I've been on my quest for weight loss for over a year now and my main exercise was using a treadmill 4-5 times a week, gradually increasing the speed.
Now I'm doing the C25K and am following the rules of leaving a gap between each run, but was wondering, would walking on the treadmill on the off days be cheating the "rest day" at all?
Or should I just stick to what Laura (All Hail The Great And Powerful Laura!!) says?
It's not about cheating. The rest days are an important part of getting fitter, as it's on the rest days that your muscles repair and improve. The rest days, early on, are really important. Find other things to do for exercise, but don't stress the running muscles on rest days!
I would say mix it up, do as much variety as poss, but a rest day from running is v important
As others have said before - rest is VERY important.
BUT -- many more experienced runners do run 7 days per week - on a principle of a hard day followed by an easy day. However - the easy day must indeed be easy (and short)
If you really MUST - you could try doing a short walk at strolling pace on your off/easy days. You should be in a position where, on the days that you actually do run, you feel no tiredness/soreness in your leg muscles prior to the run. If you do have any tiredness/soreness before running , then your off/easy day was not easy enough!! 
I have read somewhere that walking uses different muscles to running so it should be OK!
An interesting article here: runnersworld.com/getting-st...
not in my opinion, to lose weight walking is excellent, nowt wrong with it at all.
I have always walked on my off days. I find it helps to stretch out my running muscles. Try it and see, if you ache a bit ease off but if your used to walking it should be fine.
I've always thought walking is positively encouraged on rest days, as is anything else low-impact like swimming or cycling.
Why walk on a treadmill. Could you not walk outside in the great outdoors?
I walk on my my non running days. Need to keep moving. Only 30-40 mins though. I am trying other excercise now too
Walking is great on non-running days and not cheating, but I wouldn't use the treadmill. When you walk outside, you automatically adapt your speed to what you can comfortably keep up.
While I was on C25K I walked every day, whether I had ran or not. How else can you get your recommended 10,000 steps per day. You have to either run then or walk them.
I think, walk just a bit and see. Your body should tell you. We did a brisk 5k walk once while through the program and it was dreadful. I needed an extra day rest after that. From then on, I went for short walks only. No more than 2 or 3 leisure kilometres.
Well, I tried it out and I feel fine. I only walked for 20 mins at my normal treadmill speed, rather than a full 30, mostly because it had been a busy day at work with lots of walking there, plus, it's damn hot here and I was drenched with sweat after 20 mins! 
Still, I feel ok, so I think I'll use walking to help supplement my weight loss.
Cheating.
Long walk on a “rest day”
Is Stopping Cheating? 
Shall I give Laura a day off?
w5r3 - Cheating on Laura
