Treadmills - can't stay on them!

aidanadia
aidanadia Posts: 4
edited November 12 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi all,

I'm looking to lose some weight and generally get into shape. More specifically, I want to lose my belly fat.

I've decided to run a bit on the treadmill, but for some reason I just can't seem to stay on it for longer than three minutes! I get so tired and sweaty and I just want to hop off. I can do about 30 continuous minutes of aerobics and pilates, so what's up woth my inability to work out on a treadmill? Does anyone have an explanation for this?

Cheers

Replies

  • swilk627
    swilk627 Posts: 245 Member
    How fast are you trying to go? Maybe try slowing down.
  • aidanadia
    aidanadia Posts: 4
    How fast are you trying to go? Maybe try slowing down.

    I usually run at about a 6-6.5 speed. Anything slower than that I find is pretty annoying.
  • swilk627
    swilk627 Posts: 245 Member
    How fast are you trying to go? Maybe try slowing down.

    I usually run at about a 6-6.5 speed. Anything slower than that I find is pretty annoying.

    I'd slow down so that you can build up your endurance.
  • LilacDreamer
    LilacDreamer Posts: 1,364 Member
    i started out only doing a couple of minutes on the treadmill, about a month and a half ago...and now i usually do 45 minutes to an hour. i used to hate them, they scared me because i had only used a manual one and the fact that the automatic ones constantly move really bothered me. But now i'm good with it, just do a little bit each day...try to do an extra minute every day you use one. it helps.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I can do workout DVDs, all kinds of cardio, walk at a fast pace all day long, but running is a whole different thing! I started the c25k program about 5 weeks ago and it's working great for me! I don't run on a treadmill, but you can do the program either way. It eases you into running with walking & jogging intervals, increasing the jogging each week. Look it up - tons of programs & phone apps for it, maybe that will help.
  • shanahan_09
    shanahan_09 Posts: 238 Member
    If it has programs, try an incline program (hill program). It should go back and forth from level to a certain % incline. This way you get your heart rate up from 'climbing' and then your heart rate goes back to rest with the level walking...etc etc. By doing this, you should burn good calories! Plus it beats the boredom. For more of a sweat, try incorporating ankle weights. Just make sure you're not cheating yourself and holding onto the treadmill when doing your workout.
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
    I can stay on the tredmill all day. I'm the same way with the elliptical though. I can only do a few minutes at a time before I feel like I'm dying.
  • gp79
    gp79 Posts: 1,799 Member
    Sounds like it's a personal problem. Annoying to run slower than a pace where you can only continue for 3 minutes? It doesn't make sense. Slow your pace to where your heart rate is 70% of it's max. It's going to take you roughly 8 - 10 minutes for your heart rate to settle into a consistent zone.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
    Have you tried intervals? Fast, slow, fast slow?

    Depending on how long you go, your bodys gonna use different energy stores. Some max out around 2 mins, and you rely heavily on others.

    http://www.cwu.edu/~acquisto/energy.htm


    For what you're after, short workouts and bursts aren't gonna benefit you as much as longer, sustained workouts. (unless you start intervals).

    energy.gif

    http://www.brianmac.co.uk/energy.htm
  • sevencallmemom
    sevencallmemom Posts: 505 Member
    I put on a Jane Austen movie and (mostly) walk for 2 hrs at 3-3.5 5 or 6 days a week. The treadmill bores the heck out of me, but the tv distracts me enough to make it bearable till I get lost in it.
  • coquette87
    coquette87 Posts: 114
    I can second C25K. I used to horseback ride competitively, and I could do 2 solid hours, plus barn chores hauling 5 gallon buckets of water and wheelbarrows full of manure and carry 30 lb saddles with no problem. But I could only run about 2 minutes at a stretch. C25K slowly built me up to where I was running 30 minutes straight.
  • karisma81
    karisma81 Posts: 71 Member
    Install a Couch to 5K app on your smartphone or iPod if you have one or look up the structure of the program and follow it. It's running and walking intervals for 20 - 25 mins that start with running only 1 minute at a time then gradually ramps it up.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I think you probably need to decrease your speed and slowly work your way up. Getting on and expecting to be able to run at 6-6.5 would explain why you're only able to do it for a couple minutes.

    And saying that slower paces "annoy" you? I don't quite understand that.
  • SunnyAndrsn
    SunnyAndrsn Posts: 369 Member
    I put on a Jane Austen movie and (mostly) walk for 2 hrs at 3-3.5 5 or 6 days a week. The treadmill bores the heck out of me, but the tv distracts me enough to make it bearable till I get lost in it.

    Same here--I'm working my way through Friends on DVD.

    I also have a tendency to get bored with the same speed, so I go up and down as a challenge to myself. I can now do an hour at a time, at a consistent speed. As I start to get bored with this, I'll beef up the incline or the speed again.
  • Articeluvsmemphis
    Articeluvsmemphis Posts: 1,987 Member
    umm, just don't run sweetie. walk fast at like 3mph-4mph or at a high incline, your heart rate will be up, and your butt will look awesome, lol

    and listen to music while you workout, trust me, you're burning calories all the same
  • Mershon88
    Mershon88 Posts: 46 Member
    Just make sure you're not cheating yourself and holding onto the treadmill when doing your workout.

    I have to have my hands on the side bars... my balance is crap.. I will walk/jog right off the side if I let go. LOL
  • liroez29
    liroez29 Posts: 221
    bump
  • RileeMarie
    RileeMarie Posts: 113
    Hi all,

    I'm looking to lose some weight and generally get into shape. More specifically, I want to lose my belly fat.

    I've decided to run a bit on the treadmill, but for some reason I just can't seem to stay on it for longer than three minutes! I get so tired and sweaty and I just want to hop off. I can do about 30 continuous minutes of aerobics and pilates, so what's up woth my inability to work out on a treadmill? Does anyone have an explanation for this?

    Cheers

    i use a treadmill every morning. i set it to a specific program that allows me warm up, endurance, cardio, and cool down. the highest incline goes to 9 and the speed high is 4. starting out for me i dont run due to a back injury, but been doing the treadmill for 2 straight weeks and have lost not only 6lbs but inches as well. then after that i do my strength training. turn up the tunes on t.v. and just go with the flow. and definitely get a sweat out of it and feel great afterwards. good luck with your journey.
  • ninja85
    ninja85 Posts: 1
    I have to have really good music. I need something catchy and upbeat and the faster the song the faster i run. I'm very competitive so I choose a couple of people near me and set goals, typically to run faster than one and stay a few minutes longer than the other, not only do i get a great workout but i feel a sense of accomplishment. weird i know, but that's how my brain is programmed.
  • aidanadia
    aidanadia Posts: 4
    Hi all,

    When I say that running at a speed less than 6 "annoys" me, I mean that I just find it a little too slow. I usually walk at a brisk pace on a 4.5-5 setting. Perhaps I could afford to slow down though.

    The C25K sounds really good, actually, and I think I might start that. How often are you supposed to do it a week though? 3 days/week?
  • Kassieisproud
    Kassieisproud Posts: 149
    I Actually find it very hard to stay on a treadmill not because i physically cant but because i get so bored Of looking at the same thing thats right infront of me It keeps me thinking about the fact that im running Try running outside or using music I even sometime set up the lap top so that i can watch a show while im on there but mine is at home
  • cheyniemama
    cheyniemama Posts: 63
    I just started an interval running program, although I am making it up myself.

    I read in my PE Theory class that interval training raises metabolism hugely. So if someone has a program where it gradually gets you running longer and longer, I saw try it!

    I can only do 1 min at a time at 6mph, then I do 2 min breaks at 3mph. I do this for 30 min twice a week, with regular and incline walks on the other days. For me, it gets me into my target heart rate zone.

    See what gets you in the right burn zone that you can handle.

    Good luck!
  • chrissismone
    chrissismone Posts: 116 Member
    Your going way too fast if your just starting out slow you will be able to endure alot longer. I was wondering why I couldnt keep past 30sec running and I was doing like 7.0..5.5 or maybe 5.7 is a good pace for me esp since I'm holding more than folks here..the c25k if it's like the c5k is done 3 times a week and your suppose to increase weekly..ignore the douche bags here and keep pushing..and welcome I see you joined like within this month..
  • sarammorgan
    sarammorgan Posts: 86
    I found the treadmill a little tedious and boring when I first got it, not to mention getting tired too soon. Besides watching something on television while I'm on it, I made it into a mini-challenge game: ie, 5 mins at one pace, 5 mins at another pace, 5 mins at yet another, etc. I knew I could do any pace for 5 minutes. Now I can do a 5 min warm-up walk and then run for at least a 1/2 hour, even more at a higher pace. I just had to get used to how different running on the treadmill is than running outside. It took about two weeks to get over the feeling that I just wanted to get off. Now if I happen to get it, I either slow down and walk for a while or speed up and challenge myself. It seems to help.
  • aidanadia
    aidanadia Posts: 4
    Wow, thanks so much for the feedback everyone. I'm really surprised to see how motivating and supportive everyone is.

    I really like the suggestion of the c25k program, it seems like it'll help me endure over time which is much better than burning out in a couple of minutes. I'm actually going to start now, so wish me luck :)

    Once again, thanks! Good luck to everyone with their personal goals as well.
  • Shannonigans84
    Shannonigans84 Posts: 693 Member
    I put on a Jane Austen movie and (mostly) walk for 2 hrs at 3-3.5 5 or 6 days a week. The treadmill bores the heck out of me, but the tv distracts me enough to make it bearable till I get lost in it.

    This is me! I can't do it w/o watching something, music doesn't cut it. So I catch up on my favorite shows online from my laptop. Running annoys me, so I do walking intervals with various inclines.
  • HoneyRiot
    HoneyRiot Posts: 27 Member
    I can't stand treadmill either. But I love walking. I find walking outdoors so much better than the treadmill and I find it more challenging. First, you're distracted by everything constantly changing around you, the moving outdoor air is better, and the ground has natural inclines and declines. And you get some sun (wear sunscreen though! ) :)

    And I walk outside when it's cold (not too cold though), if you dress warmly, you can get 20 minutes in easily. Sometimes it's nice in the winter because everything seems especially quiet and peaceful.
  • gillian92
    gillian92 Posts: 3 Member
    I do 30 minutes on the treadmill as part of my cardio but I could never actually run on it for more than a few minutes like you.
    I highest setting I go on is 7 - a very brisk walk but nearly a jog (I don't know if the settings are the same, the treadmill name is technogym) But I also have it on intervals from 5.5 - 7 with incline on intervals as well.

    I don't know if your goal is to run on the treadmill or generally just work up a sweat on it but my 30 minutes definitely works up a sweat for me and I'm never feeling like I'm going too slow. I'm sure if you did this and built it up gradually, over time you could find running easier :)
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