BLOG 63 THE TREADMILL

BLOG 63 THE TREADMILL

Most folks either love, hate, or have learned to at least tolerate the treadmill. This popular piece of equipment is found in nearly every gym, in people’s homes, and might even be featured as a clothing rack in some garages (I’m kidding but it’s true). So where did this calorie burning machine come from?? Let’s take a look at the history of the treadmill (my kind of history for sure). 

The original use of the treadmill was not for exercise purposes. The Romans (of course) were the first to use this piece of equipment as a crane to help lift heavy objects. As such, “The men would walk within the wheel itself and because the treadmill had a larger diameter, they were able to lift double the weight with half the crew” (https://www.lifefitness.com/blog/posts/the-history-of-the-treadmill.html). Half the crew could lift twice the amount of weight… not bad. During the 1800’s farmers needed a reliable/predictable source of power, besides wind and water. Thus, the horse powered treadmill was used. Dogs and sheep also propelled these machines. During this time period, “The treadmills produced both rotary and reciprocating powers for use with light machinery like butter churns, grind stones, fanning mills and cream separators” (https://www.lifefitness.com/blog/posts/the-history-of-the-treadmill.html). There had to be some source of power before fossil fuels came into play. 

The uses of the treadmill continue. During the Victorian Era, “William Cubitt invented the prison treadmill. Installed for hard labor, these treadmills were designed as a means to usefully employ convicts and use their power to be productive. The prisoner would simply work the wheel to produce power to grind corn and pump water, although some served no purpose at all other than punishment. Eventually The Prisons Act of 1889 abolished hard labor and instead recognized that labor within prisons should have a constructive purpose” (https://www.lifefitness.com/blog/posts/the-history-of-the-treadmill.html). The idea of going nowhere very fast can be torturous. Honesty, I’d much rather be outdoors with a client walking and/or running and enjoying the companionships versus watching the minutes tick by on the machine. Furthermore, “Prisoners were forced to ‘climb’ the steps or spokes of this machine for six straight hours or more to pump water, grind grain or just for the punishment.

To the prisoners, it wasn’t the 6,600 or more steps – the equivalent of climbing 17,000 vertical feet – that was the worst bit of this form of punishment. It was the “monotonous steadiness” of the task that was enough to drive some of them to revolt” (http://www.attendly.com/the-ancient-and-surprising-history-of-the-treadmill/).

During the Roaring 20’s when people were concerned with image and looks, the treadmill was actually used for fitness purposes. Then again, owning a treadmill could just be for show. Then in the 1950’s, “Internationally recognized cardiologist Dr. Robert A. Bruce and his colleague Wayne Quinton invented the medical treadmill to help diagnose heart and lung diseases. In the 50s, there wasn’t a safe way to test and monitor cardiac function in exercising patients, so Dr. Bruce came up with the bright idea of hooking up patients to an ECG and letting them run on a treadmill, paving the way for the modern day stress test” (http://www.attendly.com/the-ancient-and-surprising-history-of-the-treadmill/). Finally, “Bill Staub and Dr. Kenneth Cooper brought the first home exercise treadmill to market through Aerobics, Inc. The popularity of aerobic exercise equipment at home and in gyms grew throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s” (https://www.lifefitness.com/blog/posts/the-history-of-the-treadmill.html). 

The basic structure of the treadmill has stayed the same over the last forty years, but technology is always looking to press the envelope with new features and add-ons. Your speed and weight remain the core factors of how many calories you burn on this piece of equipment. My favorite activity, mainly because of its effectiveness, is walking on an incline on the treadmill for lower body sculpting. I laugh that this machine was actually once used as a punishment device because so many of us dread the treadmill. However, it is a safe alternative to being outdoors alone or during unpleasant weather conditions. As part of our fitness journeys we all have our preferences. One step at time, be it on the treadmill or not, we are making strides towards success and progress.