While treadmills are among the most popular pieces of fitness equipment, they can be dangerous. More people are injured by treadmills than any other piece of exercise equipment, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Typical injuries include slips, sprains and strains, but treadmills can also cause serious burns, concussions, broken bones and even death, although the latter is rare. Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to use a treadmill safely, experts said. First, make sure you’re wearing well-fitting exercise clothing and sturdy shoes. Before getting on the machine, warm up with stretches and range-of-motion exercises, said Clark Stevenson, owner of Treadmill Doctor, a treadmill repair company based in Memphis, Tennessee. Then step onto the machine and securely attach the safety key to your shirt. If you should become at risk of falling off of the treadmill, the safety key will immediately turn off the machine. Next, straddle the belt, turn on the treadmill to a slow speed. Stevenson recommended 1.6 kilometers per hour. Get your bearings with the belt movement, then step on and walk slowly for a while before changing the speed or incline. When your workout is over, turn off the machine and make sure it has stopped before stepping off. Neglecting to use the safety key is one of the top mistakes Stevenson said treadmill users make. “Walking on a treadmill without a safety key is like driving without a seat belt,” he said. Certified strength and conditioning specialist Kyle Firmstone has seen many problematic treadmill activities. Firmstone said you shouldn’t walk too close to the console, jump off and on while the machine is still in motion, or set the treadmill to a speed faster than you can handle. “Talking to other people can be problematic, too,” Firmstone said. “I’ve seen people fly off the end because they were looking in a different direction than they were running, which throws off your proprioception (your body’s ability to sense motion and location).” When you’re using a treadmill at home, make sure there is plenty of clearance behind the machine, Stevenson said. Should you happen to fall off, you’ll need a safe spot to land. Maintaining the belt with a silicone lubricant according to the manufacturer’s recommendations and keeping the machine clean are also important, he said, and never use the treadmill when an unattended child or pet is in the room. “You should never have a child in the same room as an operating treadmill,” Stevenson said. “That’s asking for trouble. All it takes is a split second for a kid to put his hand on the belt or underneath.”(SD-Agencies) Words to Learn 相關詞匯 【腦震蕩】nǎozhèndàng concussion a type of traumatic brain injury caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head 【控制臺】kòngzhìtái console a combination of readouts or displays and an input device used to monitor a system 跑步機是最受歡迎的健身器材之一，但使用不慎會很危險。 美國消費品安全委員會發言人說，使用跑步機受傷的人比使用任何其他健身器材受傷的人都多。 跑步機導致的常見傷情包括滑倒、扭傷、拉傷，也有嚴重燒傷、腦震蕩、骨折甚至死亡，盡管后者比較罕見。 專家說，幸運的是安全使用跑步機并不難。 首先要確保穿上合體的運動服和結實的鞋子。總部在美國田納西州孟菲斯市的跑步機維修公司“跑步機醫生”的老板克拉克?史蒂芬森說，上跑步機前要先做幾組拉伸和活動關節的熱身；上跑步機后要把安全按鈕的一端固定在T恤上。如果從跑步機上摔下來，安全按鈕會讓機器立刻停止運轉。 接下來，叉開雙腿站在跑帶兩側，將跑步機設成慢速。史蒂芬森建議設為每小時1.6公里。調整好速度后，站上去慢慢地走一會兒，然后再加速或改變傾斜度。健身結束后關掉機器，跑帶停穩后再從機器上下來。 史蒂芬森表示，忽視安全按鈕是跑步機使用過程中最常見的錯誤之一。他說：“不夾安全按鈕就使用跑步機就像開車不系安全帶。” 認證體能訓練專家凱爾?費爾姆斯通說很多人沒有正確使用跑步機。費爾姆斯通指出，不應該離控制臺太近，不要在跑帶仍在移動的時候跳上跳下，也不要把速度設定在自己的能力范圍之外。 費爾姆斯通表示：“邊跑邊聊天也有安全隱患。我見過有人從跑步機尾部跌落，因為他們跑步時看著另外一個方向，擾亂了本體感知（即身體感知運動和位置的能力）。” 史蒂芬森指出，在家使用跑步機時要確保機器后方有充足的空間，因為萬一從跑步機上摔下來，需要一個安全的著地空間。 史蒂芬森表示，根據生產商的建議給跑帶上潤滑劑來保養機器并保持跑步機清潔也很重要。房間里有無人照看的孩子或寵物時，千萬不要使用跑步機。 他說：“千萬別讓孩子進入一個開著跑步機的房間。這是自找麻煩。孩子分分鐘就把手放在跑帶上或者跑帶下了。”(Translated by Debra) | 