Running is a fantastic way to get in shape, improve your overall health, and boost your energy levels. In fact, research has revealed that running for just 30 minutes every day can provide several health benefits. You can lose weight, improve your heart health, and reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes.
However, if you’re new to running, it’s essential to ease yourself into it. Start by alternating between running and walking, and listen to your body. If you start to feel pain, decrease your time or take a break. And make sure to mix up your routine to avoid boredom and prevent injuries.
Ultimately, whether or not you should run on a treadmill every day depends on your individual fitness level and goals. But for most beginners and intermediates, 30 minutes every day is an excellent place to start. The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderately intense exercise per week, and a treadmill can be a convenient way to reach that target.
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Benefits of Running on the Treadmill Every Day
1. Improve Your Overall Fitness Level
Running every day is enough to improve your overall fitness levels and increase your cardiovascular system. If you’re new to running, start slow and gradually increase your running time as your fitness improves. Studies have shown that running on a treadmill may be more effective than running outdoors. This is because treadmills provide a consistent surface and allow you to control the speed and incline (read this post for more on the benefits of incline treadmill running).
2. Boost Your Energy Levels
Running can help to boost your energy levels in a few different ways. First, exercise releases endorphins, which can help to improve your mood and make you feel more energetic. Second, running can help increase your overall fitness level, giving you more energy to tackle your day-to-day tasks. Finally, running is a great stress reliever, and reducing your stress levels can help to increase your energy levels.
3. Reduce Your Risk of Developing Chronic Diseases Like Diabetes
There are several ways that running can help reduce your risk of developing chronic diseases like diabetes. Running can help you lose weight and improve your overall health. When you’re overweight or obese, you’re at an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. And by losing weight, you can reduce your risk of developing the disease.
When you have diabetes, your heart health is at risk because the disease can damage your blood vessels. But by running regularly, you can improve your heart health and reduce your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases like heart attacks and strokes.
Additionally, running can help you manage your blood sugar levels. When you have diabetes, it’s essential to keep your blood sugar levels under control. An investigation has shown that running can help you do just that. In fact, one study found that people with type 2 diabetes who ran for 30 minutes a day had lower blood sugar levels than those who didn’t exercise.
4. Feel More Confident in Your Appearance
Running can help you feel more confident in your appearance by helping you lose weight and improve your general wellbeing. When you’re overweight or carrying a little extra weight, you’re likely to feel self-conscious about your appearance. But by losing weight and improving your health, you can boost your confidence and feel better about yourself. In addition, running can also help to reduce the appearance of stretch marks and improve your skin tone.
Cons of Running Every Day
1. Risk of Injury and Strains
Running every day can increase your risk of injury, especially if you’re new to running. When you’re in good shape, running every day is generally safe. But if you’re out of shape or not used to running, you’re more likely to get injured. In addition, overuse injuries are common among runners and can take weeks or months to recover from.
2. Increase Levels of Fatigue and Low Motivation
There are a few different reasons you might get fatigued when running every day. First, running can be physically and mentally taxing, and if you’re not used to it, you may feel tired after a few days of running. Second, running every day can lead to overuse injuries, sap your energy and makes running challenging. Eventually, if you’re not enjoying your runs, you may start to feel low motivation, leading to fatigue.
3. Time-Consuming
Running can be a time-consuming activity, especially if you’re doing it every day. First, you need to find time to run each day. And if you’re running for 30 minutes or more, that can take up a significant chunk of your day. Fitting running into your busy family and work life is complicated and can feel like a chore leading to you quitting altogether.
Furthermore, it takes longer than 30 minutes to run because you have to prepare for the run, including travelling to the gym, getting your running gear on, and setting your workout plan. When your run is over, you have to shower, change and get ready for your day. This doesn’t include the extra stretching and nutrition you need if you’re running every day. (Is 30 minutes of running a day enough? Find out here)
How Often Should I Run on the Treadmill?
In general, if you’re new to running, try to run three to four times a week. Eventually, you can increase to five or more days a week, but it’s essential to listen to your body and rest when needed. Try going for a casual walk (on a treadmill or off) or active stretching to keep your body moving while giving it an opportunity to recover on days you don’t run.
When exercising on those three or four days, choose whatever time of day you can stick with. Regular exercise is better than no exercise, so don’t get caught up stressing if you should be running before work, on your lunch break, or after the commute home.
The most important thing about regular running is that you have low impact days and higher intensity. If you constantly run flat out at your fastest pace, you will quickly burn out. However, combining your high-intensity days with a low impact steady run will help you continue running most days. If you feel overtrained, you need to take a day or two rest to recover.
How Long Should I Run on the Treadmill Every Day?
30 minutes is a great starting threshold, but don’t be afraid to adjust to your body’s needs. Time spent running doesn’t always equate to the amount of effort put forth (or calories burned), so on days when you run faster, a shorter amount of time would be acceptable. Similarly, on days when you move slower, the lack of speed can be compensated for by a longer run time.
Another factor to consider is how active you are in your daily life. Are you stuck at a desk, sitting or standing without much movement? You’d likely benefit from adding some time to your treadmill workout. Remember, sitting for most of our day is a new effect of our modern world – the more we get up and move, the better our bodies will serve us in the long run.
One way to make running on a treadmill more enjoyable, especially when you’re first beginning your routine, is to find a source of entertainment that motivates you to get on the treadmill. Podcasts, TV shows, and audiobooks can be both a motivator and distraction while running and can also provide a natural-feeling time limit instead of focusing on the minutes ticking by on the treadmill display.
Find whatever appeals to you and save it specifically for your exercise days. Wanting to watch the next episode of a riveting show might be more attractive than the exercise itself, at least in the beginning stages. Remember, routine is vital, so whatever motivation gets you onto the treadmill is valuable.
How Long Should I Run on the Treadmill to See Results?
On average, you should run 30 minutes 4 to 5 times each week to see significant results in your body composition and fitness levels. If you run for 30 minutes on the treadmill at a 10 minute per mile pace, you can expect to burn 500 calories which will help towards weight loss.
It’s crucial to approach exercise results with realistic expectations. In today’s beauty-centric health world, it can be easy to mistake “health” with being trim or slim, but true health is so much more! Running can build stronger bones, improve cardiovascular health, strengthen muscles, boost metabolism, and lower blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
These results should be noticeable within two weeks of starting your regular routine. However, we all know we’d love to lose a little fat, and a regular treadmill run can help us achieve just that. Most experts, including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, agree healthy fat loss consists of one to two pounds of weight loss weekly. Losing more weight in a faster period of time can be detrimental to our overall health, increasing the likelihood of exhaustion and overwork.
It can be tempting to weigh yourself daily when starting an exercise routine, but this is ill-advised. What we eat and drink and even when we sleep affects our weight, so daily measurements might not give the most accurate information. Weighing once a week at a consistent time of day with an accurate bathroom scale is a good starting point for those wanting to chronicle their weight loss.
Can You Lose Weight By Doing Treadmill Every Day?
In general, you can lose weight by running on the treadmill every day. On average, you will burn around 500 calories for a 30-minute run. It takes a calorie deficit of 3500 to burn one pound of body fat. Therefore, running daily will burn 3500 calories a week, resulting in one pound of body fat being lost. Over 10 weeks, that’s 10 pounds of body weight.
The more complicated answer is that losing weight centres just as much on diet as it does on exercise. Even without dietary changes, adding a daily run to your life will undoubtedly produce some of the improvements mentioned above. But burning fat, particularly stubborn belly fat, depends on what foods we fuel our bodies with.
Eating right doesn’t necessarily mean hopping onto the latest diet trend – just like with exercise, the most beneficial diet is one you can stick with. A good starting place might be to see how many food choices we make out of convenience and then opt to make healthier options at home or even give them up altogether.
Instead of grabbing fast food with your coworkers for lunch, try to prepare a healthy packed lunch the night before. If you can’t kick that afternoon coffee habit, opt for a drink with less sugar and calories. Learn to listen to your body to differentiate when you’re starving from when you’re bored. It’s okay to experiment with what works best for you.
Losing weight and getting healthy is a journey that’s different for everyone! Ultimately, the best skill to learn is to listen to and respect your body’s needs. Whether you’re exercising to lose weight, stay active, or improve your physical condition, your body will thank you for whatever regular exercise you can manage. As you begin your treadmill workouts, don’t stress and remember to have fun!