I had been considering buying a walking pad for my home office set up for years and I finally ordered one in May. Now that it’s been comfortably living in my house for a couple months, I wanted to show you all my set up and what I’ve found works for me (so far).
Here’s what I purchased:
Source: Amazon.com
SupeRun Walking Pad: https://amzn.to/4cny6Gl
Adjustable Height Standing Desk: https://amzn.to/4dJ9F7i
The walking pad I purchased fluctuates in price – the list price is $299, but I’ve seen it for $125 – $160 over the past couple months. As of today, it is $159.99 with free shipping + a $20 off promotional coupon. The desk was $69 when I bought it, but is now marked as unavailable. Which is fine because I wouldn’t recommend buying it.
For those new to the idea of walking pads, they are basically a flat treadmill that doesn’t have any sides/handles to hold onto. You put them underneath a standing desk, so that you can work while you are walking. On my work-from-home days I’m basically glued to my chair all day, so I thought it would be a nice way to give me a break. I also wanted the heart benefits of getting in more activity throughout my day.
Here is what that side of my home office looked like before I made the purchase:
I use it as my sewing corner, with my machine set up on a collapsible table. However, it was pretty easy to move some things around to streamline it a little.
I collapsed the sewing table and added the walking pad and standing desk. Now, when I need to sew something, I roll the walking pad and desk out of the way, lock the table in place and work away. It’s not as convenient as having it set up and ready to go all the time, but this is the space I have to work with.
As you can see, I still needed to prop my laptop up on a couple boxes in order to get the screen to the right height for me. A more ideal situation would be to have a docking station (like I have on my regular desk) where I can plug my laptop into a larger monitor. However, like I said… working with what I have.
After having this setup for the last 2+ months, here is how it works best for me:
Option 1: I start my workday with a 30-45 minute walk while doing those morning work tasks like checking emails and laying out my day. I am bouncing around a bit when I walk, so it’s a good time for reading and researching, but not great for finicky things like web updates where I need to click the mouse on a little tiny box. After I do my morning stuff, I then move the laptop back over to my main desk, make myself some coffee, and get on with my workday.
When I start the day with a walk, it helps me feel more productive right off the bat. I also set my watch with an alarm that goes off regularly to encourage me to get up and take a 5-minute walking break. I can’t always stop what I’m doing for a 5-minute break, but I’m usually able to get in about 10-15 more minutes of walking throughout the day.
Option 2: If I don’t start my workday with a walk, I try to take a morning break for a 5-10 minute walk with hand weights. I grab a couple 2 pound weights and just do nonstop arm exercises during the duration of the walk (most moves from Tunde arm workouts on the Peloton app). Just 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there is enough for a little burn by the end of the day. I also try to start my lunch break with a 10-minute walk, just to get some extra steps into my day.
Option 3: If I finish a big brain task, I get up and do 5 minutes on the walking pad. This is especially great if I’ve been doing a lot of design work, where I basically hunch over the keyboard for too long and get all stiff. It doesn’t add up to a ton, but 5 minutes here and 5 minutes there helps me feel better at the end of the day. Both mentally and physically.
Once school starts back up for Jack, I’m looking forward to using my walking pad more consistently in the mornings. His bus usually comes about 45 minutes before my workday starts, so that’s a great amount of time to set up my kindle for a book or Netflix show and start my day with a little activity.
As I mentioned above, I would NOT recommend the standing desk that I purchased. While it is the size and height that I wanted for my little corner, it is not super sturdy. When I’m walking and leaning on my desk, it moves a bit which is super annoying. I actually have a little piece of padding between the desk and the wall to help with the swaying. If I were re-purchasing, I would pick something with more sturdy legs.
However, I WOULD recommend the walking pad I purchased. It’s super easy to set up, relatively lightweight for moving it around the room when needed, a great size for walking, and feels secure with a weight capacity of up to 300 pounds.
I’ve been averaging 2 days a week with some extra steps on my walking pad and I anticipate using it a lot more in the near future. It’s really nice to have a convenient option for getting steps in as a little ‘brain break’ throughout the day. And I’m sure it will be extra nice once winter hits too!
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