For those who love to run in the great outdoors, running on a treadmill can seem boring and not at all stimulating. At the same time, running is definitely much easier on a treadmill than in inclement weather in the winters. The question then arises, which is better?

Is running in the real world, going over unknown ground more difficult and challenging than simply notching up the slope gradient while running in a gym on a treadmill? The scientists who decided to measure the difference came up with the observation that yes, running outdoors does expend more energy.

However, the difference is so minute that it would be insignificant unless you were running really fast. For a mile run in seven minutes or less the difference in energy expended is less than one percent. So you will end up burning a 100 calories for running that mile if you ran indoors or just 101 calories if you ran outside.

The simplest solution is to set the treadmill at a one percent incline and that will compensate for the one percent less energy expended. The real thing to stay healthy is not the discovery of the science experiment, but the frequency of how often you do exercise!