How to Use a Treadmill Effectively?

If you want to lose weight or keep your body in an ideal condition, a treadmill would be your ideal bet. It is a convenient and sustainable choice to lead a healthy life. With the following tips, you can use your treadmill effectively for maximum benefit.

7 tips for using a treadmill effectively

Here are seven best tips, taken from pro users, on how to make the best use of your treadmill on a daily basis. Keep reading.

Choose an incline setting

Walking on an incline propels your body to burn more calories than keeping the settings at zero. Exercising on an inclined surface is similar to walking, jogging, or running uphill. Since the treadmill’s belt move underneath your feet, you can run on it efficiently without putting too much pressure on your ankle.

Never run barefoot

Most people are going barefoot running, it’s trending these days. However, we recommend you to wear a pair of running shoes with good soles. This is because, when running outside, you have a stable ground underneath. Therefore, even if you sweat, the chances of slipping on concrete or asphalt are rare. Meanwhile, the belt on the treadmill is in constant motion. So, the sweat under your feet can cause a tripping hazard.

Run while looking at the TV

Most people keep staring at the treadmill dashboard while running. Our body tends to follow wherever our eyes go. A wrong body position can cause a stiff neck and throw you off balance. While watching TV, we keep sitting in an incorrect position that harms our neck and torso. Install a TV at the same height on your face or bring the treadmill to your TV, whichever seems convenient for you.

Use a combination of workouts

It’s natural for our body to store fat and burn muscles. If you follow the same exercises every day, your body will adapt to them, and you won’t see any results. Fitness trainers always recommend best treadmills for using a different combination of activities to trick our bodies. Plus, if you follow the same patterns, you will get bored and lazy. Bring variations to your workout by switching between different speed, inclination and time. If you are a beginner, then you can consult a trainer to create a workout routine.

Add weights for more resistance

It takes more calories for heavy people to perform an activity. Therefore, heavyweight people lose more calories than lighter people. As soon as your body reaches the goal, it will become harder for you to shed off that last pound of fat. Adding weights to your body can help you burn more calories. You can wear a weighted vest to add weight and difficulty to your exercise routines. As the weight in a weight vest is distributed evenly, it’s safer and doesn’t affect your spine or make you slow.

Use the right clothes

Aerobic activities like running or jogging work best with ventilated, insulated, and dry clothes. Pick moisture-wicking and quick-drying fabrics that keep your skin dry, chafe-free, and sweat-free for warm days. For winter, go for pants or tights with soft-shell jackets. The best fabric for running is polyester, nylon, and merino wool. All come with excellent moisture-wicking and quick-drying properties. Moreover, merino wool is also a natural antimicrobial and temperature regulator. Meaning, apart from fighting bad odor, it will keep your body cool in summer and hot in winter. Isn’t that a good thing?

Always stretch before exercising

Your muscles and joints often get rigid when it remains inactive for a long time. So, hopping on the treadmill without warming up your body can lead to injury and pain. That’s why you must perform 5 minutes before exercising, or you can start by walking on the treadmill for five minutes before running. It’s a good practice to stop every 10 minutes of intense running, allowing your body to cool down.  

End Thoughts

Everyone wants to burn down a massive amount of calories within a short duration. However, a treadmill is not a shortcut or ticket to win a great body unless you are determined to work on it. Eating the right food, keeping up with your routine workouts, and staying motivated is the only way to go.