Just how often in a single day are you drawn to your treadmill that you actually fear that too many visits on it can somehow damage your body?
How many times a day on your treadmill? That’s a vague question lacking context.
For example, how long are you on the machine at any given time?
I’m a former personal trainer who has both a standard treadmill and a treadmill desk in my home.
In an effort to accumulate a minimum of 15,000 steps a day, I’ve carried out all sorts of permutations of treadmill use.
For instance I’ve made it a point to walk briskly for five minutes on my regular treadmill every time I pass by the room where it’s at.
I’ve made it a point to accumulate four hours, regardless of speed, on my treadmill desk in a single day.
Another variation has been to accumulate at least 10,000 steps on just the treadmill desk alone when doing computer work – however many times this required me to step on it between the time I got out of bed in the morning and the time I went to bed at night.
I’ve also made it a point to, for most TV shows, avoid sitting and instead pace while watching the screen.
So if you’re concerned about how many times a day is safe to use a treadmill, why not also include all the walking you do during the day that excludes the machine?
• Walking on the job
• Walking when shopping
• Multiple times walking the dog
Don’t fret; few people on this planet will ever harm themselves spending too much time on a treadmill.
Shutterstock/ Dmytro Zinkevych
Feel free to step on your treadmill as often as you like. The only realistic harm is if you do this with a sprained ankle or some other traumatic foot or knee injury, as it will impede the healing process.
But who’s going to want to walk ANYWHERE with a painful foot or knee injury unless they absolutely have to?
If for some odd reason you’re staying on the treadmill for only a few minutes at a time, you should make the most of those minutes by either running (zero grade or incline) or walking (briskly at zero or low incline or slowly at higher incline).
Do not hold onto the machine because there are so many ways that holding on will sabotage your goals.
