Treadmills – Something to Ponder
Anthony Rentas
Ex-Tensions, the Ultimate Stretch Facility
Founder & President
100 Plaza Real S Suite H
Boca Raton, FL 33432
From the moment we started to move, objects passed us as we moved. Whether we crawled, walked, or ran our brains interpreted immobile objects as passing by us. We don’t typically pay attention to things moving by as we walk because (1) we’re used to it, and (2) we’re focused on our destination. Our subconscious, however, is taking in that information. So when we simulate walking, like on a treadmill, and nothing moves past us, our brains detect an anomaly and begin to defend our bodies from the “unknown” potential danger.
When we walk we use 90% of our skeletal muscles to accomplish a balanced gait. But when we’re on a treadmill, and our brains interpret walking with nothing passing, our brains defend against the anomaly by neurologically deactivating 60% of our skeletal muscles. Humans are not designed to function with only 30% of our skeletal muscles activated, so certain muscles start to compensate for deactivated muscles and attempt to reduce the body-weight overload on our joints to prevent them from compressing under the weight and pressure of our bodies. These muscles can take only so much distress before we begin to overheat from the trauma our brains are interpreting. Our bodies continue to defend themselves by cooling us down with extreme sweating. Ironically, we interpret the overheating and extreme sweating as a good workout, rather than muscle distress, and continue our movements on the treadmill.
Upon dismounting the treadmill there is often a moment of light headedness or dizziness. That feeling is your brain “rebooting” itself and your body back into the world of things moving by you. So, remember, while using a treadmill your body is consistently trying to defend itself from distress. Now ask yourself, is this advancing your fitness level?