The benefits of exercise are well-documented. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case with advertising claims for exercise equipment.Some advertisers claim that their exercise products offer a quick, easy way to shape up, keep fit, and lose weight. The truth is, there’s no such thing as a no-work, no-sweat way to a healthy, toned body. Deriving the benefits of exercise requires doing the work.

Before you jump into the next home fitness fad, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers this advice: Exercise good judgment and evaluate advertising claims for exercise products carefully.

Evaluating Fitness Equipment Claims

Read the performance claims with some skepticism. Beware of anyone that say the equipment can:

provide easy or effortless results or burn excessive calories. The claims may be true for athletes in top physical condition, but not for most people.
Read the rest of this entry »

Looking to make a change and lose some weight? I have reviewed the top diet on the internet and you can go and read over 200 comments people have made about why this diet has worked well for them, as well as some of the problems.

Getting started in weightlifting means that you will probably need some weight lifting equipment. Hopefully you have been looking around for this but I will try to give you a good idea of the equipment that you will need.

First of all there are two kinds of equipment for weight training. There are weights and bars and there is equipment that will help you to use those weights and bars.

Weight training equipment – Weights and Bars

In looking for weights and bars it is a good idea to have weights that will work on short bars (like for one armed curls) as well as on longer bars (for two armed curls or bench press). I have always tried to have a variety of weights from 2.5 pounds to 10 pounds and I have bought metal weights instead of those crappy plastic ones as they take a lot less space. Read the rest of this entry »

Losing weight and staying fit might seem like it is an uphill battle at times. The process does take a lot of patience and hard work, but many people get frustrated or lose sight of their goals only after a few short months. While being physically fit definitely takes effort, there are some things you should remember in order to stay successful in your fitness journey.

Keep these three simple tips in mind when you embark on the path towards a healthier you, and you should be successful in due time.

You have to change your lifestyle. Being fit does not just mean you can walk a great distance for a long period of time, or that you are not sick. True physical fitness requires an actual lifestyle change. Quitting smoking and the consumption of alcohol (except in moderation) as well as eating a healthier diet and getting proper exercise all require a change in the way you live your life. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying in-home fitness equipment is quite a large investment that can cost you a few hundred dollars. With so many TV advertisements and celebrity endorsements, it can become difficult to decide which piece of fitness equipment is right for you. Everyone claims that their endorsed product works the best. The fact is that no two people are alike, so it’s important to know what to look for before you buy.

First, think about the areas of your body you’d like to tone. For example, if you just want to build stamina and improve the leg muscles, a stationary bike is a good choice. If building strong upper body muscles is more up your alley, think about buying some good weights. Think about the spots of your body you want to work on the most, and then buy the equipment accordingly.

Another very important factor to think about when choosing fitness equipment is how interesting it is to use. It may sound a bit odd, but if you spend several hundred dollars on something, it should be a piece of equipment you plan to use for many years. Think about workouts you’re already doing, and come up with the ones you really enjoy. Then, match the equipment and exercise style with the workouts you already love.

If you like to do something every day, the odds are better that you’ll stick with it. Another factor to consider is how well the product will work. Just because it has a lot of bells and whistles or is very expensive does not mean it will work the way you intended it to. Do some research and find out which pieces out there are truly effective.

Find out if the equipment you’re looking at will adjust to your needs. In other words, does that treadmill you’ve been eyeballing only have one setting, or can you increase the speed and resistance? If the piece is only able to do one thing over and over, eventually your body will adjust and it’s almost as if you’re no longer doing anything.

Look for equipment that works well for you, and can adjust to your fitness needs. As you increase difficulty levels, you are also increasing the muscle mass, lung capacity, and other benefits of following a physical fitness program with the help of equipment. By following these simple tips, you can ensure that the investment you make today will be worth it for many years to come.

Most modern day households have more stuff than ever before. Finding a good way to organize your home and get the most out of your space can be challenging. For those who live in small apartments, finding free space is also a challenge. If you’re working on a fitness plan, finding portable fitness machines is a great way to get the equipment you need without worrying about losing precious space.

Basically, portable equipment is something that can be compacted and fold down to a smaller size, and then stored away until it is ready to use. Most fitness equipments that are portable can be tucked away either into a closet or even under the bed. The set up should be easy so that you can get moving in a short period of time, and then take the equipment down just as easily to be stored away.

Another great benefit to the portable version of a fitness machine is that it can be taken other places as well. If you friend calls and wants you to come over for a workout, you can put the equipment in the trunk of your car and head on over with it. It’s great fun since you can offer for others to try it also. The smaller, portable fitness equipment is also usually a bit less expensive than its larger, non-movable counterparts.

Fitness equipment should be fun to use and it doesn’t necessarily have to have an entire computer hooked up to it in order to do its job. Not all of this equipment has to be mechanical either. It can be something as simple as a jump rope, hand weights, or a bar that hangs over the door and allows you to do pull ups and crunches.

A great fitness DVD is another great version of a portable piece of fitness equipment. Invite a few friends over to a central gathering place and have your own private teacher in your home gym.

If you like to work out outdoors, portable equipment is also great because you can simply stash it in your backpack and go. It’s lightweight and simple to use, and does a great job of getting you in shape without the use of a power cord. Resistance cables and large inflatable balls are other examples of simple fitness equipment that can be taken anywhere you go, and can help you to improve your overall health.

There are way too many exercise machines and tools available out there to choose from. If you are confused and overwhelmed by the latest and greatest exercise equipments and don’t know which one to go for, I don’t blame you at all. You know, every time I see those infomercials showing a man burning fat simply by attaching an exercise gadget on his belly while watching a movie show at the same time, I have to laugh hard, for I know only too well how ‘good’ (read bad) these exercise gadgets are.

Unlike real workout equipments, exercise gadgets lack the power of commanding the attention of masses for long. Once people are disappointed with a gadget, it goes off the market, only to be replaced by a “newer, better and more efficient” model. Each time you buy one of these gadgets, you are literally throwing your precious cash down the drain.

Now, if you wish to burn fat while watching movies, that is not a bad idea at all; in fact, you can do what you want with the help of correct fitness equipment. Right now there are two major home fitness equipments available, treadmills and elliptical trainers. In this article I will compare and contrast the two so that it becomes easy for you to choose one of them.

1. Little body movement: With treadmills, you need to actually walk, jog or run on the treadmill in order to burn fat and lose weight. On the other hand, elliptical trainers help you burn fat totally hands-free. They require very little concentration on your part.

Unlike treadmills, elliptical trainers don’t force you to take your feet off the pedals. In other words, elliptical trainers literally let you run in the air without using your legs or hands. Being low impact, you don’t run the risk of muscle or bone injury, the reason why ellipticals are so popular among the disabled, elderly and physically injured people.

2. Full body workout with less concentration: With treadmills, you need to be concentrated on your workout pattern at all times, keep changing the speeds and incline constantly and make sure that you are walking or running at the right speed. With elliptical trainers, most of these tasks can be done automatically.

When you turn on the machine, your feet are revolved in an elliptical fashion while you hold on to the handlebars firmly; mind you, all the while you don’t need to move your feet at all. Elliptical trainers don’t force you to stay concentrated throughout the whole workout session. In fact, you can safely turn on the equipment and watch your favorite movies and shows while it does its job at the background. And unlike those ab crunching machines, it helps you burns fat from and tones up ALL parts of your body.

With elliptical trainers, you don’t need to move a muscle in order to burn fat. For example, let’s say that you wish to burn fat from your belly and arms. You don’t need to move your belly and arms in order to burn fat from there; elliptical trainers would start burning fat from one part of your body, then quickly switch on to another part, then next, and so on. Elliptical trainers work so fast that compared to treadmills, you would actually end up burning more calories in less time.

So which home fitness equipment is the best? I personally prefer elliptical trainers since they not only offer low impact and full body workouts but also help me burn more fat in less time. I am the type of person who cannot bear with intense workouts for too long. Being a complete introvert, I have little interest in walking, jogging or running; as such, treadmills are definitely not for me.

On the other hand, if you have a preference for outdoor activities such as walking and running, or want to get involved in intense workouts, then treadmills are definitely for you. Keep in mind that there is no such thing as “best fitness equipment”; at the end of the day, you should choose the one that best suits your body and mindset.

When it comes to home based exercise equipments, there is simply no dearth of options. You have got treadmills, elliptical trainers, and a lot more to choose from. But guess which equipment is currently riding high on market popularity? It is the elliptical trainer. A recent study revealed that as many as six million people have now made the elliptical trainer their primary exercise machine. So what is the reason behind the growing popularity of elliptical trainers?

A great virtue of elliptical trainers is that unlike other workout machines, they can be used by anyone and everyone. Whether you are injured, pregnant, beginner, seasoned athlete or a bodybuilder, elliptical trainers are suitable for you. Those who are either recovering from injury or are just starting out simply love the elliptical trainer, for it puts very little strain on their bodies. This is the same treason why ellipticals are also used by pregnant women to stay fit and healthy.

On the other hand, they can also be used for doing challenging workouts; this is the reason why it is a hit among athletes and bodybuilders alike. Fitness freaks love the fact that an elliptical trainer not only needs less concentration on their part but also helps them workout on the whole body rather than a specific part.

Elliptical trainer is probably one of the most versatile and flexible machine in the group of home-based fitness equipments. No wonder it has fans from all walks of life.

Elliptical trainers offer something for everyone. Do you want to lose weight without spending a lot of time on workouts? Do you wish to burn fat while watching your favorite television soap? Do you want to do light, low impact exercises that help you burn fat and gain muscle without putting a lot of strain on your body? Are you a professional athlete and want to do some challenging and intense workouts? Elliptical trainer is the right machine for you no matter what your goal is.

Elliptical trainers are available under many different brands and price tags. You can get an elliptical for anywhere between a few hundred bucks to a few thousand, depending on your needs and requirements such as the bells and whistles you want, the durability and warranty of the equipment, etc.
If you are new to elliptical trainers, here is one word of advice: make sure that the equipment you are buying has all the following features:

a) Easily adjustable incline, speed and directions.

b) Handle bars to support the upper part of your body.

c) Decent-sized foot platforms.

d) A strong and well-built frame.

A decent treadmill can help you do any type of workout, be it cardios, interval training, weight training, etc. Just remember that while you don’t necessarily need to buy the most expensive model available out there, you shouldn’t be a cheapo and buy an inferior model that would be hardly of any use to you.

Unless you have been living under a huge rock for a long time, you simply cannot deny the fact that elliptical trainers are the latest craze among fitness freaks. Apart from exercise bikes and treadmills, elliptical trainers offer you the most complete workout you could get at your home. Unlike other fitness equipments, elliptical trainers put very little strain on your body. In fact, they are so easy on body that if you watch a movie while exercising, you won’t even feel like you are exercising.

There are various types of elliptical trainers available in the market. You would want one which is decently built and affordable for your pocket. Yes, I know it is not an easy task, what with numerous brands trying hard to grab your attention with their flashy promises. Elliptical trainers come at several different price tags, ranging from $1,400 to $6,000, and are manufactured by several brands some of which are Life Fitness, Precor, Quantum Fitness, SportsArt Fitness, etc. So which is the best choice for you? Well that is exactly what I am going to discuss in the following article.

If you have never used an elliptical trainer, I would suggest that you join your local gym and try out the fitness equipments there at first. Once you get a hang of them, it would be easy for you to decide whether elliptical trainers are good for you or not. The next thing you need to do is to know the amount of calories you are required to burn on a daily basis; this is something you can learn from a doctor or nutritionist.

As a matter of fact, a decent elliptical trainer can help you burn as many as 750 calories or more per hour. So, if you want to burn 1,500 calories per day, you don’t need to workout for more than two hours.

When buying a home-based fitness equipment, one thing you should keep in mind is the amount of space available in your room for installing it. Treadmills usually take a lot of space unless you go for the portable versions which have limited functionalities. In contrast, elliptical trainers are very compact in size and as such, are great if you live in little condos or apartments like many others.

Make sure that the equipment you buying gives you a smooth and warm feeling when you workout with it. Elliptical trainers are known to put minimal stress on your body, so much so that you won’t even feel like you are exercising.

As for prices, I have found that in general you can get stuff cheaper from an online store than your local store; this is as much true for fitness equipments as other things. Before you buy a fitness equipment, it is probably a good idea to compare the prices of an online store with that of your local store.

On the other hand, if you wish to try out a model before buying it, then the local fitness store would be your ideal destination. You can try out the equipment for a few days until you get a feel of it. Once you are satisfied with the functionalities of the equipment, you can easily buy it from an online store at a bargain price.

If you are going to buy a second-hand or used equipment, then you should definitely head over to sports equipment stores. A lot of these stores sell quality fitness equipments at rock bottom prices. Even though these equipments carry the “used” tag, you have nothing to worry. As a matter of fact, more than half of those who buy exercise equipments never use it at all; as such, you can safely buy one without any worries.

In the end, you will want to get a quality elliptical trainer even if it comes with a decent price tag. Sacrificing quality for the sake of price is not a very good idea, especially when it comes to fitness equipments. Remember that when you are investing in fitness equipments, you are essentially investing in the health and well being of your body. Investing in elliptical trainers is probably one of the best things you could do for your health.

If you thought you could never buy a high quality elliptical trainer, there is good news for you. There are many people who cannot afford a brand new elliptical trainer, and so, an array of fitness equipment manufacturers have come up with remanufactured, refurbished and used models of elliptical trainers to serve these people. If these terms confuse you, read on to find out the difference between the three models. You would then find it easier to decide on which one to pick up for yourself.

Health clubs are probably the most frequent buyers of refurbished and remanufactured fitness equipments, whether they are elliptical trainers or treadmills. And why not – after all, these are refurbished models of advanced level of equipments.

If you are out to buy an advanced level of equipment and find the $3k price tag a bit too high for your pocket, you could save big by purchasing its refurbished or remanufactured version. To give you an idea, if you buy a refurbished version of a $3000 elliptical trainer, you could easily get it at a cheap $2,000 or even less.

It is important to keep in mind that the words “refurbished”, “remanufactured” and “used” are NOT synonyms; rather, they mean different things. Unless you know how to differentiate between the three models, you might end up getting a raw deal. At the end of the day, you would need to do as much research for a refurbished treadmill as you would before buying a brand new model; after all, you won’t want to invest in a cr*p equipment that barely lasts a few months.

1. Remanufactured elliptical trainers: When an elliptical trainer becomes more than two years old, it is usually taken back to its original manufacturer for repair and maintenance. Once there, it is “remanufactured” or rebuilt by adding new spare parts, coating and other stuff, thereby making it as good as a brand new machine. In my opinion, if you are going to buy a second-hand elliptical trainer, purchasing a remanufactured equipment would probably be your bet, because they are being rebuilt by the original equipment manufacturer instead of private individuals.

Do note that remanufactured fitness equipments usually come with a very short warranty period. Be sure to check the warranty details about the elliptical trainer you are going to invest in.

2. Refurbished elliptical trainers: Unlike remanufactured ellipticals which are almost always rebuilt by the original manufactured and then offered for sale at a deep discount, refurbished ellipticals can either be rebuilt by the manufacturing company or individual fitness equipment dealers. As such, the process of maintenance is not as rigorous and thorough as the remanufactured models. Overall, this is the second best choice you have in the area of used elliptical trainers.

On the plus side, if the equipment is rebuilt by a fitness equipment dealer, it would usually come with a longer warranty than the equipments remanufactured by the manufacturing company.

3. Used elliptical trainers: Just in case you don’t know, half of those who buy fitness equipments never actually use them, and eventually sell them after a few years. There is another group of people who sell a fitness equipment that has become old and useless.

More often than not, you won’t get any warranty with a used elliptical trainer, meaning that if you get stuck with post-purchase problems, you would be basically on your own with no one to indemnify you. This is probably the riskiest transaction for a customer and you should consider this option only as a last resort.

If you are new to elliptical trainers, it may be hard for you to pick up the best equipment for yourself. Elliptical trainers are available under so many different brands and price tags that it can be literally confusing and bewildering for a novice to select the best of them. At the end of the day, you would want to get the best bang for your buck – a machine that is decency built and priced. So how do you find such an elliptical trainer in this over-crowded market? In the following article I will tell you about two things you MUST consider when buying an elliptical trainer.

1) The price tag: Price is probably one of the major things that influence a buyer’s decision. If you are on a tight budget, you would naturally go for the cheapest model available. However, if you take a long and hard look on your health, you would actually realize that spending a bit extra would cause you much less headache than otherwise.

Let me tell you about my story. I was a cheapo as far as fitness equipments are concerned. Naturally, when a $400 elliptical hit the market, I fell for it fairly and squarely. I promptly got it installed in my room and started working out.

Unfortunately, the machine hardly lasted for more than 3 months. By the fourth month, it had developed a loud, shrill noise that was impossible for me to bear. I called on a few experts for repairing the machine but to no avail. In the end, it was a huge waste of time and money, not to mention the huge frustration it caused me. Had I invested a bit more in the equipment, I would have probably still been using it. Don’t be a fool like me and expect to invest at least $800-$900 in a decent equipment.

If you are serious about fitness, you would want to buy an equipment that lasts your lifespan at the very least, if not your posterity. If you consider the lifetime value of an elliptical trainer, you would actually be saving money in the long run by investing in a quality equipment.

2) The manufacturing company: You don’t necessarily need to get carried away by the name and popularity of a brand, but at the same time, you won’t want to buy from a sub-standard equipment manufacturer because that would simply leave a bitter taste in your mouth. While buying an elliptical trainer, you would want to check the following:

a) Whether your purchase comes with a warranty and if yes, the length of the warranty period offered as well as the parts of the equipment covered/not covered by the warranty.

b) Whether your purchase comes with a strong return policy or not. No matter how far and wide you research a product, the possibility of getting a raw deal is something you simply cannot rule out. Even though most decent companies offer you a “hassle-free, 30 day money back guarantee”, it is still important to check out the return policy of the manufacturer before making a purchase.

c) The reputation of the company, the length of time it has been in business, the experiences of other customers with this company’s products, whether the company prominently displays its contact information on its storefront (this is something you should check when making an online purchase), etc. fitnessman220 hebold11