The treadmill allows you to get a moderate to intense aerobic workout indoors year-round. The convenience of indoor aerobic exercise equipment can help you stick to a workout routine and maintain a healthy weight. With adjustable speed and incline settings, treadmills allow exercisers of all levels to get workouts that suit their needs.
Running
Running on a treadmill provides a high-intensity, high-impact workout that burns calories quickly. A 200-pound person can burn 728 calories in one hour of running at 5 mph or 1,229 calories in one hour of running at 8 mph, according to MayoClinic.com. The faster you run and the longer you spend running, the more calories you will burn. Running at an incline can also help you burn more calories. High-impact weight-bearing exercise such as running can help you build strong bones and reduce your risk of osteoporosis, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
Walking
Walking on a treadmill provides a lower-impact alternative to running that may be easier and safer for adults with osteoporosis, frail bones or other limiting physical factors. This low-impact exercise can also help you maintain bone density, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation. One hour of walking at 2 mph can burn 228 calories for a 200-pound person, according to MayoClinic.com. One hour of walking at 3.5 mph can burn 346 calories for a 200-pound person.
Considerations
Treadmill workouts can help you achieve the minimum weekly exercise totals recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC suggests that adults get at least two hours and 30 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise or one hour and 15 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise each week. Increasing your weekly exercise to five hours of moderate aerobic exercise or two hours and 30 minutes of vigorous aerobic exercise each week may help you achieve even greater health benefits, suggests the CDC. If you can't fit long workouts into your schedule, try squeezing shorter workouts into your routine. Workouts should be at least 10 minutes long, says the CDC. Consult your physician before you begin a new exercise program.
Health Benefits
Regular aerobic exercise such as running or walking can help you improve your health in a variety of ways. Aerobic exercise helps you maintain a healthy weight; reduce your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, metabolic disorders and some cancers; strengthen your muscles and bones; and improve your mood and energy levels, according to the CDC. Treadmill workouts can also help you lose weight. If you burn 500 calories more than you consume each day, you will lose about one pound per week, according to MayoClinic.com.
References
- MayoClinic.com: Exercise for Weight Loss -- Calories Burned in 1 Hour
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Healthy Weight -- Physical Activity for a Healthy Weight
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Losing Weight
- National Osteoporosis Foundation: Exercise for Healthy Bones
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: The Benefits of Physical Activity
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