5 Treadmill Tips for Fatties

fat-shadow-manIf you’ve ever seen a commercial for a treadmill—or any kind of exercise equipment for that matter—you’ll notice that they’re usually filled with these waif-like actors, gracefully galloping away with perfect form, their hair tied back in a perfect ponytail that bounces up and down in perfect sync with their perfect movements. It’s understandable of course that commercials and infomercials should want to show the public this kind of imagery; “Buy our product and you too can look this good!” they seem to be saying. The problem is that life is just not like that. Chances are that if you’re watching that commercial from your cozy spot on the couch while eating potato chips off your chest, you’re going to be…kind of fat.

After all, that’s why we buy exercise equipment and then ignore it and let it collect dust in the corner of our room: We want to make some kind of change because we know that our bodies are unhealthy. But just as people who are trying to make more money need different strategies depending on their current situation, people will need different strategies for getting fit depending on their current level of fitness. If you’re fat, you can get healthy, but you’re going to need to take a few things into consideration when you work out for the first time:

 

1) Don’t be cheap

You may want to save money by buying a cheaper treadmill, but as the old adage says: You get what you pay for. Extremely cheap treadmills won’t last very long to begin with, and add to that the extra stress on the machine from an unusual amount of weight and you may find that your bargain won’t be worth it. Treadmills take a pounding even from smaller people, so if you weigh quite a bit more than average, you should definitely keep this in mind and get a quality treadmill that can handle it.

To be able to save money and get a quality treadmill at the same time, one useful compromise might be to buy it used.

2) Watch the joints

If you’re a heftier person, running around on a treadmill too vigorously too soon can take a toll on your joints and bones and cause injury. To avoid this, start slow, with a lower impact movement like walking.

3) Pace yourself

It’s easy to get overzealous and completely drain yourself the first few times that you work out. Heroic efforts are great, but if you’ve been unfit for awhile, it can kill your motivation when you find that you’re too tired to drag yourself onto the treadmill the next time. It’s much better to walk or jog for shorter, more frequent sessions than attempt to do a marathon your first week since this will give you time for recovery.

4) Set the treadmill to an incline

Walking at an incline will help put less of a weight burden on the treadmill and will help it to last longer. This is especially useful if you are heavier-set.

5) Have fun

Remember not to turn your workouts into drudgery. Always try to find some enjoyment in your exercise because, if you find that you are having to expend huge amounts of willpower to get on your treadmill, then you are doing something wrong and your new habit will not last.

Follow these 5 tips and it should make using a treadmill much easier, even if you’re a bigger person.

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