Walking or running on a treadmill three times a week can help you burn calories and achieve your weight-loss goals, especially if you also follow a reduced-calorie diet. To lose 1 pound in a week, you need to create a daily calorie deficit of 500 calories, burning a total of 3,500 calories more than you consume over seven days. Restricting the number of calories you consume and exercising vigorously on a treadmill at least three times a week for an hour or more will help you lose weight.
Calories Burned
Running burns more calories than many other forms of aerobic exercise. A 155-pound person can burn approximately 600 calories in one hour of running at a moderate pace, and 185-pound person can burn well over 1,000 calories running vigorously, notes Harvard Health Letter. Those just starting out can walk at a slow-to-moderate pace and still burn hundreds of calories per hour. Because of the amount of calories walking can burn, this low-impact activity is capable of helping you achieve your fitness goals.
Considerations
If you only have time for three treadmill workouts per week, make them count by maximizing the number of calories you burn. You can burn more calories by running faster or running at an incline. If you cannot sustain high speeds or run for long periods on a steep incline, add short intervals of higher speeds or hills to your workouts. Many preset workout modes on treadmills include such intervals, making it easy for you to switch between high- and low-intensity paces.
Timeline
Healthy weight loss should occur slowly overtime. People who lose 1 or 2 pounds per week consistently are more likely to keep the weight off than those who lose a lot of weight quickly, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If you can only exercise three times a week, you might lose weight even more slowly, at a rate of about a half a pound per week. Don't fret, however, as slow, gradual weight loss can have a great impact on your health and waistline.
Health Benefits
Aerobic exercise, such as running on a treadmill, can have a positive impact on your health. Regular physical activity reduces your risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic disorders, heart disease, strokes and some forms of cancer, according to the CDC. In order to see these benefits, you should exercise at moderate intensity for at least 150 minutes per week, which is three 50-minute sessions, or at high intensity for at least 75 minutes per week, which is three 25-minute sessions. Aerobic workouts can also increase your energy, improve your mood and promote better sleep.
