One of the easiest ways to meet the daily target of 20-30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity includes brisk walking or jogging. This can be challenging when you have to visit the gym or outdoors on a daily basis. You can overcome this challenge with the help and benefits of a treadmill, by getting a consistent fitness and health routine.
What are the Benefits of Running on a Treadmill?
- It provides an easily customizable cardio workout according to your fitness level.
- Running on treadmills decreases the chances of injury.
- A treadmill workout is great both for warming up and cooling down.
- It is a particularly beneficial cardio exercise for cardiovascular health – and also your mental health
- Treadmill workout on a regular basis is a more efficient way to lose weight than regular aerobic exercise.
- Using the machine’s incline settings activates more muscles and helps you in improving muscle tone.
- There is a great variety of treadmill workouts adjusted to your goals and needs.
- Using a treadmill is super easy.
- You may exercise with it regardless of the weather even in the safety and privacy of your home.
Outdoor running is more pleasurable and demanding on your body as compared to running on a treadmill. However, this won’t be possible if the weather is misbehaving, in which instance, you cannot have an efficient or seamless workout. This won’t be the concern when you are running or jogging on a treadmill within your home or gym. You can use it whenever you want and whatever time you want. It also gives you a variety of options that simulate the outdoor running environment and even control the incline and pace settings to suit your workout style.
Treadmill is a popular exercise equipment and a great option for those looking to regain or maintain fitness and health benefits, at their own pace and time, and within the confines of their homes. Let us look at some of the main treadmill benefits it has to offer.
Control The Fitness Level During Your Cardio Exercise
You are always completely in control of your fitness level and goals when you are using a treadmill. You can customize your workout programs and sessions, depending on your fitness levels. You may want to opt for a light workout if you are relatively unfit and similarly, those who are fitter or experienced runners can choose a more intense workout – like HIIT workouts (High Intensity Interval Training). The level of control on a treadmill that can accord with your fitness levels is an amazing feature.
More specifically, you can control a variety of functionalities and aspects such as warm-up and cool down, speed, incline, and the level of energy you intend to exert of spend in a given period of time. It is versatile in the sense that it can accommodate people of all ages and fitness levels. You may start using the treadmill as a beginner but you will soon evolve with continued use and eventually be able to utilize the different programs and features it has to offer.
The accuracy of your programs is unmatched as you would know the exact numbers associated with your treadmill exercise such as time spent, kilometers you had run on a treadmill, speeds at which you are running, and calories that you would burn – thanks to the varying and customizable programs that it can offer! All this data will help you assess your progress on a daily basis and also serve as a monitor on your fitness levels and whether you require any adjustments going forward.
Prevent Injury
A really great part about running on a regular basis is that you will help to build your bone density. What bone density refers to is the amount of minerals in your bones that contribute to their strength and durability. Load bearing exercises such as running are great for strengthening bones, plus the treadmill is a great way to run without injuring your joints due to it being a lower impact exercise routine.
Running consistently outdoors on asphalt or concrete based grounds can put a lot of stress on the connective tissues that are found in your legs. This can be avoided if you run on a padded surface of a treadmill with shock absorption mechanism, which helps absorb the impact and protect you from injury.
If you are obese or over weight with knee problems (or anticipate that you will develop one), then the benefits of treadmill running can be particulary huge. There is a lesser chance of tripping and falling as the surface is plain and flat and hence predicable to run or jog on.
Cardiovascular Health
Treadmills can have a profound impact on your heart health if used consistently. It can strengthen your heart muscles and improve blood circulation in your body. This, in turn, ensures that your muscles receive more oxygen and hence, can function for longer periods and helps you stay more efficient and active.
Your blood pressure also stays in check with the help of a stronger heart. This is great news for those who suffer from high blood pressure. You can easily and effectively prevent heart diseases such as a heart attack.
One of the related benefits of running on a treadmill every day is the decrease in bad cholesterol levels and a corresponding increase in good cholesterol levels that help you in keeping arteries clean from fatty substances – preventing heart and blood vessel diseases. A heart rate monitor or sensors are now a standard feature in almost all newer models of treadmills so you can keep track of your heart rate, regardless of whether you have a heart condition or not.
Lose Weight
Weight loss is one of the primary reasons why people purchase a treadmill. You can burn more calories and lose weight fast and consistently with regular and challenging workout sessions. You can safely look to burn 100 calories or so per mile that you run. That is a fairly good rate of calorie burn for those keen on losing weight. The higher or more intense your speed and incline get, the more calories you burn. Running on a treadmill is much better for weight loss than another aerobic exercise such as cycling.
Muscle Building
Your treadmill exercise gives you more fitness and health benefits than simply improving cardio and stamina. Running involves all your muscles – including arm muscles-, and is particularly good for toning your legs. The more you use it, the stronger your leg muscles become. Your core strength is enhanced as well when you run with your abdominal muscles flexed, and your arms swinging side by side.
Variety to Workouts
Another big advantage of using a treadmill is that it can aid your training process by preparing you for that big race or super long marathon that you have been planning to participate in, with great ease. You can easily simulate any real race by adjusting the incline and speed or choosing the right program settings. These settings are easy to choose to apply once you know the exact terrain you will be running on. The newer treadmill models now come equipped with specialized race simulation software.
Easy to Use Exercise Equipment
It is a renowned fact that all treadmill users will vouch for that they are super easy to use. Once assembled, you do not need to do anything to set it up or get moving. It all starts like magic with the press of a start button, and choosing the speed and incline settings as per your requirements. The instruction manuals are attached to every treadmill machine and are easy to read and follow in case you need to understand their functionality and features, as a first-time user.
Treadmill vs. Running Outside
This debate of running on a treadmill vs. outside is not a new one and there can be arguments for and against both options. Outdoor running improves stability by pushing you to explore the moving and ever-changing terrain around you. Whereas, running on a treadmill will compel you to maintain speed and performance levels which you may not be able to achieve outdoors.
There is no right or wrong option when it comes to these two types of exercise routines, and it all depends on your personal training needs and objectives. Since we are focusing on the benefits of a treadmill, let us look at some added running machine benefits it offers in comparison to outdoor running.
Reduced Impact
Running on a treadmill reduces the impact on your legs and body that you usually get whilst running on uneven or flatter outdoor surfaces that can offer more shock. Dirt, debris, and other obstructions can be a hazard, particularly when you are running fast. This can, on the longer run, may lead to ankle, knee, and back problems, and these only get compounded or severe with the passage of time.
You overcome these concerns and surprises when jogging or running on a treadmill. It provides a fairly soft surface to run along with the shock absorption features that minimize the impact of a running belt on your joints. This also gives you the peace of mind that you won’t be bumping or tripping on anything in your way and your body will stay protected from pains and aches.
Safety and Privacy
The biggest advantage of a treadmill that users quote is the convenience of operating it within the comfort of their homes. You do not have to travel to exercise. You can choose a time of your liking and get a flexible routine to maintain your fitness.
As you can imagine, it is also a much safer option as compared to running outdoors. You cannot be hit by a car or bump into things or people on the sidewalk. You can also exercise at night or later if you like, without the concern of being harassed or physically attacked by a stranger. It is like having your own private gym or running space where you can sweat it out without the uncomfortable feeling of being watched around by people.
No Weather Problems
During inclement weather conditions, you do not have much of a choice to venture outside. It may be breezy, icy or raining cats and dogs, and in such conditions, having a treadmill is ideal, as you can easily continue your fitness regime without worrying about the weather on a particular day, and avoiding hazards as well that you may encounter during these bad weather conditions.
Besides that, even during hot and humid days, running outdoors may not be the most convenient and efficient option, as you can be exposed to dehydration, exhaustion or even heat stroke. You can again count on your treadmill to save the day for you and stick to your exercise routine.
Closing Thoughts About Treadmill Running Benefits
As you can see, regular use of a treadmill can help you manage the risk of diseases or conditions such as cardiovascular, diabetes management, and joint and muscle aches or pains. Heart health, muscle strength, and stamina can be enhanced – leg, abdominal, and arm muscles too – whilst also strengthening the bone density with this fitness equipment.
The advantages of running on treadmills are that they are safe, private, user friendly, and convenient. You can easily overlook or work around the few disadvantages a treadmill has, if you have the mental strength and willingness to stick to a routine and achieve a healthy lifestyle on a long term basis.
