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BeFIT Resources

Refresh Your Treadmill Workout

- Posted in Health & Wellness Tips

Is there anything more boring than the treadmill? After endless hours staring at the same wall, anyone would start to wonder if that’s all there is to exercise. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By shaking it up and loading your workout with variety, you can rediscover the fun of a good treadmill workout.

The first thing to remember is that any workout is and can be what you make it. The opportunity to go all out or to barely break a sweat is completely up to you. With that being said, even though the treadmill might be an uneventful and boring thought to most, you have the ability to make it fun and challenging.

Change up the pace
If you always walk at the same speed for the same amount of time, your body will get used to the routine and you might not see the long-term affects that you desire. Keep in mind that the body responds to changes in pace and sparks your metabolism accordingly. You can begin by trying a pyramid scheme. For example: walk at 3.2 mph for 1 minute then pick it up to 3.5 mph for 1 minute, then go to 3.3 mph for 2 minutes and then 3.6 mph for 2 minutes, etc. You can continue up the pyramid until you reach a point where the speed is at a level where you cannot hold it for the time period and then go back down.

Interval training is another way to break the treadmill monotony. Alternating your speed with jogging and walking or high and low inclines will help burn fat and potentially help you break through a plateau. For Example: Run or walk at an incline (at 80% of your maximum excursion) for 30 seconds then walk with little of no incline for a 90 second recovery period. Every two weeks cut 15 seconds off of your recovery until you reach a one to one ratio. Before you know it, you will be moving faster, the workouts will get easier, and the time will have flown by.