The WalkingPad C2 Mini Treadmill Feels Stable Under Your Desk and Feet

Back when I lived in New York City and commuted to my office by train, I logged 10,000 steps a day without even trying. Honestly, I didn’t get why it was such a struggle for a lot of people. I was young and dumb, and was humbled very quickly when the pandemic hit and I started working from home. Unless I made a big effort to get outside, my step count wasn’t even reaching 500. Then I moved to a suburb that isn’t very walkable, and still worked from home. It dwindled even more.

There are major benefits to moving throughout the day, both for your physical and mental health. But being tied to a desk can make it really hard to move enough, especially without feeling like you’re disrupting your focus. That’s why an under-desk treadmill, or walking pad, feels like a major cheat code.

I’ve been curious about these machines for a while—they’re all over TikTok and Instagram, with fitness influencers sharing the enviable mileage they’ve logged while working. But I was skeptical that I could ever use one and actually get any work done. Watching TV, sure! Writing an article, maybe not.

Steady As She Goes

Testing the WalkingPad C2 changed my mind. Using it with a Jarvis Bamboo Standing Desk from Herman Miller, I was able to spend hours of my normal workday walking, without my productivity taking a hit in any way. In fact, I think this thing makes me more efficient.

This tiny tread’s footprint is only 56.9 inches long by 20.4 inches wide and 4.9 inches tall when unfolded, and it snaps in two to become 32.5 inches long and 5.4 inches tall, making it easy to store under a couch or bed. It comes fully assembled, though getting the Bluetooth remote and app to connect with the machine was a struggle initially.

With a lot of trial and error, I got the WalkingPad set up to my liking, and I started using it. You can walk at a speed of 0.5 to 3.7 mph, but you have to walk at slower speeds for a while before you can “unlock” the faster end of the range. I typically walk at 1.5 to 2 mph. You can adjust the speed via the remote or the app, called KS Fit.

You can see how many steps you’ve taken via the app or the display at the front of the machine, which cycles through time, speed, distance, calories, and steps. You can use the pad without the app, but if you don’t start them together, your progress won’t be tracked or logged (it doesn’t sync later).

It also saves each walking session separately, so if you take a break, you start from zero again and need to do a little math to figure out your step count for that day or dig deeper into the app to find your daily count. The app is easy to use and consistently controls the machine, but I’ve found that it doesn’t readily display the info I really want to see. The main profile dashboard shows your cumulative distance and time spent on the pad since you started using the machine—you have to poke around a bit to find more granular breakdowns and weekly and monthly averages.

I like to use the machine in manual mode, which means it doesn’t change based on my pace. There is also an option called automatic mode, which uses sensors under the belt to adjust the speed to your pace. Using the automatic mode felt wonky and awkward to me, and I couldn’t really ever figure out how to slow the pace without the device totally stopping. You can switch between modes using the app or the touchscreen display, and you can stop and start the machine using the app or remote. I tend to use the app more than the remote because the remote connectivity is inconsistent.

The WalkingPad C2 feels good underfoot, and I often walk on it in just socks. It has a weight limit of 220 pounds, and while it isn’t silent, the noise hasn’t ever bothered me or anyone in my house. It looks sleek and comes in five different color options. It’s typically $599, but it’s on sale right now for $399, and I think it’s totally worth it at either price.

I thought I might feel unstable while I walked, or that my bobbing body would cause my standing desk and laptop to wobble, but that hasn’t been the case at all. I feel in control and able to read and type just as I would while sitting. I do have a really awesome adjustable standing desk, and I highly recommend investing in one if you’re going to get a walking pad. I’ve read plenty of reviews about flimsier desks shaking and making real work feel impossible. The Jarvis desk is a splurge, but it’s impressively stable, and I plan to have it for life.

Stand Up Straight

If I use the WalkingPad all day, I do find that I’m a little sore when I stop, so I prefer to do roughly hour-long walks and take sitting breaks in between. Taking steps slowly, in one place, with my arms held out, feels a little like walking like a zombie and makes my hips and back hurt in a way that walking outside doesn’t. I still prefer to save my more demanding tasks, like writing, for my sitting time, but I love cranking out emails, reading, editing, and taking meetings while I walk. Writing is by no means out of the question—I’m writing this piece on my WalkingPad right now.

I try to hit 8,000 steps (or roughly 4 miles) when I use the WalkingPad, which is most days. I end the day feeling tired in a good way—not overworked, but like I’ve moved my body a satisfying amount. My brain is less mushy than it feels on a day where I let myself get stuck in one position. I’m less anxious and more engaged with and optimistic about my work, and life in general. Movement makes me feel better, but I really struggle to prioritize it when work feels overwhelming. With the WalkingPad, I don’t have to make more time for exercise.

Getting on and off the WalkingPad also helps me delineate work time from everything else. And it actually helps me focus—probably because I have to be a little locked in to what’s in front of me so I don’t fall. I think one of the biggest struggles with working from home is feeling stuck. True, using a walking pad keeps you in the same place, but it can unstick your mind, and it makes work, and working out, feel less monotonous.

Now that I have this thing, it’s hard to imagine working from home without it. I feel way more energized throughout the day. My mind feels sharper, and I feel better about my posture. It makes work go by faster and makes walking feel easy again, and it’s just fun. This machine means I can still work a computer-based job without becoming completely sedentary.

My high school cross-country coach used to tell us to “jangle our juices” when we were running. That meant we should drop our shoulders, shake our arms out, and loosen up. Of course, countless experts and articles advise us to jangle our juices throughout the workday with pushups and all that good stuff, but if I’m sitting, I just don’t remember. Movement begets movement, and using the WalkingPad has been a way to stay jangling all day without even thinking about it.