A home treadmill may give your body just the boost it needs to banish the battle of the bulge forever. While your diet and nutrition plan is important, exercise gets your metabolism revved up and into an optimal fat-burning state. Years of yo-yo dieting can cause your metabolism to go into near-hibernation. Without activity, you have virtually no chance to trim down to your goal body size. With a home treadmill, all your exercise excuses fly out of the window! So, get moving for all the right reasons.

1. No Gym Gear Grief: By having an exercise treadmill at home, you overcome an enormous stumbling block in your weight loss efforts. For many exercise rookies, going to the gym in tight-fitting fitness apparel or performing in front of other people is extremely threatening and disheartening. This is especially true if you don't have a friend who can accompany you during those first scary, self-conscious weeks. It may also be difficult to go out at night for a session at the gym, while this concern disappears when you have a treadmill in your living room. If this sounds like you, home gym equipment may be the solution.

2. The Power Of Distraction: With an exercise machine at the ready, you can hop on at any time, without dressing up or going through the schlep of taking the car out, spending time on the road, and hunting for a parking spot at the gym. You can indulge in your favorite soapie while practicing your fat-burning feats. Why not chat to a friend on the phone or catch up on your reading while you exercise. Many of the new treadmill models from companies such as Proform Treadmills or Precor Treadmills come fully equipped with state-of-the art entertainment systems. Your time on the treadmill will pass so quickly, you will hardly notice.

3. No Weather Woes: By having a treadmill at home, you remove the possibility of using the weather as an excuse not to exercise. You also lessen your risk of injury, as the running surface of a home treadmill is well-cushioned to protect your joints - the demise of yet another excuse!

4. Rev Up Your Weight Loss: Studies have shown that people with access to home fitness equipment were far more successful in their weight loss and diet efforts than those without it. With a treadmill right under your nose, you have a constant reminder that you need to get moving. With a bit of persistence you may soon exchange the couch habit for a walking habit.

5. Just Do It: A home treadmill allows you to exercise whenever you feel like it. It has been proven that folks with treadmills or other home gym equipment at home manage to maintain a higher level of activity. One important additional benefit is that you are free to exercise for short periods throughout the day, keeping your metabolism fired up and working more efficiently for long after you have stopped exercising. This is impossible if you have to go to a gym or health club.

Braking your routine into segments may be a highly effective way to approach your workouts when you start out. A 45 minute session will seem daunting at first, while ten minutes feels quite attainable. Over time you will be inclined to increase the length of your workout time to around an hour, as well as to increase the resistance levels.

6. Programmed For Success: Many top-rated treadmills come with fat-burning targets built into their programs. Your treadmill's computer will actually make all the necessary calculations for you according to your age and weight. The program will then guide you to work out at a specific heart rate that will ensure the most productive intensity level to maximize your calorie crunching ability.

7. Vary The Routine: You usually have access to a whole range of specialized programs that will keep things interesting. You can target specific areas, such as fat-burning or marathon training, according to your needs. You are free to either walk, jog or sprint. You can change to an uphill walk or jog. You may even add weights to improve your results. Treadmills have long been seen as one of the best cardiovascular exercise options on the market. Using the larger leg muscles maximizes calorie burning.

8. Goodbye Guilt: Rather than heading to the refrigerator at night when you feel bored or lonely, stop at your treadmill and see how great you feel after a ten minute session! No gobble-guilt to weigh you down for the rest of the evening...

9. Opt For Health: It is widely known that a sedentary lifestyle leads to obesity, heart problems and diabetes. With a home treadmill you will soon be smiling about this statement, knowing that you are no longer part of this unhealthy group.

10. Know Yourself: Just make sure that you will be able to discipline yourself. If you need the support of a group, or the motivation of a personal trainer, a home treadmill may not be the best option for you. In this case, you may have to add the back-up of a gym membership to keep you on track.

What is most important is that you try to have fun trimming down on a home treadmill!