Can You Use a Walking Pad Every Day? How Long and How Fast Should You Walk?

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If you spend most of the day sitting at a desk and don’t feel like heading outside for a separate workout after work, a Walking Pad can be an easy way to add more movement to your day.

Walk for 10 minutes before a meeting, get a few more steps during lunch, then walk again while watching TV. Without setting aside a full workout session, you can gradually add a meaningful amount of activity throughout the day.

But once you start using a Walking Pad regularly, a few questions usually come up:

Can you use a Walking Pad every day? Is 20 minutes a day enough? Should you stay around 2 MPH, or keep increasing your walking speed?

A Walking Pad works best as a way to increase daily activity, rather than something that has to become the same structured workout every single day.

If you currently spend a lot of time sitting, start with 10–20 minutes at 2.0–2.5 MPH. Once that feels easy, you can gradually increase your walk to 20–30 minutes or occasionally pick up the pace.

1. Can You Use a Walking Pad Every Day?

A Walking Pad for home is essentially a convenient way to bring everyday walking indoors.

You might walk for 10 minutes before your first meeting, another 15 minutes during lunch, and a little more while watching TV in the evening. All of that movement contributes to your total daily activity.

The second edition of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, notes that physical activity of any duration can provide health benefits. Adults are still encouraged to accumulate 150–300 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week.

That means you don’t have to find one uninterrupted 30-minute block every day.

If your schedule is fragmented, try:

If you’re already comfortable walking continuously, a single 20–30 minute Walking Pad session works too.

The goal is to gradually replace some of your sedentary time with more movement—not to turn every day into a formal workout.

2. How Long Should You Use a Walking Pad Every Day?

If you’re not very active right now, start with 10–15 minutes of walking. Once that feels comfortable, gradually increase to 20–30 minutes.

For example, you could walk for 20 minutes during lunch or split your walking into two 10–15 minute sessions in the morning and afternoon.

The 150–300 minute recommendation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is a weekly total. It doesn’t mean you need to walk for exactly the same amount of time every day.

If you’ve already been on your feet a lot one day, you don’t need to add another Walking Pad session at night just to hit an arbitrary number.

Instead of asking whether every day looks identical, look at whether your overall weekly activity is gradually increasing.

3. What Is a Good Walking Pad Speed? Go Slower While Working and Faster During Dedicated Walks

Your ideal Walking Pad speed depends on what you’re doing at the same time.

The 2024 Compendium of Physical Activities shows that walking intensity generally increases as walking speed increases. For example, level walking at 2.0–2.4 MPH is approximately 3.0 METs, while 3.0–3.4 MPH is approximately 3.8 METs, and 3.5–3.9 MPH is approximately 4.8 METs.

If you’re using an under-desk Walking Pad while typing, reading, or attending meetings, 1.5–2.0 MPH may be easier to manage.

If you’ve specifically set aside 20–30 minutes for walking, you can increase the speed to around 2.5–3.5 MPH, depending on what feels comfortable.

The DeerRun Q2 Urban supports speeds from 0.6–3.8 MPH, covering everything from slow walking while working to faster everyday walking.

4. Flat Walking Feels Easy? Occasionally Add 7% Incline

Once you can comfortably walk for 20–30 minutes on a flat surface, you can occasionally add incline for more variety.

The Q2 Urban supports a 7% manual incline. If you want to increase the challenge of your Walking Pad workout, you don’t always have to walk faster—incline can provide another way to adjust intensity.

A 2012 study published in the Journal of Biomechanics examined treadmill walking at 0%, 5%, and 10% inclines. The researchers found that the metabolic cost of walking increased as incline increased.

You could try this simple 15-minute incline walking workout:

Because the Q2 Urban uses manual incline, it’s better to set the incline before starting that section of your workout rather than trying to change it while walking.

The goal isn’t to use incline every day. It’s simply another option when regular flat walking starts to feel easy.

5. Walking Every Day Doesn’t Mean Hitting the Same Numbers Every Day

If you walked for 25 minutes today, you don’t necessarily need another 25-minute session tomorrow.

If your calves or feet still feel noticeably sore the next day, or your usual walking speed suddenly feels harder than normal, make the session easier.

You can:

If you develop persistent pain or discomfort that affects normal walking, stop the workout and consider seeking professional advice if needed.

A Walking Pad is useful because it makes daily movement easier to maintain. You don’t need to turn every day into the exact same workout.

6. Your Walking Pad Routine Doesn’t Have to Look the Same Every Day

A sustainable weekly Walking Pad routine can change depending on your schedule and how you feel.

If you walked more than usual yesterday, keep today easier. If you have more time another day, extend the session a little.

When used with PitPat, you can also view your steps, distance, and workout time together. Instead of focusing only on whether you “hit your goal” on one particular day, you can look at how your activity changes across the entire week.

You Can Use a Walking Pad Every Day—But You Don’t Have to Do More Every Day

Yes, a Walking Pad can be used every day, but that doesn’t mean you need to increase your walking time, speed, or step count every day.

If you’re just getting started, remember this simple range:

Once that feels comfortable, gradually move toward 20–30 minutes, increase your speed when appropriate, or occasionally add incline.

The best Walking Pad routine for long-term consistency isn’t the one that forces you to do more every day.

It’s the one that still feels manageable on a busy day—and makes you willing to walk again tomorrow.

Make Walking a Natural Part of Every Day

Start with 10 or 15 minutes between meetings, during lunch, or in the evening, and gradually make walking part of your existing routine.