Elliptical Trainer Benefits

There are so many elliptical trainer benefits to list that some would say it's the perfect way to exercise. Elliptical exercise trainers meet the overall need of any exercise program. They combine a weight bearing exercise that limits the impact on the body while optimizing the cardiovascular benefits creating a total body workout routine.

One of the best elliptical trainer benefits is the weight bearing exercises that help in maintaining and improving bone density. Elliptical cross trainers burn more calories and make you feel like you have been on a brisk walk with all the benefits of a good jogging session.

The elliptical motion of the machine provides low impact because your feet never leave the footpads. It creates a smooth and continuous movement that eliminates the stress on your joints. This provides a totally impact free cardio workout routine.

The elliptical exercise trainers are programmed with different training settings to help monitor your cardio workout routine and allow you to set one, two or all three of the following: resistance, speed and ramp. The workouts can be very intense or relatively easy depending on the training program you select.

Elliptical cross trainers provide a great workout for your lower body as well as toning and building leg muscles. It's ideal for losing weight because it burns more calories that a treadmill or exercise bike. If you are overweight it helps you burn calories while you seem to be leisurely gliding along. Grab the moving handles and work the upper body muscles for a total body workout routine.

Elliptical cross trainers are one of the best pieces of exercise equipment to hit the fitness industry in years. They provide a relatively easy and enjoyable form of exercise that you will look forward to coming back to over and over again.

Several gyms are buying more elliptical exercise trainers because the demand is so great. Once you use one you'll be hooked because thirty minutes is all it takes for a total body workout routine. You exercise at whatever level you are or whatever level you want to achieve.

You can challenge yourself on your high energy days or you can just maintain on other days. The choice is up to you. Getting fit, losing weight and improving your overall health are only a few elliptical trainer benefits.

Running on Empty

A sexy pair of legs moseys its way down a soft, vacuumed carpet, around a bend, and through a long, narrow aisle.

Suddenly, these shapely stems, which are encased in bright spandex, dissolve into a jungle of many others, instantly blending into the vibrant surroundings like chameleons. The long row of gams seems endless. They're shaking, they're baking, they're working like jackhammers - together in harmony - as if they were all drilling for oil.

The machines drown out the booming disco racket from the overhead speakers. All you hear, aside from the constant hum of machinery, is metal on metal, minus the smear of grease.

Squeak. Squeak. Squeak.

The stunning blonde attached to these legs peers down at a dark screen. At first, it looks like she's about to indulge in a game of Pac-Man or Donkey Kong, but in actuality, her ensuing fun is of a much different variety. This woman is about to work out.

After punching in a few keys as if it were tax time, her hips slowly begin to grind, and just like that, the fun has begun.

Needless to say, the year is 1999 and what once was accomplished with such basic simplicity has now entered the world of hi-tech devices and advanced microchips.

To a new patron, who just wandered through the door, it all seems a bit pretentious as he peers over the motoring array of Stairmasters, steppers, treadmills, and stationary bikes.

The observer smirks and chuckles, knowing well that, not so long ago, for the goal at hand, two legs and an old pair of Nikes were all that was required.

However, the art of running seems a forgotten trade, not just for the random observer, but for the fitness public in general. For the mainstream crowd looking to foil the flab (and perhaps partake in the social aspects), a nice, honest jog through the park loses out to a sweat-session on the stairs any corporate day of the week.

Yet, one fact remains, the same fact that has survived both the tests of time and the endless evolution of technology. Nothing will whip you into shape faster and more effectively than a good, primitive run.

Aside from the fresh air that expands your lung capacity, something you can't get at an indoor gym, running continues to stand as the leader in conditioning, fat burning, and keeping your heart rate up. Just compare the three miles down Main Street with the same distance on the rubbery conveyor belt of a treadmill. The difference in the way you feel is astounding.

But one such concept factoring in the demise of running is the belief that it is a muscle man's worst enemy. Reports that running will chisel away on that hard-earned beef have been relentless. Thus, the running fad has come to heel a bit, almost seemingly limited to the hard-core crowd.

The experts say that the ideal method, however, to avoiding such a tragedy is to jog lightly for the first twenty minutes and then upgrade to a more vigorous pace thereafter. After the twenty-minute segment, the body generally kicks into the fat-burning business as opposed to the muscle-consuming business. Remaining at a steady, moderate pace (say 70 percent), and ditching any hopes of becoming the next Jesse Owens would seem the most logical approach, especially for new runners.

Besides, doesn't a nice stroll along a quiet country road amid the birds and the tress sound somewhat appealing? Doesn't it beat gaping at the sweat-drenched back of the guy on the Stairmaster in front of you?

If this is you, then perhaps it's finally time to leave those noisy treadmills and squeaky stationary bikes behind ? far enough behind to choke on your dust.

Playing Your Cardio Right

To many, that half-hour a day is the most enjoyable, most therapeutic part of your agenda. To others, it's as dreadful as taking out the trash and doing the dishes. Yet, like your household chores, you know it's something you simply must do.

Cardiovascular activity, referred to simply as "cardio," should be as much a part of your body-sculpting endeavors as pulling and pushing those metal plates. As often as you're pumping the iron, you should also be pumping your heart.

Unfortunately, Americans today are more glued to the screen, whether it be the television, Nintendo, or yes, even the Internet. It has been concluded that the majority of Americans have insufficient cardiovascular activity in their daily schedules, thus leading to a cartload of various health problems.

The 30 minutes per day that you should reserve for cardio work should always entail exercises that are enjoyable, manageable, and of course, safe.

So if you're ready to get sweaty, here are a few wise choices:

RUNNING (Outdoors): Believe it or not, this exercise reminds me a lot of Howard Stern. Like the infamous DJ, you either love it or hate it. Beyond question, however, is the simple fact that running is a fantastic way to whip you into shape and provide full cardiovascular fitness. Running is a full-body exercise in which only you channel the motion, resistance, and weight distribution. There are no wheels or cycles doing any of the work for you.

Sometimes, running can actually be too rigorous an exercise and for bodybuilders it's been known to foil some of that hard-earned muscle mass. Also, running can take a considerable toll on your joints, particularly your knees and ankles as well as your abused feet.

TREADMILL: This may seem like the equivalent to a run through the park or the neighborhood, and in a lot of ways, it is. Running is the same vigorous exercise whether done outdoors or in. Yet, the treadmill, because of its smooth rubbery conveyor belt is a lot more merciful on your joints. It doesn't wear and tear your body the way running on the tarred street will. There is no pounding-like effect.

However, the treadmill does not offer the natural variations such as hills and curves which provides for a more rigorous workout on the streets. Also, the fresh air that can fill and expand your lungs is not a benefit from an indoor facility.

STAIRMASTER & STEPPERS: Some people refer to these devices simply as "sweat machines." close by. Stairmasters, whether they're the rotating kind or the step versions, are both excellent methods of losing weight and shedding body fat.

Yet, many fitness experts have concluded that stairs work may be insufficient in your quest to get in shape. For one, the exercise relies solely on lower body movement and tends to abandon the upper torso. Too often, people rest their arms on the bars at their sides, taking some of the resistance (your body weight) out of your legs.

STATIONARY BIKES: When you ride the stationary bike, it feels like you aren't going anywhere. That's because you're not. But whether or not you're making strides with your cardiovascular health is another matter. While these bikes are beneficial in raising the heart level, they also provide far less strain on the knees and back than other methods of cardio and are excellent for toning up the quadriceps.

The workout you'll get from a stationary bike, however, is of the low-impact variety and like the scenery in front of you, it may feel like you're not going anywhere, especially if you've set high fitness goals for yourself.

SWIMMING: Go on and make a splash. This is an excellent cardiovascular activity in that it is a total body exercise and hits the various muscles in the body. The water provides an excellent form of resistance that will get your heart pumping in no time. The benefits for the heart and lungs are endless.

As for the down side? There's only one.

Not every fitness club has a swimming pool.

The Best Cardio Workouts

The benefits of exercise are abundant and well documented, and the best cardio workouts can increase your quality of life. One can hardly read a magazine or watch the news without stumbling across a study or doctor claiming a new benefit from exercise.

The research into exercise is conclusive enough, but we all know people in our lives that have their own testimonies to the virtue of exercise and the benefits it creates. While everyone has their own preference of workouts, the best cardio workouts are the ones you enjoy because they are the workouts you will actually complete.

If you find it difficult to workout because you just don't enjoy what you are doing, chances are you won't workout faithfully for very long. The people who see the best results from their workouts are often the people who enjoy their workouts the most.

To help you in your search for the best workout for you, we have assembled a wide variety of the best home gym equipment. If you want a good all around machine that the whole family can use for workouts, a treadmill is the perfect choice.

If you are looking for the one piece of fitness equipment that gives you the best cardio workouts, elliptical cross trainers are an ideal choice. Elliptical cross trainers meet the overall need of any exercise program. They combine a weight bearing exercise that limits the impact on the body while optimizing the cardiovascular benefits creating a total body workout routine.

Home gym workout routines are convenient, easy and reduce the hassles of driving and spending time away from home. For mother and fathers who have young children, home gym workout routines sometimes provide the only way they receive exercise.

Walking and running, elliptical machines, and stationary bikes can all provide a physical challenge enough to shake loose the cobwebs from your muscles and work out the stress of the day. No matter what physical shape you are in or what bodily conditions you are working with, there are great cardio routines that will benefit you and bring the glow of health back to your face.

Working out as an adult can have the same draw as playing outside did when we were children. If you are ready to get on the road to the best cardio workouts, choose a workout you actually enjoy and you'll be on your way to a much healthier life.

Too Much Water Can Kill

Long distance runners and other endurance athletes have long been educated to believe that drinking lots of fluids during a long distance or endurance event was critical. And if you didn't drink enough water, you ran the risk of dehydration.

Researchers - studying 488 runners in the 2002 Bost Marathon found that the bigger danger is in drinking too much fluid (water or sports drinks) rather than not enough. They found that 62 of the 488 runners, more than one in eight, had a serious fluid and salt imbalance after the event. And three of them were in the danger zone.

Hyponatremia - a condition where drinking too much water or other fluids to the point where the salt level in the body drops too much - can develop during marathon races where the runners drink constantly to stave off dehydration.

Runners who actually gained weight (anywhere from 4-11 pounds) during the event and very thin runners are most at risk. Runners who drink sports drinks with very little salt in them are least at risk. The goal of drinking during a race is to replace water that is lost, not to take in more than you are losing.

A good way to learn how much is right for you is to weight yourself before a heavy training session. Then drink and record how much liquid you consume during the trainging. Then weight yourself again. If you find that you weight more after the training than before, you should cut down on your liquid intake. By performing this exercise, you will learn how much liquid you really need to injest during an event and be able to pace yourself accordingly.

Hyponatremia can begin with confusion and lethargy and can progress rapidly to more severe symptoms. They can include twitching, siezures, stupor, coma and even death.

In recent years, hyponatremia has killed several amateur marathon runners as well as competitors in the Marine Corps Marathon.


By Steven Chabotte

Running for Success

Though it may not seem like it when we're drenched in sweat and our legs feel like lead, marathon running is as mental as physical. When we're exhausted, continuing consists of mind over matter. This takes enormous mental power. Once developed, this skill can be transferred from the racetrack to the boardroom.

Training for a marathon is an ideal place to improve the skills needed to achieve success in business: strategy, clear objectives, and a positive attitude. These techniques are also crucial to completing a marathon. Without them, even the most fanatically fit athlete is doomed to fail. Through physical training we can develop and master these skills.

In business, investment and marathon, a well-planned strategy is essential. In each situation, we must commit to our plan, yet be willing to adapt it if it isn't working. Though strategy can be complex or simple, with our first marathon it's best to choose the latter. Simplification is a great way to remove self-imposed pressure. This can mean concentrating on maintaining a steady heart rate or pace. We need to do this during both training and our marathon, since sustaining this relaxed-focus helps remove the barrier of performance anxiety.

The strategy of shifting attention to our body's sensations is called association, and it's a tactic used by many elite athletes. The self-focused introvert may find this more comfortable than directing attention outside. The outgoing extrovert, however, may be more suited to the disassociation technique. This involves turning our awareness outward. According to a report published in The Journal of Sports Psychology: " Considerable evidence exists to link disassociation strategies with increased pain tolerance during endurance tasks." Disassociation may also useful during a dull seminar, or an extended visit from our mother-in-law.

Just as business meetings have objectives, so should your marathon training. Whatever your personal goal, it needs to be specific, measurable, and reasonable. Similar to our professional life, these can be accomplished by choosing to focus on either the process or the outcome. In our business life a process goal would be improving our customer relation skills, while an outcome goal would be making X amount more dollars. For your first marathon, process goals are better. Since meeting them may be as simple as adhering to our training schedule, they guarantee success. As we all know, success produces self-confidence. Developing this gives us courage to challenge ourselves to achieve greater victories. Outcome goals, like beating a rival, are more risky. Since external factors can interfere with them, they are harder to succeed at.

Maintaining a positive attitude is crucial to accomplishment. Without belief in eventual success, we'll quit at the slightest obstacle. This is true both in career and running. Everyday, marathon training teaches us persistence through discomfort. This is essential. Without challenging ourselves we can never progress to higher success. Besides the things we tell ourselves, a positive attitude also includes motivating inner images.

Many superior athletes use mental imagery, or guided visualization. These include Marion Clignet, 1996 and 2000 silver medallist on the French cycling team, and 6 times Masters winner Jack Nicklaus. Medical experts have also tested this method. A recent article published in the Journal of Sports Science states: "The power of mental imagery in sport performance has been widely noted. Keep your thinking and mental rehearsing of your upcoming races positive and it may contribute to new personal records."

The importance of mental imagery is also noted in Olympic runner Jeff Galloway's Marathon: You Can Do It. In this book, Galloway encourages us to rehearse parts of our marathon every day. He says that this will help us prepare for and find solutions to problems we may encounter and help us "tough it out." This strength doesn't end in out legs and lungs. Finishing a marathon makes us more tenacious, helping us bring home "the gold" in business.

By Galina Pembroke

Elliptical Workouts

Elliptical workouts basically involve aerobic or cardiovascular exercise. Elliptical cross trainers can be intimidating at first glance but once you get familiar with them you will find them easy to use and a fun part of your routine.

To begin your elliptical workout, stand with your feet firmly planted in the movable footpads. The advantage of your feet being stationary makes this a smooth and non-jarring motion that is unique to the elliptical cross trainers. Grab the handles to add the upper body movement for a total body workout.

Elliptical motion feels very natural and compliments normal body movements only making it feel like the workout is easier. Elliptical workouts are equal or greater than similar equipment such as the treadmill creating a safer workout. It reduces the harmful stress and impact on your muscles and joints.

With time a major concern in our daily lives, an elliptical workout can be very desirable. It provides a total body workout utilizing one machine therefore saving time in having to go from machine to machine to achieve the same effect for all the different areas of the body.

An elliptical trainer benefit is they are safe for beginners and will even challenge the pro athletes. And because most people like to use these machines, they are more likely to workout on a regular basis. Consistent elliptical workouts will help in attaining good overall cardiovascular health.

It generally takes twenty minutes of elliptical exercise to start burning calories and improve your cardio health. If you are just starting out, exercise for twenty minutes and work up from there as your fitness level improves. Try to set 3 days a week as your goal to workout and work up to 5 days when you become more fit.

Another elliptical trainer benefit is they are perfect for burning fat. To burn fat effectively, you need to exercise at a moderate pace for a long period of time. Elliptical cross trainers give you the slow, aerobic, long duration type of exercise that works best to burn fat.

If you are looking for a good overall workout in the shortest amount of time, the elliptical workout is an ideal choice.