You have so many options for fun and creative, 500-calorie workouts using just a treadmill. In fact, you don't have to do the same treadmill workout more than once each week to get great results. If your calorie intake remains constant, you can lose about one pound per week burning an extra 500 calories per day, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Even if you’re already at a healthy body weight, participating in cardiovascular exercise on a treadmill can help decrease your risk for heart disease, lower body fat and even boost your mood. Always check with your doctor before starting a new workout program.
Moderate Walking
Walking on a treadmill is more exciting when you're walking next to a friend at the gym, or watching your favorite television show. Harvard Medical School reports that a 125-pound woman can burn 240 calories per hour, a 155-pound person will burn about 298 calories and a 185-pound person can burn about 356 calories per hour walking at a pace of 3.5 miles per hour. According to the Mayo Clinic, a 240-pound person will burn about 469 calories walking at a pace of 3.5 miles per hour for one hour. Therefore, to burn 500 calories walking at this pace, a 125-pound woman has to walk 125 minutes, a 155-pound person needs to walk about 101 minutes, a 185-pound person has to walk about 85 minutes and a 240-pound person needs to walk at a pace of 3.5 miles per hour for 64 minutes to burn 500 calories. Try increasing the incline on your treadmill to burn even more calories, and increase muscle definition in your hamstrings and butt.
Fast Walking
Bumping up your treadmill speed from 3.5 miles per hour to 4.5 miles per hour will help you burn 500 calories more quickly. If you're not quite ready for such a fast pace, alternate moderate walking with fast walking, or gradually work up to this pace over time. According to Harvard Medical School, a 125-pound woman will burn about 300 calories per hour, a 155-pound person can burn about 372 calories per hour and a 185-pound individual will burn about 444 calories each hour walking at a pace of 4.5 miles per hour. To burn 500 calories, a 125-pound woman has to walk for 100 minutes, a 155-pound person has to walk for 81 minutes and a 185-pound individual needs to walk at a pace of 4.5 miles per hour for about 68 minutes.
Jogging
Although many women would rather be anywhere but jogging on a treadmill, it can be pretty painless if you jog at a comfortable pace while watching a suspenseful television show. You can also try alternating jogging with brisk walking to change things up a bit. When jogging at a pace of 5.2 miles per hour, a 125-pound woman will burn about 540 calories per hour, a 155-pound person can burn 670 calories and a 185-pound individual will burn about 800 calories per hour, according to Harvard Medical School. Therefore, to burn 500 calories jogging at this pace a 125-pound woman needs to jog for about 56 minutes, a 155-pound person has to jog for about 45 minutes and a 185-pound individual has to jog at a pace of 5.2 miles per hour for about 38 minutes.
Running
Boosting your treadmill speed up to 6.7 miles per hour will help accelerate your calorie expenditure, big time. Harvard Medical School reports that a 125-pound woman burns about 660 calories, a 155-pound person burns 818 calories and a 185-pound individual burns about 976 calories running a pace of 6.7 miles per hour for one hour. Therefore, a 125-pound woman has to run about 46 minutes, a 155-pound person has to run about 37 minutes and a 185-pound person needs to run for about 31 minutes at a pace of 6.7 miles per hour to burn 500 calories. To maximize your calorie expenditure, prevent boredom and increase endurance, try interval training by alternating short sprints with running or jogging.
References
Writer Bio
Erin Coleman is a registered and licensed dietitian. She also holds a Bachelor of Science in dietetics and has extensive experience working as a health writer and health educator. Her articles are published on various health, nutrition and fitness websites.