Treadmill Walking- How to Get Started

Fitness has emerged as our topmost priority amidst the rising awareness about leading a healthy, fulfilling, and productive life in recent times.

The treadmill for homes allows us to engage in an intense indoor cardio workout within our homes.

Among all other home exercise equipment, a treadmill is the easiest for walking and running exercises.

Being a beginner, if you are wondering how to get started with a treadmill, consider the following.

Tips for Easy and Effective Guidance for an Awesome Treadmill Workout

Take Medical Consultation Before Walking Treadmill

Before you set out to kick start your walking program with a treadmill, consult with your doctor, and take proper medical advice.

Consulting with your doctor is even more important if you have medical conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, pregnancy, dizzy spells, chest pain, heart trouble, etc.

If you are over 65 years of age or are not doing any workout or exercises for the past few months, you must take medical consultation before walking on the treadmill.

Choosing Between Walking and Running

If you plan to start a treadmill workout, take slow measures by practicing walking first and then slowly increasing your pace.

Time your progress and increase your workout session slowly, especially if you have not been exercising recently. Don’t worry about burning too many calories too soon.

Gradually you would develop confidence in walking briskly on the treadmill.

Before deciding to switch over from walking to running plan, analyze your stamina and physical conditions.

Don’t attempt to rush into running too soon to burn more calories as you may not cope with it initially.

Even with brisk walking, you may achieve significant weight loss and fitter body.

Do a Warm-up and Pace Your Walk Slowly.

Before any exercise routine, a warm-up session sets the tone, enhances blood circulation, prepares your body muscles, and ensures maximum effectiveness without any distress during the main workout.

Begin with light warm-up at a moderate walking pace of 2.5 mph or three mph for at least 5 minutes.

You may also get down from the treadmill after warm-up and engage in stretching exercises for hamstrings and leg muscles.

It will prepare you for better handling the exertion of the main workout and enhances its effectiveness.

Gradually build-up the momentum by increasing the pace until you begin to pant and maintain that pace for your workout’s remaining duration.

For beginners, the walking treadmill workout should last between 10-15 minutes.

When you plan to increase the incline on a treadmill, ensure to do a warm-up routine first.

Plan Your Walking Schedule

You must plan your walking session well in advance.

Determine the duration, frequency, pace, and walking techniques for your walking treadmill session.

When you start working out, have a clear idea of the time you intend to put into walking in that session.

Doing this would help you maximize your walking benefits and get the most out of your workout session.

Once you are comfortable with early easier sessions, plan to build up the momentum to move on to the next level by increasing pace or incline on a treadmill.

Your ideal target would be to increase your walking or run a treadmill workout to at least 30 minutes to 60 minutes.

Also, have clear, well-defined fitness goals in place that you would like to achieve with a treadmill workout.

Track Your Progress

Once you are squeezed comfortably into a walking treadmill routine, begin to track your progress.

Take a three-minute test, which involves one minute each of walking, jogging, and running.

If you feel comfortable and breathing easy after the test, it indicates you have built up enough stamina to move on to the next level. Increase your pace and incline gradually.

Remember, you might not be able to perform at your peak every day. So relax and allow your body ample time to recover before making attempts to better your performance.

Learn a Proper Walking Technique

Invest your time and energy in learning proper walking techniques for maximum effectiveness.

Focus on maintaining a proper posture and balanced movements of legs and hands.

Begin with subtle incline for avoiding injury and getting proper hold of the equipment.

Remember to not rush into things and give yourself time to learn the basics and master the required skills for a perfect walking treadmill workout.

Don’t burden yourself with too many new exercises and higher intensity levels too soon. Adopt a slow and steady approach for long-lasting, effective, safe, and injury-free treadmill workout sessions.

Incorporate New Exercises

Once you begin to achieve your targets of pre-determined pace and time quite comfortably, it’s time to incorporate other exercises into your treadmill routine.

Advance to the next level by incorporating strength training exercises like jogging and interval training to your treadmill workout.

It would also add much-needed variety to your monotonous routine.

Strength training exercises boost your body metabolism and burn your calories rapidly.

These exercises would leave you with strengthened muscles that allow you to perform other exercises with ease.

You may also opt for weightlifting sessions for building the muscles and burning the fats.

Avoid Running on an Incline for Too Long

As a beginner, you must not run on an inclined treadmill for more than 5 minutes at a stretch.

The incline makes it tough for you to walk or run for a long duration. They are meant for burning more calories by seasoned walkers or runners.

Keep the treadmill incline setting mild to moderate level. If you want to walk or run on a steeper incline, then reduce the time limit accordingly.

Set Realistic Goals

As a beginner, you must keep patience while progressing with your treadmill workout.

Don’t expect to get rid of your body fat and flab only within a few sessions.

Set realistic and achievable goals. Going too harsh only serves to overburden yourself.

Always begin with a slow and consistent workout and then take bigger challenges as your body gets stronger over time.

Conclusion

Treadmill offers a distinctive advantage over running or walking outdoors as its belt keeps you moving even when you get exhausted and run out of energies.

Treadmill’s immense utility has made it the most popular home exercise equipment for burning calories.

Achieve your fitness goals through an effective indoor workout with a treadmill.

Preksha
 

Preksha is passionate about writing articles that will inspire readers to make better choices. You will find her eating desserts for lunch, dinner and any time of the day. Also, she is the chief playlist engineer for any road trip.

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