Years of sedentary activity often result in the accumulation of excess fat that hinders your appearance, makes normal living uncomfortable and elevates your likelihood of developing disease. A treadmill offers an effective way to lose unwanted weight through jogging, running or walking. Treadmills workouts are aerobic, so you'll reduce fat while also improving your cardiovascular fitness. Recognize how much time to spend on a treadmill in order to achieve a healthy body size.
Treadmill Weight Loss
Jogging and walking on a treadmill represent effective aerobic methods for weight loss. Aerobic workouts include physical movement that lets the large muscle groups in your body --- like the legs and hips --- work continuously for a sustained time period. People who exercise on treadmills use large numbers of calories quickly, so doctors typically recommend the activity for patients who seek slimmer figures. Regular treadmill exercise offers more benefits than weight loss, as you'll also have a better chance to avoid osteoporosis, heart attack and some types of cancer.
Effective Duration
The Cleveland Clinic suggests aerobic exercise for most people up to five days weekly for 30 minutes to an hour with a physician's approval. The length of an aerobic workout is key to your body size, since you'll burn more calories the longer you stay on the treadmill. Mayo Clinic estimates that a person who weighs 160 lbs. typically burns 277 calories by walking for 60 minutes with the treadmill set at a speed of 3.5 miles each hour, while the same person burns 986 calories running at a speed of 8 miles per hour. A 60-minute jog performed at five miles per hour on the treadmill burns 584 calories, while performing treadmill stair climbing for an hour burns about 657 calories.
Length vs. Intensity
While sustained activity is essential to aerobic weight loss, the intensity of your treadmill workout also plays a role in the amount of benefits you'll receive. An effective walk, run or jog is one that is done at a pace vigorous enough to create a faster heart rate and breathing. Aim to maintain your target heart rate for the duration of your workout for best results. Determine your ideal rate by subtracting your age from 220 and then calculate 60 to 80 percent of the number. Doctors often suggest that beginners exercise at 60 percent of the target heart rate and eventually work to the 80 percent level over time.
Improving Your Odds
The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports recommends complementing your aerobic treadmill workouts with strength training, or exercise that builds muscle. People with strong muscles have a better chance of completing a full aerobic workout and typically have less chance of sustaining an injury. Strength training activities like weightlifting also benefit weight loss because more muscles result in greater calorie loss and increases your body's basal metabolic rate. The increase allows you to burn calories longer, even during rest. Ask your doctor about a safe strength training schedule for your health condition.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: Walk for Good
- Mayo Clinic: Exercise for Weight Loss: Calories Burned In 1 Hour
- President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports: Exercise and Weight Control
- Mayo Clinic: Walking: Trim Your Waistline, Improve Your Health
- Cleveland Clinic: What Is The Best Type of Aerobic Exercise?
- Mayo Clinic: Aerobic Exercise: Top 10 Reasons to Get Physical
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