Are Walking Pads Worth It? with Chris Dempers, ACSM EP-C

Podcast Transcript

John Horton:

Hey there, and welcome to another Health Essentials Podcast. I'm John Horton, your host.

It's estimated that more than 80% of today's jobs are sedentary. A fancy way of saying most of us sit on our butts all day. What can you do, right? Desk jobs are at a desk that makes it tough to get moving. But some folks believe they found a way to escape this on your rump rut. Simple treadmills known as walking pads can help you get in thousands of steps even while clocked in at the office. Here's the question, though: Does this sort of movement really make a health and fitness difference or a walking pad's just the latest fad to catch our attention? We've got exercise physiologist Chris Dempers with us today to break it all down. He's one of the many trusted experts at Cleveland Clinic who pop into our weekly podcast that chat about health trends. So with that, let's find out whether using a walking pad is a step in the right direction.

Welcome to the podcast, Chris, a show where we talk about fitness is always tops on my list.

Chris Dempers:

Hey John, appreciate you having me on here today. So yeah, this will be fun.

John Horton:

I think it's safe to say that a lot of people have hitting daily step goals. It's become a fascination for folks. I'm in their group, too. Do exercise physiologists think it's as cool as so many of us do?

Chris Dempers:

I mean, the step goal, to me, if it motivates you to get moving, then that's a cool thing. So whatever motivates you to get those steps in, get moving. Now, just plain old steps around, are you actually getting your heart rate up? What's kind of the intensity of your steps throughout the day? But getting moving is way better than sitting still.

John Horton:

All right, well, I'm going to take that as an affirmative, then, that at least I'm heading in the right direction when I'm doing all of this walking. So as we're talking about walking, I know that there is an increasingly popular way to work extra movement into our day, and that's using these walking pads at work. For those who aren't really familiar with these contraptions, can you give us a little bit of info on them?

Chris Dempers:

Yeah. So the walking pad, it's a neat device in the sense that it's like a miniature treadmill.

John Horton:

OK.

Chris Dempers:

So kind of strip away all the fancy little features that you see at your commercial gym and downsize it, and that's a walking pad.

John Horton:

It's small enough, it fits underneath desks, right?

Chris Dempers:

Yeah, yeah. It'll fit underneath your desk. I think they're only about five to six inches tall, so you can slide them under your bed easily, under your desk, no problem. They only weigh anywhere from 30 to 50 pounds from the ones that I was researching. So most … your average person, that's not a difficult weight to kind of maneuver around. A lot of them, you just kind of pick up on one end and it's got wheels to wheel it around, too.

John Horton:

And it's just that flat base, right? There's none of those, like the rails around and all that.

Chris Dempers:

You don't have the rails around it, so you don't have the fancy fans or TV screens at front view. Chances are you're probably going to be doing work, so you got a screen in front of you anyway, right?

John Horton:

Well, that's true. We're all stuck with that. So from what you described, they seem really, really simple. So I mean, are they really that easy to use, too?

Chris Dempers:

Obviously, any sort of equipment, there's some assembly acquired, and any piece of machine, there may be some adjustments needed. So working in fitness centers for years, one thing we noticed with our treadmills is the belts do stretch up, so you do have to tighten them. Looking at some of the research with these walking pads, same thing happens. Over time, the belt will stretch, it may have some tracking issues, but they come with little tools that kind of walks you through how to do the little adjustments. So it is more user-friendly than our big commercial treadmills, but there is still some assembly required.

John Horton:

And then, as far as actually getting it going during a meeting or something, I mean, can you kind of do it on the side? I mean, is that-

Chris Dempers:

…Yeah, I mean, most of the remotes are similar to a TV remote or like a little Roku remote, so it's a tiny little remote. You can just have it on your desk, holding it in your hand. It'd be upping your speed, lowering your speed, that kind of thing.

John Horton:

Yeah. So you could do it when you're at a meeting, especially it sounds like if you're not talking, it's probably best.

Chris Dempers:

There still is some noise coming from. So lower speeds, obviously, you're going to get less noise. They range in speed. I think most of them will go up to 3.8 miles per hour. So if you're walking down, kind of like a 1- to 1-miles-an-hour speed, it's going to be a little less pounding on the feet. So hopefully, you're not talking too much, but they'll probably see you moving around a little bit.

John Horton:

Yeah. I've been in meetings where you can tell people are either … think they're on a boat or something else is going on, they're head just keeps moving the whole time.

Chris Dempers:

Yeah.

John Horton:

So I mean, could you even type on your keyboard or answer emails while you're on these?

Chris Dempers:

Oh, absolutely. To me, it would be the equivalent of seeing everybody walking around texting. So walking at a normal speed — and to me it's almost better — your head's not down in a phone — you're more ergonomic position. So you're upright, and yeah, you're not going fast enough so people tend to easily type and do emails, take calls.

John Horton:

We've talked about that whole looking at your phone thing a lot here. So Dr. Bang, who we've had for a previous podcast, would love hearing you say that. He would be two thumbs up on that. So if you're going to use this, if you're going to stroll on a walking pad during a team meeting, and it sounds like you're going to be going pretty slowly, are you really getting any benefit out of that sort of a slow, slow movement?

Chris Dempers:

It is better than sitting still, let's put it that way. So even at a slower pace, you're still going to be burning calories. Now, typically, average walking speed is about 3 miles an hour. So with an average walking speed of about 3 miles an hour, you're burning typically anywhere from 4 to 5 calories per minute. Essentially, in a half-hour timeframe of walking 30 minutes, you're going to be burning anywhere from, based on body weight, too, that'll play a factor in it, 100 to 160 calories,

John Horton:

It's helping a little bit, but this is not the sort of thing that's going to get you, I guess, marathon-ready?

Chris Dempers:

Yeah, no, no, definitely not. I mean, hey, there's plenty of those couch to 5K, so this could be a stepping stone within that path. In the world that we live in, a lot of times, we're stuck sitting. I get fidgety enough behind the desk. So if I could be up moving around, that'd be great.

John Horton:

Since you brought that up, let's spend a moment kind of talking about what happens when you spend hour after hour after hour sitting at a desk. I mean, it takes a toll on your body, right?

Chris Dempers:

Yep. Sitting is described as the new cigarette.

John Horton:

Oh, wow. That's a startling way to think about it, but really, it's that bad for us?

Chris Dempers:

It is that bad. Those long durations of sitting still, it's essentially, you got to think of it, you now have issues with blood pooling down your feet. So you could have clot issues, poor circulation, not burning those calories. So if eight hours a day, you're coming to work, you're eating breakfast at your table, you're eating lunch, and maybe some snacks in between, you're not burning any of those calories off. Your body just starts storing them as fat. So obesity is on a rise. Long durations of sitting are causing increased risk for heart disease, stroke, diabetes.

John Horton:

All those chronic conditions that we hear so much about, and they're all, it sounds like, linked to just this inactivity and just not moving.

Chris Dempers:

And the commonality of those conditions, too, most doctors will prescribe exercise, so to combat a lot of those conditions, exercise. So any sort of movement is way better than none.

John Horton:

How much will this even help you feel less achy and stiff, too, which I know all of us … you spend the whole day in your chair and you get up and you feel it in your bones?

Chris Dempers:

Oh, yeah. Yeah. So that long duration of sitting, I mean, we see an increase in back pain, back pain, neck pain. Even having an ergonomic chair set up with the computer screens and everything like that, you're still seated, so your body is stuck in a stagnant position. Tendons and muscles are tightening up. So we're seeing a shift, the whole pelvis can shift, and then, it's causing back pain because other things are pulling. So being upright in a normal anatomical position is where we're meant to be.

John Horton:

And it's so wild to think that just that little bit of movement is enough just to keep things loose and it's not stagnating.

Chris Dempers:

Oh yeah, no, I mean, it's not rocket science by any means. It's, sit still and you'll die faster. Keep everything moving — it's a use it or lose it mentality, you keep it moving, keep active, and you're going to live longer.

John Horton:

Now, you had talked about calories before, and I know a question that we've heard is, can you use a walking pad to help lose weight?

Chris Dempers:

Yeah, absolutely. I think so. Especially for, I would say, more that beginner type of person. People who are a little bit more active and more regimented with their workouts, their body become a little bit more well adapted to their calorie intake and the amount of exercise they're extruding. So somebody who went from being sedentary to starting to use a walking pad. So these are calories that their body's not used to burning, they're going to start losing weight.

John Horton:

So it sounds like especially if you're somebody who's just getting into an exercise routine or working out, it can really do a lot for you.

Chris Dempers:

Oh, absolutely.

John Horton:

But if you are somebody who's working out a lot, this is not going to sub in for your five-mile run that you have planned that evening.

Chris Dempers:

No, no. So I mean, prime example, calorie-wise, so an hour walk, you can burn about 200 calories. So weightlifting at a moderate rate — so moderate rate would be your heart rate is going from anywhere 50 to 70% max — so an hour session of weightlifting is about 400 to 600 calories. So drastic difference, and once again, based on one's body weight and muscle mass. Now, running for an hour, and I believe a normal running pace is probably around five to six miles an hour, you're burning anywhere from 700, 900 calories.

John Horton:

OK, all right. So it's less than that, but the idea is that it's a cumulative effect, so you're moving a little bit. Like you said, whatever you get is better than the zero you're getting sitting.

Chris Dempers:

Yeah, yeah. So if you want to burn the 600 calories like you would weightlifting, you can do it on the walking pads, you're just going to be on there for a lot longer.

John Horton:

Well, you're making some really good points and you're selling me on the positives you can get on this. So if someone is interested in using a walking pad, what tips do you have for them?

Chris Dempers:

I would say one of the first things is start off slow. If you're not used to doing this, start off … I'd say do 10-minute intervals. Especially if this is a work situation, do the little 10-minute intervals. If you decide, "Hey, I'm going to start walking the entire eight hours I'm at work," well, you're going to be calling in the next day because you're going to be pretty sore. So start off nice and easy.

John Horton:

Is there a certain pace you should start at? You said that one mile an hour … just wherever you feel comfortable for a bit.

Chris Dempers:

Kind of a good reference point would be go for a walk. Right before you get on it, go for a little walk outside and just kind of get to know what your normal walking pace is. And then, when you hop on the walking pad, slowly inch it up until you feel like you've been walking outside. So that way, it's going to mirror a little bit more of your natural walking pace.

John Horton:

Is it good? Do these have incline levels? I mean, can you make it where it goes up a little bit so it makes those steps a little tougher?

Chris Dempers:

The ones I was looking at did not, but I know there are some that do from what I heard.

John Horton:

Probably depends on how much you want to spend.

Chris Dempers:

Yeah, price point is definitely a big factor when it comes to gym equipment. So you want all the bells and whistles off, you're going to pay a little bit more. The problem with incline is if you're not used to walking up incline, you can actually cause some issues with your tendons in your feet. So like a plantar fasciitis, we'll get that … a lot of people will decide, "Hey, I want to walk uphill because it initiates more muscle groups, which means I'm going to burn more calories." But the tendons and the ankles and feet aren't used to it, so you get more of an overuse injury. So try to avoid that. I would say, once again, slower duration, if you can try to start walking on an incline and maybe only a couple minutes at a time.

John Horton:

All right. Now I promised one of my colleagues here I would ask this question, and she wanted to know if you should wear shoes when you're on there walking.

Chris Dempers:

I would say yes. More and more people are getting into barefoot exercising. So if you are not accustomed to walking long distance barefoot, then I wouldn't recommend it because once again, those muscles in the foot have been used to moving in a shoe, they're not used to moving all around barefoot. So you can run into those overuse injuries as well.

John Horton:

And probably if you're in an office barefoot, it might be frowned upon, too.

Chris Dempers:

There might be some office policies on that one, right?

John Horton:

Definitely. Are there any precautions that folks should take when they're using a walking pad, something they should worry about?

Chris Dempers:

Yeah, so walking pads are not for everybody, just like treadmills are not for everybody. I'd say any able-bodied person is going to have a safe time utilizing one of these walking pads. Anybody who uses any sort of assisted device like ankle braces, walkers, canes, scratches, that kind of thing, that would not be safe because most of them do not come with the upper handrails to hold onto. So it's just kind of freestanding. You run the risk of falling.

John Horton:

And I think as you've mentioned here before, but this is not a substitute for going for a hike or walking outdoors or doing a larger exercise sort of routine. It's kind of an extra you can throw in to just burn a little more calories during your workday.

Chris Dempers:

Exactly, yep. So it's a useful tool to add to your exercise regimen. So if you are wanting to burn those extra calories, you're hitting it hard at the gym, you're doing the right thing, you're still not burning enough calories within your timeframe, well, if you have an opportunity for that eight-hour workday and you can burn some calories during that time, why not? So it might help you to reach those fitness goals.

John Horton:

All right. Well, we walked our way through this topic pretty well, Chris, but is there anything else you'd like to add before we head off in different directions?

Chris Dempers:

Not really. I think we kind of covered it all. I mean, the biggest thing is, movement is better than being sedentary. Just if a walking pad kind of fits in your lifestyle, then get one.

John Horton:

Who knows? Maybe eventually everyone's going to see my head moving back and forth here a little bit as I'm getting some steps in, doing the podcast. I appreciate you coming in today, Chris, and looking forward to having you back.

Chris Dempers:

All right, appreciate it, John. Take care.

John Horton:

If you spend hours a day planted at your desk, a walking pad may be a great option to get moving. Even if you're just strolling along at one-mile-per-hour, you're moving away from the potential negative effects of sitting disease.

If you liked what you heard today, please hit the subscribe button and leave a comment to share your thoughts. Until next time, be well.

Speaker 3:

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