walking or treadmill; which one is better?

Between walking or treadmill, which is your choice? Which one do you feel more comfortable with? Do you know the difference between them and the advantages and disadvantages of each? In this article, we are going to tell you everything about walking and walking on a treadmill. Stay with us to see which one is right for you, walking or treadmill.

How is outdoor walking different from walking on a treadmill? which one is better?

Sports do not only include bodybuilding, swimming and boxing. Walking or the treadmill can be an affordable and accessible physical activity for fitness, and both will help you lose weight, improve flexibility, and boost your mood.

Walking also gives you independence and choice; How far do you walk? What music or podcasts do you listen to? In this section, we will tell the differences between these two popular walks.

1. Access and cost

One of the biggest advantages of walking is that it is free. You don’t need any other equipment except for a suitable sports shoe and you can start your exercise easily. But in terms of treadmills, we must point out that this sports equipment is expensive. If you want to buy a treadmill yourself or use gym treadmills, you will have to spend a significant amount of money.

2. Enjoying nature and open air

If you walk in the street, park or a certain nature, you will enjoy the fresh air and beautiful nature. A pleasant experience for a sense of relaxation and stress relief, which makes walking more attractive. But unfortunately, the conditions are not always favorable for walking.

If you have a treadmill in your home and you don’t need a treadmill in the gym, you won’t have to worry about the weather getting dark and the walking time being inappropriate! Because you train in your home and with complete safety with your family!

3. Walking environment

Perhaps it can be said that the most important advantage of outdoor walking over a treadmill is the diversity of the environment. When you walk down the street, the view in front of your eyes is beautiful people, shops or trees; While on the treadmill, the view in front of your eyes is an empty wall! This variety can reduce mental fatigue and keep you motivated to exercise. On the other hand, for those who are in favor of relaxation, the best option for them is a treadmill.

If you walk across the city, you will unfortunately have to hear the noise of the city such as cars honking, people talking loudly or other noise disturbances. While when you are running on the treadmill, no sound will disturb your peace and you can enjoy music or silence as you wish.

4. Exposure to the sun

Outdoors, you can take advantage of the sunlight, which is necessary to supply the body with vitamin D. But be careful to use sunscreen suitable for your skin. We all know that the sun is always a two-sided issue, definitely sunlight is necessary to make vitamin D, but at the same time, sunburn causes skin discomfort and damage; So on hot summer days or afternoons when the sun is strong, between the treadmill and walking, it’s the treadmill that gets more points!

5. Involvement of muscles

If you choose to walk, you have to go through stairs, sidewalks, downhill or downhill terrain, which in turn exercises and strengthens different muscles in your body. For example, if you have to climb stairs while walking, your quadriceps muscles will be specially strengthened. This is different with the treadmill. If you just walk on a flat treadmill, you will use less muscles than walking.

6. Control over training

You can accurately control the speed, incline, and duration of your workouts with a treadmill; Even with advanced treadmills, you monitor the amount of calories consumed and heart rate. This allows you to tailor your workouts to your specific goals and measure everything. But outdoor walking conditions are variable and you cannot control the situation precisely.

7. burning calories

Without obstacles such as wind resistance or walking on different paths, your body doesn’t have to use as much energy and therefore burns fewer calories than walking. Of course, one solution is to increase the incline of the treadmill; But remember to do this with caution, as it may put pressure on your knee joint.

8. climate

The treadmill is located inside the house or gym, that is, where you don’t have to worry about heat and cold, and snow and rain won’t disturb your walk. Severe weather conditions (for example, very hot or very cold) often make it impossible to walk outside. Between walking or the treadmill, this is a huge advantage for the treadmill that allows you to exercise in all seasons and at any time without worrying about the weather.

The important thing is that you must have a suitable program for walking or treadmill, to achieve the desired result. You can install the Vitamin application right now and use the treadmill program that is included in the app for free.

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9. Challenges and risks

Walking outside brings challenges, for example not feeling safe outside or crossing non-standard paths such as broken mosaics, half-made dirt paths or concrete floors. These things can put pressure on your joints and injure you. On the other hand, there is danger in exercising with a treadmill

Another issue with the treadmill is its risks. There is always a risk of falling or getting injured on a treadmill. If you don’t know how to walk on a standard treadmill and you walk or run a long distance on the treadmill, you may put too much pressure on your muscles and joints.

10. social connection

Walking outdoors gives you the opportunity to socialize with others. You can walk in nature with your friends or family members and have a good time together. If you work out at home with a treadmill, you will not have such an opportunity. Now you can safely choose between walking or treadmill with your eyes open.

walking or treadmill; Which one is better for weight loss and fat burning?

A survey of different people who have walked outdoors and on a treadmill has shown that most of the time, those who walked outside the house were more successful in burning calories and losing weight than those who walked on the treadmill; Because these people had to cross uneven, uphill and downhill surfaces or stairs on the way, or face factors such as wind, and this means burning more calories.

Also, these people probably had more motivation to exercise due to being in the open space and nature, and they adhered to their exercise more than those who did not exercise.

However, this is a general result, as you can adjust your treadmill workout to increase the incline and speed to burn more calories. Also, don’t forget that weight loss is a multifactorial issue, meaning that several different factors influence weight loss, and it’s not just about the treadmill or walking. You can lose weight with both methods.

The best way to lose weight is to exercise regularly and watch your diet; So whatever exercise you do regularly will have the most long-term results for you.

final word

Walking and running on a treadmill each have their own advantages and disadvantages, and both can be good for weight loss, weight loss, and fitness. Which one you choose depends on your circumstances, purpose and personal interest. In this article, we have helped you to find your own choice between walking or treadmill.

References: verywellfit