Archive for the ‘Articles on Treadmills’ Category
We all have heard the experts – try to walk 10,000 steps a day for your health.
Walking is one of the healthiest things you can do for your body. And Using treadmills make it much easier to walk for exercise. A great goal to get in shape is by taking 10,000 steps on your treadmill.
Health Benefits of Using a Treadmill
To gain the most benefits from walking, it is recommended that you need to walk at least 20 minutes a day.
20 minutes is the minimum and you will get greater benefits by walking longer.
By walking 20 minutes a day you can help to lower your heart rate, help to ward of cardiovascular disease, prevent blood clots from forming, delay the onset of osteoporosis, increase your thinking power, improve your overall mood, reduce your risk of getting type 2 diabetes and increase your overall energy level. These are just some of the many benefits of walking.
So lets do a bit of math.
Let’s take the average person -for the average person each mile they walk is equal to about 2,000 steps. So in order to get in 10,000 steps in a day you would need to walk approximately 5 miles.
Now then let’s just assume that you don’t get in much walking during the day ( or you want to walk more than 10,000 steps) so you want to walk 10,000 steps on your treadmill. If you walk at a speed of 5 miles per hour, it will take you 1 hour on your treadmill to achieve your 10,000 steps or 12 minutes for each mile.
Does it take you longer than 12 minutes to walk each mile?
If so then you will need to either walk longer on your treadmill, walk faster or not hit your goal of 10,000 steps just on your treadmill but in combination with the rest of your daily walking.
Even if you do not go for a walk each day but do go grocery shopping, the the mall, work outside of the home, chase after a toddler, walk up and down stairs to do the laundry or walk to and from your car from your home or apartment then you are already probably walking 2,000 to 2,500 steps a day give or take a bit.
Do you have 1 hour to devote to your treadmill workout or would you prefer to break it down into smaller chunks – lets say 3 – 20 minute workouts?
Walking 2,000 steps is approximately 1 mile of walking so if you break down your workouts to 20 minute sessions then you would need to walk approximately 3333 steps every 20 minutes.
Now I know that this might sound complicated but if you have a timer and a speed control on your treadmill just set your speed for 5 miles per hour and walk for 20 minutes.
Ok, now we have a bit of a problem since you will need to warm up a bit and cool down since a 5 minute mile is a fairly good pace. So you will need to add a little more time in there so lets say a 25 minute workout – now we are up to working out for 75 minutes instead of 60.
So logically should you try to aim for 10,000 just from your treadmill workout or try to hit the 10,000 from a combination of all your daily steps?
Only you know the answer that is right for you.
If you can do you treadmill walking at a good speed and for 1 hour at a time (plus some warm up and cool down time- remember you want to increase your speed slowly as you walk, you don’t want to hop on it an immediately hit a 5 minute mile) then maybe you can do it.
However, for the majority of us hitting that 10,000 step mark from just a treadmill may just be a dream. Now let me preface this in stating that you are also probably not going to hit the 10,000 steps during a walk outside either – the treadmill isn’t the issue, its the time that we have to devote to walking and the speed that most of us do our walking.
So what is the average person to do?
First and above all – before starting your new 10,000 step walking program visit your doctor and get the ok, from them. I know that it sound trivial – heck you’re just walking – but unless you are already active and have been given a clean bill of health as they say you should never start a new fitness program.
Then use your treadmill in conjunction with the rest of the walking that you do during the day.
Not sure how much you actually walk? Borrow a pedometer from a friend or co-worker or buy one on your own – they run anywhere from $8-$25 depending on the model. Then wear one for a week or so to see actually how much you do walk.
Then take your 10,000 step goal and minus out your average step count.
This will leave you with the amount of steps that you will want to reach on your treadmill.
You might be quite surprised that you only need 5,000 or so which is very doable, even at a slower pace.
Using your treadmill will help you to get up to 10,000 steps so that you can get all the rewards that walking has to offer.
Having a treadmill in your house will be a constant reminder to you that you need to exercise.
When you watch TV try to walk on your treadmill, even if you can only walk at 20 minutes at a time it is still so much better than just sitting on the couch.
By taking 10,000 steps on your treadmill you can gain all the health reward from walking and you will have a higher quality of life.
The Treadmill Motor
The treadmill motor is one of the most important components of your treadmill yet most of us know very little about them.
When you are comparing treadmill brands and models you may notice that one has a 2.0 HP motor, one may have a 2.0 CHP motor and one may state that it has 3.5 HP motor. But really what does it all mean. 
When trying to understand a bit more about your treadmill motor first you must understand what the motor does and moves on the treadmill. Sure we all know that it moves the treadbelt, but if you have a treadmill that automatically inclines or declines, your motor must also work those functions.
While some treadmills may have a separate motor for the incline and decline most don’t, so while your treadmill is moving up and down, it also is moving the treadbelt at the same time.
Treadmill motors are rated by HP ( horse power) just like a car engine or lawn mover, the higher the horsepower the more powerful the motor. So a treadmill motor that is rated 2.0 is more powerful than one that is rated 1.0 – correct?
Well yes and no. In general the answer is yes. However, the power of the motor also has to do with the efficiency of the treadmill design. You may find that a brand name treadmill model has just as much power in their 1.0 treadmill motor as an off-the-wall brand that doesn’t have a good treadmill design so that the motor is less efficient and does not more the belt and incline as easily as the motor that appears to be less power full but more efficient.
Differences between a HP and CHP treadmill motor
Next to the motor size you may see HP or CHP – do you know the difference?
HP stands for the standard horse power that most of us are used to seeing. CHP on the other hand stands for continuous horse power.
A CHP or continuous horse power treadmill motor means that the motor can sustain the highest level of power continiously while a standard horse powered motor may reach the high power it is not mean to push the motor at full power for any long length of time.
Normally a CHP motor at let say 2.5 CHP, will give you more power for a longer duration of your workout than a 2.5 HP motor.
If you are planning on just walking on your treadmill and not sprinting or increasing or decreasing your incline then a standard 1.0 HP motor would be just as good for you as a 1.0 CHP. However if you plan to run, jog or have your incline consistently change then you should opt for a CHP motor or move up to a more powerful motor.
For example: Instead of choosing a treadmill with a 1.0 HP you can either choose a 1.0 CHP or a 1.5 HP motor. Both will give you more power and more power equals a smoother treadmill workout you you.
Some treadmill models now have a commercial grade CHP motor, which is usually better insulated and spin tested giving you even a smoother and more steady workout than a CHP treadmill motor.
So what if you are comparing three different treadmill models or brands and they all appear to have slightly different treadmill motor sizes would it make a huge difference in your workout? Small differences like a .5 difference really wouldn’t make much of a difference is you are looking at name brand treadmills, since name brand treadmills are efficient and their motors are rated quite fairly, but if it is a treadmill brand that you have never heard of or has receive less than glowing reviews then the .5 might just make a big enough difference to be noticeable.
Treadmill Motor Warranties
When you are comparing treadmills and treadmill motors be sure to take a good look at the treadmill motor warranty.
Some warranties are good for 90 days, some 1 year and some have lifetime warranties.
Since the treadmill motor is basically the lifeblood of your treadmill look for the longest warranty possible.
Many of the brand name treadmill companies have a lifetime warranty on the motor and should be an added plus when comparing.
Just the peace of mind knowing that the treadmill company backs its motor will tell you a lot about how the company feels about its reputation and how they want to the consumer to be satisfied.
If they didn’t spend time producing a treadmill motor that performed as expected they wouldn’t be able to offer such a good warranty.
Some people will often check out the motor warranty on a treadmill before they even look closer at the features, and that does make good sense. You have have a treadmill will all the latest bells and whistles but if it gives out after 90 days and you don’t have a warranty to cover it, it may take you months before you can replace it. However, if you have along term or lifetime warranty life is so much easier.
So remember that in addition to looking at the size and type of a your treadmill motor you should also take a look at its warranty.
We all know that treadmills can help us lose weight and get into shape, but treadmills also offer additional health benefits that you may not have thought of.
Health Benefits of Using a Treadmill
Here are a few health benefits of using a treadmill
Treadmills can help you feel happier
Sometimes working out seems so difficult to do, especially if you are depressed. Finding the motivation to workout is difficult.
Owning and using a treadmill can give you more health benefits than just losing weight and getting into shape. Running on a treadmill makes you feel less depressed. Working out on a treadmill also makes you more energetic and feel less groggy. And when you get a workout routine on your treadmill, you will feel happier.
Treadmill Use Can Reduce Depression
When you run on a treadmill you may notice that you don’t feel as depressed and down on yourself. Running, and all exercise, will set a trigger off in your brain to release endorphins. Endorphins work like analgesics. They help to block out pain. Your body sends these endorphins to make the pains of cramps less. But endorphins not only block out pain, they make you feel good.
So the next time you are getting down on yourself, jump on the treadmill for 15 minutes.
Additional Health Benefits of Using a Treadmill For Your Workouts
Increase Your Energy by Using a Treadmill
When you make an exercise routine where you run on your treadmill every day, you will not be as groggy and have more energy than if you didn’t run every day. This seems strange, why would you have more energy when you use up your energy? When you are feeling tired, running on a treadmill will send those magical endorphins through your body.
Also, your heart will start to work harder to keep up with you. To keep up this activity, your body will send you energy from your reserves. So when you stop running, you will notice for the rest of the day an extra bounce in your step. You will find that not only will you have more energy, but you will be sleeping better at night as well.
The Happiness Factor and Treadmill Use
Having an exercise routine where you run on a treadmill will send those happy endorphins through your body. But the endorphins are not the only reason that you will be happier. Setting goals for yourself to get into better shape and following through will boost your happiness. Knowing that you are doing something to improve yourself will make you happier. The extra energy that you would have will allow you to do more than just run every day, it will allow you to do other things that you enjoy doing.
Wouldn’t you be happier if you had more energy, getting good sleep, weren’t depressed and were getting doses of that good feeling every day? So don’t delay, start exercising on your treadmill today and see what health benefits you can get from using your treadmill!