Treadmills: A great way to exercise

Treadmills: A great way to exercise

What are treadmills?: A treadmill is a piece of low impact indoor exercise machine which allows a person to walk, jog or run without moving any distance. It provides a moving running belt over a deck which offers the convenience of exercising at any time during the day, rain or shine.

When you workout on a treadmill, there is no air resistance like you experience when you workout outdoors. Moreover it's not your body that is moving but it is the ground beneath your feet that is in motion. Therefore, as compared to walking outside, it takes less energy to walk on a treadmill in the same pace. Further, as compared to walking on the road, treadmills provide a smooth and even terrain. Hence, your knees and back are likely to feel more relaxed and the chances of injuring them are also reduced. When you are walking on a road you face several other obstacles as well. One major obstacle is the inhalation of polluted air produced by moving vehicles. In order to obtain maximum benefit from exercise, one needs to breathe purer air, as much as possible. A second obstacle are the  stray roaming our  roads – having a dog run after you is not anyone’s idea of a fruitful exercise regime, which is compounded further by the risk of dog bites and possibilities of rabies infection. Furthermore, a particular difficulty ladies in Sri Lanka face is the ‘inconvenient’ behavior and attention from passer-bys. In considering all these ‘challenges’ to exercising on the road, a treadmill indeed is a very timely and solution for a full body workout. In fact, if light weights are used while working out on a treadmill, you would not only have had a cardiovascular workout but also done some muscle toning as well.

Work out (but don’t burn out): To achieve maximum benefit from exercise you need to exert yourself but without experiencing breathlessness and fatigue. Knowing the heart rate you need to maintain while exercising is the key to getting better results. Determine your target heart rate, based on your age and work within that range to achieve weight loss faster. You could use the diagram to determine the rate particular to you:

The Target Zone in this diagram shows the effective heart rate one should aim for when working out. It’s calculated according to the age of a person. For example, if you are between 25 to 30 years you should keep your per minute heart rate between 114 to 146. Heart rate could be measured manually by counting your pulse. However, most advanced treadmills have a built-in heart rate monitor that measures your heart rate when you place your hands on its special sensor. The so detected heart rate is relayed to you instantly on the treadmill screen. Compare your heart rate to your target heart rate (THR) zone. If your heart rate while exercising is too low, increase you level of exertion. If your heart rate is too high, decrease your level of exertion.

During first few weeks of your exercise program, you should keep your heart rate near the low end of your THR zone. Over the course of a few months, gradually increase your heart rate until it reaches the high end of your range. As your physical condition improves, a greater workload will be required to raise your heart rate to your zone.

Workout pattern: Each workout should consist of the below aspects.

1.    Warming-up

2.    Training zone exercise

3.    Cooling down

Warming up is an important part of every workout. Warming up prepares the body for more strenuous exercise by increasing circulation, delivering more oxygen to the muscles, and raising the body temperature. A proper warm up ensures that you would not injure yourself while exercising. This can be done by stretching for 5-10 minutes prior to exercising. After the warm up begin exercising at a low intensity level for a few minutes. Then, increase the intensity to raise to your heart rate to your target zone for a period of 20-30 minutes. At the beginning of any exercise program, do not try to do a long strenuous workout at the onset itself – if you do, you may sustain some injuries or/and be overly fatigued. Instead, start out slow and easy. May be you could walk for about 10 minutes at a aped that is not too slow but also not too strenuous. Do this every day for a week. If this is easy for you, add five minutes to your exercise in week 2. Keep adding five minutes until you are walking or running as long as you desire and are able to. End your exercise with a lower cool down pace and stretch well at the end. Stretching will make you feel great and would assist in injury prevention. Be sure to drink plenty of water before, during and after exercise.

Watch your posture: A proper posture is essential when exercising. Think of elongating your body. Hold your head up, eyes forward. Your shoulders should be down, back and relaxed. Tighten your abdominals and buttocks.

How much should you do?

The toughest thing about starting a fitness program is developing a habit. After you have formed the habit you will want to evaluate your program and your goals. To improve cardiovascular fitness walk 3 to 4 days a week, 20 to 30 minutes at a very fast pace. If you are exercising for weight loss you should walk minimum of 5 days a week, 45 to 60 minutes at a “purposeful” pace.  But remember, you should walk fast enough to reach your Target Heart Rate, but you should not be gasping for air.