Treadmill Exercise Tips

Today everyone has become health conscious and wants that perfect figure. There are many ways to lose weight, from yoga and pilates exercises to strength training but the most common and effective way to lose weight is with treadmills. Treadmill exercising, is perhaps the most widely used form of exercise all over the world. Burning calories can be easy and fun with the help of a treadmill. However, only if it is used in the right way and with consistency will it yield the best results. It is important to follow treadmill exercise tips, that will not only give you better and faster results but also will make it less strenuous.

Tips for Treadmill Exercise

Always Warm Up
One of the most important treadmill exercise tips is to always warm up. A very common mistake is to start workouts at the pace you want, without warming up. This will lead to sore muscles and possibly even injuries. Besides this, it also means that you will not be able to use all your lower body muscles effectively. The best way to warm up is by walking at a speed of 2 mph for a couple of minutes. For those who are at a higher level of fitness, the speed can be increased to 4 mph.

Vary Speed
Another very common mistake is simply stepping on and walking, running or jogging at the same speed for twenty or thirty minutes continuously. This can not only lead to tiring quickly but also make you bored easily, which will ultimately result in not being an effective or efficient workout. So, it is important to keep changing your speed every 8-10 minutes. You can also try including incline into the workout so as to make it interesting and effective.

Take Intervals
Another treadmill exercise and fitness tip is to take intervals between the workouts. Studies have shown that varying your heart rate increases the metabolism more than exercising at the same rate for a long time without taking a interval. An interval here means that you should vary the speed and the style of the normal treadmill exercise. For example it can be in the form of a sprint or incline. The interval can be anywhere from a minute to 5 minutes, but the important thing is to make each interval, faster or slower than the previous one.

Increase Your Workout Slowly
Another important treadmill exercise tip is to not increase your workout levels very fast. In the beginning, you may be excited to test your limits and increase the level of your workout before you are actually ready. It is advised, that for any cardiovascular exercise, you should stay at one level for four weeks before moving on to the next level. If you try to go to the next level any faster and you may overwork your muscles or injure yourself. This is one of the major causes of a burn out.

Cool Down
Cooling down is as important a treadmill exercise tip as warming up. Just hopping off the treadmill after you finish is not a good idea. It is an open invitation to muscle cramps or even injuries. It is important to slow down the speed of the treadmill and allow your muscles and heart rate to slow down and return to normal before you get off.

Be Consistent
In order for you to lose weight, a very important tip is to be consistent in treadmill exercising. Just by exercising once a week, you will not be able to see results. It is advised to maintain a regular fitness training schedule of 30 - 45 minutes per day for at least 4 days a week. Only when you follow this religiously will you be able to see results.

These were some of the most important treadmill exercise tips that will help you achieve that figure you always dreamt of. Most people continue doing treadmill exercises for a long time without realizing that they should pay attention to how they should do it along with how much time they are doing it for. But, most importantly, think of treadmill exercising as an investment to a healthy future.