Getting older isn’t bad. Looking older and becoming ill or weak, that’s what’s bad. A crosstrainer can add years of healthy living. The health benefits of exercise are widely known. A sedentary lifestyle increases your chance of heart disease and early death by more than smoking or eating a poor diet, according to research at the University of Hong Kong. Their study showed that the couch potatoes even increased their risk of cancer, by 45 percent if they were men and 28 percent if they were women.
According to a January 2011 article in The Journal of the American Medical Association, the size of the gait and speed was another measure for longevity. Those walking faster simply skirted death longer than those with a slower pace did. Maybe they simply outran it or had the faster speed because of their increased fitness. The second is the most rational choice.
Exercise May Be as Simple as Walking
People keep in shape by walking but that’s not always possible for those who live in areas where walking is dangerous or inclement weather frequently occurs making walking impossible. Even though the early morning mall walkers may extol the virtues and pleasure of walking an empty mall, dressing and driving to the mall may deter many good intentions. That’s why having exercise machines that offer the ability to cross-train can increase your chances of working out on schedule.
Simply keeping your body moving does more for you than exercise your legs. Walking offers other benefits such as lowering blood sugar levels, blood pressure and cholesterol. Of course, by lowering these risks, you also lower the risk of diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke, which are becoming epidemic in American society.
Walking or other forms of exercise do something else for those that participate. They increase the output of endorphins, serotonin and dopamine, which increase your potential for a good mood while eliminating depression. Exercise also burns cortisol. Your body makes cortisol when you’re angry, afraid or under stress. By burning it, it relieves the stress and simply makes you happier. There’s no reason to become the grumpy old man or woman on the block, no matter what your age, when you exercise.
Start Today
Most people think they have to run a marathon or make their cross training machines whirl madly around when they first begin an exercise regimen. That’s simply not true. You don’t have to walk rapidly if you’re out of shape, in fact, a slower pace can help protect you and build the muscles and stamina for the longer faster exercise once you’re in shape. Simply moving is the answer.
Those who are out of shape often worry that they’ll walk too far and not have the stamina to get home. That’s another reason exercise equipment in the home, such as elliptical trainers, are beneficial. You’re always at home and can push yourself slightly without worrying. Once you develop the stamina and cardiovascular endurance for any distance, you can “strut your stuff” outside to show off to the neighborhood. For those confused about the best type of training equipment to purchase, consider using online trainer reviews as your guide.
Creating an Exercise Plan
You’ll need to assess your level of fitness before you begin any plan. If you worry about being fit enough to walk the length of the block and back, start inside the house first. While exercise equipment is beneficial, you don’t need to wait until you purchase it. You can begin by simply mapping out a path in the interior of your home. Walk at whatever pace you feel comfortable or walk in place if necessary. As long as you can still move, you still can improve your fitness, but it will take dedication and time.
If you feel comfortable walking outside, look for routes that don’t require dodging traffic and have pleasant scenery. Some people find that walking for a purpose, such as to a local restaurant or grocery can increase their desire to walk. Even though you might have the perfect weather and setting for walking outside, consider adding some fitness equipment for both aerobic fitness and muscle tone. You can use these pieces when your schedule or the weather precludes outside walking and reap the benefit of toning your upper body too.
Machines to Help You to Reach Your Goals
While simple barbells or even heavy soup cans work for weight training, you have a number of fitness machines from which to select that substitute for walking and building aerobic endurance. The one you choose depends on your preferences, physical concerns and room space. Exercise bikes, and rowing machines tend to be harder on the joints than crosstrainers. The proper use of rowing machines are also harder to learn, and don’t provide weight bearing exercise, which prevents osteoporosis, as the crosstrainers do. You’ll also note that the crosstrainers tend to take up less space than a full-sized treadmill.
If you check elliptical trainer reviews, you’ll find there are numerous companies that offer more than one elliptical machine. Look for one that fits your pocketbook, but make sure that it is dependable and easy to use. If it costs you more in repair over the years, you’re not only losing money, you’re losing precious workout time.
Walking for the Fit and Less-than-Fit
You don’t have to be out of shape to add walking to your exercise program. It’s simple and easy to do and creates a nice break from more strenuous exercise while still maintaining your fitness and increasing your metabolism. If you participate in other sports, you’ll find that walking increases your stamina as well as your muscle tone, to help prevent injury.
However, you don’t have to be a pro basketball star to begin the regimen of walking. In fact, you can start today since there’s no learning curve involved, no competition and nobody watching, if you tire out in a few minutes. If you don’t own any indoor exercise equipment, don’t wait until you purchase a piece, just get moving. As you begin to feel fit, your day won’t be complete without some form of exercise.
Those with a more demanding schedule will love having the equipment in the house so they can fit exercise easily into their day. Those who are retired will love the fact they increase their fitness before they start their jaunt down the street and don’t have to wait for sunny weather or summer to begin if they have a trainer or other exercise equipment in their home.
Have you considered a crosstrainer (elliptical trainer) or any other means of staying fit? Share your thoughts!
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