Choosing the Right Treadmill for YouWriten by Jodie Phillips
Convenience, ease and the efficiency of Treadmills have made them a revelation in the health industry. We have gone through such a variety of fitness exercises which either break your back trying to get them right, or are too difficult to master, let alone do them every day. But with a treadmill, you can burn calories the simplest was possible, by walking or running. Which, by the way, are the two most natural exercises you can imagine! You walk when you are a 2 year old, some even before that, and yet when it comes to exercising people turn to complex gym routines and diets to stay fit!
Work schedules, personal security, weather and health status; all make us reluctant to go out doors for walks on a regular basis. So it isn't a surprise that even the world's most advanced societies are facing health dilemmas. People in general don't have time for gym workouts, and those who do are too exhausted by long work days to do them. As for recommenders of walking as an exercise, Treadmills not only make exercise easier, they cut out the obtrusive factors which hinder us in forming routines.
In addition to providing some very helpful bits of information along the way, treadmills provide a wide variety of exercise options. From walking to hill climbing, jogging to running, you can pace yourself as you like so there is something for everyone in the use of treadmills. However, with the market being so overcrowded with a wide range of treadmills, we see a need for guidance in making the best choices for you.
At the moment there are three distinct types of treadmills available on the market. So to pick out the best treadmill for you, let's have a quick look at what each one of them has to offer.
First up is the Manual Treadmill; you don't have to be a fitness guru to understand that a manual treadmill is non-motorized. It's a simple machine with a belt and rollers that you move with your effort. The simpler a machine, the fewer are the chances of things going wrong with it. So that's a positive feature; it will last longer. However, since the treadmill's belt doesn't move itself you can set your own pace, which is not so good for the lazy people who are unlikely to push themselves.
Next, there is the Motorized Treadmill with features to set the pace of your walk, jog or run. You can set your required pace and keep up with it over a period of time to get optimum exercise out of the time you spend on it. Then there are the 'incline' options in some motorized treadmills; these can help you decide the amount of incline you want for your run. The negatives go with the positives though, it's a complicated piece of equipment and when it has problems they are complicated as well. Plus a motorized treadmill is going to be more expensive, compared to a manual treadmill, but with those features, you have to decide for what you want.
Now you can't say you don't have space for a treadmill; Foldable Treadmills have made that excuse redundant. Foldable treadmills can be stored in a negligible amount of space. These are great for use in the office or at home, whenever you take a break. So, if you are facing schedule constraints, or are just too lazy to take up regular exercise, then a foldable option might just be the best treadmill for you.
Frankly speaking, there is no hard and fast rule to determine which type of treadmill is better than the other. Though a comparison of treadmill features does help you decide which one is the best for you. Keep in mind, the treadmill that suits a friend perfectly isn't certain to be even rated as 'decent' for you. So read up some treadmill reviews and choose according to your own situation.
A top factor that will affect your choice would be your personal age and weight. Though some might say that exercise is necessary for everyone, but the mode of exercise has to differ accordingly with the individual traits. A bulky person may need a wider belt or the handlebars may obstruct the usual path of the arm movement, so check the details before you buy. Age matters when you choose as well, especially for older people, the resilience of the deck and the heart rate control are very important. Safety features help every age so make sure that you don't compromise on those. Similarly, whether you opt for running or walking determines not only the top speed you need from your treadmill, but also the size of the belt as well.
You look for a treadmill when you are conscious that you need to improve on your fitness levels. However, your aspirations determine the sort of treadmill you need. If you want to burn as much as you can in good time, trying out the incline options isn't a bad idea at all. Again heart rate interactive checks are very handy to get you to your optimum fitness levels without doing damage to your body. 'Who will be using it?' is just as important as 'how will you use it?', if you buy a treadmill while targeting the fitness improvement of your whole family, then keep in mind any inhibitions that might stop a member from utilizing the treadmill to the full. Chances are if you are willing to spend enough, there will be a treadmill that will suit a diverse group of individuals like a glove!
Long or short workouts determine the quality of motor you need for your treadmill. If you use the treadmill in short bursts the 'peak duty' might not be as useless as you first thought. It can be maintained for a short period of time by the treadmill so perhaps that restriction can help keep your treadmill's price down
How much do you use it? The amount of workout that is likely to be done on your treadmill should affect your choice of equipment. The more you want to use it, the more we would recommend that you go for high quality treadmills. Repairs will even out the price difference between cheap treadmills and high-end treadmills when you compare them in the long run. Consequently, it would be advisable to go for the higher priced quality treadmill rather than a cheap treadmill that would spend more time with the repairman than it does with you!
Jodie Phillips is the owner of a treadmill review site at http://www.home-treadmill-review.com and she shares her knowledge and research on treadmills in a series of articles.