A combination of exercise and healthy, portion-controlled eating yields weight loss. For the exercise portion of your weight-loss program, the treadmill offers versatility and an effective way to burn a lot of calories in a short period of time. According to the website Running Planet, treadmill running burns more calories than exercising on any other type of cardio machine. Even if you cannot run, walking briskly up an incline can help you burn more calories and lead to weight loss. The best way to use the treadmill to lose weight is to alternate between higher intensity workout days, and lower intensity days to prevent burn out, overtraining and injury.
Step 1
Evaluate your fitness level and recognize any physical limitations you may have. Visit your doctor and get clearance to begin an exercise program.
Step 2
Spend three days per week exercising at a steady-state level for an hour to 90 minutes--the amount recommended for weight loss by the American College of Sports Medicine. Jog at moderate intensity pace--one that makes you break a sweat and raises your heart rate to between 65 and 75 percent of maximum. Walk if you cannot jog, adding an incline between 3 and 10 percent to make sure your intensity is of an adequate aerobic level.
Step 3
Perform interval training on two other non-consecutive days of the week. Begin with a warm-up at an easy pace for five minutes. Go as fast as you can sustain for four minutes, followed by an easy pace for two minutes. Repeat 10 times to complete an hour workout. Cool down with a light walk for five minutes. The Journal of Applied Physiology published a Canadian study in 2007 showing that this type of training improved participants' ability to burn fat during exercise. Rob Morris, author of "Treadmill Training for Runners" also points out that interval training burns more calories overall per session than steady-state low-intensity exercise. It also improves your level of fitness so you can work harder overall all the time--leading to greater calorie burn in every workout. The more calories you burn, the more weight you can lose--as long as you do not use your workouts as an excuse to eat more.
Step 4
Vary your approach to intervals every two to three weeks to keep your body challenged and burning calories. Experiment with shorter, faster speed intervals with equal rest times, or perform the intervals with your treadmill set on an incline.
Step 5
Eat enough calories to keep your energy levels up for your workouts. Consume a light 100- to 200-calorie snack about an hour before you work out to fuel your efforts. Trim overall daily calories below your burn rate to yield weight loss. Do not eat fewer than 1,200 calories per day as a woman or 1,500 calories per day as a man warns Medline Plus.
Tips and Warnings
- If you are a beginner who aspires to run, establish a base line fitness level by walking for a couple of weeks. Do the intervals as bursts of power walking. After a few weeks, jog the intervals. Over time, you will build up the stamina to sustain a jog and run interval pattern. How long this takes really depends on your personal fitness level, your age and the consistency of your exercise program. Do not perform interval training every day. If you do it with the proper intensity, it taxes your leg muscles and cardiovascular system greatly and requires some recovery time before repeating. Leave 48 hours between sessions so each one is quality and you avoid injury. Make sure you wear proper footwear for your workouts. Running or walking shoes will help prevent injury.
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