I’ve seen my husband walking on the treadmill while holding on to the side bars for balance. I was always told not to do that and I told him that he shouldn’t do it either. I didn’t really have a good reason except that it would decrease the efforts of his workout. But now I have a better answer.

eDiets.com published this article this morning in their newletter: Getting the Most Out of the Treadmill

So, stop holding on to the treadmill side bars and and just let go!

Had I been running this morning, I would have gotten hurt.  About thirty minutes into my 3.3 mph walk, the power flickered off and on.  With no warning, my treadmill stopped.  Apply the laws of motion and I’m sure you can visualize what happened to me.  I call that a rapid reminder that I should have a surge protector for my treadmill.

Having a treadmill surge protector may have prevented my treadmill from stopping. (I called ProForm and they said that a surge protector will prevent some surges from stopping your machine, but not all.) 

Another very important point: A treadmill can be seriously damaged by electrical power surges.  Not only would that put me without my most loved piece of exercise equipment while it was being fixed, it would cost a lot too have it repaired.  (A lot more than a surge protector would have cost.)

I consider what happened this morning as a warning.  Learn from my warning and get a surge protector for your treadmill if you don’t already have one.  (One is included in this
Treadmill Accessory Kit.)  Always plug your treadmill power cord into a surge protector and plug the surge protector into a grounded outlet.

Better safe than sorry!

“Never allow children on or around treadmill.”  This is written on the warning sticker on the bottom of my treadmill.  You can see it when the treadmill is in the folded position.

OK… Great… Easier said than done.  Right?

Actually, that doesn’t have to be complicated.  While I thought I would have a problem with that, I never really have.  The treadmill came into the house when my oldest was just a baby so it has always been there.  My children are used to it being there.  They’ve been told since they started moving around that the treadmill was for mommy and that they don’t touch it. 

Am I that naive?  NO!  But I have followed some guidelines which have helped a lot.

• Set boundaries around the treadmill and remind often that crossing those boundaries is forbidden. 
• Always fold your treadmill when not in use.
• Remove the safety key when you’re done.
• Let your kids watch you exercise.
• Give them something else to do.

Those last two may seem like conflicting statements, but they really aren’t.  They go together.  When the kids have the opportunity to watch you exercise, they get used to it and the thrill of that “toy” goes away.  They learn by watching that it is for exercise only.  The “something else to do” keeps them busy, but in sight.

When my children were babies, I always put their basinet or exersaucer near the treadmill when I exercised.  They would watch me for a while and then fall asleep.  I think the sound from the treadmill belt lulled them to sleep.  I would just turn up my walkman when they cried and keep on going.  (You are not a bad mommy if you do this!)

As they grew, I let the television baby-sit.  Shame on me?  No, I don’t think so.  A movie or Sesame Street for the length of time that I exercised certainly wasn’t going to hurt any body.  The benefits of the exercise and the me-time outweighed any negative television affects.  Now they are old enough to entertain themselves (most of the time any way).

Don’t be afraid to have a home treadmill because you have children.  Just be safe and responsible.  Be a role model and demonstrate a healthy lifestyle.