Treadmill exercise has proven through the years to be an excellent method of weight control, maintaining cardiovascular fitness, and improving one's overall health and appearance. Treadmill workouts also have the advantage of being conducted in a climate-controlled atmosphere...thus, eliminating the need to choose between walking, running, or jogging in extreme weather conditions or missing out on your workout altogether.

Exercising on a Treadmill

If you enjoy walking, jogging, or running, you may enjoy using a treadmill. A treadmill allows you to work out at your own pace on a comfortable running surface. A treadmill routine is low-impact and, therefore, presents less risk of injury to your joints, hips, and back.

Most treadmills today come equipped with several preset user programs; or you can manually set the speed and intensity level to satisfy your personal needs and level of fitness. Some Smooth® treadmills also come with heart rate controls for monitoring your heart rate during workouts. This feature makes it possible to easily adjust the intensity of your workouts according to your desired heart rate, so that you may gain the most benefits from your exercise.

These fitness machines are great for people who want to engage in walking at a nice, easy pace. By the same token, the athlete who is training for a marathon can also benefit from using a treadmill. Treadmills can be adjusted so that it seems like you are working out on a flat, level surface, or the incline can be increased to make it more like hill climbing. You can do interval training, if you desire. You can exercise for only 5 minutes, or you can go until your body is exhausted. It's up to you to decide how fast you go, how difficult you make the workout, and how long you exercise. Exercising regularly on a treadmill is a great way to gradually build up your endurance and strength.

Convenience

In addition to being able to improve your health and appearance by regular training on a treadmill, such workouts offer you protection from the elements. You don't have to worry about heat stroke during the hot summer months. And, you don't have to take a chance on getting frostbite or slipping on the ice during the winter.

During your workouts, you also have the options of reading, watching tv, or listening to music, when using a treadmill.

Note: Also see Treadmill Workouts