Exercise Equipment Reviews

Exercise equipment comes in all sizes so they say. There are various aerobic machines and weight machines that focus on strength and of course muscle build up. Let's look at aerobic equipment first.

Aerobic exercise equipment comes in the form of bicycles, treadmills, stair steppers and in some cases there are combined machines such as Bowlfex and their combined stepper with treadmill. At this point it's all about your individual goals and objectives. If all you are looking for is better heart conditioning and weight loss then the treadmill and cycles will suffice. We find the stair stepper class of machinery provides an extended level of conditioning for endurance but more focused on muscle toning. The one exception being that of the combination machines.

We believe that the total package includes not only exercise equipment but the right clothes. For this we enlist the experts at Fitness Apparel
they provide information and resources about fitness related topics such as fitness exercise equipment, fitness centers and gyms, weight loss, health, fitness apparel, and excercise nutrition and diets.

Stregnth conditioning goals should focus on the free weight and universal machines. Within the machine category there are many shapes and sizes. There are some that have the classic weights and benches and still more that have the resistance bands that creates the same effect as weights by providing the leverage of band technology. Each is unique in their design and most carry patents. They may not be in vogue right now but the Non Machine class of weights and benches are still a great way to manage your goals and build your exercise program. They also tend to take up less room which in a home gym can be a big plus.

Exercise equipment can be expensive so we advise to do your own research and try out different lines at your local gyms. In fact, a day pass to the local gyms might give you all the reasearch you need. Most of the local gyms offer this as they want to see new people joining all the time.

It's a win-win situation for everyone as you get to see their products and thus try out their exercise equipment. Some may have competitive manufacturers side by side so you can test for yourself before you make a home buy decision. Check the warranty by brand for your exercise equipment tends to be very different depending on the type and make.

Do You Have The Right Footwear?

Fitness Tools For Success

So, now you have committed to a new and exciting fitness plan. Your’re focused and motivated to lose the weight and maintain a healthy body so your future is so bright you need to buy shades. Now that takes me back a few years. Like everything else we do in life, short of building things with your own hands, you need to think about what tools to invest in for your fitness plan to be effective. Even if you chose just to walk seven days a week you need to think about what it will take to keep this up and maintain proper support going forward. The most obvious “tool” is your footwear. Perhaps you have a good tennis shoe already. That’s great. Most tennis shoes will suffice. But make sure they have solid arch support and are in good shape to get your plan off to a great start. There are many new shoe trends on the market today. Without mentioning the individual brands I will list a few categories to consider for walking, jogging or running:

Cross Training (best bet if alternating between paved and unpaved surfaces)

Basketball (good for walking with excellent arch support)

Track & Field (typically very light weight so know your trail as they will be great on hard surfaces but challenged on dirt trails with varying terrain).

Cross Country (great for the trail but less capable on paved surfaces)

Budget between $50-150.00 USD as there are many brands to choose from. One of my new favorite things to do is to go into the ever growing number of specialized running stores that are popping up all over the place. They typically will have machines/computers that can actually design or at least compare brands that best suit your unique body design (mainly your feet) and desired fitness plan.

Like the wise man once said, “I wouldn’t perform surgery on myself thus I call on a surgeon”, well we are talking about your feet here which hardly compares to a surgical procedure but if you do this right maybe the end result is you wont need a Surgeon? Food for thought. Ok, I had to throw that in there. Final note of consideration is inflammation and the ability for the body to recover from a fitness routine. Nature provides us with nutritional food products such as fruits and vegetables that provide all we need to help the body recover from exercising and thus keep inflammation at a level that is best for our bodies. Recent discoveries in the berry family have lead research to the amazon (no surprise here) for answers to our growing addiction to the ultimate relief from pain caused by inflammation.

There are many naturally occurring fruits and veggies to choose from. We have found one in particular that is providing great results for many of our friends, family and clients. The acai berry is found in the amazon and is now taking the market by storm.

It is very expensive to harvest and process as the antioxidant value is greatly depleted if not processed a certain way and brought to the market timely. The acai berry is undergoing more research and development and major universities in the USA and abroad. For more information on this exciting fruit you can contact me at our web site.

Treadmill Directions

Treadmill's today can offer you full physical fitness reports electronically showing you all the current body measurements flowing through the various sensors on the device. By keeping accurate and up to date records you can also start to see how the device is helping you with your overall fitness program. These advances are sometimes looked at as gimmicks and a way for the manufacturing company to add dollars to the cost of the units. We strongly disagree.

Working with your medical professional you can build a solid foundation of fitness and diet. Treadmills offer a great way to build a healthy fitness lifestyle gradually with little or no discomfort when performed properly. If you are unsure on what devices to buy we reccomend joining a gym for 2-3 months and use their equipment for a trial run. Once you have tested a few varieties you will have a better understanding of what works best for you and your desired fitness program. Below are a list of major providers of Treadmills: