Wednesday, January 28, 2009

How to Achieve Easy Fat Loss with Treadmill Walking

By Torii Tompson

Losing weight is not as hard as it may seem - one really simple way to work off weight and burn that extra fat is by treadmill walking. The key to easy fat loss is to simply burn more calories than you take in through your food.

The majority of people think that taking a short walk three times a week is enough for them to quickly lose weight, unfortunately though this is completely un-true! In order for walking to be an effective weight loss technique, you would need to walk for a minimum of 45 minutes at least five to six times a week.

The important thing to remember is to keep up to your walking on a regular basis. You will find it extremely hard to control your weight if you do not exercise consistently. It is also important to bear in mind that walking around your local area may not be enough, especially if you live in a flat area.

However, if you walk on a treadmill, you can get a more intense workout by elevating the grade, also known as the incline. Not only will the higher elevation increase your heart rate, but the muscles in your body will work harder and cause you to burn more fat.

By regularly using a treadmill in your workout you will be able to both lose excess weight, and also make sure it doesn't return. Of course some people may get bored of using a treadmill rather than exercising outdoors, so here are some great ways to make your workout more exciting:

Walk the Pyramid: This is a neat little game which is sure to keep you mentally active as well as physically active. You can play this game over the course of your workout; basically when you are doing your treadmill walking, increase the speed by 0.1mph every minute. Do this for half of your workout session, and then for the second half of your session you decrease the speed by 0.1 mph.

1,2,3 Counting Steps: Instead of obessing over the time clock on the treadmill display, count your steps. You can count your steps for one minute then take a break and do it again for another minute. It will pass the time and as you became more fit you'll notice the number of steps you count will increase, which should motivate you.

Step and Walk: I'm sure you know how effective treadmill walking can be and all the great benefits you can get from it, but why not combine treadmill walking with another exercise to make it even easier to lose weight! Divide your workout into equal chunks, I usually break mine down in to 10 minute slots. For the first 10 minutes I do my treadmill walking, and then for the second 10 minute slot I get off the treadmill and use a stepper. If you don't have a stepper you can easily substitute another exercise, perhaps you have an exercise bike or weights to lift.

Travel the World: There's a famous scene in the movie Forest Gump where Hanks puts on a pair of shoes and just walks. I find it's fun to map out my favorite routes around my neighborhood and then see how long it takes me to walk there on my treadmill. You can even put up photographs of local landmarks and take yourself on a virtual tour of your area!

Remember, exercise is a very personal thing, so just be creative and come up with your own little games and techniques to make sure that your workout is always fun! - 16463

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