Losing weight is simple in principle: to drop pounds, you must burn more calories than you take in. In practice, it is more difficult, particularly if you are trying to achieve the calorie restriction only by eating less. To get healthier and burn calories, incorporate walking into your daily routine. Walking on a treadmill is a user-friendly exercise, even for people who are new to working out. By switching up a standard walking routine, you can burn even more calories and build muscle.
Weight
Heavier people burn more calories than lighter people, even when doing the same workout. To increase your calorie burn when walking on a treadmill, add body weights. According to MayoClinic.com, a 160-lb. person walking for an hour at 3.5 mph burns 277 calories; a 200-lb. person doing the same workout burns 346 calories. To add weight, put on a weighted vest, wear ankle weights or carry free weights during your treadmill workout; even if you change nothing else, you will burn more calories.
Speed
The faster you walk, the more calories you will burn. According to MayoClinic.com, a 160-lb. person burns 183 calories walking at 2 mph and 277 walking at 3.5 mph. Instead of completing your treadmill workout at a speed you are comfortable with, chose one a few tenths of a mile per hour faster. Or, work in speed by adding short intervals of walking as fast as you can go. Because they are over quickly, you can give yourself time to recover.
Incline
Burning more calories on the treadmill can be as simple as bumping up the incline. According to Dr. Jana Klauer in an article for "Women'sHealth" magazine, you can burn 10 percent more calories for every additional degree of incline. If you burn 300 calories in a standard workout, adding five degrees of incline can increase your burn by up to 50 percent, taking the total to 450. As an added bonus, the higher incline will require your legs to work harder, building muscle. Because muscle burns more calories than fat, you will increase your overall calorie burn in the long run.
Incline and Speed
For a serious calorie burn, "Fitness" magazine recommends combining short, intense bursts of increased incline and increased speed. Start with a five-minute walking warmup. Then, spend two minutes walking at a faster speed and higher incline. Choose a speed that requires you to work hard; "Fitness" recommends between 3.6 and 4.2 mph. Increase the incline throughout the workout, starting at 4 degrees and working up to to 9 or 10 degrees, depending on your level of fitness. Aim for 45 minutes total of walking.
Member Comments