A treadmill and cardio exercise

home :: a treadmill and cardio exercise

A treadmill and cardio exercise go hand in hand if you are trying to get heart healthy.

If walking or jogging is part of your exercise program a treadmill may be something worth considering. A great all round cardio aerobic exercise, walking is almost totally without joint stress, doesn’t require any special equipment and costs nothing to practice. Jogging, on the other hand, can be stressful on the joints, but is a wonderful cardio exercise. The main problem with walking or jogging is that the weather is a key issue and in some places safety too. A treadmill may be the answer.

A Treadmill and Cardio Exercise

A treadmill is essentially a piece of walking or jogging equipment that allows you to get a quality aerobic exercise routine in your home. You walk or run on a wide rolling rubber mat that, in most cases, can be inclined to simulate a gentle or steep hill. The rubber mat is also soft under the feet, which would be similar to jogging on grass rather than hard concrete. One of the best reasons to take your walking program inside is because on a treadmill you can maintain the pace of your stride easily. Plus, you can get the benefits of a quality cardio exercise routine without leaving your home.

Advantages and health benefits of treadmill exercise

While there are many different indoor aerobic exercise machines on the market, few compare to treadmills when it comes to health benefits and burning calories, an essential part of losing weight and getting in shape. Regular exercise will also increase your “good” HDL cholesterol levels which is cardio protective.
According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, treadmills easily outpaced an exercise bicycle, a rowing machine and a cross-country skiing machine.

A group of volunteers at the Milwaukee Veterans Administration Hospital did a series of workouts on different machines, each time exercising at what felt like the same intensity. Researchers used a special device to measure the number of calories burned. "The treadmill allowed the individuals to burn as much as 200 calories per hour more than the bicycle ergometer, which came out having the lowest energy expenditure," said Dr. Martin Hoffman of the Medical College of Wisconsin.

The average medium-intensity treadmill workout burned 700 calories per hour, compared to just 500 calories per hour on the exercise bike. Hoffman said one reason for the difference is the amount of muscle mass that is used in both exercises.

Burning calories is a great benefit of treadmill exercise, but it's not the only reason to consider this type of workout. Walking has been found to be an excellent form of exercise for people with certain health conditions and many rehab clinics promote this type of low-impact cardio exercise. Other conditions such as osteoporosis, hypertension and back pain all can be relieved by exercise. Moreover, a treadmill adds consistency to your walking or jogging workout because many models allow you to maintain speed and intensity throughout your entire workout.

A treadmill and Cardio Exercise are two things that really will help you get heart healthy. However, remember that a healthy diet is also very important to reaching your goals.

To go to the top of this page, hit the link: a treadmill and cardio exercise