Treadmills and walking pads: Which should you choose?

Hit your daily steps with treadmills and walking pads

Exercise is a necessity to keep a healthy body and mind. While many enjoy going to a walk in the park everyday, they might not have the time to go out for a walk or a jog and get back in time to get ready for work. They suddenly discover treadmills and walking pads are the best equipment for some indoor exercise.

Many people opt for an indoor exercise routine and prefer light exercises like walking compared to high intensity workouts.

This video is sourced from YouTube@GoTechGeek

Table of Contents

• A little about walking pads and treadmills
• Difference between walking pad and treadmill

When people think of getting an exercise machine at home, they first think of a treadmill. People with limited space in their homes tend to go for walking pads because they are compact and easy to store.

Treadmills and walking pads are two of the most sold exercise equipment. You all know about the treadmill fitness craze. You cannot spot a gym or a home gym without them. The worldwide treadmill market size was traced at $3,846.2 Million in 2023. This directly points to the fact that the treadmill market is very large with much potential for significant growth in the future.

Let us deep dive into some facts about treadmills and walking pads for better understanding these two machines. This will help you figure out if these are worthwhile long term investments for your household.

A little about walking pads and treadmills

Walking pads

Walking pads has become the social media rage. Images of people walking on a walking pad while working on a propped up desk above the pad rampaged through social media platforms. Soon everyone was a getting something called the treadmill desk setup.

Treadmill desk setup showcases a walking pad and a tiny workstation making the setup look like a treadmill. What interested everyone especially the worker bees at working at home was that they could now exercise while they worked.

A walking pad is a compact exercise machine made for walking that features a running belt. Unlike traditional treadmills, walking pads are slim and portable, making them an excellent exercise equipment for small spaces. Also known as an under-desk treadmill or mini treadmill, this equipment can also be spotted in offices.

Walking pads are controlled by sensors placed under the pad to allow different speeds. This means you can walk faster by walking closer to the front of the pad, and slower by walking towards the back. Have a look at some of the core features of a walking pad that attracted users:

●Walk and run

Many walking pads are designed to be versatile. Rather than just be a machine that can be used for light walking while working, many pads today are made so that they can adapt to walking and running cycles. This means that these mini treadmills can actually double as a treadmill.

For example, the Garvee walking pad can support speed until 3.8 MPH which means that you can go for anything ranging from a brisk walk to a fast run on this machine.

●Space saver

All walking pads are compact to fit their unique selling point. It can be carried easily and stored in any corner of the room without taking up much space. Most go up to 45 inches in length and 17 inches in width.

●Indicates distance and calories burned

Just like a treadmill, most modern walking pads can indicate distance covered and calories burned. They even show the time you have spent on the machine that day. You can also adjust your speed to suit your exercise activities.

Treadmill

Treadmills are the most popular exercise machines in the world. People are ditching intense workout routines for light walking and jogging on a personal treadmill. Because many believe that 30 minutes of walking everyday is exercise enough to keep yourself fit.

These machines now come with settings to incline their walking surfaces so you can burn more calories while walking. You might have heard of the trend 12-3-30 workout. This is a simple workout routine: set the incline on the treadmill to 12%, then pace to three miles an hour and walk for 30 minutes.

According to experts, walking on an inclined surfaces helps you lose more calories. A study published by the National Library of Medicine found that walking with a 10% incline increased the caloric burn by a whopping 32%.

A treadmill is a piece of equipment that has a running belt and a frame that extends above it which doubles as a rail for support and a screen for displaying various metrics. Let us have a look at some main features of a treadmill:

●Cardio training machine

Treadmill is mainly used by users for jogging, running and walking. There is a wide range of speed options you can choose from suiting people of different physical abilities. For example, an athlete who wants to run in the morning can work it at the highest speed while a senior citizen looking for some light walking everyday can work it at one of the lower speed settings.

●Incline and decline

As mentioned before, a modern treadmill has a setting which will help you choose an incline and decline angle for the walking surface.

The study published by National Library of Medicine also proved that the inclination helped build muscle in your glutes, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. Decline and incline engages your muscles differently boosting improved muscle activity.

●Adjustable speed setting

Treadmills usually accompany adjustable speed settings that can help you do a range of exercises including walking, jogging, side stepping, etc. An exercise machine like the Garvee treadmill gives you a range from 0.6 to 7.5 miles per hour. These speed settings are also excellent for when you want to catch a breath but not stop walking altogether. Here you can simply reduce the speed and catch your breath without having to stop walking.

●LCD display

You might have heard of the fitness trend called cozy cardio. This trend called for watching some entertainment while working out to keep away boredom and exhaustion prompting people to maintain a consistent exercise routine. Advanced treadmills come with an LCD display that will allow you to connect it to other devices via bluetooth. You can easily watch varieties of content using this feature.

The Garvee advanced treadmill has an LCD display that will help you to stream content during your workout routine. It has remote control which will help you switch between content or pause and skip content as you wish.

Difference between walking pad and treadmill

You might be wondering if there is a difference between a walking pad and a treadmill. While both of them are similar in terms of functionality, they have some notable differences. Have a look at the table below to learn some differences between treadmills and walking pads:

It is also worth mentioning that there are machines that can function as both treadmills and walking pads. These machines can be used for a treadmill work setup or simply as a treadmill for daily cardio exercises.

Garvee 2 in 1 treadmill is one such machine that can double as a walking pad. It can support anywhere from 0.6 MPH to 6.2 MPH. The handle of the machine is foldable and can be folded down to be used as a walking pad. The handle has a space to insert your tablet for viewing content while you are walking paving way for cozy cardio. It also features settings including distance walked, total time that you have used the machine, speed and calories burned.

A foldable handle also means that you can easily store the Garvee 2 in 1 machine. If you are a person who moves houses often, then it would be wise to invest in the Garvee 2 in 1 treadmill. You can use it as a treadmill for daily walking or make a treadmill desk setup to use it while working at home.

This is an excellent machine for people who work from home. Work from home has fostered a sedentary lifestyle among many. A treadmill desk setup can help you get the willingness to workout while you are working. This means you are not only reaching your deadline but also completing your required steps for the day.