Hello!

I just got a Treadmill, and I'm trying to come up with a routine to slowly get myself used to exercising, since I'm a pretty sedentary person at the moment, and I dont want to just go starting off at an hour every day..and I know that if I did that I'd burn myself out and I'd have no where to progress to in order to keep my body guessing. So I came up with this:

For 9 weeks I start at 20 minutes 3 times a week and up it by 5 minutes every week, until at the 9th week I hit 60 minutes 3 times a week.

Then for another 9 weeks I start at 20 minutes 5 or 6 times a week and also add in a full body strength routine 2 times a week, and up the cardio again by 5 minutes every week until I hit 60 minutes 5 or 6 times a week on the 9th week.

That gives me 4 and a half months to adjust to exercising, and it also keeps my body guessing every week...

While on the treadmill, I won't just set it at one incline and one speed, I will start off at a low incline and speed then up it slowly as I go, then back down near the end of my workout to cool down, so in "intervals" kind of.

As for diet, I will be following weight watchers points system.

Does this sound ok? Any advice/suggestions are apprecaited. Thank you!

Sounds like a plan. You have thought this out. There are two kinds of cardio- steady state in which you walk (or run) at a steady speed after the warmup; and interval in which you walk (or run) briskly for 30 seconds to a few minutes, then you go back to moderate (recovery) for a minute or two. Both are good to follow. In the long run, they both burn about the same amount of fat. The key is consistency- keep at it.

Generally, don't go over 60 minutes for cardio. After an hour, you are not doing much more for your system. The only time I go way over is in the mall! The duration is mostly dependent on the intensity you are using. With higher intensity, you wipe out faster.

It's better to do the cardio after the lifting. That way you are fresh for the lifting.

Good luck...

Does your treadmill have any automated programs? You might want to experiment with them to see if there's one that would fit your needs. Honestly, I lost a bunch of weight doing 45 minutes on the treadmill like you mention, but in the end, it was too much to stick with and I quit and of course gained everything back. This time I am having success with doing 30 mins of treadmill and have stuck with it for 4 months and been successful. Sometimes thinking of it less as a race and something you will do for life, helps you find the right plan for you.

Thanks for your replies! No my treadmill does not have any preset programs, unfortunatly. I do plan on sticking with it for life though lol I know as soon as I stop I'd gain it all back :P The treadmill and walking outside when its nice have always been the only form of exercise I enjoy, its just a matter of making myself get off my *** and do it. I plan on hopefully working up to jogging once I've lost weight and doing it on the treadmill as well as outside in nice weather.

I would suggest more than 3X a week of 20 mins.....why not do an extra 10 mins. on days 4 and 5 and add in one set of strength training? (something small).

if your overall general health is good, you're not going to burn out.
you'll see results a bit faster without hurting yourself....and the boredom factor won't kick in if you vary the routine.

I could do that...but Im at 250lbs and Im very sedentary, I don't even work at the moment, so my day mostly consists of sitting infront of the computer playing WoW, looking for jobs, and working on two online school courses...so I don't want to push myself, I know 20 minutes 3x/week isn't much, but its alot more than what I'm doing now, I want to start very small so that I don't want to quit after 2 weeks, however if I find 20 minutes 3x/week WAY to easy and I feel I could do more, I would of course add more I already plan on upping it by 5 minutes per week (again I know that isn't much but I want to start small) and I was planning on doing crunches/lunges/squats before the treadmill during the first 9 weeks before adding in a full blown full body workout 2 or 3x/week.

for you Trixie on starting to exercise... Seems like you have a good plan to gradually introduce your body to exercise... How is your eating plan? Do you count calories? Have you cut out junk, have you clean your cupboards? Your food intake is as important if not more important than the exercise, because if you don't eat healthy you won't see the scale move as quickly...

Good luck and please keep us posted on your progress ...

Hi Trixie! I think your plan is well thought out and you'll do great.

I do the hill interval program, and within a few weeks I was able to knock up the speed substantially, even at a high incline. I love intervals- I never thought I could do them because I'm FAR from a runner... but hills are great for getting your heart pumping

Keep us posted!

I'm going to do weight watchers points on my own, I buy some of my own food, since I live with my bf and his parents, so I can't go cleaning out their cupboards!

How is the treadmill? do you like it? music? TV?

I haven't used it yet, I plan to on Monday, I haven't been feeling well this week unfortunatly. I'm going to listen to music or read a magazine/book while I use it, since there is no TV in the room that it is in lol I'm excited about using it, its the only thing I've ever enjoyed and been able to use for long periods of time. I will keep everyone updated.

I recently got a brand new treadmill through the classifieds, and have been doing 30 mins on it 4-5 times a week. What keeps me going is that my entire attention is focused on what I'm watching on television, instead of looking at the clock. Works like a charm for me! Also, I've completely cut out sodas, and limited my junk food intake. Trying to do organic at the moment, which ain't easy at times. Still, by doing the little things, like parking in the back lot of a grocery store, etc, you'll find that you'll get more energy over time and will actually start looking forward to exercising. I'm still not a runner though...highly doubt I'll ever be.

Yeah I liked watching the TV at the gym the few times I went with my mom while I was on the treadmill, the one I have is so big I couldn't see half the TV over it in our bedroom lol but it's been moved to the spare room where there isn't a TV, so I'm just gonna listen to music or read a mag

I am so not coordinated enough to read something whilst on a treadmill!!