Walking From Home

Somehow, over the past month I’ve managed to average over 18,000 steps per day. Without leaving my house. Yes, that’s over 8 miles PER DAY.

We all know that the pandemic careered us, or rather ‘Zoomed’ us into a modern way of working. More than 8 in 10 workers who had to work from home during the pandemic said that they planned to hybrid work, and since then the proportion of hybrid workers has risen from 13% in early February 2022 to 24% in May 2022, according to data from the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey (OPN). So, what does the future of home working look like?

Well, for myself, it looks upright! For the best part of the week I work in the Glorious studio and a couple of days from home. It suits my lifestyle – I enjoy being social and working in-person with my co-workers, but equally, I enjoy working with my dog for company when I’m at home.

When I’m at home, like the majority of my friends, I find it difficult to get my steps in. I don’t want to change out of my loungewear, I don’t have to walk to a train station, and I don’t have to practically run to an after-work engagement due to my poor time keeping. Whilst I love the calm of my home working environment and am able to accomplish as much work, if not more, my body doesn’t feel accomplished. In short, my legs were crying out to be used more.

Step forward. The standing desk. Due to the cramped nature of my work from home set-up, a standing desk was purchased back in 2020. I am not over exaggerating when I say that I love this piece of furniture. I feel that my posture is better, somehow, I feel more energised and alert, and I have almost no neck pain – something which I seem prone to. Don’t ask me to explain the science behind it, all I know is that I have banged on about this desk so much that I’ve converted half my friends into standing for their Zoom calls and typing their annual reports upright. When I get tired or am feeling slouchier, I simply walk three steps with my Mac in hand to my sofa and lounge there.

This all seems great, but late one night when I was stuck in a scroll-hole, I came across a TikTok of a woman in America detailing how she had accumulated 20,000 steps (approx 10 miles) without leaving the house. She had taken the standing desk to the next level. She had purchased a walking treadmill. Immediately I began Googling. Could this work? Could I too become the ultimate multitasker, could I to be doing 10,000 steps before lunch? Before I knew it an under-desk walking pad treadmill was in my Amazon basket and being dropped off at my front door by a DPD driver.

I set it up with ease, it has a remote control that allows you to adjust the speed (1-10km per hour) and it monitors the distance, running time and calories burnt on the LCD screen at the top of the treadmill, so you can see your progress and set your goals during your day. It’s also remarkably quiet, ultra-thin, it’s on wheels and can easily fit under my sofa after a day’s work.

In the first week I found myself working from home for three days. I woke up excited to walk and set myself the challenge of up to 15,000 steps in a day. I easily achieved this by the end of day one without really consciously trying (a couple of hours of emails breezed by and totalled 10,000 steps.) I managed to stay motivated and had clocked up (including my two days in the studio, a busy Saturday and a lazy Sunday) an average daily step count of 18,000 steps in a week.

Week two started well, with the steps racking up without motivation subsiding. I am now on week four, and whilst the novelty has slightly worn off, I am consistently averaging 15,000 steps per day. I sleep better (probably because I’m tired!), I feel stronger, and I’m getting more work done than ever, BUT, I’ve realised that I am convincing myself that I’ve already done my exercise for the day and there is no need for me to step outside my front door.

This week, my beloved dog returned from an extended break at my parents’ house and I found myself forced to enter the outdoors three times a day for 30-45 minutes each time. It was during a walk that I realised that this treadmill life cannot substitute being outside, breathing in fresh air and switching off. I also realised, that despite racking up 25k steps, I hadn’t been outside for two days!

Life is all about balance and whilst I will continue to use the walking treadmill on a weekly basis, especially when I’m particularly busy, I will not allow myself to become obsessed about the number of steps I’m taking. When walking mindlessly outdoors with no phone in hand, no emails to read, and no Instagram feed to scroll is the best time to check-in with your mental health and ultimately NOT multitasking is just as important as the benefits of being more active.

9/10, Would Recommend!

Here are some of the best desk treadmill we’ve found around the web:

Space Saving Motorised Treadmill Walking Machine with LCD Display £189.99

WalkingPad C2 Mini Foldable Walking Treadmill £461.63 (Sale)

BodyMax WP60 Treadmill Walking Pad £549.00 (Sale)

N.B. Glorious is not affiliated with these products in any way. We are not sponsored by them and do not receive any monetary gain from featuring them!