A treadmill can help you burn calories whether you walk, jog or run. Burning calories helps you lose weight because when you consistently burn more calories than you eat, you lose weight. Combine a regular treadmill routine with a reduced-calorie diet and increased overall activity to lose weight.
Features
A treadmill workout for weight loss requires you to elevate your heart rate and break a sweat. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends working at this moderate pace for at least 60 minutes a day, five times per week to spur weight loss. Use the treadmill’s incline and speed settings to help you achieve appropriate intensity.
Strategy
The speed and incline you use to achieve your moderate intensity workout depends on your fitness level. Beginners who are new to cardiovascular exercise may find a walk on a flat belt at a pace of 3 mph sufficiently challenging. As you become more fit, increase the speed and incline accordingly. Consider adding in jogging intervals to burn more calories. If you are a seasoned runner seeking weight loss, you should shake things up by including intervals of speed and hill climbs. A 2008 issue of the “International Journal of Obesity published a study showing that all-out sprints alternated with moderate bouts of work resulted in greater fat loss than steady state training after just 15 weeks
Calorie Burn
Your age, weight, gender, body composition, fitness level and intensity are all factors influencing your calorie burn in a treadmill workout. As an estimate, a 150-lb. person who goes about 6 mph on no incline burns about 360 calories in 30 minutes according to caloriesperhour.com. Adding an incline increases the calorie burn as does running faster. Likewise, going at a slower pace will burn fewer calories. Walking at 3 mph burns only about 110 calories in the same amount of time.
Caution
While walking burns fewer calories, taking off at a run during your first workout is likely to cause injury--if you can even sustain it. Doing too much too soon leads to problems like shin splints, plantar fasciitis and excessive muscle soreness. Even experienced runners who suddenly increase their weekly mileage in an effort to lose weight can suffer from overuse injuries.
Considerations
The pounding on a treadmill can be troublesome for people with joint injuries, arthritis or a lot of extra weight. While a treadmill workout can be an effective way to lose weight, be sure to cross train on other equipment to keep your body challenged, fight boredom and give you relief from the impact. The elliptical trainer, stationary bike and swimming pool are good alternatives.
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