6 Ways 10 Minutes On A Treadmill Will Help You

Shutterstock.com

Any exercise you can do has enormous benefits. Even 10 minutes on a treadmill on a regular basis can make all the difference. If you’re trying to lose weight you will burn calories in 10 minutes. If you’re new to exercise 10 minutes is a great starting point. In this article I’ll go through how 10 minutes on a treadmill can help you in all kinds of ways, whatever your fitness goals.

How many calories will 10 minutes burn?

Even such a short amount of time will burn calories but like I said before, you need to do it often. This means you’ll make a significant difference to any weight loss plan you may have. If you’re trying to lose weight then think about your diet as well. Doing both will have you seeing results sooner and hopefully will spur you on to continue what you’re doing.

Walking – I will assume you’re walking the average speed which is 3.1 mph. Also, as you’re on a treadmill, we’ll get some incline going too and let’s say 3%. This makes your walking a little tougher and helps you burn more calories. 10 minutes for someone who weighs 170 pounds will burn 86 calories. This may not seem a lot and 10 minutes isn’t a long time, that’s why you should do it multiple times per week.

Running – This is a lot more difficult than walking and you may need to build up to 10 minutes by doing 5 minutes in the first week, and then 10 minutes in subsequent weeks. For my calculations I’ll take a nice slow jog which is 5 mph. You shouldn’t run on an incline for a period of time because it can be bad for your knees. So a 170 lbs person will burn 117 calories.

Research says you need to burn 3,500 calories to lose one pound of weight. That may sound a lot compared to 10 minutes on a treadmill but the numbers soon add up. Combine that by eating slightly less but still healthily and you will see results. If you weigh a lot to begin with, the more calories you’ll burn. This is because it takes more energy to propel you.

6 benefits of exercising on a treadmill for 10 minutes

Any exercise that you can do for a period of time can have great benefits. If 10 minutes at a time is all you can do it is far better for you than doing nothing. Anything that increases the heart rate for a period of time, even if that time is quite short, has many healthy benefits for you. I’ve already gone through how many calories you burn.

There are many different kinds of workouts you can do on a treadmill in 10 minutes from interval training which is short sprints followed by recovery walks to your standard walking or running. You do get more benefits from vigorous exercise but that doesn’t mean moderate exercise like walking doesn’t help. Here are those health benefits:

1. Reduce the risk of high blood pressure

Also reduces the risk of heart disease, strokes and some types of cancer. They call high blood pressure the silent killer because you can have it with no symptoms. As you get older and the time you’ve had hypertension increases, the stress this puts on your organs starts taking effect. Ten minutes of exercise can help mitigate this.

2. Helps with depression

Even a short amount of exercise done regularly can have an amazing impact on your mood. They call it a runners high for a reason and these are the feel good chemicals called endorphins in your brain that are released. This sensation can last for a few days so there really is no reason not to get a good workout done.

3. Weight management

Not only do you lose weight but if you carry on exercising you’ll be able to keep control of your weight. So many of us achieve weight loss and then give up the exercise routine that helped us in the first place. Even 10 minutes on a treadmill has a place in a daily routine to reap weight management benefits.

4. Reduces the risk of death

This is especially the case as we get older but regular physical activity has been known to reduce the cause of premature death by 20% to 30%! This is what the World Health Organization has concluded. It helps prevent diseases. yes, but also falls because of better balance and posture. It also helps bone health and diabetes.

5. Promotes better sleep

We need to sleep for our muscles and mind to recover. If we exercise we feel sufficiently tired at the end of the day and we fall asleep quicker. Research has shown we have better sleep too. When we use energy during the day we need our minds and bodies to get rest and sleep gets us ready for the next day.

6. Alleviates stress

This research explains the benefits of exercise to reduce chemicals in our bodies related to stress. It says you can do exercise in 10 minute chunks and it recommends the same amount of the World Health Organization which I mention below. There are all kinds of exercise you can do for stress relief and walking or running on a treadmill is one of them.

How far will I go in 10 minutes?

Your console will tell you the distance you’ve covered. But that is what’s so good about a treadmill, because we can specify the exact speed, we know the exact distance you’ll cover. Walking at 3.1 mph means you’ll cover just over 0.5 miles or 0.8 km. You’ll be able to tell if your treadmill is accurate because this is what it should say.

For running at 5 mph for 10 minutes you’ll cover 0.8 miles or 1.3 km. Remember this is a low jogging speed and something everyone can do after a little practice. Many people run faster but you don’t need to if you want to get recognized benefits. I’m 45 years old and can’t run as fat as I used to, I only go 5.2 mph and I feel like I’ve had a full workout when I’ve finished.

How much physical activity is recommended?

The World Health Organization and Governments around the world recommend their adults get 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous per week. Moderate is walking and vigorous jogging or running. This is a lot and represents a real lifestyle change for many of us. The good thing is that you can do this exercise in 10 minute chunks to get the results.

So the question of “Will 10 minutes on a treadmill help me?”. The answer is yes, anything you do can help you get fit and healthy. Many of us who start a fitness routine will get to 10 minutes at some stage. You can either keep increasing the minutes or the amount of days per week you do this number. Ideally you want to reach the recommended amount to get the most benefits.

What to do beyond 10 minutes on a treadmill

If you’re managing that amount of time on a treadmill in one go then you’re really on your way to getting the maximum benefits exercise can offer. If 150 minutes of moderate exercise, which is walking, is the aim then you could do 30 minutes per day 5 times per week. You can increase gradually if you’re struggling, hopefully it’s just a case of finding the extra time.

For jogging or running maximum benefits occur at 75 minutes per week. If you’re already doing 10 minutes then all you need to do is increase it to 15 minutes and do this 5 times per week. I do my treadmill running every week day as I’ve found that routine suits me best. Perhaps that would suit you or you may find other ways to fit it into your schedule.

If you’re walking and you think you may be able to start jogging soon then I have something for you. You may have heard of the couch to 5k plan for beginners. This is a 9 week walk and run plan to have you running for 30 minutes when the plan is complete. I’ve written one for the treadmill which is proving to be very popular, here it is: Couch to 5k on a treadmill.

Summary

So using a treadmill even just for 10 minutes will help you a great deal. Try to do it often and you’ll see and feel results. You’ll look more slim and glowing and your mind will feel reinvigorated. There are many benefits you can’t feel in your body like the ones I’ve described above. If you’re yet to do 10 minutes and are just researching it then hopefully I’ve encouraged you to give it a go.

Doing this on a treadmill is so useful because you have a timer to say when you’ve completed the time on the console, plus it’s so convenient. If you don’t own a treadmill yet and this is part of you considering on buying one then I have my top 3 recommended treadmills in the link below. These are great for beginners and experienced runners especially my favorite, which is reasonable in price.

Thinking of buying a treadmill? Here’s my favorite, I always recommend it when asked.