How to Create a Treadmill Walking Program to Lose Weight
Walking is one of the best ways to get in shape and lose weight. But some people don’t have access to a track or other area where they can walk. A treadmill walking program may be just the thing. Here are some ideas and suggestions on how to create a treadmill walking program to lose weight.
1. Set a Goal
You may have already done this, but setting a weight-loss goal is important to your success. Begin with small, doable goals, sources say, even if your ultimate goal is significant. It’s also a good idea to set time goals. Decide how much time you will spend walking each day and work it into your schedule. Experts recommend working up to 1 hour of walking each session.
2. Get the Right Treadmill
A treadmill with various settings is a good choice according to sources. You can vary the difficulty level by setting the treadmill to different grades. Uphill obviously provides a more intense workout, and level is a good way to cool down or start out. You will also want to vary your speed, beginning with a moderate walking pace that is comfortable and working up to a hard and fast walk uphill.
3. Set Your Pace
Interestingly (and surprisingly for some), professionals actually don’t recommend daily, vigorous exercise that challenges your endurance. This type of regimen has been shown to increase injury risk. Instead, alternate the intense workouts with moderate ones.
4. Dodging the Plateaus
As many people who have tried to lose weight know, weight-loss plateaus are a frustrating problem. To help avoid them, continue alternating the intense and the moderate workouts, but go ahead and up the intensity for a bit each week. Then make some changes by varying the intensity of your workouts and their length.
5. Stretch
While it’s not directly related to weight loss, if you don’t stretch, you will probably find walking more uncomfortable. You may even sustain injury, setting back your weight-loss progress. Therefore, warming up and stretching before you do your treadmill workout can go a long way toward promoting your weight-loss program.
6. Faster for Longer
The key to losing weight is burning calories, and experts point out that walking faster for longer is more effective at burning calories. As you increase the intensity of your workouts, remember that you’re working toward a sustained, fast pace that may really burn off those pounds.