Walking pad workout: what treadmill-desk studies measured, and a way to build it up

A walking pad is a small treadmill meant for walking, and people tend to put it under a desk or in front of a screen. This page isn't about any model or maker. It covers what the treadmill-desk studies measured (steps, typing, thinking), what slow walking costs in energy, a way to build up the minutes, and where it fits next to lifting. It's about training, not the scale.

I'm a fitness coach, not a doctor. If you have a health condition, or haven't been active for a long time, check with your doctor first.

What treadmill-desk studies measured

The studies cited here used treadmill desks and workstations, not walking pads by name, so read them as the closest evidence for walking while you work.

• Steps and sitting, in a workplace trial. In a randomized trial, 41 overweight or obese office workers (average age about 40) were assigned to shared treadmill desks for 3 months or to their usual working conditions. During working hours, the treadmill group took about 1,622 more steps a day, spent about 1.6 more minutes an hour in light activity and about 3.6 fewer minutes an hour sedentary, compared with the control group.¹
• Typing, mouse work and math, in the lab. In 20 adults (11 men averaging about 25, 9 women averaging about 27), each tested both seated and walking on a treadmill workstation on separate days, with no practice before the walking test (the abstract doesn't give the speed), mouse clicking, drag-and-drop, typing speed and a math test were worse while walking, by about 6% to 11% across those tasks. Selective attention, processing speed and reading comprehension did not differ significantly.²
• Thinking tasks at a slow walk. In 69 healthy university students analysed (76 were randomized; average age about 21), assigned to sit or to walk at 1.5 miles an hour, two tests of cognitive control (a flanker task and a go/no-go task) showed no significant difference between the walking and the sitting group. The authors list limits: one speed, one morning session, a student sample.³

The two lab studies tested different tasks, in different samples, at a stated speed in one and an unstated speed in the other, so they don't settle it, and I'm not picking a winner. The practical read is that fine motor tasks and math were the things that dropped in the first. If your work is mostly reading, calls and light typing, a slow walk might suit you; for detailed mouse work or anything that needs full attention, you may prefer to sit for that part. That's my suggestion, not a finding.

How fast, and what it costs

The Compendium of Physical Activities, the list of energy costs researchers use, gives these values for treadmill walking at 0% grade. A MET is about 1 calorie per kilogram of bodyweight per hour.⁴

The MET values are the Compendium's.⁵ The calorie figures are my arithmetic (METs times kilograms times hours), and they include the energy you'd use resting anyway, so the extra from the walk itself is smaller. They're estimates, not measurements. The walking calorie calculator does your own weight, minutes and pace. For reference, the slow-walk study above used 1.5 miles an hour, which falls in the first row.³

If you want a faster pace for a walk that isn't at your desk, walking for fat loss covers cadence and steps, and the treadmill workout covers full sessions. If your pad has an incline, the 12-3-30 page covers what an incline walk measured.

Does slow walking count?

The WHO guideline for adults says to limit the time spent being sedentary and describes replacing it with physical activity of any intensity, including light intensity. It also says some physical activity is better than none, and to start with small amounts.⁶ The guideline's weekly minutes for moderate activity are a separate target; whether a given walk counts as moderate is what the talk test is for.

Building up the minutes (practical)

This is my starting point, not a study protocol.

• Warm up and wind down. Start at the slowest speed and creep up over the first minute or two.
• Check the basics. Your pad's manual gives its speed range and weight limit; keep the space behind you clear.
• Pick the right work. Reading, calls and light typing for the walking bouts; save the detailed mouse work for when you sit.

Where it fits in your week

A walking pad adds easy minutes to a workday. It isn't a replacement for lifting: the WHO's muscle-strengthening line is a separate guideline target, two or more days a week.⁶ The workout plan for remote workers builds the lifting around a home workday, and walking for fat loss covers steps.

Common questions

Can I work while using a walking pad?

In the studies cited here, typing and mouse tasks were worse while walking in one lab study of 20 adults,² and cognitive-control tests didn't differ at 1.5 mph in 69 students.³ Try it on easy tasks first.

How fast should I walk on a walking pad?

The slow-walk study used 1.5 miles an hour.³ The right speed for you is one where you can do the task in front of you; for a walk that isn't at your desk, go faster.

How many calories does a walking pad workout burn?

It depends on your weight, the minutes and the speed. The table above has three examples, and the walking calorie calculator works yours out. The numbers are estimates.

Can I use a walking pad for weight loss?

This page makes no weight-loss claim. Walking for fat loss covers what the step studies measured.

How long should I use it each day?

Start with two 10-minute bouts and add a few minutes a week (practical). The workplace trial ran for 3 months with shared desks, so it doesn't give a daily number.¹

If you'd rather not plan it alone

A walking pad is easy to turn on; fitting walking, lifting and a real workday into one week is the harder part. Coaching is the version built around the days you have, with a weekly call to adjust the next week. Coaching for a week that doesn't hold still explains how it works, and apply is where you tell me about your week.