Category:Treadmill

Benefits of a Treadmill - The Most Popular Exercise Machine

With today’s advanced technology, more features are being added to improve the benefits of a treadmill. Manufacturers are constantly researching new ways to develop their treadmills into top performing exercise machines. With added treadmill features, more and more users are attaining their desired results.

Are you debating whether buying a treadmill will help you achieve your fitness goals?

This page will focus on the various benefits of treadmills starting with:

Accessibility

One of the benefits of a treadmill is its independence from the weather. Have you ever experienced one of those days where you were mentally and physically prepared to go out for a beautiful morning jog? But as soon as you opened the door to take that first breath of air, the rain washed that smile off your face.

Those days are over. Whether it be a rainy day, a snowy day, or a sunny day, the treadmill is always available to you 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. If you feel like going for a midnight jog, the treadmill is waiting for you.

On another note, there are no more excuses. We can’t blame the weather for not doing your routine run. The treadmill is constantly there to remind us of our daily walk or run.

Weight Loss and Fitness

We all know that losing weight consists of burning off more calories than we consume and the treadmill is great at burning calories. According to Men’s Health magazine, a 2001 study showed "that the treadmill burns calories at the highest rate of any exercise machine." To this day, we can still say that the treadmill is one of the most efficient machines at burning calories.

Compared to other fitness equipment, treadmill workouts also deliver a great aerobic exercise. Treadmills can provide excellent aerobic workouts. It is one of the few machines that can attain high speeds and consequently, it sets high aerobic thresholds. To this day, weight loss and fitness remain the most encounraging benefits of a treadmill.

Low Impact

Running on a treadmill, as opposed to running on asphalt or concrete, may help prevent injuries and long term pain in the joints. Its running surface has a bit of a cushion therefore causing a lower impact on the joints.

If you are a beginner runner, the treadmill is excellent for gradually strengthening your tissues and joints. This will help you prepare for an outside run where the running surface is harder, inconsistent and more injury prone.

Pace

One of the benefits of a treadmill that is often overlooked is its pace. The treadmill is excellent at setting a consistent pace in your workout. Having a steady running pace can be extremely important for your energy consumption. Newer runners tend to tire themselves out faster because of the unfamiliarity of their pace. The treadmill adds consistency to your walking or running speed and will help control your momentum.

With the treadmill's gradual increase in speed, you can incorporate a smooth transition from a slow pace to a fast speed and vice versa. This will help you get in the habit of controlling your speed at a consistent pace.

Treadmill Display

With a treadmill, you get to monitor your calories during a run or walk. You can use this information to your advantage. You can set goals according to the number of calories you want to burn. For example, assume you usually burn 200 calories in one session on your treadmill. You can challenge yourself to burn 225 calories the next time you workout. The treadmill reading rack (or console) will keep track of how well your workouts go.

Programs

Treadmills offer a variety of programs incorporated within the machine. This is extremely useful if you are a beginner and have no idea how long to run for and at what intensity. The built in programs do the thinking for you. Most machines include treadmill walking routines, weight loss programs, interval programs, 5 mile programs, 10 mile programs and much more. All you do is select a program that suits your caliber and you are ready to roll.

Programs can also add more excitement to your workout. If you’ve been doing the same interval run for weeks, it’s time to add some spice to your exercising. Your body quickly adapts to a routine, causing your metabolism to be less responsive to a workout. Therefore it is extremely important to change your routine around. One of the benefits of a treadmill allows you to surprise your body a bit by changing programs ever so often.

Stress Reduction

Studies have shown that exercising can reduce your level of stress. If you ever feel a small build up of stress, your home treadmill is waiting to be used. Jump on it for a couple of minutes and it will clear your mind and relax your body.

To sum up the benefits of a treadmill

All in all, the treadmill is a solid investment in improving or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Whether you want to walk or run, lose weight or train for a marathon, the treadmill can be adjusted to accommodate your needs. It is a versatile and efficient workout machine, and its popularity on the market is a direct reflection of this.