The ability to lose weight with a treadmill is not just for those individuals you see in a club running full speed until they can hardly breathe.  It also works for those of us that go a little slower too.  For those of us at a certain age; the pounding on the knees would be too much to take and going full speed would just be showing off.  The belt on the treadmill doesn’t care who gets on or what speed you go; so weight loss can be work for anyone.  I’ve loss 30 pounds since November and haven’t jogged for a single day to achieve it.

To start a routine that can take the weight off, you’ll need to prepare yourself so that there is no injury or trouble and that you’ll have the ability to come back again tomorrow.  Here are a few tips that can help:

• Wear comfortable clothes – The clothes that restrict movement or is so tight that it leave a ring around your midsection is no good. You’re at home and not seen by anyone so get a pair of sweat pants with a drawstring waist and make sure that it doesn’t hang over your shoes. This isn’t a fashion show so you need comfort, not style.
• Get a good pair of running shoes – I really mean running shoes and not walking shoes as they will be the lightest on your feet. Comfort here is also important as you don’t want something that will get hot or a shoe that will roll on you because of not side strength. Remember that you are walking on a continuous belt and that it keeps moving even if you don’t want it to.

• Start out slowly – Find a speed that fits your ability to walk without getting out of breath. I would suggest that you start out with a speed of 3 miles an hour. If you need to go a little slower you can or if you think this is too slow, bump it up a few miles an hour. (If your treadmill has weight loss or interval training as a built in program start in the lowest phase first.
• Keep daily track of your pace – Use a log to keep track of your workout. You’ll need to push yourself even in a walk to make sure that you do a minimum of 20 minutes. The more you do beyond 20 minutes will increase calorie burn and help with the weight loss.
• Set goals – Try to pump your speed up one or two miles an hour each week until you’re at a quick pace that challenges you. Next try to go beyond 20 minutes and aim for an hour or more of exercise. If you can follow this for 2 months I guarantee that you’ll lose weight if even if you continue to eat at the same pace you’re on now. (No guarantee if you increase your eating).
• Keep the same time of day – You will find that if you workout just before your evening meal that you will have more energy, a reduced appetite and feel better about yourself.

Using a treadmill doesn’t have to be a jog or even a full out run to get results.  You can do this with shorter steps and a determined attitude.  As a suggested bonus, I use itrain.com as music to help with the walk and as a motivation factor when doing an exercise workout.