Losing weight on a treadmill in only a month seems daunting on day 1. However, by the end of the month, you will wonder why it took you so long to get started.
As you feel fitter and your clothes seem to fit better, you will thank yourself for starting on this journey.
Big WARNING you need to have your diet in control to lose weight. You can not out-exercise a bad diet! The sad truth is if you want to lose weight, then exercise goes hand in hand with a good diet.
Why use a treadmill to lose weight?
A treadmill is the staple of gyms around the world. We all know that we should walk and run more, but how we can lose weight on one escapes us. There is a reason why up and down every gym you see rows of treadmills.
Typically running on a treadmill can burn between 700-1000 calories an hour. However, determining how many calories you will burn is not an easy question to answer.
What factors affect the number of calories burned running on a treadmill?
Honestly, there is no way I can tell you here how many calories you will burn. Unfortunately, there are so many factors that come into play when calculating calories.
What are some of the factors?
- Age – As annoying as it is, the older you get the less efficient your body is. Your metabolism slows down, meaning as you get older you burn fewer calories.
- Sex – Men’s bodies are often composed of more muscle than women’s bodies, and thus burn more calories.
- Your weight – The more you weigh the more energy your body needs to move your body. So the more you weigh the more calories you are likely to burn on average.
- Speed – The faster you run = the more calories you burn. A simple formula but one that holds.
- Incline – By increasing the incline, increases the calories you burn on your run. Just like walking up a hill, running up a hill makes you feel the burn. Depending on the incline you could burn an extra 4 calories per minute.
Should I just run as far and hard as I can on a treadmill?
If we are working to losing weight in a month, then we start slow and build it up. What you don’t want to do is burn out or even injure yourself by doing too much too quickly.
The last thing you want to do only a few days in is dreading the next day. Going too hard at the start can demotivate you…we do not want this.
You also need to fuel your body before your run. It’s important to give your body the good energy it needs before you try to burn off the bad. I find bananas and peanuts to be a good source of energy before my runs.
What sort of running should I do on a treadmill?
While you should only do what you feel comfortable with. To burn the most calories you should do HIIT on a treadmill. HIIT otherwise known as high-intensity interval training is the best way for you to burn the most calories in a month.
HIIT is where you mix up between running and walking/jogging on a treadmill. No one can go 100%, 100% of the time. However, with HIIT you give your body enough of a break to push through.
While there are different methods I find 30 secs jogging mixed with 1 minute of running, gives me the best results. Although of course like everything, you do what your body tells you.
Workout plan to lose weight on a treadmill in a month
This is just a plan to get you started. Don’t worry if at the start you are unable to keep up and need to go slower or increase your resting period.
You need to mold this to your body, only you know what you’re capable of. But be careful not to go too hard or too easy, finding the balance is the key.
Remember to stretch and warm-up before every workout. Then stretch and warm down after every workout. I can’t stress how important this is to avoid injuring yourself.
Week 1
- 4 days a week – with a rest day between workouts
- 3 of the workouts will be HIIT
- 10 minutes of HIIT- 1 min walking followed by 30 secs jogging/running
- 1 workout will be walking for 30 mins
- Both include an extra 5 minutes of walking before and 5 minutes of walking after for your warm-up and warm-down.
Week 2
- 4 days a week – with a rest day between workouts
- 3 of the workouts will be HIIT
- 10 minutes of HIIT- 1 min walking followed by 1 min jogging/running
- 1 workout will be walking for 30 mins
- Both include an extra 5 minutes of walking before and 5 minutes of walking after for your warm-up and warm-down.
Week 3
- 4 days a week – with a rest day between workouts
- 3 of the workouts will be HIIT
- 15 minutes of HIIT- 1 min walking followed by 1 min running
- 1 workout will be jogging for 30 mins, this will include some walking
- Both include an extra 5 minutes of walking before and 5 minutes of walking after for your warm-up and warm-down.
Week 4
- 4 days a week – with a rest day between workouts
- 3 of the workouts will be HIIT
- 15 minutes of HIIT- 30 secs walking followed by 1 min running
- 1 workout will be jogging for 30 mins
- Both include an extra 5 minutes of walking before and 5 minutes of walking after for your warm-up and warm-down.
How to burn more calories on your workout.
While we have shared what we feel is a great workout plan, to lose weight on a treadmill in a month. This is just a guide, to turbocharge burning more calories in a month you can try a few things.
- Increase running speed
- Decrease the walking time between runs
- Increase total workout time.
Summary
Now no matter what shape you are in now, we all want to get into better shape. Shave off those hips, tighten those glutes and flatten that belly bump.
Exercising for a month can seem daunting…but it’s about taking things one step at a time.
If you set yourself the goal and stick to it…which you can…there is no reason in a month you can’t start to see some real improvement.
I found these tips quite awesome though I’m struggling with my high BMI.