Tips To Get On The Treadmill #exercise #getinshape

If you know me personally than we have had THE conversation.

No, not that conversation, but the one about how I hate getting on my treadmill. I would much rather get out and walk. I am so bored. My friends all say they put music on, put the treadmill in front of the TV or read while they are on it. None of those ideas work for me. Going nowhere fast, sucks!

The other day, Sparkpeople had a very great article about the treadmill and handling boredom.

As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine. Then keep these tips in mind as you prepare to use a treadmill:

• Before you mount the treadmill belt, experiment with the controls. Play with the speed and incline. Test the emergency off button. Keep in mind that raising the incline more than 10 percent may strain your back or leg muscles. Expensive treadmills may also have preset programs that change belt speed and elevation to mimic a hilly path outdoors.
• Warm up at a slow speed. Begin walking at 2 to 2.5 miles per hour for a few minutes. Then increase your speed to 3 to 3.5 miles per hour for a more challenging workout, if appropriate for your fitness level.
• As you walk or run, keep your shoulders back and chin up. Don’t look at your feet.
• Relax and take normal strides, just as you would on the ground.
• Pay attention to where you are on the treadmill. Don’t veer to either side or fall too far back.
• As a beginner, keep your treadmill workout simple until you are accustomed to the equipment and know your endurance levels for time and speed. Treadmills usually have small screens that display your speed, time spent treading, total distance, and approximate calories burned. You can use these numbers to gradually increase the difficulty of your treadmill workout.

Suggestions for changing up the routine are:

• Change up the pace. Alternate your speed throughout your workout.
• Change the incline.
• Engage in another activity.

Here is my personal suggestion, coming from someone who hates the treadmill. Get on every day for 1 week for 10 minutes only. On the 2nd week increase it to 12 minutes. Add two-five minutes as the month goes on. Before you know it you are doing 35 minutes without even thinking about it. That first week only committing to 10 minutes was so easy for me. It was the boost I needed to get back on the treadmill.