Welcoming the Walking Pad While Working from Home
Posted on by Isabelle Brown
Our 9 to 5s are not exactly conducive to an active lifestyle. Especially when you aren’t even leaving the house to go to work, it is easy to slip into “excessive sitting.” I’m sure we’re all familiar with the back pain that comes from sitting at a desk for most of the day.
Working from home calls for creative ways to be productive. First came the standing desk to avoid long days of sitting still. Now, the standing desk has been elevated even higher.
The next big trend for telecommuters: The walking pad.
To break out of desk chair days, corporate work-from-homers are turning to casual movement with a walking pad. For the last few months, Tik Tok has been full of videos of the benefits people have found since bringing a walking pad into their routine.
Movement Boosts Mood and Energy
For the average telecommuter, there often comes an afternoon slump that directs us right to the coffee machine for a second cup. In a way much stronger than a cup of joe, walking and movement can strongly hack your happiness chemicals. Physical exercise increases endorphin levels, boosting your energy and mood while reducing stress. Avoiding the inevitable crash from caffeine can come from staying hydrated and fitting activity into your day instead of coffee #2... or #3!
Concentration, Focus, Productivity
Aspects that plague our workday can often be tension, boredom, and stress. Are any of these known to aid focus and productivity? No! In both children and adults, movement has been shown to decrease stress and improve attention and focus. Walking while working can keep you sharp, making it easier to concentrate at the task at hand. When we are stationary at our desk for too long, distractions are much more likely to hold your attention for long enough to stray from your work. A sustainable walking pace is motivation to keep moving and stay productive.
Getting Your Steps In
Walking throughout the workday can be a great way to meet personal goals while still being productive. Especially in the winter months, it is difficult to get your steps in when the sun has set by the time we can sign off of work for the evening. Aiming for 7,000 steps per day is considered an “active” day and can see excellent benefits to your health, both short and long-term. From the hundreds of Tik Toks showing how great the walking pad is, people are able to walk multiple miles per day just from keeping a consistent slow pace.
Better Sleep
Aerobic exercise, even in casual walking, is linked to improved sleep habits. Activity like walking raises your body’s internal temperature. According to Charlene Gamaldo, M.D., medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital, this gives the same effect of a hot shower in the morning for some, signaling to your body that it is time to be awake. Understanding your body’s internal clock is the key to getting better sleep, creating a healthy cycle for your workday and energy levels.
Boosted Creativity 
While some say their best ideas come in the shower, I find that my mind can truly wander while on a walk. Even Stanford researchers have found evidence of increased creativity while walking versus sitting. While not every task in the workday can be done while walking, it can be a great way to work when you need a productive brainstorm or are waiting for inspiration to strike. There is just something about the movement of walking that allows your mind to move like a well-oiled machine. Feeling creative at work is a great mood booster and motivator, too!
Put Some Pep in your Step!
While price points for these under-desk walking pads can vary, it can be an excellent goal to work toward. Putting effort into creating an ideal workspace can definitely take time and money, but welcomes an end result that makes it all worth it.
Making physical activity fundamental to your WFH routine go hand-in-hand might just change your life!