Elliptical trainers were once the new kid on the block in terms of fitness equipment. Today, they are standard equipment in nearly every commercial gym and most at home gyms. The elliptical trainer offers a high intensity or low intensity workout, as needed by the user, without the stresses associated with other forms of cardio exercise on the joints and lower back of the body.

The Lower Impact Workout

As more and more research is being accomplished in the field of aging and exercise, it is clear that our older population needs regular exercise to maintain optimal health and reduce the custom signs of aging on the body. The aging population is probably the most under-supported when it comes to fitness. There are many cardio workouts, but few that offer a good cardio burn without impact on the body. The elliptical trainer is different.

When jogging, the impact on the body is 2 1/2 times your body weight. That means an average 150 pound person will place 425 pounds of pressure on their lower body with every stride. Increasing the heart rate may be easy while jogging or running, but the effect on the wallet when the doctor’s bills start to pile up will scream a different story. The stress of running and even walking affects the knees, back, ankles and feet.

Working out on a treadmill may seem like a healthy alternative.  Treadmills come with cushions that decrease the impact on the joints, but the impact is still there.  Compound that impact with being overweight and the damage on a treadmill can reach physically impairing proportions.  The elliptical trainer works by defying the impact of gravity on the joints while maintaining a steady workout rhythm.  The heart gets the workout it needs while the rest of the body is left just to feel the healthy burn.

The movement of the elliptical machine is where the huge difference is displayed. The pedals rotate in an elliptical motion, thus the name of the machine.  The pedals float along at the speed of your stride adjusting as your stride adjusts.

The Total Body Fitness Routine

There are additional benefits to using an elliptical trainer over a treadmill, jogging or walking.  Many people try to keep their arms moving throughout their run or walk, but as they grow tired, the movement is forced and does little to impact the heart rate. An elliptical can be purchased with arm handles to increase upper body movement and increase the heart rate during the workout. Thus, the elliptical can actually provide a better workout with fewer strides than a walk or a jog.

How to Buy Your Elliptical

If the benefits of the elliptical machine have you out and about looking for your next piece of home fitness equipment, there are a few tips that may help the process go more smoothly.

Front drive ellipticals and rear end ellipticals work different leg muscles. While both provide a workout with reduced impact on the joints, the front drive elliptical works more like a stepper while the rear drive feels like a jogger. The higher end elliptical machines will often come with heart rate monitors, adjustable heights, various programmed workouts and better component quality. Lower end ellipticals can work, as well, but it is important to buy a machine that feels good during the stride with proper handle placement to achieve optimal fitness.

Here is one quality elliptical machine you may want to consider;

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As you enter most gyms around the world you probably will notice a wide range of  exercise machines. If you plan to exercise at home then you’re going to want to get yourself some exercise equipment as well.  The machines available offer cardiovascular exercises, weight loss exercises, strength training exercises, fat burning exercises, and, of course, bodybuilding exercise.

For an effective fat burning session, you must incorporate cardiovascular exercises into your routine.  A piece of gym equipment that would provide you with cardiovascular exercise would be some thing like a treadmill or a rowing machine or a stepping machine as a few examples.

If your main goal is fat or weight loss then you are going to want to include cardio exercises into your workout routine.

For those of you out there who are looking to build muscle you will want to focus on bodybuilding exercise equipment.  There are many all-in-one type home gyms available with a wide range in price.  You might even consider looking into a second hand home gym to get you started.  Then, if you find that you are sticking with the program and exercising with the machine regularly, you may want to reward yourself by getting a new home gym for yourself.

The bottom line is there are two important factors to consider when choosing exercise equipment;

1) Find equipment that is easy to use.

2) Find equipment that fits easily into the space you have available to exercise.

It ‘s also important to experiment with different machines.  If you feel uncomfortable or one of them produces discomfort, we recommend you stay away from it.  Some companies offer you free trial periods to check out their equipment so take advantage of these if you’re not exactly sure which equipment to buy.

Whether you ‘re just trying to get in shape or looking for a fat burning system or bodybuilding exercise, get started today as this will help you to improve your health.  Below are 3 possible suggestions for you.  Each picture is clickable so that you can go to the site that offers the equipment and, if this is not the piece of equipment you decide to buy, you can look around at what else the website offers.

The last one you might recognize from seeing it advertised on TV.  It is the AbCircle.  Looks like some sort of insect in the picture so that is why I told you what it is.  To your good health.

FitnessQuest Bio Force 1.7 (EA)

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Are you someone who enjoys getting out in the fresh air and going for a good walk? Are you looking for a way to lose weight, or just improve your fitness level? Are you suffering from physical ailments that limit the types of physical activity you can participate in? Are you looking for a full-body workout without the use of lots of equipment or going to a gym?

 If you answered yes to any of these questions (and there are many more that could be asked) then Nordic Walking using walking poles is for you. Just about everyone can participate in and benefit from this form of exercise.

 Using Walking Poles greatly benefits people with balance and/or joint issues. Using a cane tends to make a person lean to one side creating further problems with the back and joints, but with walking poles good posture is once again possible. They give a person much more stability instilling more confidence and the ability to once again be more physically active.

 We have always heard that walking is one of the best forms of exercise. Heart patients are instructed to get their heart rate up by walking as a form of their ongoing rehabilitation and well-being. Research is also learning that the incidence of dementia is significantly lower in frequent walkers by at much as 40 percent. People who have chronic conditions or are recovering from illness or surgery are instructed to exercise, which starts out with a walking routine and builds from there. Heart patients are now ‘up and moving’ within half a day. Walking is also prescribed for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis. Parkinson’s disease, osteoarthritis, among many others. Walking is the easiest and most beneficial forms of exercise that we can do.

 The benefits of walking are intensified when you use walking poles and the Nordic Walking Technique. With the use of a few simple techniques and a couple of walking poles, you can turn your normal walking routine into a full body workout with physical and mental benefits. Your stamina will be improved. The mobility of your neck, chest and spine increases significantly. Your balance and coordination will be greatly improved. Nordic Walking helps strengthen and tone your upper body muscles. Using walking poles with the Nordic Walking Technique greatly improves your cardiovascular health. These are just a few of the many benefits you will experience with this fitness activity. WOW! That’s quite an impressive list of benefits.

 The fitter you are the longer you are likely to live and your quality of life will definitely be enhanced.

 A seven year study of men with an average age of 59 found that those in the ‘very highly fit’ category had a 70 percent lower death risk that those in the ‘low fit’ category. The ‘moderately fit’ category had about a 50 percent lower death risk as compared to the ‘low fit’ group.

 Moderate fitness is not hard to achieve at all. A brisk walk, four to six times a week will do it for you. To bounce this up to the fitter group only means increasing that activity. This could include jogging in intervals during this brisk walk, or even easier, adding walking poles and the Nordic Walking technique to this walk.

 If Osteoporosis is a concern, pick up a set of walking poles and start walking. The poles will provide stability and balance and greatly reduce the risk of falling. Exercising, particularly bone strengthening exercises will greatly reduce your risk of Osteoporosis, and even help relieve the effects if you already have it. Walking poles will help you get that exercise you need while taking away most of the risks involved in exercising for those with brittle bones.

 If this has made you think that Nordic Walking could benefit you, get yourself a pair of poles (this is not an expensive form of exercise to get involved in) and start walking. Before long you will be hooked. You will feel better and you will be having fun doing it.

The Valslide is her secret weapon for making it easier to get a good, effective workout anytime and anywhere. It was designed with all levels of fitness in mind. Valslides make lower body more smooth and easier on the body while making them more effective for more immediate results.

So what are Valslides? They are sliding discs that consist of a non skid foam on the top where you place your hands or feet when doing the exercises and a specially formulated plastic on the bottom that slides easily on the floor.

The design allows them to slide easily as you perform lunges, reverse lunges, body saws & other movements, all of which are explained in the booklet that comes with the Valslide, while your foot or hand stays firmly on the slide.

They are the size of a foot so they are small, very portable exercise tool. You can use them at home, in a hotel, at the gym, pretty much anywhere you want. If you’re a girl, you can carry them in your purse & if you’re a guy you can carry them in a briefcase or laptop bag.

The portability & effectiveness of the Valslide make it an invaluable tool to have. On top of that, it is one of the easiest exercise tools to use. You don’t need to mess with pins or machines or settings, you just perform regular movements with the Valslide under your hands or feet.

Another great thing is they don’t restrict your movements. Machines force your body to move in the way the machine lets it, which can be hard on your body and sometimes dangerous. Because the discs are not attached to anything, they let your body move in the way it wants to/is supposed to so you don’t have to worry about performing unnatural movements that could potential harm your body.

Jennifer Garner says “The Valslide is a wonder…You immediately feel the results after using it the first time. It’s deceptively simple and incredibly effective”.

The best part is the Valslide sliding discs are far less expensive than most equipment you could purchase. You don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars for big bulky machines that force your body to move in certain ways and it’s the most portable exercise tool you can get!

To sum it up, if you want a tool that will give you a better workout anytime, anywhere, no matter what your fitness level, you want Valerie Waters Valslides.

Get your own Valslides here: Valerie Waters Valslides

Shawn will be posting videos of the Valslide and him doing the Valslide exercises on his fitness blog here: http://www.shawnhorwoodfitness.com/blog/

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