The Right Way To Use A Treadmill Safely
Everyone uses – often or not so much – a treadmill. Many trainers recommend warming up by running 10 minutes on the machine or walk for a little longer at an incline. Treadmills are a great way to improve your cardiovascular fitness. Running or walking on them is an ideal vigorous-intensity aerobic exercise. A lot of people include it in their HIIT (high intensity interval training) routine.
These fitness apparatuses range from basic to very complex with a lot of different pre-set workouts. Whatever you choose to do, there are a few simple things you need to keep in mind. Otherwise, as is the case with every exercise, if you do it incorrectly, you risk injuring yourself.
1.Consult your doctor before beginning any exercise routine.
Before taking on any aerobic routine, talk to a doctor about your heart health. Ask your doctor about any limitations you should place on your workout regimen. When seeking medical evaluation, consider your spine and joint health, particularly your knee and ankle joint health.
● If you have low cartilage, arthritis, or other joint problems you should ask your doctor if a treadmill’s belt cushioning would be hard on your joints.
● Your doctor might recommend walking on grassy or soft surfaces to prevent further joint damage.
2.Familiarize yourself with the display, control panel, and safety features.
Before using any treadmill, make sure you go over its control panel, workout options, and safety features. Seek guidance from a trainer at your gym, or if you’re purchasing a treadmill for your home, consult the salesperson or other professional at the store. Locate the emergency stop button and determine whether the treadmill has a safety stop tether or clip.
3.Use the safety clip.
If your treadmill does have a safety tether or clip, always use it. This feature clips to your clothing and automatically stops the machine if you pull away from the control panel. While most people skip out on the tether, it’s the best and most recommended way of avoiding serious harm when using a treadmill.
● If you suddenly fall, you will not be able to stop the machine using the emergency stop button, as it’ll be out of your reach.
● Stopping the belt can prevent burns, abrasions, and other forms of bodily harm.
4.Keep shoulders back, your head up, and don’t look at your feet.
Always use proper form when walking or running on a treadmill. Your body should be straight and upright, with your shoulders held back and chin up. Your abdominals should be tight, and your gaze should be fixed straight ahead. Don’t look down at your feet.
5.Take a break from screen time.
One of the most common causes of treadmill-related injury is distraction due to looking at a cell phone. Consider leaving your phone elsewhere or putting it on airplane mode so you won’t be tempted to answer any calls or texts. If you use your cell phone to listen to music while running, use an arm strap for hands-free use, and keep it on airplane mode.
6.Come to a complete stop.
Avoid jumping off a treadmill while the belt is in motion. Instead, wait until it’s come to a stop to dismount. Turn the machine off or use any available pause function if you need a break, and never jump back on a belt in motion.
7.Use your treadmill away from walls or windows.
Your gym will most likely have positioned its treadmills to avoid injury in case of a fall, but you choose where you place your home machine carefully. If a treadmill is positioned too closely to a wall, you are at a greater risk of becoming pinned between the moving belt and the wall. This can result in significant bodily harm. Make sure you have 6 to 8 feet of clearance between the rear of the treadmill and the nearest wall. Never position the rear of your treadmill close to a window or glass door, or a fall could put you at risk of colliding with the glass.
● Make sure you take measurements of the area in your home where you’re placing the treadmill before purchasing one.
● If you’re purchasing a treadmill to use at home, go with one that has both an emergency stop button and a safety tether clip. Making sure the machine stops in the event of a sudden fall is especially important at home, since there won’t be any trained professionals to offer assistance as there are at a gym.
● Consider all members of your household when purchasing a treadmill. Make sure it’s located in a room where you can keep young children from accessing it.
