Add Variety to Your Treadmill Workouts
Treadmill exercise can be great, but sometimes it can seem quite monotonous and many times, just down right boring. There are ways, however, to add variety to your treadmill workouts, which will keep you from getting bored, and give you better results.
TIP #1: LET GO OF THOSE HANDLEBARS
Unless you are overly accident-prone, there really is no reason to hold onto those handlebars during treadmill exercise. If you want to get the most out of your treadmill time, get those arms moving. Add variety to your treadmill workouts by pretending you’re on the open road, power-walking your way to a better body. By holding onto the treadmill bars, your upper body isn’t getting worked as much as it could by swinging your arms. If needed, lower the speed and then increase intensity once you find your groove.
TIP #2: WARM UP PROPERLY
Always start your treadmill exercise at a slow pace. Your muscles need a little time to warm up. If you jump right into a fast pace, you could very well cause injury to yourself.
TIP #3: SING THAT TUNE
A surefire way to cure boredom and add variety to your treadmill workouts is by listening to music. If you don’t have an mp3 player, and work out at a public gym, it is definitely something you may want to think about. If your treadmill is at home, crank up that stereo and play your favorite tunes.
TIP #4: CHALLENGE YOURSELF
Once you get the hang of a good treadmill power-walk, start increasing the intensity level. Add variety to your treadmill workouts by using preset programs many treadmills are equipped with. Increasing intensity over time is crucial if you want to lose weight and tone your body. As your body becomes conditioned to your current intensity level, you’ll begin to hit a plateau, which will inhibit your progress. Push your body only when you’re ready—when you do, you’ll start seeing more results.
TIP #5: WALK IT OUT…BACKWARDS
If you’re into trying new things, this is definitely a new twist for your treadmill exercise. Walking backwards works your muscles in a whole new way. Of course, you need to do this at a slow pace without holding on to the bars. If you become a pro at walking backwards, challenge yourself by jogging backwards. Take your time and have some fun with it.
TIP #6: HOP ON AND OFF
You don’t have to walk or run for 30 minutes straight. A great way to mix up your routine is to stay on the treadmill for 5 to 10 minutes and then step off to do exercises such as crunches, lunges and push-ups.
TIP #7: MAKE IT PEACEFUL
If you need to relieve some tension, a great way to do this is by lighting some candles, dimming the lights and playing some very soothing music (instrumental would be best). Set the speed to slow and let your walk help clear your mind. Since you won’t cover quite as much distance as you would at a fast pace, you may need to extend your time on the treadmill in order to get a good workout.
Be creative and stick with what works best for you! If you don’t add variety to your treadmill workouts, then it’s almost guaranteed that you’ll get burnt out on exercise. The key to sticking with exercise for a long period of time is making it enjoyable.
