Walking on a treadmill is by far one of the easiest ways to get in shape. Treadmills are the choice of many beginning exercisers because the machines are so accommodating. The same machine that you use in the beginning when you are just walking can be the same machine that you are running on months down the road.
People who are serious about walking often choose walking on a treadmill over walking outside. They know how easy it is to procrastinate exercising if they have been forced to forego it for a few days because of bad weather. They know that having their own treadmill takes away any excuse they may have to not exercise, and it enables them to walk when it’s convenient to them.
One question that many people who start walking on a treadmill have is how much time they should walk. The answer to this question is purely individual based upon your fitness condition. Professionals say that a person should try to walk at least a half hour to an hour at a pace that is at 50-70 percent of their maximum heart rate.
To get your approximate maximum heart rate you simply have to apply the formula of 220 minus your age. Let’s say you are 35 years old, then you would take 220 minus 35 and you would get 185. Fifty to seventy percent of that is 93-130. According to the expert guidelines, your goal should be to keep your heart rate between 93-130 beats per minute throughout your workout.
If that sounds too strenuous, you do have options. You can cut those minutes in half and walk twice a day, or cut them into three or four blocks of walking time. Whatever works for you is fine. The most important thing is you are getting up and moving more days of the week than you are not. Also be sure that regardless of how long you workout, you maintain a heart rate between 50-70 percent of your maximum heart rate for optimal results.
It won’t take long before you will start to see results from walking on a treadmill. Your routine will start to become easier-and when it does it’s time to increase your walking intensity. As your endurance increases, so will your maximum heart rate. To make walking on a treadmill work for you, try to keep your heart rate within 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. This will ensure that your fitness and cardiovascular system continues to increase, too.
No matter how young or old you are, or what health condition you may be in, it is never too late to start walking on a treadmill. It is easy to get healthy and fit with treadmills because they are made to be personalized. Treadmills are much like personal trainers. Their display windows can monitor your walking speed, length, calories burned, your heart rate and more. They are great exercise machines for someone just beginning to exercise and for the more advanced person who jogs or run-which could be you before you know it!
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