Archive for July, 2008
With the weather being beautiful outside, more people want to spend time outside and seem neglect their fitness workouts. Yes, it’s sometimes hard to use your home fitness equipment when you see the blue skies and the tress swaying to the breeze but you need to keep on track.
You were so excited to get that shiny new piece of exercise equipment and vowed to use it regularly. Now, you are tired of walking or pedaling to nowhere and dread the thought of exercising.
Use the following tips to make your workouts more interesting and they also help you to multi-task so that you have more free time to spend outside.
Music can help raise your energy and enthusiasm. Pick upbeat tunes for the main part of your workout, and use slower tunes to start off and end your routine. Or, you could just listen to your favorite radio station or CD.
Audio books can be a great way to pass the time. If you are interested in the book, you may even look forward to your workouts so that you can find out what happens next.
Television can be another way to make the time fly. You could watch your favorite shows or even watch a movie over several days. You might make the television off limits except when you are working out to give yourself extra motivation.
If you have a headset for your cell phone or telephone, this can be a great time to catch up on personal conversations. Note that you probably don’t want to conduct business or important conversations while exercising since you may get slightly out of breath, or the exercise equipment may be heard in the background.
Do you have a nice view from a window? Situate your equipment so that you can look outside. Watching wildlife or admiring beautiful scenery can keep you distracted from the tedium of your workout.
Try meditating while you are moving. Clear your mind, and focus on your body. Feel each movement and be mindful of your form. You can exercise both your mind and body at the same time.
Reading is another option. Again, if you get an interesting book and only allow yourself to read it while exercising, you can give yourself an extra push toward getting on that machine each day.
Brainstorm during your fitness time. Keep a pad of paper and pen handy, and jot down ideas that come to mind. You could make a to do list or write down plans for a new project. Or, think through potential solutions to a current problem that faces you.
Working on your laptop is another possibility. Specially made desks are available that can be adjusted so that you can use your computer while using a treadmill or exercise bike. You may have difficulty doing much typing, but you should be able to do light tasks such as reading email or surfing the net.
Don’t let your exercise equipment sit idle because you are bored with the whole idea of getting fit. You can make your workouts interesting and get fit at the same time.
Basketball, tennis, soccer and more are all great ways to exercise. They require only inexpensive equipment, get you out in the fresh air and provide a full body workout with huge cardiovascular benefits. But sports like these can be very hard on the joints. They stress the knees and ankles and may be inappropriate for older people or those who’ve recently had surgery or given birth.
Low-impact fitness gear to the rescue!
There are half a dozen different kinds of fitness equipment that offer the ability to build strength and coordination, improve balance and optimize joint health. Cardiovascular health and lung capacity are not neglected here, either.
Several of the items discussed below offer those benefits as part of an overall low-impact exercise program.
Rowing machines, for example, offer a full body workout that gives tremendous cardiovascular benefits with little stress on the joints. On the contrary, a rowing machine helps improve joint health by keeping supporting muscles strong and encouraging lubrication.
Stationary bikes or spinning cycles also provide a great cardio workout as they emphasize development of the hamstrings, quadriceps and glutes. They really work the muscles that stabilize the knees and provide similar benefits to ankle joints.
Stair stepping is another low-impact exercise and stair steppers are usually less expensive than many other items in the home gym. They keep knee-stabilizing quadriceps firm as they help shape up the calves and give an all-round good cardio workout.
For those with a little bigger budget a treadmill is a superb piece of low-impact fitness equipment.
Walking in general is great for health.
But sometimes sidewalks can be a little hard on the ankles and knees. Also, you may want to keep 
your workout indoors for reasons of safety or convenience, especially if you tend to exercise in the evenings.
A Treadmill is the perfect low-impact item to help you achieve those values. Also when you have a treadmill in your home you can workout everyday even if the weather outside is dismal. You can also walk a few minutes here and a few minutes as you find the time.
An elliptical trainer is the latest must-have addition to the home gym, but it’s not just a fad. Over the years since their introduction they’ve proven their worth. They help improve coordination, develop leg and back muscles, and optimize the cardiovascular system. But, unlike the outdoor exercises they emulate an elliptical doesn’t stress the joints.
Even a weight machine can provide a whole set of low-impact exercises that build strength, tone, curb body fat and burn calories. Weight machine exercises do put some stress on joints, to be sure. But there’s a big difference in effect on the knees between, say, a leg-press that works the hamstrings, calves and quads and the pounding that jogging entails.
There are a variety of reasons that finding low-impact exercises can be near the top of someone’s fitness goals. Recent surgery or other medical condition, advancing age, or a dozen other life circumstances can make it important to take extra care with joints and bones. Fortunately, there are several items of fitness equipment that make it easy to satisfy those goals.
The treadmill shown is the ProForm CrossWalk 500 Treadmill
Please note that the model 6.45M has been discontinued. To see all of of the available models from Smooth please visit SmoothFitness.com
