Kelly Meharg jumps on yet another trend (shocker) to try and streamline her workdays because, gals, we bloody love a multitask! She tries a stand-up desk and walking pad combo – here’s the results!
I’ll be the first to admit that after a glass or two of wine and a bit of Instagram scrolling, I’m not immune to bit of social media shopping. Defences are down, my credit card number is inscribed in the bit of my brain that controls decisions and I find myself hitting ‘pay now!’ and thinking my life is going to get infinitely better with my latest purchase: lately, lip liner (win) magnetic lashes (huge fail) pyjamas (win) and togs (massive win, which was an absolute SHOCK).
The same thing happened when I saw perky American influencers, Stanley Cup in hand, diligently walking on little walking pads underneath stand-up desks, ponytails swishing as they extolled the virtues of a little cardio while hammering out some work.
I already had an adjustable standing desk in my home office, so before I knew it the walking pad purchase had been made, and in a few short days I was good to with the new work me – fitter, faster, more multi-tasker… but did it really work out like that?! Here’s what happened with the stand up desk and walking pad:
How did the walking pad and stand up desk combo even come about?
We all love a good time-saving hack, don’t we – and bonus when it’s a time-saving FITNESS hack because honestly who has the bloody time to work out? Although if I’m honest, I think I’m just on the lazier side. I’m not a gym girly – I love sport, so unless I’m on a netball court, the motivation to move the bod is low at the best of times. I do, however, love a good walk but living in Auckland in 2025 means I’m at the mercy of a pissed-off Mother Nature, so I figured a walking pad solved all of these problems.
I also spend most of the day glued to my laptop which doesn’t really sit well with me (geddit) so the idea of being able to break up my days with some power-walking AND power-emailing was a vibe.
Walking pads and standing desks have been having a bit of a moment for a while now – but is it worth it?
My little office set up!
What did I think about my standing desk and walking pad?
Climbing on for the first time, I have to admit I felt a bit silly as I figured out heights and speeds and all the other logistics, but once I had that all sorted and I had the appropriate music on (Shania Twain, obviously) I was away laughing (my partner couldn’t help but laugh at the sheer ridiculousness of it all and look, fair enough).
It takes a minute to get used to walking and typing, and I quickly figured out that the walking pad/ standing desk combo was fantastic when I was replying to emails and other admin, but not so good when it came to sitting down to write a story, or other times when I needed total focus.
I used it for at least an hour a day every day for a month – oftentimes longer – and the more I used it, the easier it was.
I was able to hit my rings every day, I moved my body a hell of a lot more, my brain was less fuzzy and I was jazzed at myself for actually doing something good for myself. I lost four kilos that month just from the sheer increase in movement, and somehow I was more productive!?
In short, the walking pad standing desk combo has been a bloody winner, and it’s been easier than I thought to integrate it seamlessly into my work-from-home routine. I will say because I am WFH it is a hell of a lot easier to vibe out to my walking/working playlist from the privacy of my house (now expanded to Celine, Cher and Kylie) so if you’re in an office situation, I can see how this might be a bit harder to pull off.
But if you’ve been thinking about pulling the trigger on the walking pad and the standing desk, do it – it really has been a game-changer for me!