fitness

The Treadmill Workout And What It Can Do For You

A fast, fun and varied treadmill workout is a fantastic way to keep you motivated and keep up your exercise routine in the cold winter months along with having you burn a serious amount of calories! Many people think of treadmill training as monotonous and boring but it really does not have to be. And despite this bad reputation, the trusty treadmill is the most common piece of home fitness equipment. People love them!

But you may ask, why not pay a visit to the great outdoors and walk, jog or run outside? Well, treadmill workouts have some distinct advantages over going outside and here’s why.

People generally like running for the large amount of calories that inevitably get burnt. Running engages a huge amount of muscle groups in the body and is also weight bearing, serving to keep your joints in healthy condition. So it comes as no surprise that running is the best form cardiovascular exercise to burn fat and calories.

Interval training on your treadmill is the optimal method to keep you enthused and inspired and also get the best all over body workout. And, you don’t need to be a top runner either. Interval training is an intensive method of burning fat and increasing your cardiovascular fitness so it is at its peak. This is because it allows you to run at an intensity higher than you usually would for a longer time period. Stints of lowered intensity are interspersed with stints of heightened intensity. This leads to a serious boost in your metabolism and an optimal cardiovascular fitness training effect for about 3 to 4 hours after the workout.

This phenomenon is called an EPOC or "excess post-exercise oxygen consumption". It means that you are still burning up to 300 to 400 calories even when you are putting your feet up after your interval workout.

The time efficiency is so much greater than going for a run outside. Treadmill interval training workouts give you a far better fat burning and fitness improving workout than a long, cardiovascular session. Plus you spend less time in the process. About 1 hour of traditional cardio training doesn’t even come close to what you can achieve in 20 minutes of an intensive interval training session on your treadmill.

If you use interval training treadmill workouts combined with resistance training for about two to three times a week, you will notice real differences in how you feel and look. Expect substantial fat burn as a result of your consistent treadmill workouts and you will see that you do not need to spend time doing time intensive cardiovascular sessions. Fat loss boils down to short intensive bursts of activity like sprinting. Sprinters are not fat! Far from it. It is kind of like working smart, not hard!

Remember that any workouts should start with a gentle five to six minute warm up like jogging or stretching.

A good, interval designed treadmill workout is the most fat burning, time efficient way to all round physical health and fitness.

Tags: treadmill workout, fitness, calories, cardio training

Five Fitness Ideas for a Family Workout

Exercise is beneficial for everyone no matter what your age. But, sometimes just the word makes you want to hide. Exercise doesn’t have to seem like work if you do it with someone else. Here are five fitness ideas for families who want to be healthier and need a little boost in the right direction.

A family workout has many benefits. First of all, you have each other for accountability. When one person wants to slack off, their loving family members can help them see the light. Secondly, you have a buddy to push you to do your best. It is a friendly competition that can help you achieve fitness goals you never thought possible.

1. Backyard sports – it’s probably been a long time since you played a game of dodge ball or kick ball. Now’s your chance. Get the family together and start a game on the weekends. This type of stop and start movement gets the heart rate up and works the muscles. Other ideas include basketball game, softball game or volleyball.

2. Take a class together – for example, martial arts centers have programs from youth to adult. Each person can learn skills and then practise them together. Aerobics classes are another idea for a family exercise session. The guys in the family may not feel co-ordinated enough to do a step aerobics class but there’s always spinning, swimming or kickboxing classes to choose from at your local YMCA or the gym.

3. Enjoy nature – families feed off of each other. If one person can do it, the others want to try to do it also. Go for a family hike. Parks have some beautiful trails that range from easy to more challenging. Outfit your family with the proper gear and learn about nature together. Along the same lines as hiking is mountain climbing. There are trails here too. Help each other climb the rocks and take in some breathtaking views. Both activities work your heart, lungs and lower body. Even on a cool fall day you will feel the burn and the cleansing sweat of a good workout.

4. Do yard work – no one wants to choose outside work but if you do it together it can be fun and heart pumping. Take turns mowing a section of the yard. Pushing a lawnmower works the upper and lower body. Rake leaves in the fall. For more fun, jump into the big pile and then let everyone help rake them up again.

5. Play a video game – video games have become more athletic and virtual these days. The big talk is about the Wii game console. Using the Fit board or the regular games, your family will have plenty of laughs and even more exercise as they move to make the characters move in the games.

Who says family workouts have to be boring? Get together as a family and do something that you love to stay healthy. 

Tags: fitness ideas, family workout, backyard sports, fitness