Home treadmills are very popular fitness exercise machines. In fact, they easily outsell all other exercise machines, no doubt because everyone is aware of the health benefits of walking and running. So if you have decided to add a treadmill to your home fitness routine, how do you choose from all of the myriad of models on the market? Well, here are a few guidelines to help you find the best home treadmill for your needs:

* Motorized treadmills have to have a motor that turns the belt in order to function properly, so make sure that the motor is up to the task. Usually a 2HP or higher motor is required to do the job. This is especially true if you intend to run on your treadmill.

* The length of the belt is an important consideration because a short belt will make you shorten your stride and become uncomfortable. Those with long legs need at least 50 inches of belt length to be sure that they get a full complete stride as they exercise.

* Because of the fact that treadmills can operate at high speeds and falling can be very dangerous in that case, you want to have some kind of cut-off or safety switch that shuts down the treadmill either by hand, or more preferably by a tether that is attached to your arm when working out. If you fall the tether automatically shuts down the machine for you right away.

* The controls need to be easily read and viewed even when you are walking or running at a good clip. They should also most likely be push button controls as experience has shown that push buttons are more easy to adjust while a person is in the midst of heavy exercise, rather than dials or slides.

* The deck must be able to absorb shock well as you walk or run. The most common injuries to treadmill users are due to impact with the deck as they use the machine. If the deck is too stiff this will wear on your joints. On the other hand you want enough rigidity that it doesn't feel as if you are bouncing along either.

* A pulse monitor is a good thing to have so that you can easily keep an eye on your heart rate as you exercise. In order to really get the benefits that you should from a treadmill cardio workout you need to get your heart rate up to about 75% of it's maximum, and a pulse monitor can help you stay in the necessary workout zone that will actually produce results for the time you spend on the treadmill.

It's recommended that you always try a treadmill model in person before shopping for it online as you need to actually use it with the same clothes and shoes that you will be using at home to make sure that it's going to do the job for you. Make a not of the features listed above to see if they are present in the models you test, and after spending a little while doing your own tests you should be able to find the best home treadmill for your needs.