Your Health Magazine

Treadmills can be the best choice in exercise equipment for most people. Users can use it to either walk or run in the comfort of their own homes. Treadmills don't require movement of your hands or take up large amounts of space in the home. With programable and interactive treadmills, you can concentrate on other things while you go through the motions of getting your exercise. The programs can adjust the intensity keep your heart at a preset target rate.

Treadmill basics.

Your current fitness level will determine the treadmill workout that is best for you. You should know what benefits you are looking for and what you enjoy doing. The most common type of workout, continuous training, involves walking or running at a set pace for at set time of say, 20 to 45 minutes. During this time, there are several activities you can employ to make the time seem to pass by faster.

Interval training is for more serious users who need a more demanding workout to build up endurance for other events like marathons. Interval training involves shorter sessions of high intensity activities designed to push your body to its limits. This type of training requires considerably more effort and concnetration is set on the goal, so other activities are probably limited during interval training.

A primary goal of any exercise routine is to get your heartrate into a target zone and keep it there for a period of time. The target zone is calculated by first obtaining your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age in years from 220. Your target heart rate is then 60% to 80% of the maximum heart rate. Because this is so critical, many treadmills will come with a heart rate monitor to display the heart rate on the machine. If your treadmill does not have this capability, you can purchase an inexpensive heart rate monitor from most department stores, health stores or online.

It is up to the individual to choose a method for getting to the target heart rate. This can be done by walking, jogging or running and may be continuous or interval training. But once you get to the target heartrate, you can employ the following ways to make it more enjoyable and help you to stick with the routine.

Listening to music is the most popular way to pass the time while exercising. It can either help you focus or take your mind off of the harder parts of your routine. Motivational music is available to give you that extra push to complete a workout. If family members are disturbed, you can use headphones.

Reading books or listening to books on tape is another way to pass the time. People that don't have time to read or fall asleep when trying to read are especially interested in this approach. Listening to books on tape or reading may help your exercise routine too. If your time is up and you are not at a stopping place in the book, you may extend your workout time till you finish a chapter.

Another option is learning a new language. You can work with audio tapes to build your language skills before your next vacation. What better way to get ready for a foreign beach than to get in shape, learn a language and be motivated by the thought of a vacation.

You can also play travel games for motivation. Pick a location you would like to visit and calculate how far away it is. Track you progress as you 'walk' to the location. TV Travel channels or videos of the destination can offer more incentive.

Watching televsion while exercising can take away the guilt of wasting time watching TV. You are already using the time for a good purpose, so how can you waste it? Movies, sitcoms, soap or reality TV shows can all fill the time and help you stay on a regular workout schedule.

There are many ways to entertain and motivate yourself to keep your exercise routine going. The right motivation will encourage you to look forward to your workout time or maybe even encourage someone else to join you. Talking to a friend on the phone or having multiple treadmills can make gossip time useful too.