Do you know why treadmills are the #1 selling fitness equipment? Because they accommodate the #1 form of exercising – walking. Walking is a great way to rid your body of fat tissue and to build muscle mass. It is a low-impact exercise, with minimal risk of injury. And, when done regularly, it improves cardiovascular health, as well as endurance.

In a society that is increasing becoming overweight, it is necessary to make some life style changes. To burn those extra pounds and lose the fat, you must burn more calories than you consume! Most people are not going to become marathon runners or power lifters. However, an exercise that just about anyone can engage in...one that is relatively safe and requires no special skills...is walking!

David A. Rives, author of Walk Yourself Thin, is a formerly overweight individual. He significantly reduced his weight and became leaner and fit through a regular regimen of walking. He discovered from his own personal experience that increasing one's level of activity to over-compensate for the number of calories consumed each day can lead to loss of excess fat. And for many, include Rives, the activity that best works is walking.

How long and how far should you walk? Rives says that you should walk just as fast and as long as you comfortably can each day, if you're striving to replace fat with lean, muscle tissue. As you become fitter, you'll be able to walk faster, longer, and farther.

Of course, where you walk is entirely up to you, and nothing beats a walk on a beautiful day! However, there are many benefits to walking on a treadmill.

When you walk outdoors, you're at the mercy of Mother Nature. Let's face it! Sometimes, she doesn't always cooperate. The weather can be brutally cold or stifling hot. And when winter is upon us it is usually dark before and after you go to work.

If you get your daily walks done on a treadmill, however, you don't have to miss a workout! You can walk in a comfortable, controlled environment, any time of day or night! Moreover, if you have a treadmill at home you have the further convenience of working out at your leisure. How convenient is that?

For walkers and runners alike, injuries are common from the constant pounding of joints on asphalt and concrete. Particularly higher end treadmills offer surfaces that absorb impact and reduce pressure. Injuries are less common and stress is reduced on those critical joints. Achilles tendons, knee joints, back muscles, ankles, thighs take less of a beating, which guarantee that you'll continue to walk or run into your old age.

As treadmills become more sophisticated so does the versatility of the workout. Speed and incline have always been a feature on motorized treadmills, but now your workout is enhanced by a variety of preprogrammed computerized exercises.

Simulate running up and down hills, focus on cardio exercise, concentrate on burning calories, or work on speed training. Treadmills are equipped with preset programs with various levels of intensity. You can also program your own workout, combining speed with incline. The variety of programs can further motivate you to push harder and lose more weight. You can also set and measure benchmarks. As you reach one, you can excel to the next.

Treadmills typically have display windows that show your speed, incline level, intensity level, as well as the length of time you've spent on the treadmill and the distance you've traveled. These displays allow you to monitor your workouts more closely.

An example of a good walking treadmill is the Smooth 5.25. It comes with a lifetime motor, 5-year parts and 1-year labor warranty.

Whether you have only a few pounds of fat to lose, or you have lots of extra fat to shed, walking is a safe, healthy way to get in shape. Treadmill walking is simple, convenient, consistent, and sensible!

Fred Waters worked in the treadmill industry for a number of years. He is author of the Treadmill Reviews site, where you can get the latest reviews on over 90 treadmills.