Written by Andy Chasse’ in Exercise
Viewed by 29 readers since 08-26-2009

Losing weight is thought to be one of the most difficult processes known to man. I won’t sugarcoat the task and make it sound like it’s a breeze, but it’s definitely not as hard as the general population seems to think. Why exactly is this?

There are hundreds upon hundreds of different methods and routines that may be used to drop the pounds. The amount of options available today is almost unbelievable. One of the most commonly used of these options is the treadmill. There are a wide variety of treadmill routines to lose weight. While I’m not going to outline a particular routine, I will suggest a few start-up tips and pointers that will undoubtedly make your weight loss process a little bit easier.

• Alternate walking and running. Both treadmill activities are a great help in losing weight. Many people think that running is the only option and that walking is a complete waste of time. However, this is actually quite false. A number of fitness professionals are beginning to advise their clients to walk, rather than run, on the treadmill daily. Not everyone has the same caliber of joints, and bad knees won’t last long running on a treadmill. This is where walking comes in. Treadmill walking, along with a corrective exercise program, may be used to strengthen the ankle, knee, and hip joints so that running may be an option in the future.
• Learn to love the incline. One of the most common mistakes regarding treadmill routines to lose weight is forgetting to utilize that lovely incline button. Nearly every treadmill model found in gyms these days contains the ability to add an incline. Do you remember running hill sprints back in high school athletics? This is more or less the same idea. Start out walking or running with no incline at the beginning of your treadmill routine and slowly add and increase the incline over the course of a few weeks. You will most definitely notice a difference in both difficulty and results.
• Make a time commitment. This is another problem amongst those incorporating treadmill routines to lose weight. Let’s be honest, the treadmill isn’t the most exciting mode of exercise available. Unfortunately, its ability to help tremendously with fat loss does not remove the boredom factor. For those of you that actually enjoy your time on the treadmill – good for you. But for the vast majority who despise this activity, you need to make a time commitment to yourself before beginning the session. Tell yourself that you will walk exactly 45 minutes, no more and no less. If you’re running, tell yourself you will run the entire time with no walking break. One of the biggest keys to sticking with a treadmill routine to lose weight is promising yourself that you will stick with it.

Stick with this simple tips and tricks and you will find your treadmill workouts to be much more productive. As we all know, losing weight isn’t an easy task – but you just have to stick with it.