5 Easy Ways A Treadmill Helps You Lose Weight

BSc. NWS

So why are treadmills STILL the #1 home exercise machines with shoppers? Because they get results!

Here are the top 5 ways home treadmill workouts can help you lose weight and get into great shape!

#1: A Treadmill Helps You Burn MORE Calories by Battling Exercise Boredom

We all know that in order to lose weight, get firm and fight gravity's pull, exercise is a must! But what do you do if you don't LIKE working out?

What if you get bored or don't like logging hours in the gym with all those muscle boys or short-shorts women?

One viable option is the home treadmill, because of all the things it allows you to do to FORGET that you are exercising in the first place!

You can set it up in front of the television and watch your favorite episode of ER or Oprah. An hour will fly by and you won't even notice that you've been walking (or running)!

Many treadmills also come with a magazine or book rack. What about walking uphill (a MEGA calorie burner) while reading your favorite mazagine or novel?

How easy is that?

And the more you enjoy your workout (or the more you can forget that you're exercising) , the more time you'll spend burning calories on your treadmill.

#2: The Treadmill is Unmatched For Workout Versatility.

Most funky fly-by-night exercise gadgets only allow you to do one thing. One repetitive motion that your body quickly adapts to (and that means less calories burned.)

A treadmill - on the other hand - gives you a lot of workout versatility so your body continues to be challenged to burn calories.

If you're just starting an exercise program you can start with a slow walk and then speed it up as your body gets into better shape. If you're training for a marathon, you can run at a steady pace and even build in sprints.

You can power walk or do a slow steady jog. Many treadmills will let you walk uphill. Some even come with handweights so you can build in upper body exercise as well.

There are countless ways you can vary your workout with a treadmill so that you continue to challenge your body and burn calories.

#3: A Treadmill Helps You Burn MORE Calories by Increasing Your Exercise Frequency

Did you know that a new 3 year study conducted by the University of Stanford's Graduate School of Business has found that consumers are overpaying for gym services?

The study concludes that most people overestimate how often they will use their gym membership and that most don't visit the gym often enough to justify their membership costs.

Perhaps the reason may be that many people just don't have the time to go. But here's where a home treadmill can help you actually increase your workout time and frequency.

Did you know that experts tell us that two 15-minute workouts can give us the same exercise benefits as one 30-minute workout?

Here's where a home treadmill can help:

A treadmill allows you to split your workouts up into mini-workouts and still burn just as many calories!

Maybe you want to go for a 15 minute wake-up walk in the morning. Maybe it's a 20-minute light jog at lunch. What about a 10-minute power walk just before dinner to curb your appetite or fight night-time boredom?

Whether it's 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 or 20, it all adds up in weight loss. With a treadmill, YOU'RE in charge of your workout time.

#4: A Home Treadmill Gives You the Benefit of All-Year-Round ANY Time Exercise!

Ok, here it is - one of the MOST IMPORTANT benefits of having a home treadmill:

CONVENIENCE, CONVENIENCE, CONVENIENCE

If you live in northern climates you know that walking or jogging in the snow and ice is NOT fun. What about when it's raining? Scratch exercise off the list!

A home treadmill can be one of the best exercise comforts around because you can use it regardless of the weather or time of day.

AND you can also exercise in any type of clothing that you want (no worrying about wearing that ratty t-shirt to the gym!).

#5: By Using the Large Muscles in Your Legs, A Treadmill Helps You Burn MAJOR FAT Calories

A recent Woman's World article made the startling claim that, contrary to popular belief, gentle walking is one of the BEST ways to burn fat!

Why?

It seems that gentle walking allows your body to go STRAIGHT to the fat stores for energy instead of first depleting your sugar (glycogen) stores (used by your body for quick energy).

Not only that, there's been countless studies including one by the American Medical Association, that rank a treadmill as the #1 cardiovascular machine for losing weight and burning calories.

Working the larger muscles in your legs burns maximum calories which means more weight lost. You can even increase your calories-burned by walking uphill which uses even more muscles!

Given all their benefits it's no wonder that treadmill sales have continued to skyrocket over the past five years with more and more people starting their own fitness and weight loss programs at home.

So if you want to lose weight and get into great shape, a treadmill can be an excellent investment to help you to achieve your goals. No matter what you decide be sure to have fun and make your health a priority!

Kathryn O'Neill is the chief editor for Treadmill Review
For more buying tips, treadmill brand reviews, and best buys visit http://www.treadmillreview.net

Motorized Vs. Manual Treadmills

When people go to purchase a treadmill, one of the first questions they ask is Do I want a manual or motorized treadmill?

Whats the difference between the two?

The Basic Difference:

With a manual (or non-motorized) treadmill, you push the belt with your feet. The action of your feet against the treadmill moves the belt.

With a motorized treadmill you keep pace as the treadmill motor moves the belt for you at a pace you set electronically.

Advantages & Disadvantages:

Manual treadmills:

Tend to be cheaper (since youre not paying for the motor) and can range from $200 to $600.

They also tend to be smaller, take up less space and are easier to move (since they arent as heavy as a motorized treadmill).

Some people have theorized that manual treadmills burn more calories than motorized treadmill since you supply the power to move the belt.

This is unfortunately NOT TRUE.

Because you supply the power, unless you are in top athletic shape, you will tend to move slower and get tired more easily. This results in LESS calories burned on a manual treadmill.

Plus, the action of getting the belt to move initially and keep it moving can cause a strain on your joints.

Its also difficult to run on a manual treadmill so if you want to start a jogging program or train as a runner, a manual treadmill would not meet your needs.

Motorized treadmills:

Tend to be more expensive and can range from $800 up to $8000. However, they tend to last longer and are built to take more of a beating.

Also, because the belt moves for you at varying speeds, this motivates you to keep up and actually results in more calories burned (vs. a manual treadmill).

You can easily adjust the speed and incline on most motorized treadmills, usually while still on the machine. This makes it much more convenient and saves the strain on your joints.

A final advantage to the motorized treadmills is that they tend to have more options and features (iFit compatibility, numerous built-in workout programs, scrolling information consoles). This makes your workout more interesting and possibly even enjoyable as you can watch your progress.

This means that you will probably USE the treadmill more often which again results in more calories burned and a better body achieved.

The Final Conclusion:

Unless youre in extremely good physical shape, a manual treadmill is not recommended. Choose a motorized treadmill for maximum calorie burning and exercise convenience.

The biggest motivation to choose a manual treadmill is the low cost. However, you can find a quality motorized treadmill for a relatively low cost if you know where to look.

Regardless of what you choose remember to have fun and commit yourself to a better, healthier you.

Kathryn O'Neill is chief editor for http://www.treadmillreview.net
For more treadmill brand reviews, best buys and buying tips, visit http://www.treadmillreview.net

3 Common Mistakes When Buying A Treadmill

Buying a treadmill? Congratulations on making an investment in your health!

But if you want to save yourself lots of pain and loads of money, steer clear of these 3 common mistakes that most treadmill buyers make when purchasing:

#1) Getting Taken in by the Icing

The 'icing' is all of the non-essential treadmill goodies that some lesser-quality treadmills offer you. These are meant to hide the fact that the essential factors of a quality machine arent there.

So what if its only a 1.5 HP motor it comes with a free heart rate monitor! That 90 day warranty doesn't matter it gives you 30 workout programs!

This is like buying a cake after only seeing the icing and then finding out that the icing is ALL there is. Focus on the core essentials of a quality treadmill first - then enjoy the goodies.

#2) The Old Motor Horsepower Trick

Some not-so-savory treadmill manufacturers or stores will try to impress you with the peak duty motor power. Wow - you think - a 3.0 HP motor.

However, what they're not telling you is that there are 2 measures of motor power: Peak Duty Horsepower AND Continuous Duty Horsepower.

Peak Duty Horsepower is the power potential of the motor the highest power it can run at. However the treadmill cannot sustain this power and it will soon start to overheat. So this measurement is essentially useless to you.

Continuous Duty Horsepower is a more accurate measure of the motor power. This is the power at which the treadmill can continually, steadily operate for 24 hours without slowing down. Thus, this is the more accurate number to gage motor power.

I know of one extremely popular treadmill right now that is doing this and unfortunately people are buying it in droves because it seems like such a good buy.

Dont be fooled by a 3 HP peak duty horsepower rating when the Continuous Duty HP is only 1.5 HP! Just remember that the motor is the most expensive part of the treadmill to fix.

#3) Considering Price to be the Most Important Factor

Although price is an important factor, your health is the most important factor. And a treadmill is an investment in your health.

Do you want to wreck your joints or give yourself permanent back problems just to save a couple hundred bucks?

Unfortunately, this happens all too often. I know of one woman who did permanent damage to her hips because she bought a cheap treadmill with cheap cushioning and then ran on it. Within 4 months, she was in so much pain, she couldn't even walk on her treadmill.

But it doesn't have to be this way. You CAN find a high quality treadmill for a reasonably low price - if you know where to look.

While it's true that not all of us can afford a $4000 commercial treadmill, there are higher quality treadmills out there for under $1500 and even some under $1000. Don't sacrifice your health just to save a buck.

Bonus Mistake #4): Not Considering Your OWN Personal Workout Needs Before Buying

Thats great that you found a quality treadmill for $999. But have you considered the fact that you are 6 feet tall and that treadbelt is only 52 long?

When shopping for a treadmill, many people fall into the trap of ONLY looking at treadmills and never looking at themselves.

For example, are you tall or are you planning to run a lot? Then you need to make sure the treadbelt is at least 55".

Are you, or is someone in your household a little on the sturdy side? Then its probably best to get a treadmill especially built to take heavier weights.

Do you have back problems or a weak back? Then if you want a folding treadmill, it might be better to purchase one with a power folding option so that you can reduce the strain of heavy lifting.

Remember to consider your own needs when looking at treadmills

Regardless of which treadmill you choose - try to steer clear of these common mistakes and you'll save yourself a load of grief (and a ton of money!) Good luck and have fun!

Kathryn O'Neill is contributing editor for Treadmill Reviews
For more buying tips, brand reviews, and best buys visit http://www.treadmillreviews.homestead.com

5 Questions You Need To Answer Before Purchasing a Treadmill

With the advancement in the treadmill industry, quality machines could now cost you up to $5,000. So purchasing the wrong equipment could prove costly. And with the huge variety of treadmills in the market today, finding one that suits you best has become even more confusing.

This is the reason why I created these guide questions. It aims to educate people on how to purchase the best treadmill for their needs and avoid some costly mistakes.

So before you start shopping for your new treadmill, answer first the following guide questions below. They will guide you into making the right purchase.

1) Who would use the treadmill?

The treadmill you would be buying would depend on how much you weigh, how tall you are, and how many people would use it.

Most treadmills have a maximum user weight limit, so be sure that your treadmill will be able to support your body weight. For tall people, I suggest you choose machines with lengthy decks, since your strides will be longer than normal.

If the whole family would be using it, it would be better to buy higher quality treadmills (those above $2,000) to make sure that it can handle the workouts of everyone in the family.

2) How often would the treadmill be used?

The quality (and price) of the machine you will be buying would also depend on the number of times the treadmill will be used in a week and for how long. As a guide, a person who weighs less than 200 lbs. and plans to run on it for 30 minutes a day, 7 times a week should get a treadmill in the $1,500 - $2,000 range.

3) Where will the treadmill be used?

The size and weight of the treadmill you will buy is another factor to be considered. If you have limited space at home, then buying a huge treadmill would not be a smart move. Also, an extremely heavy treadmill is recommended to be only on the ground floor of an old house.

For those with limited spaces at home, you might want to choose a treadmill with foldable feature. This allows you to fold the treadmill after use to save space.

4) What features do you need?

You need to determine the features that would be useful to you and be sure that the treadmill you will buy has those features. If you want to workout in your target heart rate then make sure that the machine you will be buying has a heart rate monitor.

5) How much can you afford?

Finally, know how much you can really spend for a treadmill then, considering numbers 1-4, choose the treadmill in that price range that suits you best. If you cant find your perfect treadmill in that price range, then you might have to look for one with a higher price tag.

If you need a webpage which categorizes the best treadmills by price, visit http://www.treadmilltips.com/best-buy-treadmills.html.

Well, there you have it. Hopefully these treadmill buying guide questions was able to enlighten you on the kind of treadmill that you really need.

Aaron Co is the founder of TreadmillTips.com. A website that provides unbiased treadmill reviews so shoppers can choose the fitness equipment that suits them best. For more treadmill and treadmill related articles, visit http://www.treadmilltips.com.
This article may be reprinted in its entirety only if unaltered and the resource box is included, with live and spiderable links.