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Treadmills are one of the first exercises many people think of when they start going to the gym and losing weight.
The best exercise is the one you'll stick to. If something isn't fun, people tend to not stick with it. Do you actually find treadmills fun?
Wouldn't you rather be swimming? Playing sports? Hiking? Bicycling? Going for a walk somewhere scenic? Rockclimbing or kickboxing? A running group? Weightlifting? etc.
Treadmills tend to be the exercise that people intend to do for 6-12 months to lose weight but not intend it as a lifelong lifestyle.
Treadmills reinforce the misconception that a diet must be deprivation. Maybe you're fine with going on a treadmill the first several times. But once you do it for months on end, you feel bored and deprived. You lament at the fact that you're spending your time on a menial task rather than something you enjoy.
Treadmills are one of the first exercises many people think of when they start going to the gym and losing weight.
The best exercise is the one you'll stick to. If something isn't fun, people tend to not stick with it. Do you actually find treadmills fun?
Wouldn't you rather be swimming? Playing sports? Hiking? Bicycling? Going for a walk somewhere scenic? Rockclimbing or kickboxing? A running group? Weightlifting? etc.
Treadmills tend to be the exercise that people intend to do for 6-12 months to lose weight but not intend it as a lifelong lifestyle.
Treadmills reinforce the misconception that a diet must be deprivation. Maybe you're fine with going on a treadmill the first several times. But once you do it for months on end, you feel bored and deprived. You lament at the fact that you're spending your time on a menial task rather than something you enjoy.
What motivated you to post this opinion?
Most exercise is not fun. Exercise that is fun is the type of exercise you can't do on a regular schedule. I can make that statement because I have exercised extensively during most of my life. I have run marathons, swam distance, played competitive basketball, been a serious weightlifter, played football, took a Yoga class, and skied starting when I was in 7th grade.
For me skiing and playing basketball are fun. Basketball was great when I had a place to play and a group of guys who played competitive basketball, and the schedule to do it. I would love to ski on a regular basis. Unfortunately, skiing is expensive, if difficult to find the time, and your limited by weather.
You mention swimming. If we are talking about exercise, that means swimming laps or swimming distance in open water. I have swam my entire life, I grew up swimming in a river. I currently swim laps. It is extremely boring. I can't do anything else while I'm swimming laps. I can't talk to anyone, watch TV, or listen to music or podcasts or audiobooks. I have a view of the bottom of the pool and the side of the pool when I take a breath.
I lift weights 3-4 times a week. Weightlifting is not exactly fun. You pick weights up and put them back down. You can do different exercises and do machines, but it is basically the same thing of picking the weights up, or pushing or pulling on a machine.
You mentioned a running group. I ran a few times with a running group. Mostly I ran by myself. I ran hundreds of races with large groups of people. I trained for marathons by doing long runs where I built up to 20, 22, and 24 mile long runs. I would finish in the dark and it would be cold. I once did a long run on a treadmill. I ran 18 miles on a treadmill at a YMCA. I talked to a lot of people during the run as they came and left from their workouts.
I seriously considered buying my own treadmill. I thought it would be a lot more convenient to have a treadmill instead of running outside when it was dark, raining or cold out. I realized I would have to buy a fairly expensive treadmill because of my size and the amount of miles I would put on it.
I would never discourage anyone from doing any type of exercise. It is important that people do both cardiovascular and weightlifting type exercise. Don't expect them to be fun. If you can find some fun activities to supplement your regular activities, that is great. Very few people can ski or rock climb often enough to make it your regular exercise program.
I understand your point that many people have trouble making exercise a lifelong lifestyle. I'm 67 and have been able to do this. I think I have been able to do this because I don't expect exercise to be fun.
Treadmills are one of the first exercises many people think of when they start going to the gym and losing weight.
The best exercise is the one you'll stick to. If something isn't fun, people tend to not stick with it. Do you actually find treadmills fun?
Some people do find treadmills fun or challenging. Like you say, the best exercise is something you'll stick to, and for some people, rock climbing, or swimming, or team sports are inaccessible or uninteresting to them. Having a treadmill in their basement or their gym is reliable. They listen to a podcast or a playlist, and bang out a workout.
Treadmills are one of the first exercises many people think of when they start going to the gym and losing weight.
The best exercise is the one you'll stick to. If something isn't fun, people tend to not stick with it. Do you actually find treadmills fun?
Wouldn't you rather be swimming? Playing sports? Hiking? Bicycling? Going for a walk somewhere scenic? Rockclimbing or kickboxing? A running group? Weightlifting? etc.
Treadmills tend to be the exercise that people intend to do for 6-12 months to lose weight but not intend it as a lifelong lifestyle.
Treadmills reinforce the misconception that a diet must be deprivation. Maybe you're fine with going on a treadmill the first several times. But once you do it for months on end, you feel bored and deprived. You lament at the fact that you're spending your time on a menial task rather than something you enjoy.
At one point for almost 10 years I used a treadmill 5 days a week. I liked it because I could jump on it with no time needed to travel anywhere and it didn't matter if it was raining or snowing. It's set up in front of a tv with a fan so I can keep cool - worked great and I still have it but don't use it 5 days a week.
Of course now there are many other "entertainment" options you can access with your phone so it's easy to keep yourself occupied. Doesn't mean I didn't also do weight training and yoga but that was my go-to cardio.
My best friend and her husband have a treadmill desk they use. I have an under desk peddler thing I use. Both are a good way to get movement in during a workday if you have a sedentary job. Even if you are only walking at a slow 2mph pace, that’s sure as heck better than sitting for an hour.
I am not actually a treadmill fan and am a bit annoyed that the main gym I go to seems to have more treadmills than other equipment even though the stair climbers are always popular. I don’t like the stair climber, but it serves a purpose for me since I tend to use it to help me train for hiking trips during winter when I can’t really hike much outside. My next trip is a bike trip, so I am doing the stationary bike now. I generally just listen to podcasts while doing these workouts. Honestly I think people can motivate themselves by having a podcast they like or an audiobook they can listen to primarily while working out.
Exercise is a must if someone wants to age well. I don't perceive exercise as fun at all, just a necessity. Some types are better than others, they can be time-consuming, and some are can be greatly affected by the weather.
I don't think treadmills are good for the majority of the population. Most will get bored of it and it's used to collect dust in the corner. Plus it's bad for the joints for some people. Best to stick with an exercise bike that you can watch streaming shows and lower impact for the knees.
For many people, ifit and/or Peloton are the answer to solve boringness. Their memberships are relatively expensive, but they are good for keeping people motivated to keep on going.
I have a NordicTrack spin-bike with ifit, and I have a generic treadmill with a cheap tablet that I attached to it that I run the ifit app on. With ifit you usually follow behind someone who is biking or running (or rowing, if you have an ifit rower) through scenic locations around the world. They usually talk about the location while running or biking and try to give you uplifting motivational advice. The machines automatically adjust the resistance and move up or down when you get to a hill. It's pretty neat.
As I understand, with Peloton you are mostly doing group studio workouts, sometimes live, sometimes pre-recorded, and I don't think the incline or resistance will automatically adjust, but they have a leaderboard so that you can compare your times and compete against all of the other people out there if you want to. Many people love Peloton as it helps to keep them motivated.
As others have mentioned though, even without ifit or Peloton many people listen to audio books or podcasts or watch tv or do other things while running on a treadmill. You don't just have to stare at your wall while you run.
There is no exercise that is perfect for everyone. Yes, MANY treadmills do end up being used as clothes racks more than for exercise, but there are also many out there that do get used on a regular basis.
Wouldn't you rather be swimming? Playing sports? Hiking? Bicycling? Going for a walk somewhere scenic? Rockclimbing or kickboxing? A running group? Weightlifting? etc..
Some people don't find working out, whatever the form the workout involves, to be fun. Others do or find certain kinds of workouts to be fun while others or not. I find heavy weight training to be very enjoyable and therefore fun. As for the treadmill, it depends on my mood. But it's only enjoyable when I set it on an incline and suitable walking speed so that I have to really exert myself.
Also, whether the treadmill is fun or not has no bearing on whether or not it's a 'bad exercise' as per the title of the thread. It's a very good exercise for your health, fun or not.
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