Bad Treadmill Habits (page 4)
Kicking the Sabotaging Habit
Two key words: SLOW DOWN. Same with the incline: LOWER IT. However, many people I’ve spoken to never needed to slow down before letting go. All they needed was my suggestion. On the other hand, many people indeed have the machine’s settings too high for their abilities.
Walking with zero incline
If you don’t think you have a balance problem, simply let go at the speed you normally use. You’ll instantly feel many more muscles working. Keep straight and focus on posture. If you’re “scared” to let go, then first reduce speed. Go down to 2 mph if you must. If you’re challenged, set it even slower. Cruise at 1 mph if this is what it takes to acclimate your body to real walking.
If you feel self-conscious about being seen walking this slowly, then do realize that this doesn’t look half as silly as holding on at a faster speed. Your body will adjust to this new stimulus very quickly.
If you prefer no incline, do short speed-walking intervals alternating with slower walking. Or, stay at one challenging pace for sustained periods. If you can’t let go because your eyes are pasted to the TV or a magazine, then give up the TV or magazine.
And when you’re tempted to hold on, ask yourself: How is holding on going to make me more efficient in the real world, where there is nothing to hold onto?
The incline
People set the incline too high for the speed, or the speed too fast for the incline. Thus, they have no choice but to hold on. If releasing your hands is too difficult, regardless of your fitness level or age, then lower the settings. Many people believe that in order to get a sizzling cardio workout, they must keep the speed at 3.5 or 4 mph for incline walking. At a high incline, this is unrealistic as a sustained pace.
Think of your last uphill hike outdoors. You were probably climbing at only 2 or 2.5 mph! Yes! Even 3 mph outdoors can be difficult. Set the tread at a pace similar to that of your outdoor hikes. Be realistic. I’ve seen people on the treadmill (no hands) get smoked out just by walking only 2.5 mph at 15 percent for only 10 minutes. Humble yourself and slow down.
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