Pregnancy has taken its toll on my energy level.  By the time I get home from work, I don’t want to do anything.  Thus, working out has stopped wholesale.

To stay reasonably active, I decided to get my steps in while at work with a desk treadmill.  And the second I Googled “desk treadmill,” ads for the Walking Pad bombarded my social feeds.  Until I cried ‘Uncle’ and gave in to the pressure.  Here is my review.

Walking Pad makes several lines of slim frame treadmills that were originally designed to accommodate apartment dwellers in Beijing.  I purchased the P1 treadmill because I wanted a treadmill that would fold up, and had wheels so I could easily roll it away.  Because to move a 66lb treadmill while pregnant, it needs to have wheels.

The Walking Pad operates using an iPhone app, and I’ll be honest with you, the app is trash.  It’s littered with misspellings and other bugs.  All of its features, with the exception of on and off, do not work.  And don’t get me started on the step counter.  Counting steps accurately requires a FitBit or putting my phone in my back pocket.

The treadmill itself works well.  If I set the speed to a 1.5-2, I can work and walk.  But what do I mean by work?  I can read, answer e-mail, take an internal Zoom, log hours, etc.  I can’t write briefs or long memos while walking, but almost anything else is doable with practice.  It took me about two weeks to learn how to type more than three lines while walking, but I figured it out.

Besides the app, I have only one complaint: I have to wear walking shoes to use the pad.  The P1 treadmill is so thin, that the shock absorption isn’t as cushy as on a gym treadmill.  As a result, if I don’t wear real walking shoes, I get some soreness in my feet.

Right now, I’m using my Walking Pad 3-4 days per week, and I’m gaining 3,000-4,000 steps per day.    Time wise, I’m using the Walking Pad 45-minutes or so per day.

Given that treadmill desks costs $2,000+, the $450 Walking Pad is certainly a more affordable option.  And with all the money I’ve wasted on monthly gym memberships that I didn’t use, this $450 seems like a better use of the money.

Bottom Line. I am still happy with my Walking Pad purchase.  It’s a good way to get in a few more steps and stay active during the workday instead of sitting the whole time.  You do need a standing desk to use it, but if you don’t own one, you can buy this converter to turn any desk or table into a standing desk.

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