Treadmills Ellipticals Home Fitness Equipment

Posts Tagged ‘treadmill workouts’

Everyone wants to get healthy and stay in shape. This goal can sometimes seem quite elusive. There are never enough hours in the day to do everything we want to do, and our fitness regimen often falls by the wayside.

However, to fully enjoy life and get the most out of it, we NEED to be in shape.  Exercise is the lifeblood of our existence. It gives us energy, stamina, and even happiness. It’s time we all started exercising daily, even if it’s only for a little bit at a time.

The easiest way to do this is with a treadmill at home. But treadmills aren’t only good for reminding you to exercise and making it convenient, there are plenty of wonderful health benefits that come with using this kind of home fitness machine.

Here are the top 5 health benefits of daily treadmill workouts:

1.   Treadmills improve cardiovascular health.
This means using them makes your heart stronger. A strong heart will, in turn increase the blood flow throughout your body, revitalizing every part of you. This includes helping you breathe better, heal faster, and even think more clearly.

2.  Treadmill walking easily burns calories, helping you to lose weight.
The longer you stay on it, the more calories you burn, and the leaner you can become. As you get more fit and can endure more, you can even pump up the intensity of your workouts to lose even more weight. If you workout regularly, you can be sleek and slim, just like you’ve always wanted.

Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill

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3.  Treadmill workouts can help you sleep better.
It’s a proven fact that lack of exercise will keep you up at night. A good workout on the treadmill during the day will put your body in the right state to sleep deeply that night, and can be wonderful for curing insomnia. Just remember to not exercise within 2 hours of going to bed because that can keep you up as well.

4.  A treadmill workout relieves stress and helps eliminate depression.
In fact, exercise is one of the best stress relievers on the planet, and many doctors say it’s more effective than any medication for mild to moderate depression and anxiety. A little bit of time on the treadmill each day can really boost your mood and improve your outlook in a profound way.

5.  Workouts help ease the symptoms of diabetes.
Regular walking, including walking on a treadmill, regulates blood sugar levels and increases insulin sensitivity in your muscles. Many people who use a treadmill regularly have been able to reduce their diabetes medications with the help of their doctor.
You should try it, too!

Treadmills, Ellipticals and Home Fitness Equipment

Do you put off your exercise workouts because you find them a bit boring?

By just making a few simple changes to your workouts you can not only look forward to working out but you will reach your fitness goals quicker and feel better about it.

Are you tired of the same old 12 reps, 10 squats, and 20 minutes on your treadmill or elliptical trainer? I was.

There is a way to make exercise less boring and it’s so simple to do!

If you’re sick of walking on a flat surface on your treadmill, there are many ways to liven up that work out.

Putting on an hour-long TV show that you have to get involved in is a great way to make your mind wander.

While watching your show, set your pace at a very light jog.  When a commercial comes on, pick up your pace then slow back down when the show returns.

Another way to make exercise less boring is to add other things to make it exciting.  Add people or music.  Set your iPod to shuffle and get moving.  Create various exercise playlists and then don’t stop until the music does.

Adding people to your workout is another way to make exercise less boring. Generally,  people have 5 times more chance of taking the initiative to even go to the gym when they’re with a friend – and are ten times more likely to continue going to the gym when they have a partner to help motivate them.

Rewarding yourself when you do a good job at the gym is a key element of making exercise less boring.  Don’t get too excited – this doesn’t mean you can have a whole box of Twinkies or Ding Dongs.

This means that after a long and strenuous workout, you can treat yourself to a massage at a spa or a new outfit to suit that trimmer, healthier figure you’re now sporting.

Treadmills, Ellipticals and Home Fitness Equipment

Most treadmills have heart rate programs included in their programming, however if your treadmill doesn’t here are 6 heart rate workouts that you can do using your treadmill’s heart rate monitor or your personal monitor.

 The heart rate monitor is one of the most important pieces of equipment on a treadmill. You will find one on almost all treadmills and it measures your heart rate throughout your exercise program.

 Before you can begin any of these workouts you must know your own Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). This is best calculated by your doctor during a treadmill test of cardiovascular fitness.

 If you are over 35 years old, overweight or very unfit, you should consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program.

 Testing to know your personal MHR is highly recommended, although there is a general formula that can be used to calculate an average MHR according to your age. People of the same age vary widely in their fitness level and you should keep in mind that it is designed for the average person. So if you know that you are less fit than the average person of your age, you could calculate as if you were 5 or 10 years older.  

One thing that you must remember and that is most people over estimate how fit they actually are, so when in doubt add at least 10 years to your actual age. You can always lower your age as you see yourself getting more fit.

Here is MHR formula:

 MHR = 220 – age

 So for a person 20 years old, MHR is 220-20=200. For a person 35 years old it is 185.

 After you know your MHR you can pick from the following workouts and use the Heart Rate Monitor on the treadmill to know that you are going at the correct speed for you.  So for example if your MHR is 190 and you pick workout 1, then you should be at a speed where the monitor shows that your heart rate is between 60% and 70% of 190, i.e. between 114 and 133.

The workouts that have a lower percentage MHR will feel easier, although they may be longer. If you are beginning an exercise program you are recommended to start with the lower MHR workouts to avoid putting a lot of stress on your heart. As you become fitter, you will find that you will increase the speed of the treadmill to reach the same heart rate. After increasing your fitness measurably with one workout you can move on to another.

With each workout, do stretching exercises before and after the workout. When you are ready for one of the higher MHR workouts you should warm up and cool down with 5-10 minutes of #1 at the beginning and end of your workout.

 Here are the treadmill workouts:

 1. Beginner Treadmill Walk: 50-60% of MHR, every day for 30 minutes. This is a gentle and easy walk and a good way to start using your treadmill. Remember that although you are using your treadmill in your home, you should always wear a good walking shoe or sneaker.

2. Weight Loss Walk: 60-70% of MHR, every day for 45-60 minutes. This is a faster walk but still suitable for most people and will help you burn off calories as well as increasing your fitness level. Some people prefer to stay with this routine but as they become more fit and lose weight, they start using a weighted walking vest which will help them burn more calories during their workout.

3. Quick Walk: 70-80% of MHR, every alternate day for 20-60 minutes. On the other days, you can do either #1 or #2. You will breathe heavily but should not get out of breath – if you do, you are probably not fit enough for this one yet. When you are ready for it, this can be very beneficial for cardiovascular health and will result in a level of fitness that many people will be happy with.

4. Distance Walk: 65-75% of MHR for 6-8 miles, once each week. This will improve your long distance walking strength and bearing and can be useful for race preparation. You will notice that your MHR is a bit lower than in #3, but you will be walking for a longer distance.

The Speed and Racing Walks should only be attempted once you are comfortable with the previous 4 workout programs.

5. Speed Building Walk: 85-90% of MHR for 8 minutes, then 55-65% of MHR for 2 minutes, repeated 3 times. Finish with 5-10 minutes at 55-65% of MHR.

6. Racing Walk: 80-90% of MHR for 20-30 minutes, twice per week. This will be a very fast pace of walk and at first you may need to run to reach this MHR.

Like any other form of exercise, it is very important to exercise regularly and begin gently to get the most out of your treadmill workouts. Starting off slow wil also get you into the routine of learning how to put aside time for exercising.

Treadmills, Ellipticals and Home Fitness Equipment