First Treadmills

The first Treadmill intended for use by humans was designed as a stress test, helping doctors of the time detect potential heart problems. It took very little time for investors and business types to realise that the Treadmill could be used as a commercially viable product, to provide exercise in the home and at the gym, and so the modern Treadmill was created.

Treadmills turned into a symbol of futuristic living, parodied in science fiction pop culture as a way to alleviate the inconveniences walking to get from place to place produces. As we move forward allowing machines to do more and more for us, the Treadmill - or conveyer belt in this sense - exemplifies this. It is interesting then that we now utilise Treadmills more than ever to keep healthy, and that keeping weight off is now a fashionable thing to do.

Treadmills of Today

Treadmills have come a long way since their conception; it's now not too difficult to find an affordable Treadmill jam-packed with special features and built-in training programmes. Tunturi, now an established and reputed global manufacturer of Treadmills and Fitness Equipment, began as a bicycle-making business in Finland.

Treadmill Features

Some of the features modern Treadmills boast include MP3 functionality, allowing you to plug in your MP3 Player and listen whilst you workout, through built-in speakers. Integrated fans are also designed to keep Treadmill users cool during their training. In addition to these luxurious comforts included are various technologies designed to actually aid and support the user's workout, including orthopaedic belts or shock-absorbing running decks. Varying speeds ensure you challenge yourself and open the Treadmill up to any standard of fitness. Storage has also been made easier as technology progresses, and they are now highly accessible and affordable.

The Future of Treadmills

Emerging technologies are making the potential of Treadmills all the more exciting. Anti Gravity Treadmills let the user workout inside a pressurised bubble that surrounds their body from the waist down, producing the sensation of running or walking through water. This sort of Treadmill would be advantageous for those undergoing rejuvenative physiotheraphy or who have joint issues. Vertical Treadmills are also being developed, which will allow you to climb up walls whilst remaining stationary and held in place. Knobs grafted on to the Treadmill belt will allow you to grapple your way up, and, to top it all off, you give yourself a full body workout!

Treadmills have changed and will continue to change the way we live, and, as the world gets busier - and fatter - and the prospect of taking to the stars becomes more likely, they've never been more relevant.