Running on a treadmill regularly is one of the most effective ways to lose weight as well as build your cardiovascular fitness. A treadmill not only allows you to burn calories by participating in controlled workouts – walking, jogging and running – but also counts the calories burned and tracks your heart rate, time and distance as well. Follow the steps below to lose weight by using a treadmill.

Find a suitable treadmill

The first step when planning to lose weight using treadmill is to find a suitable treadmill. You can join local gym for treadmill workouts, but if you don’t have access to gym then buy your own. When buying a treadmill, make sure it has plenty of features, such as adjustable incline, heart rate monitor, an indicator for calories burned and clearly labelled controls.

Warm-up

It is important to warm-up your body before getting onto the treadmill. A slow walk on treadmill for 5 to 10 minutes will be enough to prepare your muscles for the intense workout you are about to participate in.

Start running on the treadmill

After the warm up session of 5 to 10 minutes, gradually increase your speed until you start running at a moderate pace. If you are new to treadmill workouts, start at a low intensity, slightly faster than a walk, and work your way up. Also make sure your treadmill has no inclination. Once you feel comfortable running on straight treadmill, feel free to add an incline, but gradually increasing the angle of inclination. Novices should run on treadmill twice or thrice a week.

Add intervals

Once you have build your endurance and feel comfortable running at a fast pace, both on an inclined and un-inclined treadmill, you can challenge yourself by training intervals. Basic intervals want you to keep switching between running and walking for 10 to 15 minutes. Start off by running at a fast pace for one minute, then slow yourself down to a walk for two minutes. This 1 to 2 ratio will give you enough time to rest while getting yourself familiarized with training intervals.

Use treadmill for at least 20 minutes

To lose weight quickly, it is recommended to run on a treadmill for at least 20 minutes every day, with two days of rest every week. Running on a treadmill for 20 minutes will help raise your metabolism (the rate of burning calories), which will help you get rid of those extra pounds quickly.