Other benefits you might have yet to realize are more post-workout types, such as increased endorphin high, mental health, and the increased need to eat and drink more throughout the day.
Just make sure the food you use to refuel is beneficial as well. Let’s dig a little deeper into the benefits and potential risks of jumping on a treadmill twice a day.
Lose Weight Faster and Burn More Calories
Let’s get the most obvious one out of the way. Yes, working out in any capacity twice a day will burn more calories and help you lose weight…as long as your recovery and diet is balanced with your daily double sessions. The more often you increase your heart rate, the more calories you will burn.
The more calories you burn, the more fat you lose (provided you’re in a caloric deficit). But it really comes down to improving your metabolism, which can get all sorts of sciency. Check out this link if you want a deeper dive into the numbers.
Get Strength and Cardio in One Day
Many athletes need to work on both strength and cardio throughout the week. Using a treadmill twice daily can improve those results by using just one machine for both options. For the safety and recovery of your body, do your hardest working session first and finish up with a lighter session at least 6 hours after.
Depending on your daily routine and schedule, you can get in a repeat session in the late afternoon or take a brisk walk after lunch for round two. Just don’t put your sessions too close together. I’ll discuss more below.
Increase your Endurance
Treadmills are typically used as a cardio machine, and running or walking twice a day improves your endurance because, well…you are doubling your efforts. The more time you put in on the belt, the more your body will create what the fitness world calls muscle memory.
Your legs will recall what they are used to doing, and your lungs will brace for that well-known change in breathing you are about to put them through again. Thus, repeating the treadmill workout twice a day helps build your body’s preparation for more and improves your endurance over time.
Improved Heart Health
Not only is walking and running on a treadmill good for your heart, but it is also an excellent measure for preventing heart conditions from arising or getting worse if not caught early. Doctors use treadmills for stress testing by monitoring the level of stress the work puts on your body.
Taking the initiative and walking on a treadmill twice a day can also help prevent heart issues and other health concerns such as diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Just make sure you listen to your body and don’t overdo it.
Get the Right Kind of High
Running and working out are just two ways your body releases endorphins. This chemical hormone gives you a “high” and makes you feel positive things. This is also a direct relation to your mental health. In other aspects, endorphins are released to help you fight against pain, depression, fatigue, and negative impulses. When you get this feeling after a hard workout, you feel accomplished, happy, and strong.
When your body releases these endorphins, your mental health is positively affected too. You FEEL better; you have a more positive outlook. It lowers anxiety, depression, PTSD, migraines, and overall lack of desire.
Quick Tips for Knocking out a Daily Double on the Treadmill
- Do your hardest workout first. This works all your muscles and keeps you burning calories longer. It also allows your body to recover before putting it through round two.
- Stay hydrated before, during, and after your sessions. Water helps flush out the toxins in your body and keeps your muscles from getting as sore as you recover.
- Start our slow. If you are new to fitness or not used to working out twice daily, DON’T do it every day. Work up to the endurance, expect sore muscles, and don’t push yourself so hard you want to quit. Find your happy middle.
- The more you work out, the hungrier you will be. So meal prep and pack healthy snack options that will put good nutrients back in your body. You will sweat twice as much and burn twice the calories. Replenish in a healthy way.
- Stretch before and after. Even if all you are doing is walking for 20 minutes, do a quick stretch. This will help release tension in your muscles and eliminate tightness or the possibility of pulling a muscle during round two.
The Bad Side of a Twice-a-Day Treadmill Plan
Not everything about workout out is good. For instance, too much of a good thing is bad for your health and well-being. Take heed before taking off into a daily double treadmill plan, and make sure it is what works best for you and your body.
Overtraining and Injury
If you push yourself without proper recovery, refuelling, and rehydrating, you WILL cause an injury. You can’t start as a novice and think you can hop on the treadmill twice daily for 45 minutes. Even if you think you are trying to better yourself, overtraining leads to long-term setbacks if you let it go too far.
Physical and Mental Burnout
There is a limit, and your body and mind will tell you what it is. You will burn out everything if you train too hard and too much. You will be too tired, sore, and depleted to keep at it for very long. This impacts your mental health and stability and leads to negative thoughts and feelings of failure.
Don’t let yourself be overcome with the thought that you need to push so hard you make yourself sick. It’s not worth it, and it’s not productive. Rest, recover, and refuel. Your body needs sleep and good nutrition to keep moving.