement this into your working day with no loss of productivity or time. Nothing else allows you to do that - no more dragging yourself to the gym after a 10 hour slog at the desk just to get the blood flowing.
It also adds a whole new element to your standing desk. Standing there stationary, I find after a while I'm in pain and I just want to sit down again - whereas by staying moving, even slightly, on a walkpad keeps everything loose and keeps me at peak performance - physically and mentally.
Just remember to stay hydrated, wear the right shoes, don't do it all day and enjoy yourself!