Treadmill vs Outdoors

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chanellenoble
chanellenoble Posts: 37 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I feel insecure when I'm exercising, and like to work out on my own or with a close friend/relative. Because of this I usually run on the treadmill as it is in the guest room of our house and no one can see me in there while I'm running. I've heard though that it is not as beneficial as running outside? Is this true or false and if true what are the differences?

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  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
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    I think there's more than one angle to look at this. For me, I can manage to get on the treadmill more than outside mostly due to time of day/weather. So for me, it's better to do treadmill because I'm actually doing it more. That being said, I do think it's harder to run outside because all the momentum is your own. You can add a slight incline (.5-1) on the treadmill to help mimic the extra effort it takes to run outside though. I did that when I was training for my last 10K and knew I wouldn't get a ton of outside time and I think it really helped.
  • jonchew
    jonchew Posts: 239 Member
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    I feel your pain, regarding not wanting to run in public... I felt the same way myself for the longest time. That aside, I'd say that either treadmill or track running beats couch surfing every time. I've discovered that I really enjoy running outside, and find myself feeling a bit wobbly on a treadmill. Many feel that any running will beat-up your knees & joints... everyone has their opinion.

    Bottom-line: both will benefit, & you need to do what you feel comfortable doing. Personally, I feel that, hey, you're trying to improve your body & health, BRAVO... you shouldn't feel self-conscience about that. You're way ahead of the typical couch surfer!
  • Noonoo757
    Noonoo757 Posts: 280 Member
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    Im the opposite I love to run outside but I have a newborn and cannot use the jog stroller just yet so I wait till I go to work an run the treadmill as I work graveyards. Running outside for me is better because you deal with the elements like different inclines if you choose a trail, the weather and you also have better scenery as opposed to just running on a treadmill which gets boring not to mention you have that belt that helps to pull your feet back as you run. I notice when I run 3 miles on the treadmill it is nothing compared to running 3 miles outside pounding the pavement which is much harder and requires much more use of your core. The treadmill is better for those that have poor knees thoughs or other ailments.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    Notwithstanding any differences in exercise benefit (and that is the subject of controversy as you can control things like incline etc on your treadmill) the better one is the one you'll actually stick with. If, for any reason, you feel an aversion to running outside keep on using your treadmill.

    On the other hand, if at some point in the future you foresee the possibility of running in a race (it really is a lot of fun) the you should try to get outside at least a couple of times a week to acclimate to the change in running surface and mechanics.

    Perhaps if you had a running buddy you'd be more comfortable running outside?
  • sera799
    sera799 Posts: 9
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    I was the same as you- I was so anxious about running outside. But the only bit of advice I can give you is to just TRY it. I sucked it up in May this year and went for a run outside. And since then I've done 3 miles 5 times a week varying my runs. I recently tried to run the same distance on a treadmill because it was soo hot outside on that day, and I've strained my ligaments in my knee due to the surface of the treadmill. Outdoors all the way!
  • ahamm002
    ahamm002 Posts: 1,690 Member
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    If you're not a very competitive runner, then you don't have to worry about the difference between treadmills and running outside in terms of fitness. There are some slight differences, many people recomend adding a 0.5% or 1% incline to your treadmill to better simulate running on a road.

    That said, now that Fall is approaching, it's a great time to start running outside. Research has shown that people who take their workouts outside are more likely to continue working out regularly. Use google maps to find some good running routes around your neighborhood (or drive to a park), and do some outdoor runs when the weather is nice. Also, you can use your phone or a gps watch to monitor and track your runs which can be a lot of fun (I use the nike+ gps watch).

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