Treadmill Workout – Answers, Facts and Tips
How much do you know about treadmills or treading? If your answer is “not much”, you are not alone in this; many other people don’t know why and how to they got into treading in the first place. Probably you just got into it just because a friend talked you into it. That means you are missing on most of the facts, you have unanswered questions and you are probably running the wrong way. But that should not be any worry now for here are some helpful facts, tips and answers to a few questions that will change your running for the better.
Thrilling facts about treadmills and treading
· The more you weigh the faster and easier it is to shed pounds: there is some good news for those who weigh more. They will shed weight faster than someone who is only a few pounds heavier than what they desire. The explanation to this is that you will be using more energy to do a given exercise than someone lighter. But do not let this make you relax on your exercise. You only get what you work for. So if you are edging towards the overweight you can really turn this around to your benefit.
· Starting small with the run is the best approach: you would want to run for as long as your body can take on your first day. That’s a good ambition but it will do you more harm than good. But remember that even the longest journey always starts with a single small step. Experts and from my own experience would tell you starting small is the only way you will go far. In fact, it is highly recommendable that you combine your run with a walk. For instance, if you run for 5 minutes then take a walk for 5 minutes. As you get more used to treading then you can increase your running and tone down the walking. Cut them down by half and double your running till such a time you will not be walking any more. The appetite to run more will come automatically with time and you can burn as many calories as you want. This approach will keep injuries out of your way. You do not want to be seated on your couch while you should be treading because you ran so much on your first days that you tore your muscles and injured your joints.
· Running is the silver bullet when it comes to burning calories: Like it or not, running is the number one way to deal with extra calories (of course there is cutting down your calorie intake in your meals). This is not a favorite cup to everyone but that is the truth. You need to be relentless and determined with your run. Come up with a running plan and you will be amazed by the weight you can shed in a short duration. But above everything, listen to your body on when to stop and when to go for more.
· Muscle building is a faster way to burn more calories: to build muscles you will need to expend more energy from them. The resulting effect is increasing your metabolism, which in turn burns more calories. Do not shy away from including weight lifting in your exercises. It is a perfect way to give you fast success. After all, you do not have to lift a pair of 50-pound dumbbells to build muscles.
Answering the question everyone asks
As we just said before, not many exercises beat running when it comes to burning of calories. Now that brings about the question you so badly want an answer for: how many calories can you burn on running?
Well, there is no a universal answer to this question. In fact, it comes down to an individual in what calories you can burn. There are those who will burn more and others will burn less. But to try and give you a satisfying answer, here a factors that will determine the number of calories you will be taking down in every run;
· What you weigh now: your current weight may or may not accelerate how much weight you lose. For those who are heavy it becomes easier to shed more pounds.
· How fast you are running: the faster you run the more calories you burn. The end result is losing more weight in a short duration.
· Distance covered: you may be a slow runner but one who keeps going for long. The more distance you cover gives you an opportunity to burn more calories.
· The weather and where you are running: running in a calm weather and on flat surface will need less energy hence you will burn less calories. On the other hand, running against wind and uphill will need more energy and in the process you will burn more calories. Still, running at home on your treadmill will burn a considerable number of calories.
Formula to calculate calorie burn when you run
The basic formula for calculating the amount of calories you burn is your present weight multiplied by 0.75. Let’s assume you weigh 100 pounds. Your average weight loss when you run will be: 100×0.75= 75 calories.
This is only a general approximation of calories burn when you run. Some other factors will come into play. You will burn more calories if you run for long, faster and on rugged surface than someone running slower, for a short distance and a flat surface.
Other ways you can lose extra pounds and their calorie burn estimation
(For calorie burn estimation here will be based on someone weighing 130 pounds).
Other than running there are varied ways to burn calories. Here are some of them;
· Swimming: this is another effective way to burn calories. Spending one hour swimming will take down at least 236 calories each hour. Your pace will also affect, either downwards or upwards, the number of calories burned.
· Walking: incorporating walking into your running is a good way to bring diversity to your fitness goals. If you walk 3 miles you can be sure to burn as much as 207 calories each hour.
· Bike riding: you will not need a moving bike to burn calories. A stationary ride at average speed has the potential to burn 413 calories per hour.
Helpful tips for your treadmill routine
There is no doubting that treadmills are the all-season training tools come what weather may. But how well do you know how to bring the best out of your treading? In order to ensure you are doing it right and get the full benefit of running on your treadmill, here are tips that will come in handy;
1. Learn to let your arms free: many runners always have their hands holding the side bars of their treading machine. You think this is a safe practice but to the contrary you are bringing more danger to your body. Let your hands free and gain all there is from your running. Stand slightly titled forwards with your hands bend at the elbow but not supported by anything.
2. Wear the right shoes: just because you are running on a manmade platform doesn’t mean you can wear any shoes. You need the right pair of running shoes to give comfort and confidence in what do. The right kind of shoes will cushion you from injuries and other adverse effects from your running.
3. Adjust your incline to a more natural position: just like natural landscape, your treadmill’s running surface can be flat, uphill and downhill. All this is achieved by adjusting the incline on your machine. Those with extensive treading experience advise that you have your incline at level 2. At this level the running surface feels more natural and gives you a comfortable position to run without any injury scares.
4. Find a good location for your treadmill: when you run you need to feel like you are doing it outside: free and exciting. Having your machine kept in the basement will not bring the best out of you. Likewise, having it in a crowded space where you struggle to catch your breath is counterproductive. Have your equipment placed at an open location with lots of space and running freedom. If you can have it strategically placed in a position from where you can watch your TV then the better for you. Listening to music or watching your favorite TV programs will help you keep going even when you feel like you have had enough. Another important thing to remember is to ensure that there is some natural light coming in. It gives a sense of freedom, just like it would outside, and there is never a better motivation than this.
5. Run from the outside as opposed to running from the inside: there is the temptation to want to run from the inside. The truth is that you will feel caged and restricted in every way possible. But running from outside hands you more freedom. Freedom that will release all the potential from within you. To run from the outside you will need a good pair of shoes. Not any other type you will pick in the market and convert it into a running shoe.