Just got my first exercise treadmill - advice please

[Once Bitten]

 

I consider my self to be over weight and not very fit , and after recent health check up I have to adjust my diet and exercise more .

 

 So Ive  bought my first ever motorized treadmill for health / weight loss reasons , options on the machine include a motorized incline , 3Hp motor,  heart rate monitor , calorie counter.

 

I could have googled questions but I thought I would ask here for advice from other treadmill users.

 

So a few random thought & questions , sorry if they sound a bit newbie simplistic.

 

I just want to leap on the treadmill  and do as much as I can every day , but I think that as a first time un fit new treadmill user , I may have to begin slowly,  so I’m wondering for a start would say 60 minutes a day be about right or is that number not really enough time / too long for each continuous session for a beginner like myself .

 

Do I keep away from adding an incline , until I have used the machine for some time.

 

Is it best to use the treadmill before or after having any food.

 

Should I drink an electrolyte type energy drink while using the treadmill .

 

Is it best to stick to one treadmill session per day , or can I just get on the machine when I feel like it.

 

Any benefits by using the treadmill at certain times in a day ( morning / night time ) .

 

Any benefits / down sides to short stride Vs long stride steps .

 

At what point should I consider attempting to move from slow walking to running .

 

 I have purchased a pair of comfortable training type shoes .

 

The treadmill is situated in a spare bedroom with out air conditioning.

 

I live in a location where there are no fitness centres or gyms and the roads around my house are home to aggressive dogs .

 

 If I’m honest I could say that I have not done any meaningful exercise recently / ever .

 

Any other tips or suggestions for this treadmill beginner would be welcome.

 

 

[rak sa_ngop]

Running machine accidents are quite common. About 3 deaths a year I read somewhere.  So doing a bit of googling to get some safety tips would be a good idea. Dave Goldberg is the name of the Silicon Valley executive who recently died on a treadmill.

[up-country_sinclair]

Just my opinion, and certainly not professional medical advice:

 

Do I keep away from adding an incline , until I have used the machine for some time.

Yes.

 

Is it best to use the treadmill before or after having any food.

Wait at least an hour.

 

Should I drink an electrolyte type energy drink while using the treadmill .

Only if you're running hard for an hour or more or drank a lot of alcohol the night before.  Water should be fine.

 

Is it best to stick to one treadmill session per day , or can I just get on the machine when I feel like it.

Whenever you feel up for it, but I would suggest doing it once per day at the beginning.

 

Any benefits by using the treadmill at certain times in a day ( morning / night time ) .

There is some evidence that exercise in the morning is the most beneficial.  But the most important thing is that you actually get on the treadmill.

 

Any benefits / down sides to short stride Vs long stride steps .

You should use whatever stride feels natural.

 

At what point should I consider attempting to move from slow walking to running .

Why not go from slow walking to fast walking and then move on to jogging and eventually running.

 

 I have purchased a pair of comfortable training type shoes .

Good start, but if you're going to move on to running, you should make sure that you can proper running shoes to avoid injuries.

 

The treadmill is situated in a spare bedroom with out air conditioning.

Should be OK, but make sure you have a fan blowing on you.  This might also be another reason to train in the morning.

 

Good luck.

[SgtRock]

40 minutes ago, Once Bitten said:

I consider my self to be over weight and not very fit , and after recent health check up I have to adjust my diet and exercise more .

 

Plug it in and WALK 

 

Do not even attempt to run until you can walk at a brisk pace for 30 minutes.

 

Listen to your body, it knows better than anyone 

[1FinickyOne]

start very slow, just walk at a very slow speed as you might in a shopping mall - - and let your body dictate everything.... 60 minutes will probably seem like a very long time for a beginner... but it will all depend on the speed and incline. 

 

Just get on and play for the first few sessions. Walk slowly, increase the speed a little to see how it feels, then back it down, you can do the same with the incline. Go up just a little bit, then back down. Do ten minutes first... like I said, just play and learn the feel of the machine... it is really easy and do not be intimidated. 

 

What you are ultimately trying to do is to raise your heartbeat... you might google recommendations on this and you might eventually want a "watch" that measures heartbeat... if you are a numbers guy and motivated by such, you might want to keep a log of usage and how far you walk... 

 

After your first few play sessions where you should not be concerned about anything but learning the machine, you should find something to distract you from the boredom, tv or movie or music... or even meditation. 

 

Good luck! Happy Trails! 

[rijb]

Watch out for the Soi dogs.

[1FinickyOne]

a typical exercise for me would be to walk slowly at a comfortable pace for the first ten minutes, or so, increasing the speed a little as my legs loosen up a bit, but not to a speed that tires me out... then, I might gradually increase the speed one notch every 15 seconds or so... then back down... every 15 seconds or so... then maybe at 12-15 minutes, I would raise the incline one notch each 30 seconds, usually until about 8 or so, then at the same increment, lower the incline... this would really get my heart working and depending on the day, it would tire me out and make me feel like I had enough.... but, if I drop the speed down and persevere, I would regain my stamina and continue on for 30-45 minutes as time allowed or more, maybe changing speed... 

 

I would listen to music and it was amazing how easy it was to increase speed walking to the beat... some songs are great for that and I would mix it with slower songs to cool me down a bit - - and then the last 5 minutes, I would walk very slowly, gradually decreasing speed as a cool down period... but again, it is important to not overdo it at first. 

[Jack Mountain]

Don't run during a powerfail ...

[Dagnabbit]

If you are overweight and you try running for 60 minutes without working up to it - you are going to be suffering from all sorts of joint and tendon pain.

 

Walking should be fine - but even then start slow and work your way up. Your body will thank you.

 

15 minutes should be plenty for you first few sessions.

[ClutchClark]

51 minutes ago, Dagnabbit said:

If you are overweight and you try running for 60 minutes without working up to it - you are going to be suffering from all sorts of joint and tendon pain.

 

Walking should be fine - but even then start slow and work your way up. Your body will thank you.

 

15 minutes should be plenty for you first few sessions.

 

Best advice!

 

too hard too fast will at a minimum result in the machine not being used and collecting dust or even kill you.

 

Congrats !

[KittenKong]

Dangerous those things. Just ask Ronnie Corbett.