Treadmill....walking or jogging

Just got a new treadmill and not sure exactly what would burn the most calories and be the best way for weight loss.

As of now, keep in mind I just got it, I am doing 30 minutes jogging/walking, 10 minute intervals at 3.5 mph for both, twice a day.

In other words, I work on it 30 minutes in morning and 30 minutes after supper and jogging is new to me, but I am doing it, just wondering if I will get the same results if I walk or is jogging going to get me to my goal faster.

I also heard that you are not to hold the bars, is this true?

Well jogging burns more calories, and if you are following the basic calories in/calories out formula then yes. Running will get you to your goal faster. but if you are new to it, ease into it. I am a runner. I love to run. Mostly because I feel like you can see so much progress so quickly. Just add a few seconds to your running stint every time you do it, and before you know it, you'll be jogging 3 miles without stopping.

Also, I would not hold the bars. Run as if you are not on a treadmill. Run like you would if you were outside. It will burn more calories and you will be less likely to get injured because you will have better running form. Keep your elbows bent with your arms in close to your body, not swinging them too much when you run. And make sure you are stretching after you warm up your muscles for a few minutes.

Have fun and good luck!

Either way, an hour of aerobic exercise is good for you for many reasons. If you want to burn more cals, you will want to increase your jogging time and do so as naturallyd suggested--VERY gradually. Once you can jog a certain distance without stopping--2 or 3 miles is a good target, then you can add 10% per week to that until you can do all your tread mill time jogging. It is not a bad idea, however, to jog only every other day, especially for the first year, so you won't injure yourself. You can move up to 5 days a week if you choose, but again, do so slowly and never exert yourself in an intense workout 2 days in a row. Your body needs 48 hours to recover and build stronger muscles after an intense workout.

Have fun!

I would not do cardio twice a day. Do it once a day,  6 days a week. Mix it up, work your way up. Maybe add 2 days HIIT training (sprints). Add weight lifting to your routine 3 days a week. Not consecutive and you will see better results.

The idea is to get your heart rate up. Holding on will not allow you to do that. When I walk on the treadmill I am constantly moving my arms. It might look funny but I do fast boxing type movements. Out in front, over my head and so on. This keeps my heart rate up the entire time. I move very fast and walk at a fast pace. On sprint days I sprint for 20 minutes, in intervals, then walk for the last 20 boxing the whole time during the walking part.

Congradulations on getting a treadmill!

 Holding the bars isn't really a good idea. After all, if you think about it the human body wasn't designed to walk like that.

As far as running or walking, technically you could do ether and still burn the same amount of calories. Walking just takes longer and running will be quicker. It's beneficial to try and switch between running, walking, and intervals on different days. This keeps your body guessing and could help ward of a plateau.

Overall, in the beginning the best thing to do is the one you like best. If you enjoy or at least don't mind exercising, you'll be more likely to keep it up. One of the most important thing  is to get into a routine.

 good luck!!

Good for you Debra.  Like you, I came to running late in life.  I always hated running, other than up and down a football field or around the bases, but jogging for jogging's sake just wasn't my thing.  Now I love it!!...lol.  All the advice you got so far is great, especially about introducing weight training to your routine.   That will definitely help with weight loss and overall toning as well.  

Ease your way into the running, so as to avoid injury or excess pain.  Nothing is more disheartening than feeling really sore because you pushed so hard.   Add distance or speed only every week or two and in small increments.  When I first started, I would only run short distances, like .3 or .4 miles and then walk for a bit while checking my heart rate, to make sure it wasn't exploding out of my chest, something your doctor will likely advice, that is, checking your heart rate regularly at first.  Once I got comfortable and knew what speed I could run without overexerting myself, I would check it once per workout or so.   One thing you can add to your routine later on when you are comfortable is interval training.  Basically, running at a fairly fast clip for 90 seconds or so, and then jogging.  The up and down of the heart rate is much better for your heart and overall endurance, than just straight running, and helps to break up the monotony.

Thank you so much for all your info. I truly appreciate you explaining things to me. I'm just starting out, but in time, I know I will come to love it.

 A schedule like our very own "Learn to Run" or the Couch to 5K plan are very sensible training programs that gets you up and running a good distance with a minimum of fuss and injury risk ;)