Does Exercise On A Treadmill Tone The Legs & Thighs?

Lean, toned legs have been a symbol of beauty long before celebrities such as Tina Turner and Jamie Lee Curtis started to insure theirs. Women are more prone to thigh fat than men. Excess fat hides muscles on your legs and increases your risk of developing cellulite or dimply thighs. While leg and thigh fat isn't as dangerous to your health as abdominal fat, it's a sign that you're not in the best possible shape.

Treadmill Training And Thigh Or Leg Fat

Running and walking on a treadmill are forms of aerobic exercise. These activities use the large muscles in your leg for a long period and require extra calories to perform. This extra calorie burning helps you to shed fat in your legs and elsewhere in your body. Without burning fat first, you won't be able to reveal the underlying muscle. Treadmill training can also help to build muscle and tone your legs quicker if you do it on an incline.

Amount

Exercising on a treadmill for at least 30 minutes is a good start. However, you can burn more fat and keep it off if you exercise for between 60 and 90 minutes. If you're unable to do a full 60 minutes when you first start exercising on a treadmill, do it for at least 30 minutes and gradually increase the duration as you become fitter. Your body burns more fat after you've been exercising for more than 20 minutes.

Time of Day to Train

Exercising on a treadmill --- combined with a sensible diet --- can help you to lose calories, no matter what time of day you do it. However, you may get faster results if you train in the morning, according to Jorge Cruise, a weight loss coach and author of "8 Minutes in the Morning to Lean Hips and Thin Thighs." Your metabolism is lowest first thing in the morning because you've been sleeping. Exercise gives it a much-needed boost for increased calorie-burning all day long. Also, you're better able to build muscle in the morning when testosterone levels are highest, notes Cruise.

Caution

Get a medical checkup if you haven't exercised in a while or have an existing condition such as diabetes or arthritis before starting an exercise program. Begin at a gradual pace and increase it gradually as you become fitter. Walking or running on an incline or uphill can increase the risk of shin splints and is not recommended if you have knee problems. Treadmills can be hazardous to children. Always unplug your treadmill and teach your children not to play around it or try to use it. Or if possible, store it out of harm's way.