Losing Weight on a Treadmill: 3 Quick & Easy Tips

If losing weight on a treadmill were such a simple task there wouldn’t be so many people who use them religiously that are still sporting a few too many extra pounds. Despite the rows upon rows in gyms across the country always in motion, there’s still an obesity epidemic. Let’s investigate 3 tips that make treadmilling far more effective.

Tip #1: Focus on Micronutrients Before/After Treadmill Workout

“Abs are made in the kitchen.” What that really means is that trimming down to lower percentages of body fat for most people have everything to do with what they do and do not eat before and after a treadmill workout.

• Pre-Treadmill Meal: If you’re on the treadmill to lose weight you should have substantially more carbs in your meal, ideally composed of organic fruits, veggies and berries. Shakes are perfect because liquefied nutrients are absorbed and put into action quicker. Don’t make the mistake of piling on tons of protein. And, don’t forget to have enough poly/monounsaturated fat as well.
• During: Water. Really, anything else just adds unnecessary calories. All nutrients should be consumed before and after.
• Post-Treadmill Meal: Really no different than the pre-workout meal. Balanced but with an emphasis on carbs, fat for satiety and protein to protect against losing too much lean mass.

Tip #2: High Intensity Intervals with Various Programs

There two really powerful ways to take an average treadmill workout to the next level: first of all intense intervals and, second employing more than the default programing. It’s about adding some variety so your mind and body don’t get too bored.

1. Intervals: instead of just jogging along for 30-40 minutes, break your session up into blocks and do a super-high intensity sprinting/incline interval to raise your heart rate into the upper realm. Try a five minute sprint at lvl 10 incline, or just push the speed up to 8.5 and power through it for 3-5 minutes. Then go back to a slight jog for 5-10 minutes.
2. Programs: one of the best is a slight jog or brisk walking speed on “random hill” mode set to a really high level of difficulty. This just translates into a program with lots of hills.

Tip #3: Add some Weight into the Mix!

Here’s a thought, if all you’re going to do is walk then why not add either a weight-belt, vest or some light to moderate weight dumbbells? This way you’re working both the upper and lower body at the same time, pushing up that metabolic rate and this will cause you to get the afterburner effect as well which increases caloric expenditure for up to 24 hours after you’re all done for the day. Just be careful and start off slow until you get used to it.

At the end of the day a fair amount could be said about the style/type of machine you’re using. So, head over to our treadmill section and see what modern fitness really looks like.