How to burn calories on a treadmill

Treadmill is one of the favorite choices for home exercise machines among many people, especially the ones who hate exercising. This is because you can take an invigorating power walk or jog on a treadmill while watching your favorite television show or listening to a peppy DVD. This will allow you to enjoy your workout at home level, without giving you the feeling of actual ‘exercising’. It is perfect for you if you feel exercise is a boring activity, because a treadmill will allow you to do multiple things while using it, be it in a gym or at home. Treadmills, unlike most of the indoor exercise gadgets will allow you a lot of workout versatility.

For example if you are starting an exercise program then you can set the treadmill on a slow walk speed and then gradually increase the speed according to your body needs. Or if you are training for a marathon race then you can not only build in sprints but also run at a steady pace. Many treadmills will also offer a walk uphill or walk downhill option which will allow burning more calories.

Most of the people don’t exercise giving a lame excuse ‘lack of time’. If you are one of those a treadmill can solve your problem. If you don’t have time to spend in a gym you can split your workouts throughout the day on a treadmill and still burn calories.

Sometimes it is not possible to go out for a jog or a walk especially in the winters and snowy weather. At that time treadmill will be the best option to burn your calories at home. The main benefit of a treadmill at home will be the convenience to burn calories. All these are simple benefits of exercising on a treadmill, but how many calories does a treadmill burn? Or how many calories are burned on a treadmill?

Calories burned on Treadmill

Again, like any other exercise your calorie expenditure will largely depend on your body weight, height, sex and body frame. In general you can expect to burn 9 calories per minute at a moderate speed on a treadmill. So if you exercise for an hour then you can burn 540 calories (for a person weighing 150 pounds). If you increase your intensity against the time spent then you can successfully burn more calories using your treadmill. For example for every mile an hour you speed up your belt, you can approximately burn 100 calories more per hour. If you weigh 150 pounds and walk 5 miles per hour you burn 540 calories, if you walk 6 miles per hour you burn 680 calories and if you walk 7 miles per hour you can burn 782 calories.

Calories burnt on a treadmill are important as they help to lose weight. However there are a few downsides to a treadmill too, like the cost factor. If you buy a new treadmill for yourself it is more expensive as well as paying for gym membership is more expensive than brisk walking in fresh air. Also if you run on a hill outdoors you will burn more calories (due to wind resistance) than simply running on a treadmill. The main body parts that benefit from using a treadmill are your legs, lungs and heart so for other body parts and organs you will need to choose other form of exercises.

Calorie Counter Treadmill

The treadmill is a popular choice of exercise machines preferred by those who enjoy exercising at home. A treadmill allows you to enjoy the benefits of a jog or a brisk walk while remaining in the comforts of your home. One can even watch television or watch an exercise DVD while exercising on a treadmill. Treadmills are also versatile and can be adapted to one’s body needs. There are various exercise programs in a treadmill that allows you to walk at varying speeds. Some treadmills also provide the option of walking uphill or downhill and this allows for burning of a greater number of calories. A treadmill is ideal for those who don’t enjoy exercising or those who are unable to make the time for exercising. Those who cannot make it to the gym for a workout can divide their workout through the day on a treadmill. A treadmill also comes in handy when the weather is not appropriate for exercising outdoors. One often wonders about the number of calories burned on a treadmill.

As in other forms of exercise, the burning of calories on a treadmill is dependent upon various factors such as height, weight, body frame and gender. One can expect to lose about 9 calories a minute while walking on a treadmill at moderate speed. Therefore an individual weighing 150 pounds stands to burn about 540 calories in an hour. The calories burned running on a treadmill increases when the intensity of the workout increases. For instance, increasing the speed for each mile an hour, one can burn about 100 calories more each hour. So an individual weighing 150 pounds can burn 540 calories by walking 5 miles an hour and 680 calories by walking 6 miles an hour. The calorie counter on a treadmill can be used to keep track of calorie loss. One needs to enter their weight before beginning the exercise. However this count of calories burned on a treadmill calculator is simply a rough estimate and may not be entirely accurate. Treadmills and other cardio exercise machines make use of standard formulae to determine the burning of calories. They do not take into consideration factors such as activity level, body fat and weight.

The disadvantage to exercising on a treadmill is the high cost of the machine. Also, one stands to lose more calories when exercising outdoors due to wind resistance. The heart, legs and lungs are benefited by exercising on a treadmill. To tone and strengthen the rest of the body, one needs to include other exercises in one’s daily regimen.

Submitted on January 16, 2014