Training guide
A walking pad is a slim treadmill without handrails that slides under a standing desk. Walking slowly while you work turns sitting time into light activity: about 100 to 120 more calories an hour than sitting, and a few thousand more steps on the days you use it. You'll type a little slower, especially at first, and it's not a replacement for brisk walking.
This guide covers setting it up, the speeds that suit typing, calls and walks, how long to build up to, steps and calories, posture, safety (it's still a treadmill), and how it compares with a treadmill and with walking outside.
A walking pad is a flat, slow treadmill with no rails, made to slide under a standing desk. We found no study of walking pads as such: the evidence below comes from treadmill desks, which work the same way at the same speeds, and from treadmill safety data.
At 1 to 2 mph (1.6 to 3.2 km/h), desk walking is light activity, and it used about 100 to 120 more calories an hour than sitting in small lab studies. It only counts toward the 150 minutes of moderate activity a week if you walk briskly, which usually means no typing.
In offices, treadmill desks added about 1,600 to 2,700 steps a day, use dropped over time, and the Cochrane review found their effect on sitting time "unclear or inconsistent".
Typing and mouse work slow a little while you walk. In one study of 24 adults, typing matched sitting at 2.25 km/h but not at slower or faster speeds, and over months, workplace productivity didn't fall. Our suggestion: about 1.5 to 2.5 km/h for typing and calls, faster for walks with no keyboard.
Start with 10 to 20-minute bouts and work towards 1 to 2 hours a day in all, in blocks, with breaks between (our editorial starting point, from a trial's instructions and an expert statement).
Treadmills cause two-thirds of US home exercise-machine injuries, and the US regulator told people to stop using one brand's walking pads after reports of sudden speed changes and abrupt stops. Learn the stop, start the belt before you step on, keep children and pets away, and stop the belt to step off.
A motorised belt on a low, thin deck with a small display or remote, usually with no handrails and no incline, light enough to wheel away and slide under a desk or sofa (our description; we name no product).
No front bar or side rails to hold while the belt starts, a shorter, narrower belt, a lower top speed and often a remote instead of a console. Our treadmill guide's answer: "A walking pad is a flat, slow treadmill without rails, made for walking at a desk; a gym treadmill goes faster, inclines and has rails and a stop button." Its safety rules all apply.
The same muscles as walking (calves, thighs and hips), at a light effort when slow. The point isn't training them hard but replacing sitting with light movement: the NHS says "you can hit your weekly activity target but still be at risk of ill health if you spend the rest of the time sitting or lying down".
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A desk that rises to elbow height while you stand on the deck (a pad raises you by about 10 cm or more, so measure before you buy), a screen you can raise to eye level, and walking shoes (our suggestions).
You should be able to walk steadily for 10 to 15 minutes without holding on. If you're unsure about stepping on and off a moving belt, practise on a treadmill with rails first (our suggestion, after our treadmill guide's steps).
Taller people need a longer belt to walk without clipping the front, and every pad has a maximum user weight, so check it (our suggestions). People with poor balance, who use a walking aid or who have fallen are better on a treadmill with rails or walking outside. People with a higher body weight use more energy at the same speed.
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The figure shows treadmill walking; there's no demo of walking while typing. The safety steps are our treadmill guide's, adapted for a pad without rails; the desk height and speeds are our editorial starting point from the desk-walking studies.
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The movement on the figure: Treadmill walking
On first use, 20 young adults typed slower while walking (36.9 against 40.2 words a minute sitting), were slower on mouse tasks and scored lower on a maths test, while attention and reading held up. Pooled across studies, typing speed fell and selective attention didn't change.
In 24 adults, "Typing performance while walking at 2.25 km/hr. was not different than seated typing performance", but it was worse at 1.3 and 3.2 km/h. This one small study is most of what we have on a working speed.
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A review noted that "the finer motor skills required for mouse-related tasks may be more affected", and mouse work while walking shortened people's steps and narrowed their stance in a lab study.
Three workplace studies over 12 to 52 weeks found no fall in productivity: "Active workstations do not appear to decrease workplace performance". In a year-long company study, ratings of performance rose, but the company funded it and an author had earlier been paid by the desk's maker.
Walk slowly, about 1.5 to 2.5 km/h (1 to 1.5 mph), for typing, calls, reading and video meetings, and stop or stand still for fiddly mouse work and anything that needs your full attention. Walk faster when you're not working.
An expert statement written for Public Health England suggests "workers should aim to initially progress towards accumulating 2 h/day of standing and light activity (light walking) during working hours, eventually progressing to a total accumulation of 4 h/day (prorated to part-time hours)". The evidence behind it was mostly observational or short-term, so treat it as a rough target.
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To get used to the treadmill "during the first week at a speed between 0.7 to 1.0 mph", then to walk at 1 to 2 mph in bouts of 10 to 30 minutes, aiming for at least 2 hours of walking a day.
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Week 1: 2 or 3 bouts of 10 to 20 minutes at about 1 to 1.5 km/h. Then 20 to 30-minute bouts at 1.5 to 3 km/h, building towards 1 to 2 hours a day in all on workdays, with sitting or standing still between bouts.
Stand up and move at least every 30 to 60 minutes. Our desk movement break's reasoning: "Set a reminder every 30 to 60 minutes: in the trial behind these moves, the breaks came every 30 minutes, and the UK's Health and Safety Executive says short, frequent breaks are better than long, rare ones."
In 15 adults with obesity, walking at a self-chosen 1.1 mph (about 1.8 km/h) at a desk used 191 kcal an hour against 72 seated, 119 more. In 16 adults typing at a self-paced treadmill desk, energy use rose by 1.43 to 1.93 kcal a minute over seated typing (about 85 to 115 kcal an hour, our arithmetic). Reviews agree that energy use rises a lot compared with sitting.
The Compendium of Physical Activities rates walking at a treadmill desk at 1 to 2 mph at 2.8 METs (multiples of your resting energy use), against 1.5 for sitting office work, and classes 1.6 to 2.9 METs as light activity and 3.0 to 5.9 as moderate. For a 70 kg person, that's about 196 calories an hour against about 105 sitting (our arithmetic). Treadmill walking reaches moderate at about 2 mph and up; the NHS counts brisk walking, where you can talk but not sing, toward the 150 minutes.
In a trial of 41 workers sharing a treadmill desk for 3 months, steps rose by 1,622 a day, mostly light stepping at 40 to 99 steps a minute. In 12 workers with their own desk for 9 months, without a comparison group, steps rose from 4,351 to 7,080 a day. In a 12-month trial of 66 workers, the desk group took about 2,650 more work steps a day at a year, but their total sitting time didn't differ. In 80 workers over 13 months, weekday walking rose by 22 minutes against controls, short of the 30-minute target, with no change at weekends.
In one workplace, people turned up to 45 to 50% of their booked treadmill-desk sessions, about 43 minutes a day of light walking. Plan when you'll walk.
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The Cochrane review of 34 studies found "Active workstations, such as treadmill desks or cycling desks, had unclear or inconsistent effects on sitting time", and that treadmill desks "combined with counselling seem to reduce sitting time at work". A 2023 analysis found treadmill desks with prompts cut work sitting most, but "the overall certainty of the evidence was low".
At desk-walking paces of about 40 to 99 steps a minute, an hour is roughly 2,400 to 6,000 steps. At about 90 to 100 steps a minute, 10,000 steps takes roughly 100 to 110 minutes.
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Our steps guide's line: "Many step counters start to undercount below about 2 mph (3.2 km/h), and most record only half to three-quarters of steps at 1 mph. Wrist devices can log steps when you move your arms without walking, such as during housework." A wrist tracker relies on arm movement, so it may also miss steps while your hands rest on a keyboard (our reading). Clip your phone to your waist or keep it in a pocket (our suggestion).
In 36 workers given treadmill desks for a year, weight fell by 1.4 kg on average, and in 12 workers over 9 months, waist size fell by 5.5 cm; neither study had a comparison group. Pooled, cycle and treadmill desks lowered glucose and insulin but "had no effect on blood pressure and other biochemical indicators".
The NHS says sitting for long spells is a risk even if you meet the activity target. A walking pad helps you sit less and move more; its own effect on weight or health markers is small.
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Workplace programmes to stand or walk more didn't reduce back, neck or other muscle and joint symptoms in a Cochrane review of 10 studies (low quality).
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Screen at eye level, desk at elbow height, look ahead, and stop walking for detailed mouse work, which shortened steps in a lab study (our suggestion; our sitting posture guide has more on screens and desks).
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Treadmills caused 66% of US emergency visits from home exercise machines, and people over 50 were 14 times as likely to be admitted to hospital after a treadmill head injury. We found no injury data for desk treadmills or walking pads.
The US regulator told people to stop using one brand's walking pads after 201 reports of "uncontrollable speed, abrupt stops and similar stability-related failures, resulting in at least 66 falls or injuries". Stop using any pad that changes speed or stops by itself.
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Most serious treadmill injuries are children's hands caught under the moving belt: deep friction burns and lost fingers, often while an adult was on the machine. Take the key out after use and keep it out of reach.
Keep children and pets out of the room while the treadmill is on, unplug it and take the key out afterwards, and keep about 2 m by 1 m clear behind it. Learn where the stop button is: the US regulator has warned about one brand's walking pads after reports of sudden speed changes and abrupt stops.
Our treadmill guide's rule: "Clip the safety key to your clothes every time, stand on the side rails while the belt starts at its slowest speed, then step on. At the end, slow to a walk and stop the belt before you step off. That's the makers' guidance; no study has tested the key itself, but treadmills caused two-thirds of US emergency visits from home exercise machines." A pad has no rails, so hold the desk or stand with a foot either side of the belt instead (our adaptation).
Our treadmill guide on rails: "Gripping the rails cut oxygen use by 15 to 21% and heart rate by 12 to 21 beats a minute at the same setting in a small study, so you get an easier workout than the display says. A fingertip touch for balance is fine; if you need to hold on, slow down." The same goes for leaning on a desk.
The figure shows treadmill walking, the same movement as a walking pad; there's no demo of walking while typing. For a brisk walk with no keyboard, our easy cardio workout's 30 minutes at a pace where you can talk but not sing.
For the hours you sit, as in our 3-minute desk movement break: 40 seconds each of sit-to-stands (about 8 to 10 slow reps), calf raises (about 12 to 15) and marching, then 30 seconds of thoracic rotations (3 slow turns each side, adapted from the move page's dose) and chin tucks (5 slow reps).
About 30 seconds each side (our editorial starting point). The standing quad stretch's move page's dose: "Hold 20 to 30 seconds, 2 to 4 times each side (our editorial starting point)."
Desk walking is a habit, not a session. The desk break and stretches cover the hours you sit; the walking workouts suit a pad that reaches brisk speeds, with no typing.
A 3-minute standing break to repeat every 30 to 60 minutes at your desk: sit-to-stands, calf raises, marching, an upper-back turn and chin tucks.
3 minBeginner5 movesA bench or box, A wallA quick stretch break you can do beside your desk: neck, back, chest, wrists, hips and quads.
5 minBeginner7 movesA wallA 10-minute routine for straight after a meal: an easy walk, a few simple standing moves from blood sugar trials, then a short walk to finish.
10 minBeginner6 movesCardio machine, A bench or boxA steady 30 to 45 minute cardio session at talk-but-not-sing pace: walk, cycle, row or cross-train, counting toward weekly activity guidelines.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallA 40-minute walk alternating 3 minutes fast and 3 minutes easy, five times over: the interval walking tested in Japanese trials, built up from three rounds.
40 minBeginner3 movesCardio machine, A wallA 25-minute walk with short faster bouts: notice your heart and breathing speed up, then settle. A gentle way to get used to the feelings of effort.
25 minBeginner5 movesCardio machine, A wallThe 30-day walking challenge sets a step target from your own average and adds to it a little at a time.
A free 8-week walking plan for beginners: build to 150 minutes of brisk walking a week, with intervals, hills and two short strength sessions.
6 training days40 minBeginner5 days a weekA free 30-day walking challenge for beginners: five walks a week, from 10 to 25 brisk minutes, with rest days and a step target built on your own average.
5 training days25 minBeginnerTreadmills suit older adults well, and older adults were more likely to be admitted to hospital after a treadmill fall. Start slowly from the side rails, clip on the key, and hold a rail lightly if you need it.
A walking pad has no rails, so if you've fallen, feel unsteady or use a walking aid, a treadmill with rails or walking outside is safer (our suggestion).
With epilepsy, clip on the treadmill's safety key, as our move pages say. If your balance is poor, you've fallen, or your seizures aren't controlled, hold a rail lightly and keep the speed where your feet stay sure, or choose a bike or recumbent bike (our suggestion).
Walking is recommended. If you already run on a treadmill you can usually carry on at a comfortable effort, but the NHS says it's not recommended to start a new vigorous activity such as running in pregnancy. As your bump grows, your balance changes, so hold the rails lightly and keep the speed comfortable.
A pad has no rails, so hold the desk to step on and off (our suggestion).
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With numb feet from diabetes or another cause, choose low-impact options, wear well-fitting shoes, and check your feet for redness or blisters afterwards; with an open sore or ulcer, do no weight-bearing exercise until your foot team says so.
Speak to a GP first if you haven't exercised for some time, or if you have a medical condition or concerns. Get advice first, too, if you have a health problem, an injury or symptoms, have recently had a heart attack or an operation, or are pregnant or have recently given birth.
If you have a heart condition, follow your cardiac team's advice on how hard to work, and stop for the warning signs above. People with long-term conditions may wish to ask their specialist before starting. With uncontrolled high blood pressure, avoid straining against a held breath; the high blood pressure guide has more.
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If you get chest pain or pressure, feel faint or dizzy, are unusually breathless, or your heart races or beats irregularly during exercise, as our plans advise.
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For chest pain that comes on suddenly and doesn't go away, feels tight or like squeezing, spreads to your arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness; severe difficulty breathing; someone who faints while exercising; palpitations that don't go away, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint; or a headache that starts suddenly and is extremely painful, especially while lifting or straining, or comes with numbness or weakness, difficulty speaking or loss of vision. The NHS says a bleed on the brain may be more likely when lifting something heavy. Don't drive yourself to A&E.
Call NHS 111 (in the US, your doctor or an urgent care centre) if you're suddenly more short of breath than usual, or have chest pain with feeling sick or a heartbeat that races, skips or flutters.
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 for a headache that's triggered or made worse by coughing, sneezing, bending down or exercising. In the US, contact your doctor or urgent care.
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Stop straight away if you feel any pain or become unwell, the NHS says, and contact 111 if your symptoms worry you or don't go away.
A dull ache in your muscles for a day or two after something new is normal. Joint pain that's sharp, gets worse during a set or lingers into the next day means switching to the easier option, and seeing a GP or physiotherapist if it carries on (our plans' rule). Our muscle soreness guide has more.
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See a GP after any faint, and if you keep feeling light-headed after slowing down gradually, or dizziness keeps coming back.
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Call 999 if someone has been knocked out and hasn't woken up, can't stay awake, has a fit, has new numbness or weakness, or has problems with their vision, speech, walking or balance. Get help from NHS 111 after a head injury if they're being sick, feel dizzy, or take medicine that thins the blood, as the NHS advises.
Hold the burn under cool running water for 20 minutes. Call 999 or go to A&E for a large or deep burn, or one on the face, genitals or bottom, and call NHS 111 if you're not sure what to do or for advice for a child under 5, as the NHS advises.
Same day (NHS 111): throbbing pain and swelling in one calf or thigh, with warm, red or darker skin around it, which can be a blood clot in a leg vein; or a snap or pop at the back of the heel, then trouble walking or standing on tiptoe.
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Also call 999 for pain and swelling in one leg with breathlessness or chest pain: it can be a blood clot that has reached the lungs.
Same day (urgent GP appointment or NHS 111): throbbing pain in one leg (rarely both), usually the calf or thigh; swelling in one leg (rarely both); red, blue or darkened skin around the painful area, which may be harder to see on brown or black skin; or swollen veins. This can be a deep vein thrombosis (DVT). It is more likely after surgery, a hospital stay, 3 or more days in bed, a journey of over 4 hours, pregnancy or a recent birth, cancer, a previous clot, or oestrogen-containing contraception or HRT.
Break up long spells of sitting. The NHS advises getting up and moving every hour or so to help prevent clots, especially on journeys of over 4 hours.
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Pain in one spot on the shin or a foot bone that you can point to with a fingertip, worse with impact and later present at rest or at night: a possible stress fracture. Stop running and jumping until it has been checked.
One spot on a foot bone that hurts with every step and later at night: a possible stress fracture.
Go to A&E: severe pain after an injury, which can mean a broken bone, or you cannot put any weight on the leg. A stress fracture can become a complete break if you keep loading it.
Go to A&E (accident and emergency) if you've injured your knee and it has changed shape, it becomes very swollen very quickly, you felt a pop or snap, you can see bone sticking out, or it's bleeding heavily. Don't drive yourself: ask someone to take you, or call 999 if the pain means you can't move your leg to get there.
Get advice from NHS 111 now: you cannot move the knee or put any weight on it, or it is very painful, badly swollen or has changed shape.
You hurt your knee and cannot take 4 steps, or you are 55 or over and have injured it: get it checked the same day for a broken bone.
Get advice from NHS 111 now: the knee locks, gives way or clicks painfully. Painless clicking is normal.
See a GP: If knee pain doesn't improve within a few weeks.
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Call 999 or go to A&E: loss of feeling or numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble peeing or controlling your bladder or bowels, changes in genital sensation during sex or problems with erections or orgasm, or pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs. These are signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital urgently. Don't drive yourself.
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Same day (GP or NHS 111): back pain and you feel hot, cold, shivery or generally unwell, or severe pain that starts suddenly or is getting worse quickly.
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Call 999 or go to A&E: leg pain with numbness around the genitals or bottom, new trouble starting or controlling peeing, not knowing when you need to poo or losing control of it, sciatica in both legs, or weakness or numbness in both legs that is severe or getting worse. These can be signs of cauda equina syndrome, which needs treating in hospital as soon as possible.
Pain, tingling or numbness spreading below the knee that isn't settling after a few weeks, is getting worse or stops your normal activities: see a GP.
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Some discomfort during exercise is fine, and it does not mean you are doing damage. Aim for pain you would call mild to moderate, no more than about 5 out of 10. It should settle within an hour or so, and your back should be no worse the next morning. If it is worse, do less next time (fewer reps, a smaller range, a lighter load), not nothing.
Our suggestion: stop walking while you type if your wrists or neck ache, and raise the screen so you look ahead.
A lump in the groin, or groin pain with coughing or straining (a possible hernia).
Get help from NHS 111 if you have a hernia (a lump in the groin or tummy) and pain in or around it, a bloated tummy, you feel sick or are being sick, you're vomiting blood or your vomit looks like coffee grounds, you're constipated, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused.
Call 999 or go to A&E now if you have a femoral hernia (a small lump at the top of the thigh, in the groin) and very bad tummy pain, you feel sick or are being sick, you cannot fart or poo, you have a high temperature or feel hot, cold or shivery, or you've suddenly become confused. It may be strangulated, which is an emergency. Don't drive yourself.
Typing held up best at a slow pace. Walk briskly when you're not working.
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It makes the walk easier and pulls you out of line, as holding the rails does on a treadmill.
Raise the screen so you look ahead.
Start the belt before you step on, and stop it before you step off.
Wear walking shoes (our suggestion).
Start with short bouts at a slow speed, as the trials did.
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At desk speeds it's light activity. Brisk walks still count; slow typing walks don't.
Typing and mouse work slowed on first use, and typing matched sitting only at a slow 2.25 km/h in one study. Over months, productivity held up, at slow speeds.
At desk-walking speeds, about 100 to 120 calories an hour more than sitting in small lab studies; more if you're heavier or walk faster.
At 1 to 2 mph it's light activity. Brisk walking, where you can talk but not sing, is moderate and counts toward the 150 minutes.
About 1.4 kg over a year in a study without a comparison group. The extra steps help your health whatever the scales say.
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Workplace programmes to stand or walk more didn't reduce back or neck symptoms.
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Slow steps are often undercounted, as our steps guide says, and a wrist tracker may miss steps while your hands are on the keyboard (our reading).
Treadmills cause most US home exercise-machine injuries, and a regulator warned about one brand's walking pads changing speed and stopping suddenly.
Raise the desk to elbow height and the screen to eye level, start the belt at its slowest speed before you step on, and walk at about 1.5 to 2.5 km/h while you type or talk. Stop the belt before you step off.
Slowly: about 1.5 to 2.5 km/h (1 to 1.5 mph). In one small study, typing matched sitting at 2.25 km/h but not at slower or faster speeds. Speed up for walks when you're not typing.
At desk speeds, about 100 to 120 more an hour than sitting in small studies, or about 200 an hour in all for a 70 kg person, by our arithmetic from the Compendium. Faster walking and a heavier body burn more.
Roughly 2,400 to 6,000 at desk-walking paces of 40 to 99 steps a minute, by our arithmetic. Office trials added about 1,600 to 2,700 steps a day, and your watch may undercount slow steps.
Start with bouts of 10 to 20 minutes and build towards 1 to 2 hours a day in all, in blocks. An expert statement suggests working up to 2, then 4, hours a day of standing and light walking at work.
A little: about 1.4 kg over a year in one study without a comparison group. The extra steps are good for your health whatever the scales say.
For slow walking at a desk, yes. For brisk walking, hills, jogging or holding on, a treadmill does more, and our treadmill guide covers it.
It's light activity, good for breaking up sitting. To count toward the NHS's 150 minutes a week, walk briskly enough that you can talk but not sing, which usually means no typing.
Yes, for walks with no screen, or with a call on your headphones. Don't look down at a laptop on a low table, which pulls your head and neck forward.
Mostly, with care. Treadmills cause most US home exercise-machine injuries, so learn where the stop is, start the belt before you step on, keep children and pets away, and stop using any pad that changes speed or stops by itself.
It can be if your balance is good, but it has no rails. If you've fallen, feel unsteady or use a walking aid, a treadmill with rails or walking outside is safer.
Walking is recommended in pregnancy. As your bump grows your balance changes, so keep the speed comfortable and hold the desk to step on and off.
Exercise education, not a personal prescription, and clinical review of these guides is pending. Check with a GP before starting hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or breathlessness when active, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
