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 US 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 clothes. If you should become at risk of falling off of the treadmill， the safety key will immediately turn off the machine.

盡管跑步機是最受歡迎的健身器材之一，但跑步機也是有危險的。

美國消費品安全委員會的報告稱，被跑步機所傷的人比被其他健身器材所傷的人都更多。

跑步機導(dǎo)致的受傷通常包括滑倒、扭傷、拉傷，但跑步機也會導(dǎo)致嚴(yán)重?zé)齻?、腦震蕩、骨折甚至死亡，盡管后者比較罕見。

專家稱，幸運的是，安全地使用跑步機是相對容易的。

首先，你要確保自己穿上合身的運動服和結(jié)實、合腳的鞋子?？偛吭诿绹锛{西州孟菲斯市的跑步機修理公司“跑步機醫(yī)生”的老板克拉克·史蒂芬森指出，上跑步機前要先做幾組拉伸和全范圍關(guān)節(jié)運動來熱身；上跑步機后要先把安全按鈕牢牢固定在自己穿的衣服上。如果你從跑步機上摔下來，安全按鈕就會立刻讓機器停止運轉(zhuǎn)。

Next， straddle the belt， then turn on the treadmill to a slow speed. Stevenson recommended 1 mile per hour （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. 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. “Running on a treadmill without a safety key is like driving without a seat belt，” he said. “Ninety-nine percent of the time you won’t have to use it， but when you need it， you really need it.”

Certified strength and conditioning specialist Kyle Firmstone has seen many problematic treadmill activities. He 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，” he said. “I’ve seen people fly off the end because they were looking in a different direction when they were running， which throws off your proprioception （your body’s ability to sense motion and location）.”

接下來，叉開雙腿站在跑帶兩側(cè)，并將跑步機設(shè)成慢速。史蒂芬森建議設(shè)為每小時1英里（1.6千米）的速度。熟悉跑帶移動速度后，再站上跑帶慢慢地走一會兒，然后再改變速度。在健身結(jié)束后，關(guān)掉機器，確定跑帶不再移動了才下來。

史蒂芬森表示，忽視對安全按鈕的使用是跑步機使用者最常犯的錯誤之一。他說：“在摸不到安全按鈕的跑步機上跑步就像開車不系安全帶。99%的時候你都用不到安全按鈕，可一旦你需要它，那就是真的需要?！?/p>

力量和調(diào)節(jié)認(rèn)證專家Kyle Firmstone見過很多使用跑步機的錯誤做法。他指出，不能走得離控制臺太近，也不能在跑帶仍在移動的時候跳上跳下，或是給跑步機設(shè)定的速度超出自己的能力范圍。

他表示：“在跑步機上和別人聊天也有安全隱患。我見過有人從跑步機尾部跌落，因為他們在跑步時看著另外一個方向，從而擾亂了本體感受（身體感知運動和位置的能力）?！?/p>

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. While many manufacturers say you only need 3 or 4 feet （0.9—1.2 meters） of clearance， Stevenson recommended 6 feet （1.8 meters）.

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 se3f1ec46560d035aed69f0f85e304c849e745857fed972ebaa1e1b75a9e2967fecond for a kid to put his hand on the belt or underneath.”

No matter your age， don’t overdo it if you’re new to treadmill use. Your body will need time to acclimate to this new form of exercise. While similar to walking or running outside， doing the same on a treadmill is not identical， due to the moving belt.

史蒂芬森指出，當(dāng)你在家使用跑步機時，要確保跑步機后面有充足的空間。萬一你從跑步機上摔下來時，你需要一個安全的著地空間。盡管許多生產(chǎn)商指出你只需要3到4英尺（0.9—1.2米）的安全空間，但史蒂芬森建議你留出6英尺（1.8米）的空間。

史蒂芬森表示，根據(jù)生產(chǎn)商的建議給跑帶上潤滑劑來保養(yǎng)并保持跑步機清潔也很重要。他還指出，當(dāng)房間里有無人照看的孩子或?qū)櫸飼r，千萬不要使用跑步機。

史蒂芬森說：“你永遠不要讓孩子進入一個開著跑步機的房間，那是自找麻煩。孩子把手放在跑帶上或跑帶下，那就是一瞬間的事?！?/p>

不論年齡，只要你是跑步機新手，就必須量力而行。你的身體需要時間來適應(yīng)這種新的健身方式。盡管在跑步機上運動與在戶外走路或跑步相似，但由于跑帶是移動的，這兩者就不可能完全一樣。

Word Bank

sturdy /'st??di/ adj. 結(jié)實的；堅固的

straddle /'str?dl/ v. 分腿站立；跨坐

He swung his leg over the motorcycle， straddling it easily.

split second 瞬間；剎那

Their eyes met for a split second.

acclimate /'?kl?me?t/ v. （使）適應(yīng)；（使）習(xí)慣