Being overweight or obese increases your risk of serious medical problems, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers. To lose weight, you must burn more calories than you consume. Walking is a healthy, simple and effective way to burn calories and improve your health. Treadmills help with weight loss by providing a safe, customizable and comfortable means of walking any time.
Function
Treadmills assist with weight loss for the same reasons walking and running are beneficial to weight loss programs: they increase heart rate, burn calories, build muscle and improve overall fitness. Treadmills allow for walking or running at different incline settings and rates of speed so that new users are able to gradually increase the intensity of their workouts.
Benefits
Treadmills allow you to customize your workout to your level of fitness and weight loss goals, and they enable weight loss efforts to continue even when outside weather is too cold or rainy for walking or running. Treadmills are more convenient than outdoor exercise and may be safer during times of heavy traffic or when it is necessary to exercise in poorly lit areas. Moreover, because running on an inclined treadmill is more challenging than walking on flat ground, you use more muscles, burn more calories and improve your bone density.
Considerations
Although treadmills are beneficial when attempting to lose weight, they do not provide an identical experience to outdoor exercise. Unlike running or walking outdoors, treadmill use offers no wind resistance, and outdoor air resistance increases your overall workload by as much as 10 percent, according to the Running Planet website. Additionally, walking or running exclusively on a flat surface can negatively affect your stride over time.
Caution
Using a treadmill to help with weight loss is more convenient than walking or running outdoors for some people, but this convenience may increase your risk of muscle strain and fatigue if you are not careful. If you walk or run on your treadmill while watching television or reading a book, it may be harder to monitor the time you spend exercising and the distance you've covered on your machine. This may lead to extended workouts, overused muscles and exhaustion. Treadmills are not safer than running outside if you suffer from heart disease or another medical condition. Consult your doctor before beginning any new exercise routine or making changes to your existing workout program.
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