Low Impact Exercise Equipment

Exercise Equipment for Home- Quick Tutorial of the Best Cardio Equipment for Home

The hectic lifestyles that we all lead can make it difficult if not impossible to make it to a costly gym several times a week.  However with the constant media focus on the obesity epidemic growing everyday it has never been more important to make a cardiovascular fitness routine a part of your everyday life.  Go ahead and cancel the gym membership and take a look at some of the most effective cardio exercise equipment for home to save you time, money and inches off your waist line.

Treadmill- The treadmill has been a home gym favorite for years now.  Treadmills allow you to walk, jog or run no matter what time of day it is or how inclimate the weather may be.  A quality treadmill that will last you a good long while will cost you close to $1,000, but that price usually includes a full digital display of your speed, distance traveled, heart monitor and optional incline to change up your work out. 

Since you are supporting your own body weight as resistance treadmills help to build bone density particularly in the legs.  However the constant pounding of your feet on the tread can lead to pain if you have problems with your knees or stiffness in joints.  In these cases try an elliptical machine for a similar workout that is much more forgiving and low impact.

As far as size they tend to be bulkier pieces of exercise equipment for home, but well worth it if you can afford one and have adequate space.  If you do any serious running you definitely want a treadmill because it most closely simulates the running motion.

Elliptical Cross Trainers- Elliptical machines offer a low impact work out that is similar to a treadmill.  Rather than pounding your feet repeatedly on a treadmill your feet never make contact with the ground, but rather operate on an oval gliding motion on foot pedals.  There is zero impact on your joints and they are much more compact than treadmills. 

Most elliptical trainers include swiveling handle bars for a full body work out.  Cross training helps you get the same aerobic cardiovascular work out that you would with a treadmill in less time by incorporating your upper body as well. 

As I mentioned earlier if you do any serious athletic running stick with a treadmill because the motion of distance running is much more similar than with the gliding motion of an elliptical.

Exercise Bikes- Another piece of home exercise equipment that is low impact for your joints.  Stationary bikes became a popular fitness alternative because, like the elliptical, they give a much more forgiving workout if you have bad knees. 

Exercise bikes work your legs, heart and lungs as well as giving you a better work out than an actual bike ride.  There's no "coasting" with a stationary bike so the distance you travel on the digital read out measures your actual distance pedaled and not all the intervals where you stopped pedaling to let the bike ride on sheer momentum.

Exercise bikes work well, but you would have to spend more time on a bike to get the same cardiovascular results as a treadmill or an elliptical trainer.  With bikes you are sitting down which takes pressure off of your joints, but also limits you strictly to a lower body pedaling motion. 

The fact that most exercise bikes are thinner than ellipticals and treadmills really plays in their favor.  If you have bad knees and limited space or you just enjoy bike riding then an exercise bike will serve you well.  If you have the resources and space you will see better health results with a treadmill or an elliptical trainer as your exercise equipment for home.

You definitely have options of getting a good workout right from the comfort of your own home.  The first challenge that you face is the willingness to get on the machine and put in a good work out, even after some of those long days at work. 

This may seem obvious, but if you get exercise equipment that you will enjoy using you will get more out of it.  For example, if you get a treadmill and find the work out is just too much for you or you flat out do not like it you will avoid it like the plague.  If you enjoy the gliding motion of an elliptical or like pedaling a stationary bike because you are a die hard bike fanatic you will use it more and get better health benefits.  You can get the same cardio benefits from any of these machines as long as you use them faithfully and push yourself a bit.

No matter where you live most private homes do not have the room to accomadate a real gym full of equipment, so you have to choose carefully to fit in the right equipment for your exercise routine.  The best exercise equipment for home is something that you can commit to using on a long term basis.  Evaluate your fitness goals and personal preferences to choose the right exercise equipment for you.

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Have You Thought of an Elliptical Trainer?

Elliptical machines are popular because they are low impact for your joints and the motion allows the average person to work out longer than on a treadmill. Check out my blog about the best elliptical for home for less than $1,000 to find the right exercise equipment for home and access huge discounts. Find the right exercise equipment for home today to help you reach all your fitness goals.

 

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