What’s Better, Outdoor Running Or A Treadmill?

Every time I get into a conversation with someone about how great treadmill training is there is always someone around who decides I’d better off if I did my running out in the fresh air. This argument sounds perfectly reasonable when you consider it on the surface but for some of us running outdoors is just not possible much of the time.

If you live in a part of the world where the weather restricts the amount of outdoor activities you can partake in then you’ll know that running outdoors isn’t a great idea for a percentage of the time. With the threat of extremely cold and wet weather conditions the idea of venturing outside is both unappealing and possibly dangerous as well.

In addition you might live in one of the many cities where outdoor running can be unsafe due to dangerous neighborhoods and air quality issues.

Even disregarding the reasons against going for a run in the fresh air there are many advantages to having a treadmill at your disposal.

Do you ever have times when it is not possible to leave the house for whatever reason but want to take some exercise? It could be that you must wait in for a delivery or you might have to watch the children.

Another thing I like about the treadmill is that sometimes I know I really need to get a workout in to keep my running on track but I’ll feel like taking the day off. On days like this I throw on my workout gear and get on the treadmill in front of the television.

Distracted by the visual entertainment I find it a whole lot easier to get into the way of my workout and even start to enjoy it after 10 minutes or so.

After all is said and done I still believe that in an ideal world I would choose to run outdoors most of the time. I enjoy using a treadmill and would be lost without it but you can’t beat running along the beach in the fresh air when the sun is in the sky.