Tips for Using the Treadmill for Walking to Lose Weight
The thought of relying on the treadmill for my main walking mechanism for the next 6 months has prompted me to look for ways to make it more fun. Generally I find 30 minutes the maximum I can spend treadmill walking to lose weight before I am forcing myself to stay on the machine. So to change that I’ve decide to add in as many mind activities I can find to keep it effective as part of my ongoing love of walking. I have put together all the tips I have gathered in my previous times on the walker and reviewed what I have been able to find on the Internet.
There is an amazing amount of information on treadmills. Lots of people feel very strongly one way or the other- either advocates or outdoors-only walkers. I find it necessary at certain times, often because of the weather. There are many advantages of using treadmills: they offer a consistent surface, speed and climate; are comfortable, can have fantastic measurement systems for heart rate monitoring and gradients etc., offer a safe environment; can provide inbuilt entertainment via tv; can have additional cooling features and are generally simple to use.
If you are a beginner standard advice includes starting out on a lower speed and slowing down at the finish. Increasing the speed gradually in the middle until you are used to it. Beginners also may need to hold on to the sides until they are confident. Follow instructions for starting the machine such as putting your feet on the sides until the belt starts moving etc. Individual machines have different buttons to push but basically you just walk at a comfortable pace, increasing it according to the results you want to achieve whether fitness or weight loss.
I looked for photos of someone walking on a treadmill but the only ones I found showed the walker holding onto the sides which of course is incorrect except for a beginner. Best posture and use of the muscles for walking comes from stepping but not striding, with head up and facing forward with a normal swing of the arms.
These are some things I would add-
the stop button should be a cut off not a slow down switch- be aware of how to use it;
your shoes must fit well and ensure your shoes stay done up by double knotting the laces;
all accessories need to be treadmill-friendly. Water bottles need to be easy to use while walking (no difficult caps or awkward access) or hit the pause button before you take a drink;
I find the earphones which fit over the ear first and then plug in are better than the ones that plug in only (less likely to fall out);
don’t drag one foot (if you have this tendency make sure you lift both feet);
store towels, bottles, mp3 players, etc securely to avoid them falling.
To avoid boredom and to speed up weight loss or fitness speeds can be adjusted higher, the gradient increased and interval training with running added in- I’ve done these and they work, it’s definitely more interesting etc. but beware of shin splints or simple overdoing it. The reason I tend to stick to 30 minutes is to avoid this problem.
As always there are other options-look at dvds which ake it fun and ensure you get good at walking away the ounds!
The exciting part comes now as I try some new ideas. See my next post on walking to lose weight when I start twittering!
