Healthy adults require a minimum of 30 minutes of daily aerobic exercise to attain cardiovascular health, according to the American Heart Association. Walking on a treadmill satisfies this minimum requirement, and also offers distinct advantages over other forms of exercise. Design an exercise regimen that includes treadmill workouts and you will improve your health, build endurance, get stronger and attain or maintain a healthy weight.
Cardiovascular Exercise
Walking on a treadmill provides a moderate to intense cardio workout. However, strolling on the treadmill will not burn fat as quickly as briskly walking. Program your treadmill for a pace that challenges you, but that you can sustain. The faster you move, the more calories you will burn. Walking two miles in one hour will burn between 180 and 270 calories, depending upon your fitness level and weight. Walking 3.5 miles in one hour burns 275 to 410 calories. Increase to a race-walking pace of five miles in one hour and you burn 580 to 870 calories.
Lower-Impact Exercise
Walking on a treadmill provides a lower-impact workout than jogging, running, jumping rope or other intense aerobic workouts. In addition, the treadmill absorbs some of the shock when your foot repeatedly hits its surface, making it safer than walking on hard surfaces such as sidewalks and blacktops. Increase the safety and stability of your treadmill workout by investing in shoes with good ankle and heel support. Choose soles that have extra cushioning or gel inserts for absorbing shock.
Adjustable Workout
Treadmills come with several preset programs for different styles of workouts. They also feature manual controls with which you can adjust the speed and incline. Using these tools means you diversify your workout and tailor it to your needs. If you want to burn more fat, use an interval setting that varies your pace and includes some race-walking. If you want to create a strengthening component, set your treadmill at a steep grade.
Tracking Progress
Although treadmill screen readouts vary in their accuracy, you can use them as a general guide to track your progress. Note your overall time, miles walked, average pace and calories burned in your workout -- and set a small, achievable goal to improve in one or more of these categories. As you gain fitness, you burn less calories doing the exact same workout, so keep adding challenges.
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