A Little More on the Treadmill vs. Running Outside Debate

FitSugar — Thu, 08 May 2008 05:30:00 -0700

We all have personal preferences: dark chocolate over milk, red wine over white, running outside over running on a treadmill. Wait! I like both hitting the pavement in my sneakers and chalking up miles on a treadmill. And it looks like variety is a good thing when it comes to where you choose to run. You shouldn't really place yourself too strongly in either camp.

Running outside definitely has its benefits, like boosting your mood and making you feel more invigorated than running indoors. You also burn about five percent more calories when running outside. Which makes sense since you have to contend with the elements (like wind – oh how I hate running into a headwind!), and you don't have the assistance of the treadmill belt pulling your legs back for you. Studies have also shown that when running on treadmills, we tend to go a bit slower than we would on a track.

To see the benefits of running on a treadmill just

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A Little More on the Treadmill vs. Running Outside Debate