Treadmill Workouts for Single Parents: 5 Simple Sessions

For a lot of solo parents, the treadmill is the only cardio that actually happens. It is there when it is dark at 5pm, when it is raining on the Archway Road, and when you cannot leave the house because the kids are asleep upstairs. The problem is that most people step on, press “quick start”, plod for 20 minutes and get bored. These treadmill workouts for single parents give you five different sessions, from gentle incline walks to short intervals, so you always know what to do when you get a window.

In my coaching in Archway, the parents who stick with cardio have a short list of sessions they can pick without thinking. That is what this is.

First: treadmill safety with kids in the house

Before the workouts, one serious point. Home treadmills and small children are a bad mix. Little fingers and hair can get caught in the belt, even when it is moving slowly. If you train at home:

• Always clip the safety key to your clothing, and remove the key and store it high up when you finish.
• Unplug the treadmill when it is not in use.
• Do not let toddlers stand near the back of the belt while it is moving. If they wake up, stop the machine first, then go to them.
• If you can, keep the treadmill in a room the kids cannot get into on their own.

It sounds obvious, but when you are tired and multitasking it is easy to forget.

Treadmill workouts for single parents: the five sessions

Every session starts with 3 to 5 minutes of easy walking to warm up and ends with 3 minutes of easy walking to cool down. The NHS has a simple guide on how to warm up before exercising if you want more detail. Speeds are examples only; use the “talk test” to judge effort.

1. The incline walk (20 to 30 minutes)

Walk at a steady pace you could hold a conversation at, with the incline set somewhere between 4 and 8 percent. Start low. Do not hold on to the handrails, because it takes away most of the work and rounds your shoulders. If you need to hold on, lower the incline.

Best for: complete beginners, tired days, joints that do not like running.

2. The hill ladder (20 minutes)

Walk at a brisk pace. Every 2 minutes, raise the incline by 1 percent until you reach 6 to 8 percent, then come back down the same way. Your speed stays the same; only the hill changes.

Best for: building fitness without running, and beating boredom because something changes every 2 minutes.

3. Walk-jog intervals (20 to 25 minutes)

Alternate 1 minute of light jogging with 2 minutes of walking, 6 to 8 times. Over a few weeks, move to 2 minutes jogging and 1 minute walking. This is the gentlest way back into running if you have not run since school.

Best for: parents who want to start running but cannot face a full run yet.

4. The 10-minute power intervals

For the nights when you genuinely only have 10 minutes. After a 3-minute warm-up, do 30 seconds at a hard effort (fast walk up a steep incline, or a quick run) and 60 seconds easy walking, 5 times. Finish with 2 minutes easy.

Be careful with this one. Do not jump on and off a moving belt, and do not sprint flat out on a treadmill if you are new to it; a fast incline walk is plenty hard and much safer. If you have high blood pressure, a heart condition or any health worries, speak to your GP before doing hard intervals. The NHS page on high blood pressure is a useful starting point.

5. The “podcast” steady session (30 to 45 minutes)

Once a week, if you can, walk or jog at an easy, chatty pace for longer. Put on a podcast or a long phone call with a friend. This easy work builds your base fitness and is surprisingly good for your mood. My post on heart rate zones explains why easy pace matters more than people think.

A simple weekly plan

If you can find three short windows a week, try this:

• Day 1: incline walk or hill ladder
• Day 2: a strength session (bodyweight at home, or a class)
• Day 3: walk-jog intervals or the 10-minute power intervals
• Weekend: the podcast steady session, or a family walk instead

That gets you well on the way to the NHS recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week from the adult physical activity guidelines, without one long session you will never have time for.

Making the gym window work

If you train at a gym, your time is probably fixed: school hours, a nursery slot, or the weekend your kids are with their other parent. A few tips:

• Decide which session you are doing before you leave the house.
• Pack your bag the night before and leave it by the door.
• Combine a 15-minute treadmill session with 15 minutes of strength. You get far more for your time than 30 minutes of cardio alone.
• If the gym is busy and every treadmill is taken, walk briskly outside instead. The NHS calls brisk walking for health one of the easiest ways to get more active.

And do not forget you already have a free treadmill: the pavement. My guide to walking the school run shows how to turn the morning drop-off into training.

Where a bootcamp class fits

The treadmill is great for cardio, but it does not build the strength you need for lifting, carrying and bending all day. That is where a class helps. My SYP Recharge energy and focus class mixes short bursts of cardio with simple strength work, so you get both in 45 minutes. For more ideas on training when you are doing it all on your own, see my single parent fitness guide.

FAQs

Is walking on a treadmill as good as walking outside?

For fitness, they are very similar. Outside gives you fresh air, daylight and uneven ground, while the treadmill gives you control and shelter. Use whichever you will actually do.

What incline should a beginner use on a treadmill?

Start at 1 to 3 percent and build up gradually. If you need to grip the handrails to keep going, the incline is too high for now.

How long should a treadmill workout be?

Anywhere from 10 to 45 minutes works. Short, regular sessions you can repeat every week beat one long session that leaves you wiped out.

Is it safe to have a treadmill at home with young children?

It can be, with care. Always use the safety key, remove it after use, unplug the machine, and keep children well away from the belt while it is moving.

Book your first class

When you are ready to add some coached strength work to your treadmill sessions, come and train with us. SYP Bootcamp runs 45-minute small-group classes in Archway N19, indoors in a church hall, with a maximum of 10 people and £15 a class. Every exercise has an easier and harder option, so it does not matter where you are starting from. Book your £15 class here or call or WhatsApp me on 07301 512215. If getting to classes is tricky, my online coaching can give you a home and treadmill plan instead.

About the author

Artem Olekhnovych is a personal trainer in Archway and the founder of SYP Fitness and SYP Bootcamp. He has coached clients in Archway, Highgate and across North London for over 10 years, and runs small-group bootcamp classes for busy mums and dads. Read reviews from his 1-1 clients.