Treadmill beginner

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2

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  • qmmanager69
    qmmanager69 Posts: 71 Member
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    I read somewhere that if you subtract your age from 220, that will give your max heart rate while exercising. Not sure if that's 100% accurate, but at 45 y/o, 175 would be my max. I feel stressed @ 150 and as a beginner I generally don't go above that. Someone else said headphones and a great play list. I love 80's rock for exercise (The Clash, Talking Heads, the GoGo's...anything with a driving beat).
  • Amitysk
    Amitysk Posts: 705 Member
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    During the winter and cold months I use my treadmill (for walking) a lot. Now that the weather has improved I am walking outside. I like to make sure that I have a really good music playlist going or when I used the one at the gym I watched TV too.
  • 1lexisva
    1lexisva Posts: 978 Member
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    I read somewhere that if you subtract your age from 220, that will give your max heart rate while exercising. Not sure if that's 100% accurate, but at 45 y/o, 175 would be my max. I feel stressed @ 150 and as a beginner I generally don't go above that. Someone else said headphones and a great play list. I love 80's rock for exercise (The Clash, Talking Heads, the GoGo's...anything with a driving beat).

    Thanks!! Mine was 170-180s and I am 32 :/ I haven't worked out since Oct I think I need to slow it down until I build my endurance
  • 1lexisva
    1lexisva Posts: 978 Member
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    During the winter and cold months I use my treadmill (for walking) a lot. Now that the weather has improved I am walking outside. I like to make sure that I have a really good music playlist going or when I used the one at the gym I watched TV too.

    I like walking outside too! Refreshing when it's not so HOT lol
  • lisaanne1369
    lisaanne1369 Posts: 377 Member
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    Florida girl here and the heat is starting to get to me,love my treadmill but I love running outside more.Just take it easy and listen to your body. Have fun!
  • 1lexisva
    1lexisva Posts: 978 Member
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    Florida girl here and the heat is starting to get to me,love my treadmill but I love running outside more.Just take it easy and listen to your body. Have fun!

    Thank you!! :)
  • Muffie22
    Muffie22 Posts: 77 Member
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    run outside instead.

    treadmills are soul-sucking death machines. im not an avid runner but im trying to get into it, and have in the past as well. nothing is worse than running in the same spot for an extended period of time


    I love treadmills! If the only available way of running was to do it outdoors I'd never get off my butt because I'd be too paranoid about people looking at me. Plus it rains pretty much 24/7 here so not exactly a great motivator. On treadmills I get motivated by what's on the screen and can watch junk TV without feeling bad about it, which keeps me from getting bored. Everyone has different preferences and it's a whole lot better than doing nothing at all
  • 1lexisva
    1lexisva Posts: 978 Member
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    run outside instead.

    treadmills are soul-sucking death machines. im not an avid runner but im trying to get into it, and have in the past as well. nothing is worse than running in the same spot for an extended period of time


    I love treadmills! If the only available way of running was to do it outdoors I'd never get off my butt because I'd be too paranoid about people looking at me. Plus it rains pretty much 24/7 here so not exactly a great motivator. On treadmills I get motivated by what's on the screen and can watch junk TV without feeling bad about it, which keeps me from getting bored. Everyone has different preferences and it's a whole lot better than doing nothing at all

    True...I can be at home watching a movie without doing any exercise lol
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    To calculate your max heart rate-

    Formula- Age adjusted

    Men MHR = 220 – age
    Women MHR = 226 – age

    To calculate your target heart rate (for working out on the treadmill or running) shoot between 50 to 85% of your max heart rate from the formula above.
  • dotcomee
    dotcomee Posts: 36 Member
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    Treadmill or outside, does it matter? Whatever motivates to get off your *** is a good thing. I don't really understand the treadmill hate, but to each their own.

    I personally like to control my incline and speed rate whenever I want. You can keep your workouts very consistent (how fast, how long, etc). Easy to track gradual improvements in your performance. I also like to catch up on TV shows while on it (sad but true). Again, whatever motivates you.

    I do agree that I don't really feel any less impact on the treadmill vs outside.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Thanks! I have been walking on it since it was my first time using it yesterday...I am not really a runner

    I'd recommend it. I started 14 months ago as an adjunt to trying to lose weight. After a few months I realised that the weight loss wasn't the important thing, but getting better at running was. I wouldn't generally describe myself as a runner per se, but it's certainly my preferred form of exercise at the moment.

    Once you can comfortably walk for 30 minutes then it's worth giving it a try.
  • 1lexisva
    1lexisva Posts: 978 Member
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    Thanks! I have been walking on it since it was my first time using it yesterday...I am not really a runner

    I'd recommend it. I started 14 months ago as an adjunt to trying to lose weight. After a few months I realised that the weight loss wasn't the important thing, but getting better at running was. I wouldn't generally describe myself as a runner per se, but it's certainly my preferred form of exercise at the moment.

    Once you can comfortably walk for 30 minutes then it's worth giving it a try.

    I will definitely give it a try. Thank you
  • zahra1975
    zahra1975 Posts: 19 Member
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    you could increase your walk to a higher speed for ONE minute and lower back to a comfortable speed and continue this cycle for 10minutes or longer (as you wish)
    OR walk for few min and jog for 1 min and continue as long as you can
    OR increase incline for few mins and decline and walk for 5 mins and continue as long as you can! This is how I behave on a treadmill! if I don't sweat on there then I don't feel I've worked out!
    have you tried googling for a beginner treadmill workout?
  • aarnwine2013
    aarnwine2013 Posts: 317 Member
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    I love my treadmill. I love running outside as well but the treadmill is something I can get up and hop on whenever I want so I love the ease of use. That leaves me no excuses for not working out.

    I love the fat burning mode on mine. I use it two to three days a week and the other days I just run.

    It really helped me get motivated to run outside.

    Also, I downloaded the Zombies run app on my phone and I love it. An hour goes by in like 5 minutes!

    Make sure you have good running shoes. I didn't when I first started and had a bout with heel pain. They are expensive but worth it.
  • 1lexisva
    1lexisva Posts: 978 Member
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    you could increase your walk to a higher speed for ONE minute and lower back to a comfortable speed and continue this cycle for 10minutes or longer (as you wish)
    OR walk for few min and jog for 1 min and continue as long as you can
    OR increase incline for few mins and decline and walk for 5 mins and continue as long as you can! This is how I behave on a treadmill! if I don't sweat on there then I don't feel I've worked out!
    have you tried googling for a beginner treadmill workout?

    I went on pinterest lol
  • 1lexisva
    1lexisva Posts: 978 Member
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    I love my treadmill. I love running outside as well but the treadmill is something I can get up and hop on whenever I want so I love the ease of use. That leaves me no excuses for not working out.

    I love the fat burning mode on mine. I use it two to three days a week and the other days I just run.

    It really helped me get motivated to run outside.

    Also, I downloaded the Zombies run app on my phone and I love it. An hour goes by in like 5 minutes!

    Make sure you have good running shoes. I didn't when I first started and had a bout with heel pain. They are expensive but worth it.

    I have Nikes...my feet never hurt so I think I am okay with shoes
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
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    The best advice is to keep your hands off of the machine. Holding on to the machine can mess up your posture and it burns fewer calories.

    If I'm walking on the treadmill, I like watching Netflix on my phone. 20-30 minutes fly right by.
  • 1lexisva
    1lexisva Posts: 978 Member
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    The best advice is to keep your hands off of the machine. Holding on to the machine can mess up your posture and it burns fewer calories.

    If I'm walking on the treadmill, I like watching Netflix on my phone. 20-30 minutes fly right by.

    I put my hands on there because it tracks my heart rate but I take them off sometimes
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    I put my hands on there because it tracks my heart rate but I take them off sometimes

    I wouldn't worry about HR tbh, until you're actually putting in some serious miles it's really not important.

    Take a few checkpoints, but that's about it. Far better for you to not use the handholds for the points mentioned.
  • aarnwine2013
    aarnwine2013 Posts: 317 Member
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    I'm not saying that you don't have the right shoes, but from experience, the wrong ones will do real damage. It's best to get fitted for shoes that fit your running style.

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