Treadmill Guide Category:
by Philip on June 8, 2010
All equipments and household tools can cause danger or hurt when not used properly. This is the same with treadmill. As treadmill becomes more popular in many households, many people are concerned about the injuries it can cause. Children especially, are prone to experience treadmill-related injuries. But, this can be avoided with a few simple precautionary steps. Here’s how you can avoid treadmill injuries:
(1) Wear appropriate clothing and shoe
It’s important to wear clothes that make you feel comfortable. For example, remember to check on your shoes because shock absorption decreases over time. To prevent knee injury, you got to have shoes that absorb walk impact well.
(2) Start slow and end slow
You got to warm up for each session. Start on a slow paced walk and gradually move to faster walking speed. Don’t make the mistake of choosing the highest speed at the start of the workout. You may end up straining your muscles. Same goes when you are coming to the end of your exercise. Slow down and allow your body to cool.
(3) Maintain a good posture
I’ve fallen off a treadmill and it’s because of 2 reasons: the treadmill was badly built and I had a bad posture. Combine these two and an injury is bound to happen. A good posture is when you stand up straight and keep your shoulders straight but relaxed. Remember, don’t slouch!
(4) Only work out on a well-built machine
As I’ve said earlier and in my post 5 Tips How to Choose the Best Treadmill, you must choose a stable machine that is able to support your weight. If you felt any tell-tale signs of rattling, immediately stop using until you get it fixed.
(5) Keep to a comfortable stride
Adjust the machine settings to get a good pace and match the workout with a natural stride. Your arms should swing to the pace of your legs and remain close to your body. If possible, avoid holding on to the handrail.
(6) Always listen to your body
Don’t ignore the signs your body sends you. If you feel excessive pain or unwell in any part of your body, stop and give yourself a rest. When you’ve overstrained your body you’ll probably need 2 days to recover. Your body can only take so many workouts at any one time.
(7) Last but not least, keep kids away from the machine
Kids are a curious bunch and they’ll want to know how a machine works. Once, I had a nephew who came over to my house and almost got himself hurt when he came as I was working out on the machine. Since then, I kept the machine folded away whenever I’m expecting kids. It’s also dangerous to leave cords lying around.
Well, here are 7 quick tips on how you can avoid treadmill injuries. If you would like to lose weight effectively using the treadmill, probably you’d like to check out How to Lose Weight Quickly (5 Treadmill Weight Loss Tips).
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by Philip on June 3, 2010
If you are reading this, it’s likely that you are looking forward to buy a treadmill. Choosing the best treadmill isn’t that difficult if you know what features to look for. Treadmill is one of the easiest and most convenient workout machines to use. That’s why I always head for the treadmill whenever I visited the gym with my brother, until one day I decided to buy the machine for use at home. It was one of the best decisions I’ve made.
There are many factors to consider when choosing the best treadmill. Here are 8 useful tips on how to choose the best treadmill:
1. Price range
Think of your purchase as an investment. I’d advise you to stick to a budget you can afford. In my experience, a high price doesn’t necessarily represent the best treadmill quality. Typically, treadmills can be divided into a few categories: (1) budget ($150-$500), (2) mid-range ($500-$1000) and (3) above-average ($1000 and up). If you’re on a low budget, don’t worry. Check out my treadmill review in Best Value for Money Treadmill.
2. Space and noise
I’ll tell you why this is important. Quite often, you’ll feel bored working out for whole 30 minutes without doing anything. Then, you’ll want to watch TV or plug in your iPod. That’s when you realize you can’t do that because the machine is noisy. Frustrating? That’s why you got to choose a silent machine. As for space, most treadmills these days are designed for easy assemble and they take up little space. Unless you have ample space to spare, go for a compact machine. Maybe you’d want to check out Best Compact Size Treadmill.
3. Horsepower
The performance of the machine depends on its horsepower. Technically, the motor does a heavy-duty job because it’ll run continuously as you workout. The higher the horsepower, the more powerful and resistant is your machine towards breakdowns. If possible, always choose machines with long warranty period (> 1 year). For some machines, you got to pay more for the extended warranty claim.
4. Stability and comfort
Never work out on a wobbly and badly-designed machine. During my earlier days, I’ve exercised on a jerky machine. I lost balance and fell down, hitting my face on the bars. Boy, I got rewarded with a broken nose for my ignorance. Don’t repeat the same mistake. Also, you should feel that there’s enough room for you to stride while your arm is free to move. The handle bars should be within reach.
5. Features offered
I’ve tried a few sophisticated treadmills and I’m impressed with the features offered. For example, some machines have workout programs to help you achieve a particular workout goal. If you are an advanced runner, you’ll want to explore more features to give yourself an optimal workout experience. Otherwise, if you are just starting on the treadmill, you can choose a treadmill with basic functions (which also costs less).
These are 5 tips to help you choose the best treadmill. If you are looking for more tips, read How to Lose Weight Quickly (5 Treadmill Weight Loss Tips) and How to Avoid Treadmill Injuries.
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by Philip on May 31, 2010
- Have you ever wondered why you can’t seem to keep to a regular exercise schedule?
- Do you beat yourself up for not being able to lose that excess weight even when you have the best exercise machine?
I used to answer YES to both questions until I made a resolution to lose weight before my wedding a few years ago (yes, men want to look good on their wedding day too). My brother decided to help me out by going to the gym with me. I’m grateful he did because I did lose a total of 20lbs before the Big Day. Since then, I’ve maintained a consistent weight and am happy with my body. Here, I’d like to share 5 treadmill weight loss tips to help you achieve the same (and even better) weight loss results.
1. If you have 30 minutes to spare, always choose to treadmill
Fact is, it’s very easy to lose focus and procrastinate exercise. You can have the best treadmill machine at home and yet left untouched for months. The rule that I keep to is “If I have 30 minutes to spare, that goes to my treadmill”. After that things got easier. I start to equate 30 minutes with a lot of things like (1) watching a sitcom, (2) reading 2 chapters of a book, and (3) learning basic Spanish conversations. I can do all three while working out on my treadmill and I’m a happier person now since I lost that extra weight.
2. Challenge your body to different workout modes
It helps to vary exercise modes to help your body burn more calories. Usually, varied exercise modes are found in advanced and sophisticated treadmills. For example, the Best Treadmill for Advanced Runners offers up to 9 programs to give you more workout choices. You can start off with a slow walk and pace yourself for speedier walks. You can even add in a sprint or jog element for stamina building. That way, you won’t feel bored with the same exercise. A treadmill gives you just as much workout variety as other machines.
3. Be in control of your workout time
One reason why people don’t visit the gym as often is because they don’t seem to have the time to go. With some gyms charging so much, it pays to own your own treadmill and work out at your leisure and convenience. For example, your daily 30-minute workout can be divided into two 15-minute sessions. At one point where I couldn’t make it to gym because of my extended work schedule, I’m glad there’s a treadmill at home. I can just wake up earlier each day to do quick workouts before heading off to work.
4. Workout all year round, rain or shine
One of the best points about indoor treadmill is that you can work out without a care of the weather. Whether it’s raining or snowing, you can still do your regular exercise. That way, you can maintain a consistent workout and lose weight more effectively.
5. Consider nutrition, sleep, and plenty of water to supplement your workout
Workout alone isn’t quite enough. What you need is intake of nutritious food, have sufficient sleep, and drink plenty of fluid to stay hydrated. That way, your body stays alert and burns calories speedily. In no time, you’ll see the changes to your health and body.
You got to have discipline and maintain consistency in workout to lose weight for good. It helps to pace yourself for each workout and don’t push yourself too hard. If you would like to find out more about treadmill and exercise, check out 5 Tips How to Choose the Best Treadmill and How to Avoid Treadmill Injuries.
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by Philip on May 30, 2010
Hi there, I’m Philip. Are you looking for the best treadmill to buy for your mini gym at home? Or don’t have the time to go to the health club so you want to workout at home whenever the chance arises? No matter what your reason is, if you are wondering which is the best treadmill to buy, my Best Treadmill reviews blog will give you some idea.
My brother and I often hang out at the local gym, and we prefer the cardio training machines to the muscle-building types. The treadmill is one of our favorites, of course. We would spend weekend afternoons treading the miles and all the while chatting about our families. Sometimes we would compete and try to break each others’ record.
Of course, I can’t just rely on weekend workouts to beat him; I need to keep my heart rate going as well on weekdays, but it’s just too time-consuming to pack up and go to gym everyday. So I bought a treadmill. I started off with a cheap one, because I wondered how diligent I would be to keep to my exercise schedule. After a year, I traded it in for a higher quality treadmill, as I know I will get my money’s worth out of it.
If you still haven’t started exercising, the treadmill is a good machine to start on. It is easy and involves no learning curves, because all you need to do is walk, jog or run on the treadmill.
Treadmill workouts are better than going out for walks or jogs in the way that you don’t need to worry about bad weather, uneven road surfaces, or dangerous neighborhoods. And it provides some shock absorption that would be better for your joints (ankles and knees) than running on the road. Plus you can read or watch TV while working out.
Most treadmills have a display that shows you your heart rate, calories burned, step count or more, which may or may not be accurate, depending on the quality of the machine. However, you still get your workout no matter what it says. 
Check out my blog for updates soon!