Why The Treadmill Is Great For Walking

Benefits of walking on a treadmill

It’s easy to think of gym equipment, especially that which you purchase for your home, as the mark of elite athletic performance. You may picture a cyclist pumping hard and monitoring all kinds of fitness metrics to gauge whether they’ re on track for their upcoming tournament.

However, it’s also true that good exercise equipment can serve many purposes. A singular barbell, for instance, can allow for many compound exercises to help you get fitter and stronger.

The same applies to treadmills. Many believe that a good “ running machine” workout involves exactly that, running. This can be off-putting to a newcomer who may not be trained, as well as those with limited mobility or injuries to think about.

That said, running machines and treadmills can serve as fantastic walking apparatus too. In this post, we’ll discuss why that is.

You can set the perfect incline and speed.

Walking is great exercise, is easy on your joints, and can help you condition yourself well. With a walking machine, you can keep up with slow to fast walking without interruptions. 

Moreover, you can set the exact pace you’ re looking for, increasing and decreasing at a moment’s notice depending on your needs. In addition, you can set a precise incline to make the walking period more challenging should you wish. This can be great cardio equipment for exercise, really activating your thighs and glutes for a respectable workout.

Treadmills are perfect for programs like “Couch 2 5k.”

Couch 2 5k is a running program designed by health services. Put simply, it’s a program intended to help the couch potato slowly work up to running five kilometres within a matter of months, accounting for untrained novices just getting started.

This program includes many walking rest stops. For instance, during the first week, you may run for sixty seconds, and rest for ninety, repeated for twenty minutes in total. When you can easily adjust a treadmill on the fly, you can easily switch between a consistent walking speed and running to make sure you’re doing the program correctly. 

As such, treadmills are perfect for your Couch 2 5k training.

Convenience and accessibility is key

Walking is great exercise, but not always practical. There may be a torrential downpour outside, you may not have time as you work from home, or perhaps you just don’t feel like heading outside to walk when you’ve already had a busy day. With a treadmill, you can start walking at any time of night and day, and even enjoy television shows or music while you walk.

As you can imagine, catching up on the latest box set while walking for an hour is a much healthier outcome than sitting down during all that time. This can really help those who live a sedentary lifestyle get more active, without leaving the comfort of their home. 

Before you know it, you’ll be walking miles each day. This can be a massive benefit to those who regularly work from home, parents who have little free time, or those who just don’t want to drive to the gym every day.

With this advice, you’ll see how treadmills are the perfect walking machines to exercise with.