Treadmill Reviews: Its Health and Fitness Perks
Treadmills have been around in the home market since the 1960s and it continues to reside in many people's homes. Its evolution, over time, provided people the convenience, functionality and simplicity of use that they seek in a home fitness exercise equipment. Its ability to accommodate various workout programs of beginning runners and seasoned athletes makes it a popular choice among all home fitness exercise equipment out there.
Training with treadmills is a good cardiovascular exercise, may it be walking, jogging, running or power climbing. It helps increase a person's stamina and endurance while reducing the risks of injuries usually resulting from running on concrete and asphalt. For people who doesn't live anywhere near hills, treadmills has elevation functions of up to 15%, as well as downhill sections, to improve a runner's race performance and increase running strength. This flexibility on adjusting for different surfaces and terrain results to good treadmill reviews from users who give particular attention to running surfaces.
Many people find running outdoors tedious, time-consuming, weather-dependent and sometimes, even dangerous. The inconvenience and interruptions usually de-motivates people from jogging outside, especially if there is rain or snow. But treadmills enable people to keep their regular schedule and follow their fitness, health and weight loss programs diligently. In addition, using the treadmill reduces the risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion, serious conditions the sometimes befall on runners exposed to high heat and lack of fluids.
Keeping track of one's heart rate while exercising is ideal, and a treadmill has a function that measures the runner's heart rate. While some do have this monitoring and display function, better treadmills can do something even better. It automatically adjusts the belt speed so that the runner can stay within his minimum and maximum heart rate range. In determining ones maximum heart rate, most people subtract their age from 220, while the minimum heart rate is usually the 60 to 80 percent of the maximum rate.
In buying treadmills, some treadmill reviews suggest looking for user-friendly consoles, decks with shock absorptive system, display and control panels to monitor runner's progress, and treadmills with at least 2.0 continuous horsepower motor. In checking electronic features, buyers must test the key indicators in a treadmill such as interval speed and incline programs, pre-set and custom programs, heart rate monitoring and calorie burn count. Other treadmill reviews also look into the safety features of a treadmill including emergency stop button, automatic belt speed adjustments, built-in warm-up and cool-down period and comfortable console grips and handrails.
For the past several decades, manufacturers have re-developed treadmills to make it more enjoyable, easy to use and more flexible to different users. It numerous benefits make a huge difference in people's time, money, effort and fitness and health goals. No wonder why treadmills remain to be the popular home exercise equipment in many people's homes.
Jonathan Drake is a 30-year old full time personal trainer in a gym in San Mateo, California. He often writes treadmill reviews and rowing machine reviews where most of his expertise and knowledge in modern fitness equipment lies, but he admits that his favorite home fitness exercise equipment is a treadmill with a music port and built-in sound system to add entertainment to his workout.
Published July 24th, 2009
Filed in Fitness, Health, Weight Loss