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The Fitness and Health Report
Information for a Healthy Life
September 30 Issue 3
IN THIS ISSUE:
- How to Evaluate and Purchase Quality Home Exercise Equipment
- Staying Motivated
- Top 10 Lifestyle Tools
How to Evaluate and Purchase Quality Home Exercise Equipment
If you are reading this, it is probably no coincidence you are thinking
about buying home exercise equipment. We at IDEA think that's great news,
because encouraging people around the world to get and stay active is
what we do. Great news, too, since study after study proves what we've
known since we were kids: moving around is good for us, mind body and
soul.
But we've also known someone (maybe even you?) who has brought exercise
equipment home, only to have it end up gathering dust in the garage or
doubling as a laundry hanger. Maybe you did not see the results it promised.
On the other hand, perhaps you just did not enjoy the activity you performed
on it. Whatever the reason, that is too bad, since fitness equipment not
used equals health benefits not realized.
We want to make sure this time, you take home equipment you will enjoy
using . . . and use regularly. So, we've taken everything we've learned
about home exercise equipment during our 15 years as the organization
for health and fitness professionals worldwide, and distilled it into
this informational guide.
Better Equipment and More Choices than Ever
The good news is, today's home exercise equipment is better constructed
and more effective-and offers you more options-than ever before. With
choice, however, can come confusion . . . especially since equipment now
comes in so many shapes, sizes and types, and is often marketed through
glossy direct mail packages and sophisticated infomercials. Prices can
range from $50 to $5,000 and up.
How can you possibly sort out all this information? Our panel of top
international fitness experts offers you these tips on how to evaluate
and choose quality exercise equipment.
STEP ONE-Determine Your Goals
Are you trying to lose weight? Do you want to get stronger or both? Knowing
your goals in advance will help you make sure the equipment you buy will
set you up for success, not disappointment. Determining your goal will
narrow your search to far fewer options.
STEP TWO-Don't Forget About You
What activities do you enjoy most? Which don't you like? If you avoid
taking stairs at all costs, you probably will not like working out on
a stairclimber/stepper-decreasing the chances you will use it regularly.
If you love to take brisk walks, a treadmill will give you a similar experience
any time of day or night, in any type of weather. The more you enjoy the
activity your equipment provides, the more often you will use it.
STEP THREE-Set Your Budget
How much do you have to spend? If you love that fancy, programmable $2,500
stairclimber at the gym, the $199 blue light special will probably prove
a huge disappointment-but a basic, quality $600-800 model might work great.
A good strategy is to spend most of your budget on one solid aerobic training
piece, say a high-quality treadmill, then build around it with inexpensive
strength training equipment such as tubing and dumbbells.
STEP FOUR-Decide on Features and Functions
From televised displays to digital readouts, much of today's equipment
incorporates an amazing amount of high technology. However, these "bells
and whistles" often come at a price. Ask yourself if timers, heart
rate monitors, calories-burned displays and the like will motivate you.
If so, and you can afford them, great. If not, rest assured that a basic,
good-quality piece will provide just as effective a workout. And you can
often duplicate many features by using kitchen timers, keeping an exercise
log with handwritten entries, even learning how to take your own pulse.
Other considerations include a reading rack, ease of adjusting variables
such as tension, resistance and seat height, water bottle holders, and
whether it folds up.
STEP FIVE-Ask Questions!
Ask about warranties, return policies, satisfaction guarantees, frequency
and cost of repairs. In most cases, a reputable dealer will let you to
try out your new equipment at home for a specified time period, say, 30
days, and allow you to return it for a full refund or merchandise credit.
The dealer should take care of pick-up, delivery and set-up.
Also, be sure to talk to the dealer about repairs and maintenance-they
should have a trained technician on staff or on a consultant basis to
handle repairs and maintenance. Most product warranties cover manufacturing
defects and labor charges for at least one year. You won't enjoy the same
service when buying direct by TV, direct mail or Internet!
STEP SIX-Using And Storing Your New Equipment
Many people anxiously await delivery of their new stationary bicycle
or home gym-only to find it does not fit in the space they had planned
to put it! Measure the actual footprint of your new equipment, and consider
ventilation, electrical outlets, and noise problems for neighbors, even
storage. Plus, consider placing a rubber mat under the equipment to reduce
noise and absorb sweat and grease.
EQUIPMENT CATEGORIES
Aerobic Fitness Equipment
Stationary bicycles work the legs through the pedaling motion of a bicycle.
Some models are used sitting upright, others recumbent (seated).
Treadmills let you walk or run at varying speeds. Some models simulate
inclines of various degrees, and many incorporate timers.
Nordic ski machines simulate the motion of cross-country (also called
Nordic) skiing and exercises the legs and arms simultaneously.
Stairsteppers/climbers duplicate the motion of climbing up a flight of
stairs. Some add upper- body exercise by simulating a pull-up climbing
motion with the arms.
Elliptical trainers are sort of a cross between a ski machine and a stairstepper,
and put your legs and feet through a circular, up-and-down motion.
Rowing machines work the back, arms and legs.
Aerobic riders exercise the arms and legs simultaneously through a push/pull
motion.
Strength Training Equipment
Free weights, sometimes called "barbells" or "dumbbells,"
are among the most common forms of home exercise equipment.
Multi-station machines, also known as "home gyms," typically
use resistance created by either rubber resistance or cables attached
to plated weights or flexible poles.
Bands and tubing are lightweight ways to strength train at your home,
office or while on the road.
This information is furnished by IDEA, the Health & Fitness Source,
as part of our mission to "Make Fitness Happen" worldwide. http://www.ideafit.com
Staying Motivated
By Chad Tackett
One way to stay motivated is to constantly remind yourself that a worth-while
pay-off lies ahead; a new, healthy, strong you is emerging. Effective,
consistent exercise will not only improve your overall health and fitness,
but will also improve your appearance, energy level, and social interactions.
Also, look forward to the many psychological benefits as well: confidence,
self-esteem, and relief from depression, anxiety and stress.
If you are serious about your health and well-being, you will take action
and begin an exercise program, and you will benefit in all these ways.
Once you see the results, you will become even more motivated. Action
creates motivation!
Set Goals
Goal-setting is another great way of staying motivated. Goals focus your
workout program and clarify what you are trying to achieve. As you attain
each goal, you gain encouragement and further motivation. Here is how
to achieve the goals you set and obtain the results you deserve.
1. Make sure your goals are measurable: A vague goal, such as "I
want to be fit," gives you nothing to shoot for. Decide when and
what you are going to achieve, such as "I want to lose 2 percent
of my body fat by August 1st."
2. Be realistic: Make sure your goals are attainable. If you set your
expectations too high, you will get frustrated and will be more likely
to quit. Make sure, however, that your goals are not too easy; they should
be challenging. When you achieve a challenging goal, your pride and satisfaction
will create more motivation.
3. Set short-term goals as stepping stones to your "ultimate"
(long-term) goals: If your long-term goal is to bench press 200 pounds
in one year, then set short-term weekly or monthly goals of the weight
you will need to bench press to achieve your long term goal--develop a
plan. It is a lot easier to accomplish a goal one day or week at a time,
such as increasing 2.5 or 5 pounds a week, than it is to think that you
need to increase your bench press by 50 pounds.
Make It Fun
Another way of assuring that you stay motivated is to make exercise fun.
If you perceive your workout as a chore, you more than likely will not
stick with it. Here are some techniques for making your workout something
to look forward to.
1. Add Variety: If your weightlifting is getting tedious and boring,
change one of these factors:
- Vary how often you do an exercise and the number of sets and reps you
do.
- Find an alternate exercise; for example, if you always do the bench
press using a barbell, try doing it with dumbbells or on a machine.
- Change the order of the exercises you do for each muscle group and the
muscle groups themselves.
2. Include Friends and Family: Training with a workout partner not only
makes your training session more fun, safe, and intense, but will also
increase the likelihood of your showing up at the gym. Make sure you pick
a partner whose goals and interests are similar to yours and who is willing
to spot you correctly and motivate you to do your best.
3. Fight Discouragement: If once in a long while you blow off a workout
because you choose to go out with friends, just accept and enjoy your
choice--do not feel guilty. Otherwise, the sense of failure can make it
harder to get yourself back on track. Focus on how much progress you have
made so far, not on how far you have to go.
4. Expect and Prepare for Plateaus: If you feel you have reached a plateau
and/or are bored, do not give up--this is a natural part of working out.
Make sure to vary the exercises, sets, repetitions and order of your workout--continually
search for new ways of making your routine fun and exciting.
5. Schedule your Workout: If you always exercise on the same days at
the same time, your routine will become a fixture in your life, not a
whim. Not going to the gym will feel unnatural. Including exercise into
your busy schedule will be an adjustment, and staying motivated will be
equally challenging. Change is difficult for many people. However, if
you have the willingness to work through the initial emotional discomfort
as you move step by step through a safe and effective program, you will
find the confidence, commitment and determination that will ease the way.
When you begin achieving great results, the excitement and fun you experience
will make the change well worth the effort Action creates motivation!
Good luck: I hope you enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy, active
lifestyle.
Chad Tackett is president of Global Health & Fitness
http://www.global-fitness.com, "Your on-line guide to healthy living
and optimal fitness."
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