I dread the arrival of fall every year. Not that I don’t find beauty in the autumn colors, but it’s what fall represents. It means cold and snow are on the way and means an end to walking outside. I love a good brisk walk, but I’m not a fan of the cold and won’t do it once the temperature drops too much, leaving me to rely on my indoor workout routines.
Treadmills can be great, but we’ve resisted getting one because they just take up so much room. That’s why I was intrigued to learn about the Kingsmith WalkingPad A1 Foldable Treadmill. I was thankful to find an indoor walking option that didn’t need its own separate room.
Disclaimer
First, a disclaimer. My recommendations come along with my own personal fitness level, so that should be taken into account by anyone considering purchasing a WalkingPad.
I feel I am of average fitness. I’ve been working out six times a week for 30 years, save for a week or two right after having my children or during hospital stays. I’ve done everything from aerobics to running to martial arts to Sweatin’ to the Oldies. Because of the 12 years I spent in martial arts, I also have very good balance. Yet, I’m also 55 years old, so not young by any stretch of the imagination. These factors need to be taken into account along with my opinions throughout this review.
Using the WalkingPad
The WalkingPad is meant to be stored somewhere where it can be easily retrieved while also kept out of the way and hidden.
It will easily fit under a bed or a desk. That said, it is a heavy machine. It has two wheels on one end so that you can lift the other end and wheel it around like a wheelbarrow, albeit a heavier wheelbarrow.
It weighs over 60 pounds, but while I can’t lift it, I can wheel it from the spare bedroom to the living room. The first few times it was awkward, as you have to bend down to pick up the one end to roll it, yet after a few times I was used to it.
Once you have your WalkingPad moved to the location where you want to use it, you’ll need to plug the cord in. It gets plugged in on the same end of the treadmill as the wheels. Right next to where the plug goes is an on/off switch.
There is also a remote that comes with the WalkingPad that is essential for its function. It includes a stop/start button, + and – buttons to control the speed, and a mode button to switch between Standby, Manual, and Auto. If there were one thing I wish the WalkingPad had, it would be a pause button, as when you want to pause your workout for a minute or two, you have to hit stop, and that ends your statistics for that workout. When you restart, you’re starting from 0 miles, 0 steps, 0 minutes, etc.
The app can be downloaded from both the Apple App Store and the Google Play store. It requires you to start an account, and you must verify the email to sign in. At that point it asks you to set up your profile with a few basics such as gender, birth date, height, and weight. Follow the prompts to connect to the device through Bluetooth.
You will not be allowed to use the WalkingPad for normal operation until you complete the Novice Guide. This takes you through a quick tutorial for safety reasons. It shows you how to use the two different modes – Manual and Automatic – how to start it and stop it, how to use the remote, etc.
The Manual mode keeps the same speed. Using the remote, you set the speed that you want, and the treadmill maintains that. With nothing to hold onto, though, if you stumble, it will not stop and will send you flying.
The Automatic mode is my preferred choice, while my daughter prefers Manual. In this mode, you step toward the front, and as you accelerate, so does the WalkingPad. To stop accelerating, move back into the middle of the WalkingPad. To decelerate, go towards the back.
I found the Novice Guide very, very necessary to complete. When my adult daughter went to try the treadmill, I insisted she go through the Novice Guide as well.
The “head” of the WalkingPad has a display that shows you which mode you are in as well as your statistics as you go along. This includes time, speed, distance, calories, and steps. You can change the settings in the app to only show the stats you want to see. It can be very helpful to see how long you’ve been walking, how far you’ve gone, etc., but again, there is no pause function, so once you stop, the display on the WalkingPad resets to 0.
However, your all-time stats do not reset. On the home screen of the app when you sign in, it shows your all-time numbers for distance walked, as well as minutes and the calories burned. You can also switch modes from this screen.
If you click on the distance, it will take you into a day-by-day listing of the stats. Your phone is not essential to the WalkingPad’s use after it is set up. However, I found if you get signed out of the app, you get disconnected from the WalkingPad, and then whatever status you amass in that time will not be added in. so be sure that you are always signed in on your phone.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- Conveniently stores under bed or desk
- Easy to set up
- Novice guide for safety
- Includes Automatic and Manual modes
Cons
- Can be awkward to move
- Requires complete concentration
- No pause button
- Price of $499
My Thoughts
Again, take into consideration my disclaimer at the beginning. I found that the WalkingPad was well-suited for my fitness level. My daughter and I both discovered that you need to retain complete concentration when using the WalkingPad. If you take your mind off for just a split second to change the channel, answer the phone, etc, it gets away from you, and you can fall off.
But as long as I stay in Auto mode and remain focused, I’m fine. If I’m watching TV and want to forward past the commercials, I stop the WalkingPad. If I slow down slightly, so does the WalkingPad.
That said, I enjoy using the Kingsmith WalkingPad A1 Foldable Treadmill, and it has quickly become a part of my winter fitness routine so that I can continue to walk, no matter how frightful the weather outside is.
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Laura Tucker –
Contributor
Laura has spent more than 20 years writing news, reviews, and op-eds, with the majority of those years as an editor as well. She has exclusively used Apple products for the past 35 years. In addition to writing and editing at MTE, she also runs the site’s sponsored review program.
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