At TechRadar, we spend a lot of time pointing people to our best under-desk treadmills guide, and for good reason: walking treadmills are full of benefits. Even if you don’t want to combine them with a standing desk for a work setup, it’s still a great way to get your steps in while taking calls or watching TV at home. Since they went viral on TikTok last year, it seems everyone’s using them. Even Deadpool.
In an interview with Business Insider published on July 25, Ryan Reynolds’ trainer, Don Saladino, shared a few nuggets of Reynolds’ training wisdom. According to the interview, Reynolds “worked on his mobility and fully activating all his muscles to maintain good posture” and “walked a lot to keep his steps up, sometimes taking calls while on a treadmill.”
A University of Granada report found that getting at least 8,000 steps daily, equivalent to around 6.4 kilometers a day for the average adult human, can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and early death. Walking at a brisk pace is also great for burning fat and torching calories in a low-impact, accessible way.
Saladino knows his stuff – we tried his Deadpool workout for big arms, after all – and knows Reynolds needs to go into this movie with shredded abs on full display. While intense exercise can help, increasing your overall movement levels is also key for weight loss.
For example, taking the stairs instead of the lift is one way to increase your overall movement levels. Another is taking calls and meetings while walking, as Reynolds does, walking while working at a standing desk, or replacing your sedentary time watching TV with low-effort, low-impact movement. All of which can be done with a cheap under-desk treadmill or walking pad.
If you’re looking for a walking treadmill for a low price point, we recommend the Mobvoi Home Walking Treadmill, which you can find for around $229 / £189 / AU$349. It’s cheap, well-made, and can easily slide under a bed or behind a sofa when not in use, and we found it simple to operate during our tests.
You can read our full review on the site next week, but in the meantime, you can check out our video review below:
What about Saladino’s other point, working on your mobility to activate your muscles? Well, chances are, if you’re slumped over a desk, it’s not just that you need to get more steps in; you likely need to stretch as well, a hugely important part of fitness that is almost always neglected. Start with this move that a yoga instructor recommends to beat stress and improve your posture.