I bought this product myself and this review is based on my own experience.
I’ve been working from home for two days a week for a while now, and one thing I noticed quite quickly was how much less active I had become.
I had gone from a more active job to spending long periods sitting at a desk, and over time I found I had put on a bit of weight.
When the weather is good, it’s easy enough to go outside for a walk.
The problem is winter, rain and bad weather.
On those days, the idea of getting up from my desk and going outside is often much less appealing than just staying where I am.
That was when I started looking at walking pads.
I’d seen people using them while working from home, but I wasn’t sure whether I would actually stick with it.
I also didn’t want to spend a lot of money on something that might end up being one of those purchases I used for a week and then ignored.
And I definitely didn’t want something huge taking up half the room.
I eventually found a reasonably priced walking pad and decided to try it.
I paid around £75, and I’ve had it since January.
When I’m not using it, I can slide it under the bed so it doesn’t take over the room.
How often I actually use it
I use it every week, although some days more than others.
It really depends on what I have in my diary.
I don’t use it constantly while I’m working, but I do use it strategically.
For example, I find it slightly difficult to type properly while walking.
I make more spelling mistakes and I don’t feel as productive if I’m trying to write something detailed.
So I tend to use it when I’m on calls where I mainly need to listen and I’m not the person presenting.
That works really well for me.
It has helped me increase my steps
This is probably the biggest benefit.
On working-from-home days, I can easily spend hours sitting down without really noticing how little I’ve moved.
Using the walking pad during calls has increased my daily steps substantially.
It also makes me feel like I’m doing something positive to stay active rather than finishing the day and realising I’ve barely moved.
It makes bad-weather days easier
The whole reason I bought it was because I wanted a way to move more without relying on the weather.
If it’s sunny, I’d still rather go outside.
But in winter, or when it’s raining heavily, the walking pad gives me another option.
That means I’m not relying on motivation to put on a coat and go out in miserable weather.
I can just start walking while I’m already working.
It even helps me keep warm
This was an unexpected benefit.
Walking while I’m on calls helps keep me warm.
That means on some colder working-from-home days, I’m less tempted to put the heating on straight away.
It’s obviously not the main reason I bought it, but it’s a nice extra benefit.
It is easy to use
I didn’t want anything complicated.
The walking pad is straightforward to use, and that matters because if something takes too much effort to set up, I know I’m less likely to use it consistently.
Because it’s simple, I can just get on it during a suitable call and start walking.
The walking pad itself is simple and compact, which was important because I didn’t want a full-size treadmill taking over the room.
Is there anything I don’t like?
The main drawback for me is that I can’t comfortably do every type of work while using it.
Typing is the biggest example.
I can do it, but I make more mistakes than I would sitting down.
So I don’t use the walking pad when I need to write something important, concentrate heavily or present on a call.
For me, it works best during listening calls or simpler tasks.
That means it hasn’t replaced sitting at my desk.
It has just added movement into parts of my day where I would otherwise have been sitting still.
Who I think it would suit
I think a walking pad would be particularly useful for:
- people who work from home
- anyone with a desk-based job
- people trying to increase their daily steps
- anyone who struggles to get outside in bad weather
- people who spend a lot of time on calls
- anyone wanting a relatively inexpensive way to move more during the working day
- people who don’t want a full-size treadmill taking up lots of space
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Busy Life Edit Quick Verdict
Paid: Around £75
Owned since: January
Used: Every week
Best for: Working-from-home days and listening calls
Biggest plus: Helps me get significantly more steps in
Favourite benefit: I can walk while working instead of relying on going outside
Unexpected bonus: Helps keep me warm on colder days
Biggest drawback: I find typing while walking more difficult
Would I buy it again? Yes
My verdict
I bought this because I wanted to become more active on the days I work from home without spending a fortune or filling the room with exercise equipment.
I wasn’t sure whether I would actually use it once the novelty wore off.
Several months later, I’m still using it every week.
I don’t walk on it for every task, and I certainly wouldn’t try to do detailed typing while using it.
But for calls where I mainly need to listen, it works really well.
It has increased my steps substantially, made me feel more active on desk-based days and given me an easy option when the weather is bad.
For around £75, I think it has been well worth it.
Would I buy it again? Yes.
Busy Life Edit 