sneaking in more daily steps

Have you ever owned a treadmill that eventually collected dust in a shadowy corner of your home or - worse - became a clothes rack in your very own bedroom??? Well, I have.

I have a TERRIBLE track record when it comes to owning - and actually USING - a treadmill.

Early in our marriage, I INSISTED that I needed a treadmill in order to get in my daily steps and lose some weight. Andy was skeptical, but that didn't stop me from doing my research and buying a behemoth of a standard treadmill.

Let me tell you that moving all 750,000 pounds of that blasted thing up the front stairs and into the house nearly ended in divorce for me and Andy. lol. The bulky treadmill took up so much room in my tiny home office / front room, and was a total eye sore. But, I had my treadmill and I was now ready to become magically motivated and fit.

And, I was dedicated to my treadmill walk/runs . . . for about a week. Oof.

A few short MONTHS later, my must-have treadmill was officially a clothes rack, dust collector, and a daily reminder of what I wasn't doing. It wasn't more than a year after first bringing it home that I sold it to a friend and never spoke of it again.

Flash forward to present day: My life and health goals look different. I've lost 90 pounds. I have a daily (or near daily) walking habit. And, I'm healthier than I've ever been. But, some days, I STILL struggle to get in my daily steps. Working from home, I spend too many HOURS sitting at my desk working at the computer and that is a challenge to my health that I wanted to find a way to overcome.

Enter: tread desks

During the pandemic, as most people began working at home out of necessity and gyms weren't fully open, a lot of people found themselves facing a similar challenge and, as a result, standing desk, tread desks, fancy treadmills, and walking pads began to rise in popularity.

Today - a couple years post-pandemic - the "tread desk"/ walking pad trend continues, and I've been OBSESSING for months about getting a walking pad (aka, mini under-desk treadmill) to add to my home office.

I'll admit that I was a little gun-shy to make the purchase given my unfortunate history with a treadmill, but since I currently have a well-established habit of daily walking, I hope that will make it more likely that I will actually USE the walking pad.

There are a TON of different walking pad options on the market, so besides debating my likelihood of use, there were a few questions I asked myself before I landed on a particular model and clicked 'add to cart':

• LOCATION: Where was I going to be using the walking pad? In my first floor ~120 sq ft home office.

• AVAILABLE SPACE: How much available floor space do I have? I have minimal floor space, so space will be at a premium. No closet or storage options - plus, if I put it away, then I'd be less likely to use it.

• WEIGHT CAPACITY: How much weight can the walking pad support? I wanted to make sure that the walking pad was sturdy and able to hold most grown adults. I chose a walking pad with a 300# weight capacity, which was the most I could find.

• WALKING PAD WEIGHT: How much does the actual machine weigh? I wanted to make sure that I would be able to move the walking pad easily and without assistance, if need be.

• PRICE: How much can I afford to spend? I wanted to make sure I purchased a quality product, but didn't overspend or put myself in a financial pinch, in case I ended up not using the machine.

I considered all of these factors and what finally made me 'click to purchase' was...the price. Walking pads are SIGNIFICANTLY less expensive than larger, traditional treadmills - HUNDREDS of dollars less. But, price was still a major consideration for me. I scored my walking pad for under $200.

My walking pad has been delivered and, I gotta say, the timing of the delivery was perfect, because the weather in NC has been super winter-y and generally unpleasant and I haven't wanted to take my outdoor walks. So, now, I'll be able to stay inside, get my work done AND get in my daily steps! Wins all around!

Do you have a tread desk / walking pad? How are you using it to support your health goals?

Ready to add a walking pad to your own daily routine? CLICK HERE to shop my walking pad!