Walking and running on a treadmill is an aerobic exercise that can burn a lot of calories and improve cardio health and endurance. Treadmills are versatile, easy to operate and can provide a challenging workout for individuals of all fitness levels. One of the biggest advantages of using a treadmill is that the speed and incline are customizable. If you get bored with one workout, you can switch up your routine. The best way to burn fat on a treadmill is by focusing on burning calories and working out frequently.
Burn Calories
One pound of fat is equivalent to 3,500 calories. Walking 3.5 mph burns about 277 calories in a 160-pound person and 346 calories in a 200-pound person. At this rate, it will take the 160-pound person 24 days and the 200-pound person about 10 days to drop 2 lbs. By eliminating additional calories through diet, or burning more calories by increasing your activity in other ways, you can burn even more fat in less time.
Interval Training
By alternating bursts of running with intervals of walking, you can burn more calories than by simply walking. In 2007, a "Journal of Applied Physiology" study, led by Jason Talanian, Ph.D., found that interval training increased fat burning in exercise volunteers by 36 percent. In the study, young women exercised every other day for two weeks and alternated 10 sets of four-minute bursts of intense bike riding with two minutes of light riding. According to the Mayo Clinic website, increasing activity levels for a few minutes improves aerobic capacity and can produce results in 45 minutes that you'd typically expect to see after a 60-minute workout.
Incline Function
Increasing the incline function while walking on a treadmill can also burn more calories than walking on a flat surface. A 150-pound person burns 228 calories when walking 4 mph at a 5 percent incline for 30 minutes. At a 10-percent incline, the individual will burn 323 calories, and at a 15 percent incline, he will burn 415 calories.
Fat-Burning Guidelines
In order to lose weight, you have to make a commitment to working out on a regular basis. The American College of Sports Medicine suggests doing moderately intense cardio exercise, such as walking or running on a treadmill, for 30 minutes a day, five days a week, to maintain your weight and prevent the onset of chronic illnesses. To burn fat, healthy adults need to get on the treadmill for 60 to 90 minutes, five days a week. By supplementing your treadmill workout with strength-training activities, slashing extraneous calories from your diet and eating low-fat, low-calorie foods, you can burn fat more quickly than by doing cardio activity alone.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Exercise for Weight Loss; December 2009
- ScienceDaily; Interval Training Burns More Fat; June 2007
- MayoClinic.com: Interval Training; Can It Boost Your Calorie-Burning Power?; February 2010
- Spine-Health: Treadmills for Exercise and Pain Relief; Megan Tyner; May 2007
- CaloriesPerHour.com: Activity Calculator
- American College of Sports Medicine: Physical Activity Guidelines
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