A common response when asking someone why they don’t exercise is “I know I need to workout, but I don’t have time.” As our lives become more and more busy, it can become difficult to set the time aside for your physical fitness. But we can’t let that always be the excuse. Is there a way to be creative and fit in a workout, even a light one, within another portion of your day?
With an under-desk treadmill, you can do just that by walking on a treadmill while working on a computer!
Below, we’ll give you an introduction to under-desk treadmills and how they work, what benefits you can get from them, some tips and best practices, and a few recommended models to consider.
Under-Desk Treadmills Table of Contents
Under-Desk Treadmills: What are They and How Do They Work?
Under-desk treadmills, as the name implies, is a treadmill that can go under a stand-up desk. With it’s portable design, under-desk treadmills allow you to walk while working at your desk. Under-desk treadmills may not offer the full range of options and features as a standard treadmill would, but under-desk treadmills still offer a way to stay active during work and to avoid prolonged sitting.
Under-desk treadmills by design are shorter in length and height to allow use in a compact area, but they still have the basic mechanics of other treadmills, such as variable speeds, safety features, and a console to display distance, time, and calories burned.
Benefits of Under-Desk Treadmills
The most obvious benefit of an under-desk treadmill is the ability to do a light cardio workout while at work, which gains you the same benefits we highlight in our Introduction to Cardio, such as improved blood and oxygen flow along with improved mental health.
Improved Focus
Aside from the foundational cardio benefits, you may also experience a jump in your focus and productivity while working. By simply keeping the body in motion, your body will still release endorphins to help reduce any stress or anxiety. It may not be as effective as a full cardio workout, but it’s a step in the right direction.
Better Posture
Another benefit of using an under-desk treadmill is it keeps you from sitting down all day, and depending on the quality of your chair or how you’re sitting, this can help you avoid sitting in a bad posture for too long, which could eventually lead to musculoskeletal issues down the road.
Faster Metabolism
Yes, an faster metabolism is a benefit of any cardio activity, but under-desk treadmills achieve the goal in two ways. On one hand, you improve your metabolism by walking more, but you also avoid the reduction in metabolism caused by sitting for too long.
Under-Desk Treadmill Tips and Best Practices
After reviewing the benefits, starting to use an under-desk treadmill can be an exciting idea, but let’s cover some of the tips and best practices you should keep in mind as you get started.
- Start Slow: Don’t let the small form of a treadmill fool you: we still need to dial in this new form of exercise before getting ahead of ourselves. Start at a slow speed and gradually increase it as you get used to walking and working.
- Proper Footwear: Even though it’s a light exercise, we still need the proper footwear to reduce discomfort and avoid injury.
- Proper Posture: We’re avoiding the bad posture from sitting in a chair, so don’t ruin your posture by walking the wrong way or having the desk at the wrong height. Set your desk height to a level that you can walk with your back straight, shoulders relaxed, and head up while walking to ensure you maintain a good posture.
- Take Breaks: This is still a cardio exercise, so remember: even though your workday may be 8 or more hours, that doesn’t mean you have to walk that long. Use a timer and alternate between sitting and walking. Walk a few minutes every hour, or walk a few miles after lunch. See what works best for you as you continue to use your under-desk treadmill.
- Stay Hydrated: Whether you’re working out or not, you need to stay hydrated, but if you’re fitting in walking during your workday, make sure you’re drinking extra water to accommodate.
- Listen to Your Body: As with any workout, or even if you’re not working out for that matter, listen to your body, take rests as needed, and see a healthcare professional to address any lingering aches or pains.
Under-Desk Treadmill Options
You can find plenty of under-desk treadmills online or at sports stores, but we picked a few top models out you can check out first.
Sperax
The Sperax under-desk treadmill is currently Amazon’s #1 Best Seller, and for good reason. With an average rating of 4.3 over 4,385 reviews, users have shared their positive experiences about how easy and simple the under-desk treadmill was to start using. Coming fully assembled and with a remote control, you can plug the under-desk treadmill in and start walking!
Yagud
Yagud’s under-desk treadmill is another great option, earning the “Amazon’s Choice” distinction with a 4.4 average rating across 1,174 ratings. Users have shared their positive, highlighting it’s ease of use and setup, and is quiet enough not to disturb their neighbors in the office.
Bulapeach
Bulapeach, another potentially good under-desk treadmill option, is currently the highest rated under-desk treadmill with an average rating of 5.0 across 62 ratings. Granted, 62 ratings may not be as good of a sample size as Sperax and Yagud, but it’s worth taking a look.
At first glance, the first perk that stands out is this under-desk treadmill comes equipped with an adjustable shelf to set your work items. Also, this option comes preprogrammed with several HIIT workouts, so this under-desk treadmill can serve as a good option to practice more intense cardio workouts after working hours. Aside from that, the reviews reflect similar positive mentions in terms of quality, ease of use, and lack of noise, making Bulapeach a competitive option as well.
Under-Desk Treadmills: Summary
Under-desk treadmills are a great way to gain some of the benefits of cardio workouts while also avoiding the negative aspects of sitting at a desk too long. By walking on a treadmill under your desk, you’re able to get work done while improving your blood and oxygen flow, mental health, focus, posture, and metabolism. But remember to take it slow when starting this new form of exercise and keep our tips and best practices in mind as you begin.
We hope this guide helps set a good foundation for you if you plan to pursue Chair Yoga. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to Contact Us so we can continue to help!