It’s been about a week since I first acquired my company-issued laptop and have finally figured out how to make my professional desk a standing desk. This means I’ve had a few chances to actually try using my under-desk walking pad during my actual workday and I’m here to report my findings!
Down Time & Getting Some Steps In
At this point, I have tried getting up, moving my office chair, moving my walking pad into place, raising my standing desk, and going for a little walk two or three times — both in the morning and the afternoon. I’ve attempted to do this, balancing walking and clicking and typing, while working on very low-key and relatively easy tasks at work — ones that I can easily do while walking and aren’t very integrated. I’m confident I can get the hang of doing this while I perform more of my daily work routine, but baby steps at first.
Ultimately, the biggest struggle that will for sure take some getting used to is retraining my fingers to hit the right keys while I’m walking. Moving my work mouse is slightly more difficult, but trying to hit the right keys while forming sentences is very difficult and it takes a few extra tries to make sure I’m trying the right thing. I only turn my Sperax Walking Pad on to a very low speed, 2.2 max (which is probably best described as a brisk walk or power walk), because any faster and I cannot walk while also typing and moving my mouse. The only time I have gone very fast is when I was in a meeting and just listening with my camera off. I have to go slowly at a very leisurely walking pace to avoid making work take longer.
30 to 60 Minutes Is All You Need
Outside of me trying to figure out how to work competently while not-sitting, I’ve found that it doesn’t take too long to get to my daily 5,000 step goal this way. Of course it went much faster on that day when I power walked through my afternoon meeting, but even on the days when I’ve casually walked while working on easier projects I’ve greatly increased my number of steps. Typically after 4 p.m. (when my workday ends) I only have maybe 1K steps on my pedometer (just got a new one off Amazon, check it out, because my other one broke). But when I use my walking pad, I’m well on my way to 5K before I even go on my customary post-work outdoor walk. For context, on that day I walked fast during my meeting and went outside, I snagged over 8K steps.
That is amazing! I don’t even have to go very fast, all I have to do is casually and slowly move and it makes such a difference in reaching my fitness goals. I’m trying to be better and getting up and walking and stretching throughout the day, but I can do that much more easily when I’m physically moving instead of sitting at my desk. I haven’t gone longer than 60 minutes of using my mini treadmill so far but it still works great!
This Really Is My Second Greatest Fitness Investment
I was so excited to get this walking pad for Christmas and it is already proving to be so incredibly useful! My home office redesign is still in progress but this is another great step toward a better 2025. Stay tuned for (more) updates about my personal PC, Lucy, and my trying to get stuff all sorted out!
