3 Keys to Treadmill Walking for Weight Loss
Treadmill walking for weight loss is possible but there are a few important key pieces of information which will help you effectively reach your weight loss goals, and what’s more, keep the weight off permanently.
A lot of people out there may think that losing weight is complicated. The simple fact is that to lose weight all you need to do is burn more calories than you consume. It’s also true that an intense workout will burn more calories than a gentle workout. How simple is that!
So, now we know how easy weight loss can really be, what are these 3 important keys to treadmill walking for weight loss? They are: frequency, consistency, and intensity. Don’t worry, these really aren’t as complicated as they sound. Let me go through and explain each one.
Frequency
Do you use your treadmill maybe once or twice a week and then wonder why the pounds are not dropping off? Well to be perfectly frank, it requires a lot more effort than that to lose weight. Other treadmill exercises such as jogging or running may be effective if you do them a few times per week, but these exercises are more intense than walking. To lose weight by treadmill walking, you need to walk daily - at least 5 days per week. Anything less than this and you are likely to find it really hard to meet your weight loss goals. The great thing about walking on a treadmill is that it puts the least amount of stress on your body so you can do it everyday of the week if you want.
Consistency
As I mentioned earlier, treadmill walking is the least intense treadmill exercise, but this means that you really cannot afford to skip sessions or be inconsistent with the length of each session. If you are using treadmill walking as your main, or only exercise for weight loss, then it is important that you do a full workout each day, again, at least 5 days per week.
Intensity
If you are just starting out on your path to a slimmer body, then your treadmill workout routine shouldn’t be that intense. You need to ease yourself, and your body, into doing regular exercise. However, over time you will want to gradually increase the intensity of your treadmill walking in order to get the very best weight loss results. Remember how we learned that the more intense the workout, the more calories you burn? Well we want to burn as many calories as possible! Your treadmill workouts may be difficult to get through at first, but they will get easier as you become more fit.
In order to get the best results, I set myself a few guidelines to make sure I am always doing an intense session. I aim to walk on my treadmill for at least 45 minutes, and I also keep my heart rate at a minimum of 70% of my maximum heart rate. Now, these are just the “rules” that I set for myself because they give me the most effective results.
Depending on how fit you are, you may decide to walk for only 25 minutes, or to keep your heart rate much lower than I do. That is perfectly fine but remember that the less intense your workouts are, the longer (and harder) it will take to reach your weight loss goals.
Treadmill walking is definitely a great way to lose weight, but it has to be taken seriously. It takes frequency, consistency, and intensity. You have to exercise even when you feel like you would rather be doing something else. If you put in the time and the effort, however, over time you will reach your weight loss goals simply by treadmill walking!
