Starling Fitness: Daily writings on Fitness, Diet, and Health

Wendy Bumgardner at About.com’s Walking Blog brings up an interesting idea. Which is better, treadmill or walking outdoors?

• Treadmill vs. Outdoors Walking

She suggests:

The motorized tread and lack of uneven surfaces, curbs, etc. slightly reduce your calories per mile on a treadmill. You can make that small difference up by adding as little as a 1% incline on the treadmill.

For me, it’s not strictly about calorie burning or training effects. Walking outdoors is interesting. I usually take a camera along and snap a ton of photos along the way. Then again, walking on my treadmill with my DVD player nearby, I can take myself to any place in world (or out of it). In fact, if I want to recreate a peaceful walk outdoors, I can always do so with one of my Starling Fitness Walking DVDs:

• Starling Fitness – Fitness, diet, and health weblog » Walking Videos For Sale

I am continually surprised at how relaxing AND invigorating a walk on the beach can be when there is three feet of snow outside my window.

Most importantly, the best exercise is the one you will do. If the thought of going outside makes you cringe, then maybe the treadmill is best for you. If you have been avoiding the room with the treadmill, then maybe a walk outside will be better. A minor difference in calorie expenditure or alternate muscle training is NOTHING compared to being willing to do it every day.