Treadmills have many advantages over real running and
walking. Sure, you don’t get to go outdoors in the nature, but you can also
avoid bad weather and all the other hazards that come with going out of your
house, such as cars and passers-by.
It’s much more relaxing to not have to keep
your mind and one eye on the potential problems, and just concentrate on your
running.
Apart from that, though, there are many more serious
benefits. The ground remains at the same level for the whole run, which avoids
you having to constantly adjust the way you’re running – you can build up a
pace and then keep going. Also, the run is always at the speed you’re most
comfortable with, and you can change it whenever you like. If you do want to
run uphill, though, you can simulate that too, by adjusting the gradient of the
machine.
Another advantage is in all the statistics you can collect
about your running: because the machine is setting the pace of the run, it can
calculate all sorts of things automatically, such as the amount of energy
(calories) you have burned. You can also hook yourself to various monitors –
heart rate monitors, breathing monitors, and so on – to check all the different
aspects of your health when you run.
One of the best things about running indoors is that you
don’t have to be bored while you’re doing it – you can watch TV or read a book
while you’re using it. Even though it can be quite relaxing, though, treadmills
are still a more effective form of exercise than some complex cardiovascular
exercises. Faced with a choice between getting into all sorts of strange
positions and contorting my body into odd shapes or just running on a
treadmill, I know which one I’d choose.