Starting a Treadmill Program

Starting your program
Treadmill exercise is convenient. You can do it at your own pace, and unless you choose to use a treadmill in a gym, you will be in the comfort of your own home with no one around except for Fluffy or Spot to watch you exercise.

If you are new to exercising, start slow and build up your time and speed. Experienced exercisers can pick up the pace more quickly. The key is to go at your own speed and to set a program you can stick with. The benefits of treadmill exercise come from maintaining a walking program, not from jumping on and running a five-minute mile twice a month.

Start out by warming up for five to 10 minutes. As with any exercise, a good warm-up and cool-down are essential to an injury-free workout.

Beginners should start slow and walk at a comfortable pace for 10 to 15 minutes and gradually increase your pace. Always check with your doctor before you begin this or any exercise program and ask how much and how fast you should walk.

To get the most out of your treadmill workout, you want to get to the point that you are walking in your "target heart rate zone." To get the aerobic benefit from the exercise, you must walk in your target heart rate zone.

To figure out whether you are exercising in your heart rate target zone:

•Stop exercising.
•Take your pulse at your neck, wrist or chest, wrist recommended. Place the tips of your index and middle fingers over your vein and press lightly. Take a 60-second count of heartbeats or a 30-second count and multiply that by 2.
•Subtract your age from 220 to get your Maximum Heart Rate (MHR). Your target zone should be between 50 percent and 70 percent of your MHR.