Waistline Warfare

By Team eLifestyle Fitness and Lifestyle Expert Robb Armstrong

Last week we gave you four simple tips on how to ensure employees respect and maintain the cleanliness of their working environment and keep morale high.

This week we help you re-tool your treadmill training with a top-notch tip to tackle your cardio chaos.

Waistline Warfare

Cardiovascular exercise is an essential part of the fat-burning equation, so using your treadmill to combat weight gain should be your front-line of attack.

To stoke your metabolism into high gear, inject some tactical techniques into your tired treadmill program by using all of the programs and intensities your treadmill has to offer. So here’s just one great example of what you need to do …

Treadmill Tactic:

Warm up (5 minutes)

Walk slowly (1.5 to 2 mph) for 3 minutes. Raise your incline to 6, and stretch your legs by taking longer strides for 1 minute. Lower the incline to 0, and speed up to 2.5 to 3 mph for 1 minute.

Speed & Incline Intervals

Increase to a fast walk (3.5 to 4.5 mph) for 10 minutes, followed by a 5-minute moderate pace (3 to 3.5 mph), adding an incline of 4. You’ll repeat the fast/moderate intervals a total of 3 times.

Cool down (5 minutes)

At the end of your intervals, reduce your speed to 2.5 to 3.5 mph, and walk for 3 minutes. Then slow down to 1.5 to 2.5 mph and walk for 2 more minutes.

Total = 55 min.

If you perceive treadmill training to be quite boring and monotonous, think again. Varying the type of programs and intensities you use on training day will make for a more enjoyable cardio session, not to mention burning a ton more calories than you’re use to. And that means faster results and a smaller waistline!

Up Next … Need a new cardio challenge? Take a ride on the elliptical express for full-body conditioning. Get it next week!

Note: Check back every week for more helpful health and fitness tips from eLifestyle's Fit Tips by Robb!