Treadmill-Workstation How to turn your treadmill into a desk, really cheap.

Treadmill-Workstation
How to turn your treadmill into a desk, really cheap.

MORE PHOTOS OF ME BUILDING IT AND THE DETAILS CLICK HERE:

Build your own treadmill desk or workstation directions

Do it yourself treadmill workstation desk

Do it yourself treadmill workstation desk

This weekend I was watching T.V and I saw a news segment on this treadmill desk, workstation idea.
I have been working online since 1999, so my butt has being doing the slow spread of the desk bound.
I also have been gaining an average of about 1.6 pounds a year! (thank you fitday for helping me keep track of that.)

Of course you all know as we age, our metabolism slows down. I have found that to be very true.
I am not a huge eater and when I try to diet-no matter what the diet is, I suddenly must have- carbs, veggies, cake, candy, bread, cheese, you know whatever I am not suppose to be eating, I need and crave desperately.

I found dieting over the years has actually caused me to gain weight!

So when I saw this idea, I loved it.
I immediately got onto the web and started to check out “treadmill workstations, treadmill desks, treadmill at work” etc..
Well I found that guys treadmill desk and OMG, it cost’s $1,600!

Heck no, I think not.
I mean really, especially after I saw some of the homemade ones online.

I knew I could DIY (do it yourself) on this one. I could create or build my own treadmill desk.
I started wandering around my house eyeballing anything that might work.
Boards outside, old pictures from walls stored in closets, foam board, and bed trays.
I have always been very frugal, so I tend to keep things around a bit before I get rid of them.

Most of them were not wide enough. I needed something at least 35 inches across.
In the backyard, ready to take to the thrift store, I had this little student desk that no one
seemed to want to use in my house anymore. I think we bought it at Target or Walmart for around
$100.00. ( and only a few years ago, such waste!)
It looked perfect. I unscrewed the top and laid in on top of my treadmill. Then I used a few bungee cords to secure it.
It works like a dream. Slightly slanted and nothing is falling or tipping over at all. I have tons of room and
today was my first day using it and I walked 6 miles without even thinking about it.
I felt so energized and better at the end of the day.
I found talking on the phone no problem at all.
I actually had to kick up the speed a little to 1.3 miles an hour since the orginal .5-1 felt too slow as I grew used to it.
I know I am going to stick with this.
I was a waitress for 12 years and on my feet all the time and then after that the only exercise I have ever stuck to in my life was running, ( 2 miles a day, no more!) then I got shin splints and couldn’t run anymore.
I tried power walking for a year and had sciatica kick in and still have issues with that on and off.
Then I tried just walking a mile a day with my dog, and was bored out of my mind.
Plus I live on some very steep hills so it really isn’t very fun.

This treadmill work station is perfect for me.
I was already thinking of trying one of the stand up desks, since I am sick of sitting all the time.
This is for me! I fully expect to lose that nasty 15 pounds I have gained the last 10 years.

I got out my arm weights and did a few reps while reading the news online.
I was thinking-gosh you could design a whole exercise program for using the treadmill while you work. I tried walking backward for about 10 minutes and that felt good and used different muscles. I even tried sideways walking. Of course you cannot work while doing that.

Anyway I decided starting this website and blog would be a fun change of pace, since I do that for a living (askmepc-webdesign.com)

I would love to hear from anyone else trying this out or anyone who has their own ideas and cheap or frugal ways to build your own treadmill workstation.
Send me your stories and photos and I will post them online, ( with links back to your site if you want)
I will also be keeping track of my fitness and weight loss and sharing it online here with you.

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Other Creative and Fun Desk Ideas

Build your own standing desk!

DIY Standing Desk from scratch

Space-saving standing desks can be pretty expensive, which is why a DIY project like this one can be a wallet-loving alternative. This particular desk was made using some IKEA tech, as well as items from the hardware store. The owners didn’t give us many details on the process, but you can figure it out from the pictures. It’s an attractive, functional piece, and the best part is that it didn’t cost more than a few dollars.

Visit this wrap up to see 20 fun and creative alternate desk ideas!

standing-desk-ergonomicsBenefits of a Standing Desk-sourced from Smithsonian Magazine Online.

“Step one is get up. Step two is learn to get up more often. Step three is, once you’re up, move,” he says. “And what we’ve discovered is that once you’re up, you do tend to move.” Steps one and two, then, are the most important parts—and a desk that encourages you to stand at least some of the time is one of the most convenient means of doing so.

Reduced Risk of Type 2 Diabetes and Other Metabolic Problems

The detrimental health impacts of sitting—and the benefits of standing—appear to go beyond simple obesity. Some of the same studies by Levine and others have found that sitting for extended periods of time is correlated with reduced effectiveness in regulating levels of glucose in the bloodstream, part of a condition known as metabolic syndrome that dramatically increases the chance of type 2 diabetes.

A 2008 study, for instance, found that people who sat for longer periods during their day had significantly higher levels of fasting blood glucose, indicating their their cells became less responsive to insulin, with the hormone failing to trigger the absorption of glucose from the blood. A 2013 study [PDF] came to similar findings, and arrived at the conclusion that for people already at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the amount of time spent sitting could be a more important risk factor than the amount of time spent vigorously exercising.

Reduced Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Scientific evidence that sitting is bad for the cardiovascular system goes all the way back to the 1950s, when British researchers compared rates of heart disease in London bus drivers (who sit) and bus conductors (who stand) and found that the former group experienced far more heart attacks and other problems than the latter.

Since, scientists have found that adults who spend two more hours per day sitting have a 125 percent increased risk of health problems related to cardiovascular disease, including chest pain and heart attacks. Other work has found that men who spend more than five hours per day sitting outside of work and get limited exercise were at twice the risk of heart failure as those who exercise often and sit fewer than two hours daily outside of the office. Even when the researchers controlled for the amount of exercise, excessive sitters were still 34 percent more likely to develop heart failure than those who were standing or moving.

Reduced Risk of Cancer

A handful of studies have suggested that extended periods of sitting can be linked with a higher risk of many forms of cancer. Breast and colon cancer appear to be most influenced by physical activity (or lack thereof): a 2011 study found that prolonged sitting could be responsible for as much as 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer annually in the U.S. But the same research found that significant amounts of lung cancer (37,200 cases), prostate cancer (30,600 cases), endometrial cancer (12,000 cases) and ovarian cancer (1,800 cases) could also be related to excessive sitting.

The underlying mechanism by which sitting increases cancer risk is still unclear, but scientists have found a number of biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein, that are present in higher levels in people who sit for long periods of time. These may be tied to the development of cancer.

Lower Long-Term Mortality Risk

Because of the reduced chance of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer, a number of studies have found strong correlations between the amount of time a person spends sitting and his or her chance of dying within a given period of time.

A 2010 Australian study, for instance, found that for each extra hour participants spent sitting daily, their overall risk of dying during the study period (seven years) increased by 11 percent. A 2012 study found that if the average American reduced his or her sitting time to three hours per day, life expectancy would climb by two years.

These projects control for other factors such as diet and exercise—indicating that sitting, in isolation, can lead to a variety of health problems and increase the overall risk of death, even if you try to get exercise while you’re not sitting and eat a healthy diet. And though there are many situations besides the office in which we sit for extended periods (driving and watching TV, for instance, are at the top of the list), spending some of your time at work at a standing desk is one of the most direct solutions.

If you’re going to start doing so, most experts recommend splitting your time between standing and sitting, because standing all day can lead to back, knee or foot problems. The easiest ways of accomplishing this are either using a desk that can be raised upward or a tall chair that you can pull up to your desk when you do need to sit. It’s also important to ease into it, they say, by standing for just a few hours a day at first while your body becomes used to the strain, and move around a bit, by shifting your position, pacing, or even dancing as you work.

 

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Sitting is dangerous for your health

The average worker spends over five hours and 40 minutes sitting at their job every day and a new study says it’s bad for your health, with some claiming the long-term effects of sitting can be as bad as smoking.

Dr. Michael Jensen, from the Mayo Clinic, joined KDKA Radio’s Larry Richert and John Shumway to talk about a study he and his colleagues conducted.

To find out whether the test subjects in the study were sitting or not, Dr. Jensen says one of his colleagues, Dr. James Levine, invented underwear that can “tell whether you’re sitting, standing, or lying down essentially every half second of the day.”

With the data they gathered and studied, they came to the conclusion that people need to move around more. Dr. Jensen says they found, “that people who are overweight tend to spend a lot more time sitting then people who have not gained weight.”

Dr. Jensen says that a trip to the gym for 30 minutes or an hour may not be enough to combat all the time spent sitting.

“It’s not going to prevent risk for disease and weight gain if that’s all you do is go to the gym for 30 minutes or an hour and spend all of the rest of your day sitting.”

According to Dr. Jensen, “sitting is independently associated with greater risk of dying of heart disease [and] diabetes, even when you try to account for exercise.”

What is the solution to this? Dr. Jensen and his colleagues say that standing at work at least part of the time has positive health benefits.

The doctor admits, “that there certainly are people that have trouble with their legs, and it’s not going to be practical for them to be standing up a lot.” But he adds, “thankfully, most people can spend more time standing and not suffer from it.”

treadmill deskThere are studies that claim prolonged sitting is responsible for 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer in the United States. Those are startling numbers, but Dr. Jensen says you should take some of those studies, “with a grain of salt.”

He says, “unlike the [study we] did where we objectively measured sitting, standing and walking, many of [the other studies] are self-report.”

A self-report relies a lot of the test subjects own reports.

He adds that the information gathered in a self-report, “tends to be bias and [the subject] may overlook a number of things that go into [the cause]. For example, people who sit a lot may have a number of other unhealthy lifestyles that [makes] it impossible to take account for.”

The bottom line is that less time spent sitting at work may help you reduce the risk of certain diseases.

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Treadmills of the olden days. History of the Treadmill

You will be surprised to know that a treadmill, currently one of the most popular exercise machines, started as a disciplinary device to reform the prisoners. Or that the first user of the treadmill was not a man but an animal… This brief overview will guide you through the exciting history of treadmill.

The Walking Power Machine

A treadmill was originally a device operated by an animal treading steps of a wheel to do some type of work. The first “home” treadmills appeared in the 19th century when farmers started to use portable treadmills invented for use by animals.

In 1834 a horse treadmill was patented (it’s been a prototype for a contemporary horse treadmill used to train racehorses.

Dog treadmills were quite popular kitchen equipment used to power centrifugal milk separator or a butter churn, or to run a bean sorter or a corn sheller.

dog-treadmill 1800's  

Prison Treadmill

Human powered treadmills were fairly often used in prisons though. The innovation introduced in 1817 in England, the prison treadmill was meant to “reform the offenders” and to turn their power for good.

The prison treadmill was then introduced in America. In on of New York prisons, offenders stepped on the mill for 10 hours a day grinding grain:

history treadmill

 

Fitness Treadmill

It was early 20th century that treadmills were first introduced in the health center as a cardio workout machine. The treadmill was used to test patients for heart and lung disease. In 1933 Popular Science magazine published an article describing how treadmills can be used as a “training track”:

A one-man training track for runners is part of the equipment recently installed by an English sporting club. The device consists of a small treadmill platform with an upright pipe frame in front. Gripping the frame, the runner begins his workout, a speedometer at one side of the apparatus indicating how fast he is going…

1800's exercise machines

 

The first operating treadmill was built in 1875. However, it was not built for running or walking humans to get exercise. It was designed as a way to harness the power of animals to devices such as butter churns, spinning wheels, or water pumps. There were even big treadmills run by horses that were used as threshing machines.

1920 Treadmill Wooden Slats 1920 Treadmill Wooden Slats

 

Treadmill-like devices soon showed up on factory floors where they revolutionized the manufacturing process. A famous early example was at Ford Motors. By the 1920s parts were moved from one area of the factory to another via conveyor belts. They saved so much in labor costs that prices of previously unattainable luxury items became accessible to the mass of society.

It was not until 1952 that Robert A. Bruce, a doctor at the University of Washington in Seattle, got the bright idea to actually put the treadmill belt to use for humans to walk on1. He used it as a stress test, and it can seem a grueling process. At first a patient is put on a slow moving treadmill while being hooked up by electrodes to an electrocardiograph. This monitors the patient’s vital signs even as the speed is increased. The resultant data can help to diagnose various heart problems.

This use of the treadmill as a stress test got business people to thinking that the machine might be put to use as an exercise device, hopefully one that was not too “stressful” and would contribute to the health of the user. By the 1960s the treadmill became a vital piece of equipment in gyms and in homes. A common image in cartoons in the 1960s is of George Jetson running the treadmill with his dog, Astro2. People saw treadmills as part of a futuristic life. Indeed, it was an amazing development. Suddenly, people could go for long walks and never leave the privacy of their own home.

Tunturi was one of the first manufacturers to launch their own treadmill design. This was a shop that began as a bicycle maker in Finland. By the 1960s they were becoming a premier manufacturer of exercise equipment. In the United States, an early manufacturer was Aerobics. NASA saw the benefit of advancing treadmill technology and saw it as a useful tool in the space program. In 2000 NASA even installed a treadmill on the space station to help astronauts to keep fit in zero gravity conditions3.

Since the 1960s there have been continual improvements in treadmill equipment. The basic idea has remained the same, but many features have been added, including speed adjustments, fans, heart monitoring, and storage flexibility, just to name a few. As technology advances and more manufacturers build them, high quality machines can be purchased at very reasonable prices. Treadmills have become recognized as a great was to receive a high-quality, but low-impact workout.

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Sitting all day is bad for your health! What to do about it.

Don’t just sit there. Really

From the LA Times:

The chair is out to kill us,’ a Mayo doctor says. Several studies point to the health risks of too much sitting.

sitting will hurt you

“Prolonged sitting is not what nature intended for us,” says Dr. Camelia Davtyan, clinical professor of medicine and director of women’s health at the UCLA Comprehensive Health Program.

“The chair is out to kill us,” says James Levine, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine.

Most of us have years of sitting experience, consider ourselves quite good at it and would swear that nature intended us to do it as much as possible.

But unfortunately, a good deal of data suggest that we’re off our rockers to spend so much time on our rockers — as well as the vast variety of other seats where we’re fond of parking our duffs. Here’s a sampling of what scientists have learned about the insidious nature of sitting.
The human body was designed for walking, and people did a whole lot of that for millenniums. But lately, not so much. In general, scientists believe, Americans now sit for more than half of their waking hours. Sadly, the sitting position exerts forces on the body that it’s not built to accommodate, Davtyan says, and so, as comfy as it may seem, couch potato-hood can lead to a host of woes, including poor circulation and assorted aches and pains.

Obe-sit-y epidemic?

We’re not using much energy when we’re sitting still, which is no doubt part of its appeal. But, of course, “not using much energy” is just another way of saying “not burning many calories,” which is just another way of saying “watch out for extra pounds.” “There is debate as to whether it is the chair or the knife and fork that have caused the increase in obesity rates,” Levine writes in a 2012 article. A person with a desk job may burn 300 calories a day at work, he reports, but that same person might burn 2,300 calories a day in a job that requires considerable physical effort.

Assessing the damage

Sitting at your desk for hours on end, slaving away diligently, can increase your chances of getting a promotion — but also diabetes, heart disease or even an early grave. A study published in the journal Diabetologia in November 2012 analyzed the results of 18 studies with a total of nearly 800,000 participants. When comparing people who spent the most time sitting with those who spent the least time, researchers found increases in the risks of diabetes (112%), cardiovascular events (147%), death from cardiovascular causes (90%) and death from all causes (49%).

“Sitting is the new smoking,” says Anup Kanodia, a physician and researcher at the Center for Personalized Health Care at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center. As evidence, he cites an Australian study published in October 2012 in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that compared the two pastimes. Every hour of TV that people watch, presumably while sitting, cuts about 22 minutes from their life span, the study’s authors calculated. By contrast, it’s estimated that smokers shorten their lives by about 11 minutes per cigarette.

How can this happen? Not only is sitting lousy at calorie burning, but it has been shown to suppress the production of an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase, which is essential for turning bad cholesterol into good. Sitting can also lead to insulin resistance and, therefore, trouble metabolizing sugar. All these strikes against it help to explain, at least in part, its association with heart disease and diabetes.
Is exercise the solution? Suppose you do 100 sit-ups every morning. Can you safely sit back and rest on your laurels the rest of the day? Research says no. Despite the good it does for you in many ways, exercise is not a vaccine against the ills of sitting. Once you burn a bunch of calories, they’re gone, of course. But it doesn’t take long for some of the other beneficial effects of exercise to wear off and the detrimental effects of sitting to set in. For instance, lipase production can go down by 90% within hours, a 2008 study in the journal Diabetes found.

Is there any hope? There are ways of outwitting our penchant for sitting. Levine has a treadmill at his desk that he strolls on all day long. He made his own, but many models are commercially available. Indeed, whole lines of furniture have been developed to facilitate what David Kahl calls “active sitting.”

It can take a while for people to adjust to this new way of sitting, says Kahl, who owns the Ergo Depot in Portland, Ore. “But in the end I haven’t had anybody say, ‘I can’t do it.'”

There are simpler steps to take too — e.g., merely increasing the number of steps you take during the day. But can such small things really make a difference? A study published last year in Diabetes Care showed you can improve your glucose metabolism with a two-minute walk every 20 minutes.

Considerable anecdotal evidence points in the same direction. True, many — perhaps including you yourself — have done some of their best work while sitting at their desks. “That’s where I shine,” the late writer Robert Benchley once said. But many others have achieved remarkable success while standing up on the job, including Winston Churchill, Charles Dickens, Benjamin Franklin, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain.

And then there was Einstein, Levine notes: “He was riding a bike when he came up with e = mc².”

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Sitting down can cause long term damage to your health

Try a treadmill deskA study of Australian office workers in the journal Human Factors in 2009 found that people perform best at computer tasks when sitting. Standing reduced their work-rate slightly — while walking around while working had an even worse impact.

Asking staff to swap their chairs for stability balls does not help, either. These are designed to make people engage leg and back muscles constantly to stay upright.

One solution may be a treadmill desk – a workspace unit with a computer built on to the frame of a treadmill.

However, a study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene this year found that while 200 office workers who sat on stability balls for three months cut their levels of lower back pain by more than half, more than  45 per cent of staff reported that the balls had caused significant pain elsewhere with regular use.

Many people in the Far East feel comfortable in a squatting position with heels on the ground. But despite promising research on this in the Fifties by American academic Gordon Hewes, no one has seriously followed up the idea for say, office work or watching TV.

The problem for most Westerners is that years sitting in chairs or wearing high heels mean our Achilles tendons are not stretched long enough to put our heels flat on the ground when in a squat.

One bizarre solution may be a treadmill desk — a workspace unit with a computer built on to the frame of a treadmill. The belt on a standard model goes up to 4mph, though most users find 1-2mph works best, meaning they cover up to 40 miles a week.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2287673/Sitting-send-early-grave-Why-sofas-office-chair-carry-health-

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Treadmill Workstation still getting press around the world

treadmill desk workstation treadmill workstation.netSave yourself from ‘sitting disease’… use a stand up desk (which comes with built in treadmill)

Read more at the Daily Mail here.

Treadmill Wordstations are such a great idea. Now that we have had ours for awhile, let me tell you the reality of using it.
I do not use it every day now. I use it about 3 times a week for a few hours.
Sometimes I just stand. I am comfortable just standing too. I feel so much better by combining sitting, standing and some slow walking.
I don’t feel “trapped” in my chair anymore, and having a treadmill workstation in the room with you forces you to think about movement and changing it up.
To see how to build your own Treadmill Desk Workstation the frugal and inexpensive way click here.

Leave a comment! Do you use a treadmill desk? How do you “mix” it up when working online?
Any ideas to help others are great.

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Sitting can be lethal, any movement counts

Sitting can be lethalI just read this story in the New York Times,
Sitting can be Lethal

Here is a excerpt from the story that relates to treadmill workstations.

In a motion-tracking study, Dr. Levine found that obese subjects averaged only 1,500 daily movements and nearly 600 minutes sitting. In my trial with the magic underwear, I came out looking somewhat better — 2,234 individual movements and 367 minutes sitting. But I was still nowhere near the farm workers Dr. Levine has studied in Jamaica, who average 5,000 daily movements and only 300 minutes sitting.

Dr. Levine knows that we can’t all be farmers, so instead he is exploring ways for people to redesign their environments so that they encourage more movement. We visited a chairless first-grade classroom where the students spent part of each day crawling along mats labeled with vocabulary words and jumping between platforms while reciting math problems. We stopped by a human-resources staffing agency where many of the employees worked on the move at treadmill desks — a creation of Dr. Levine’s, later sold by a company called Steelcase.

In a motion-tracking study, Dr. Levine found that obese subjects averaged only 1,500 daily movements and nearly 600 minutes sitting. In my trial with the magic underwear, I came out looking somewhat better — 2,234 individual movements and 367 minutes sitting. But I was still nowhere near the farm workers Dr. Levine has studied in Jamaica, who average 5,000 daily movements and only 300 minutes sitting.

Dr. Levine knows that we can’t all be farmers, so instead he is exploring ways for people to redesign their environments so that they encourage more movement. We visited a chairless first-grade classroom where the students spent part of each day crawling along mats labeled with vocabulary words and jumping between platforms while reciting math problems. We stopped by a human-resources staffing agency where many of the employees worked on the move at treadmill desks — a creation of Dr. Levine’s, later sold by a company called Steelcase.

Dr. Levine was in a philosophical mood as we left the temp agency. For all of the hard science against sitting, he admits that his campaign against what he calls “the chair-based lifestyle” is not limited to simply a quest for better physical health. His is a war against inertia itself, which he believes sickens more than just our body. “Go into cubeland in a tightly controlled corporate environment and you immediately sense that there is a malaise about being tied behind a computer screen seated all day,” he said. “The soul of the nation is sapped, and now it’s time for the soul of the nation to rise.

Dr. Levine was in a philosophical mood as we left the temp agency. For all of the hard science against sitting, he admits that his campaign against what he calls “the chair-based lifestyle” is not limited to simply a quest for better physical health. His is a war against inertia itself, which he believes sickens more than just our body. “Go into cubeland in a tightly controlled corporate environment and you immediately sense that there is a malaise about being tied behind a computer screen seated all day,” he said. “The soul of the nation is sapped, and now it’s time for the soul of the nation to rise.

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Aerobic exercise and the Treadmill, another way to get healthy

Hands off the treadmill to lose weight

A treadmill can give you a regular aerobic workout that is personalized to your needs. You can easily regulate your speed, how long you exercise and how steep an incline you want to tread.

There are more advantages to these machines. Since you use them indoors, you avoid any safety and weather hazards outdoors. Their electronic screens tell you how many calories you are burning, how fast you are going and how much distance you are covering. Many treadmills even have preset programs to automatically vary speeds and incline levels.

Before you start any exercise program, like using a treadmill, you should check with your doctor. Another important fact to remember is: Don’t hold onto the handrails while you tread.

Gripping May Produce Pain

When you’re on a treadmill, you may think you need to hold on to keep from falling. Yet holding on may cause some painful problems.

Gripping handrails overstretches your back muscles and compresses your chest muscles. The result is a slumped posture. If you already stoop, holding on will worsen it. Holding on can also wrench the muscles and joints in your upper body when you grip the front bar and lean far forward, or hold on with only one hand. Your shoulder and hip joints may also over-rotate, which can lead to repetitive stress injuries.

Another reason to let go: Walking hands-off burns about 20 percent more calories, enabling better weight control and, therefore, lower risk of cancer and other diseases. Hands-free treading also avoids raising your blood pressure — which may occur if you grip tightly, especially at a fast speed (3.5 miles per hour or more).

________________________________________________

Tips for Treading Well

If you’re afraid you’ll lose your balance or get dizzy, slow your speed — to 2 mph, if necessary. Balancing is part of exercise and your body becomes more efficient only when challenged.

If the machine tells you to “hold on for heart rate” because it uses sensors when you grip, let go after checking your heart rate. If you’re holding on because “everybody else does it,” remember that popularity doesn’t make it right.

Holding on, when using the incline feature, causes your body to tilt back at the same angle, canceling out the slope effect. Leaning forward won’t correct this problem if you’re gripping, because you are, in effect, pulling yourself forward. Your arms act as anchors while your legs get a free ride, even if your speed and incline settings are set high.

Start out slowly and just let go. Pump your arms to keep them moving. Concentrate on correct posture. As your body adjusts to treading hands-free, you should increase the speed or incline over time to get a better workout.

(This article was provided by the American Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C. A registered dietician is available to respond to questions ab

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Tips to help jumpstart your weight loss in the New Year!

So what is your New Year Resolution? To lose weight and get the shape you desire fast and keep to your plans to achieve your desired weight goal
successfully lose weight takes time, and you need to take the time to do it or you will become frustrated. Be patient.
Most of us find ourselves facing each New Year with the same 10 pound resolution or whatever our personal number is. Fad diets have failed us, many have tried and lost weight using the larger weight loss programs, such as Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig or Nutri Systems. I have friends who are in FA, (Food Addicts Anonymous). On thing has remained the same in my life, most of the people I know gain at least part of the weight back.

Right now Oprah Winfrey just announced that she has gained much of her weight back.
After years of dieting and having her own people, like her chef Rosie, ( I have this book, and the recipes are very good!)

Even Oprah, with all that money and resources has gained back part of her weight and struggles to keep it off. She even has her own trainer!

The problem or I should say challenge with losing weight and keeping it off, is you literally have to change what you do and that involves changing habits. One of the hardest things for us humans to do.

So lets start with just some basic ideas to help change a few of your habits in the New Year.

You can start your treadmill, or exercise bike, or just walking around your neighborhood.
These are easy and frugal ways to start changing habits and patterns you may have developed over the years.
A few ideas to jump start your New Year weight loss program are things like:

  • Parking further away when you go out.
  • Take the stairs instead of an elevator.
  • Try to get out and do some yardwork for 20 minutes.
  • Call a friend and start walking together, even if it is just once a week.

You can nurture your friendship and start your journey to fitness at the same time. Just remember, we did not get this extra weight overnight, and we will not lose it overnight either.

A few more behavioral tips to help you are:

1. Put down your fork between bites.

2. Drink a glass of water before you start eating.

(did you know that many times when you feel hungry, your body is actually telling you that it needs
some water?)

3. Eat half your meal, stop, and save the rest for later. ( I do this with large meals and I am amazed how mentally it helps me, and also saves me calories, since I usually only eat the 2nd half later rather then an entire new meal)

4. Eat slower, let your food “hit bottom”

5. Do NOT eat in front of the TV or computer. (this is really hard for me!)
Make your meal a time of peace and quiet and focus on your food. Many of us eat without thought.
We eat to feel better and distract ourself from our feelings.

6. Keep a food journal, ( another thing I always start but never stick too!)
Studies have proven people who wrote everything down, ate less and had better success at changing
their eating habits. I have been using fitday for years , it is free and I can look back at the last 7 New Years and see the same 10 pound resolution I have made all this time in my online journal there.

Hang in there, stay positive and remember, you only have one life and you can change and make it what it you want to be. Just start small, and keep building up positive actions, one small thing at a time. Try to make just a few changes, and pat yourself on the back as you make them.
Be proud of yourself for each step you make towards change. Change is hard and a lifetime of habits takes time to undo. It seems women especially are so hard on themselves. Please start your day off with some positive affirmations about yourself and what you want out of the day. This can change your whole day. Take that time for yourself, you need it. Best of luck and Happy New Year!
🙂

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I have an ulcer? No maybe just gas.. Holidays and food problems.

I had my first ulcer attack today. I had the worst pain in my upper abdomen area all day. It felt like gas pain on steroids. I was really getting worried and then I started doing a little self diagnosis online. I have had bad heartburn for over 20 years now, (since my kids were born, lol) but it really did start with pregnancy.



I knew taking antacid pills for that long was not a good idea. You ruin the body natural balance of acids.
The the last 3 weeks have been a gluttony of food, cakes, coffee, candy, fatty foods, chocolate, and stress.
( I have birthdays and family and business stuff all crammed into a 3-4 week period that always kills me this time of year) . But I really blame the final straw being a big glass of Odwalla Mango Tango.
I never drink juices, ( due to the heartburn effect) but my daughter started bringing this home from college and I swear that stuff is like candy or a dessert. So amazingly good! But so “citrus”. Anyway, I have been in agony all day and I have all the symptoms of a duodenal ulcer. Egads.

I will go and see the doctor and confirm this. In the meantime I read a fascinating idea for a treatment that they have used with success in foreign prisons. Cold water. Yes that is correct, they found a glass of cold water alleviated the pain within 30 min and also helped heal the ulcers. I am so gonna try that!
Update- Good news , it seems to have gone away. I wonder what that was, it lasted for two days and was horrible sharp pain about 3 inches up from the belly button area. Anyone have that? Is it trapped gas or something. It just seems like 48 hours is a long time to have it. I had no other symptoms other then very sharp stabbing pains.

Jolly food that gives ulcers

Jolly food that gives ulcers

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