WalkingPad Tips: Get the Most Out of Your WalkingPad

Get the most from your walking pad by putting it in the best possible place and try pairing habits with walking.

If there's one exercise I want to go viral, it's walking. Versatile, accessible, and low impact, walking is a fabulous movement option for almost everyone, and it's one we don't take advantage of nearly enough.

Getting outside to walk can be tricky if you're stuck indoors due to the weather or you don't have childcare. That's where walking pads shine. We'll share the enormous benefits of walking and give you the lowdown on our favorite walking pad brand. Plus, we share the best workouts and tips for building a walking habit.

Introduction to Walking Pads

A walking pad is a compact treadmill built for walking only. Because it doesn't need all the additional bells and whistles required for serious shock absorption and the advanced exercise programming running requires, it's a much more affordable and compact option.

We wrote a lengthy review on our favorite, the C2 Mini Foldable Walking Treadmill from the company WalkingPad, and they also offer walking, running, and combo at-home treadmill options.

Many Benefits of Walking

Walking is a tremendous way to increase your overall activity and, in combination with regular structured exercise, can decrease your risk of developing chronic medical conditions, lengthen your lifespan, and improve your quality of life.

A vast body of research supports the many physical and mental health benefits of walking. Some of its most notable benefits include:

Decreased all-cause mortality
Improved balance
Improved heart health
Reduced risk of stroke, heart attack, diabetes, and kidney disease
Decreased dementia risk
Better sleep quality
Improved mental health
A boosted immune system
Better body composition

Walking Pad Benefits

Walking outdoors is awesome, and exposure to nature has a host of its own benefits. However, if you don't want to deal with the bugs, the weather is rotten, you only have a short amount of time, or the thought of packing up the whole family and corralling them is exhausting to think about–you may love a walking pad.

Walking pads are super light and easy to maneuver, so you can pop them in front of the TV during nap time or use them under a standing desk while you're working. For example, I don't have a walking desk, so I keep mine in the office and hop on for movement breaks throughout the day.

Walking pads provide a fool-proof way to get in extra activity, no matter what. No long commutes or perfect weather required.

The WalkingPad Advantage

Many walking pad companies provide different options for you to choose from. But our favorite brand is aptly named WalkingPad. We love that they offer both walking pads and combo folding treadmills that can accommodate running and walking, and all their treadmills come in numerous fun colors.

Compact, Lightweight, and Easy to Store

The most obvious benefit of a walking pad is how compact it is. Most weigh around 50 pounds, and all models from WalkingPad fold in half for a truly portable and easy-to-store option. You can slide it out and get a few thousand steps in, fold it up, and store it against a wall, under the bed or couch.

Walking pads are compact enough for even the smallest living arrangements and quiet enough to be used in shared spaces without driving your downstairs neighbors batty.

Affordable

Traditional treadmills can cost thousands of dollars, so walking pads are a much more affordable option. Most walking pads cost less than $600, and you can find some for less.

Maximizing Your Space With Walking Pads

How you set up your space and approach your health habits is crucial for your long-term success. Always measure the room before purchasing exercise equipment, and think critically about where you want to use and store the equipment.

You want the daily process of using your walking pad to be as easy and convenient as possible to maximize your chance of sustained commitment to this new habit.

For example, finding a functional storage space in the living room is crucial if you know you want to watch TV while you walk. You don't want to have to drag it from room to room, as that creates a barrier for use.

One way to make this easy is by using an extension cord, which will give you more freedom as to where you can easily use your walking pad.

Note that WalkingPad does not want you to use their projects on the bare carpet, but you can buy a mat to walk anywhere in the house safely.

Building Healthy Habits With Your Walking Pad

Many of us purchase a gym membership or exercise equipment with the best intentions, but then months pass, and we realize we never followed through with our fitness goal. As a personal trainer and nutritionist, I see this all the time. Why is that?

It turns out that behavior change is hard, and our brains want to stay within a window of tolerance. If we try to change too much about our lives too quickly, we risk getting overwhelmed and not sticking with our fitness goals.

While behavior change is a vast topic, there are a few habits hacks that you can adopt today that will make it way easier to walk more.

Try Behavior Pairing

Behavior pairing is simply combining something you love or an already well-established habit with one you're trying to build. Maybe you love podcasts or reality TV or talking on the phone with your best friend.

And while you know exercise is super important, you just can't seem to get your steps each day. No matter how hard you try, life happens, and tasks pile up, and suddenly, it's the end of the day, and you're wiped. Pair a habit you love with your goal of walking, and see how much easier your walking goal is to achieve.

There is no rule that exercise must be miserable, grueling, or painful. Unfortunately, many of us received that message from the 'No pain, no gain' fitness branding of the 1990s, but it's just not true.

In fact, we now know that exercise adherence is much higher when we participate in activities we love. So set a timer, turn on your favorite show, and enjoy your walk.

Incorporate Habit Stacking

A fantastic behavior modification strategy I coach clients to use is habit stacking. Take a habit that's well-ingrained, something you don't have to think about doing, like brushing your teeth or eating dinner, and pair your walking habit with it.

Maybe every morning, you walk 1,000 steps on the walking pad before brushing your teeth, or you walk 2,500 steps every night after dinner.

Pairing this new habit with a well-established one means less work for your brain, and you're more likely to get your walking in.

Gamify Your Fitness

According to NPR, gamification refers to making something tedious feel like play. You can gamify your fitness in many ways, and I do it with my walking goal. I have a daily goal of 8,000 steps that I track with my Fitbit. Every day that I meet my goal, I put a sticker on my fitness calendar (Yup, just like grade school).

At the end of the month, I look back and celebrate how many days I met my goal. As a neurodivergent person, gamifying my fitness is one of the greatest cheat codes I've ever unlocked. It makes the process fun and competitive.

The Best Walking Pad Workouts

Once you've set up your walking pad, set your goals, and are ready to dive in, you can explore the many different ways to walk. Remember that just as there is no perfect workout, there's no one way to walk and get extra activity. What matters is that you move constantly throughout the day to break up sitting and have fun.

If you have a wearable device that counts steps, tracking your number of steps can be very motivating. But if you don't have one–don't sweat it! We've published tons of walking articles for indoor and outdoor walking options. But here are a few of my favorite ways to walk regularly without the need to count each step if that's not your thing.

Walking for Time

The easiest way to get a walking workout is to set a timer and go. As a frame of reference, it takes most people about one hour and forty minutes to walk 10,000 steps.

Make sure you not only shoot for a total walking time throughout the day, but you try to get an activity snack-at least five minutes of movement–every hour to prevent pain and counteract the risks of sitting.

Walking for A Show/Movie/Podcast

A fun way to incorporate habit pairing is to walk for an entire episode of your favorite podcast, show, or movie. Cardio can feel boring, and that's one of the main reasons people avoid it. But if you're wrapped up following your favorite characters, an hour will fly by, and before you know it, you've walked thousands of steps.

Walking Snack Breaks

Please don't feel like you have to walk for a long time for it to count. One of my favorite ways to use my walking pad is by incorporating little movement breaks throughout the day (which I call exercise snacks).

I may not be able to walk for 30 minutes at lunch, but I can always walk for 10. And every step adds up over the course of my day.

Walking Pad Maintenance

The maintenance for most walking pads is super simple: they recommend you lubricate and adjust the belt as needed. Mine came with a small bottle of lubricant and an allen wrench for that purpose. As always, thoroughly read the manufacturer's instructions to follow the company's guidelines and maintain your warranty.

Bottom Line

Walking pads provide an easy and convenient way to increase your daily activity, no matter the weather. You can get in some exercise while you do some of your other favorite activities, like watching a show or listening to a podcast. Walking pads an fit into small spaces because they are lightweight and easy to maneuver.

WalkingPad FAQs

How does a WalkingPad contribute to a more active lifestyle for remote workers?

Reducing barriers to movement is a massive part of creating a healthy lifestyle, and a walking pad can help you do that. By having a form of low-impact cardio that you can do regardless of the weather or traffic patterns, you can commit to getting your steps in and increasing your overall activity.

What are the noise levels like with a WalkingPad, and is it suitable for apartment living?

As a walking pad owner, I can tell you that the noise level is quite reasonable and not loud enough to bother neighbors or sleeping children.

Can I integrate a WalkingPad into a standing desk setup, and how?

You definitely can. In fact, it was standing desks that made walking pads popular in the first place. Set your standing desk to your desired height, and position your walking pad centered under it on the floor. Make sure you have enough outlets for the plugs and get walking.

How can a WalkingPad help in managing stress or anxiety through exercise?

One of the most underrated benefits of regular exercise is its tremendous mental health benefits. Walking daily will help dissipate stress, improve mood, and boost energy levels. It will also aid your sleep, which is essential for health and stress management.