Ahh the holidays - time for family, good cheer and of course, those not-so-good, pesky extra pounds. Naturally exercise equipment becomes a hot item as the year draws to a close, and many will give it as a gift for Christmas, anticipating the recipient’s need for it in the New Year. Although it’s highly recommended to use a little tact when presenting fitness equipment as a Christmas gift to your spouse or significant other, this article provides other essential information that will help you in choosing quality products that will save you money while sparing your ego.

Tips for buying home treadmills

Treadmills are perennial favorites when it comes to cardio equipment. The benefits they offer include improved cardiovascular fitness, movement and function. The disadvantages may be that they can be difficult to get used to initially and can be high impact for grossly overweight individuals or those with joint or bone pain.

• Go with a brand name you have heard of like Smooth, Keys, Nordic Track, Reebok or similar.

• Quite often with cardio equipment you “get what you pay for” so be willing to spend about $1000.00 + dollars for a lifelong fitness investment.

• Check the warrantee – most quality manufacturers should offer a lifetime warrantee on the frame, (up to) 10 years on the motor, 1 year on the parts and 90 days on the labor.

• Check the motor, aim for at least a continuous duty 1.5 HP or higher motor – a continuous duty motor ensures that regardless of pace, the output remains the same.

• Consider the space you have available – most treadmills intended for home use fold up but some do not, check before you buy.

• Consider the running surface area you will need too: if you are tall or some of the intended users are tall, then their stride length will be longer and you will need a longer belt (56 “).

• Check the options you want like pre-programmed workouts like interval training, hills, fat burn etc. and for heart rate monitor compatibility if you plan on using one.

Tips for buying elliptical trainers

Elliptical trainers have become very popular lately and for good reason. Ellipticals offer a zero impact, full body cardio workout and are very user friendly too.

• As for treadmills, aim for a well-known brand with a good warrantee (lifetime frame, 2-3 years parts and 1 year labor).

• Be prepared to spend about the same for a good elliptical as you would for a comparable quality treadmill.

• Test it out if possible, an elliptical needs to feel “right” – does it suit your stride length, is the movement smooth and not jerky, is it easy to mount and dismount and will it fit in your allotted space?

• Take into consideration that handles requiring you to push and pull will greatly increase caloric expenditure – so if you plan to use the elliptical machine to lose weight or get fit faster, this an important option.

• Consider other options like: adjustable incline, pre-programmed workouts and heart rate monitoring.

Tips for buying home strength training equipment

While in the past it may have been standard advice when purchasing home strength training equipment to buy a multi-station gym, the latest concept in the fitness industry however is functional training and functional training equipment.

Functional training is a method of exercising that when it is performed results in increased human function. For example, performing squats with a pair of dumbbells in each hand will transfer and benefit functional activities and make activities such as getting out of a chair or car and lifting objects easier.

Functional training equipment is hot stuff and includes items like adjustable cable columns, exercise/stability balls, medicine balls, adjustable dumbbells, rubber tubing and balance training products. All these products are extremely versatile and fun to use, making them an even greater value for money.

• A stability ball is possibly one of the best and least expensive fitness gifts to give this season since they’re so versatile (use them as an exercise bench or chair) and also help to strengthen your core muscles, which are essential for improving posture and stabilizing your low back to prevent and permanently treat pain.

• Adjustable dumbbells have become very popular too; their use for home strength training is limited only by your imagination; plus depending on your choice of model, allow you to select a weight anywhere from 5 to 50 pounds with the turn of a dial or a flip of a switch.

• Balance training products are forecast to be the best sellers of all functional training equipment – items like foam balance pads, beams and rollers, wobble boards, inflatable discs and BOSU balls are fun to use and allow you to train your sense of balance and core muscles in functional positions like standing and lunging.

• Medicine balls are a great value too – like dumbbells their use for strength and core training is limited only by your imagination but are also ideal for increasing sports specific power for the golfer or young athlete in the family. Some medicine balls bounce like a basketball while others have molded handles and even ropes attached to them making them even more fun and challenging.

The options of universal home gyms are endless, and in order to determine the right one to purchase for your home, you need to define your goals and consider the type of stations that can help you reach those goals.

All too often homes are littered with unused universal home gyms that substitute for clothes hangers. To avoid this, choose affordable home gyms with the stations that will give you the right kind of workouts.

Is your goal to lose weight, build strength or just maintain your current muscle tone? It pays off to do your homework and read what muscle group each station will workout.

Multi station home gyms offer you a complete strength building workout for the entire body. Depending on the model, some universal home gyms with multi stations allow for more then one person to workout at once.

This is ideal for a couple or a family that realizes the importance of keeping fit. The multi station home gyms are designed to offer a full body workout in a compact design.

You still need to consider placement of universal home gyms so you will have plenty of room for your workout. Designing a Home Gym offers some good tips on considerations of your home gym location.

Universal home gyms offer you health club quality strength training in the comfort of your own home. If time is a factor they are an ideal way to stay in shape.

The important thing to remember when choosing universal home gyms is to get the right one so you will work out regularly and reach your fitness goals.

An elliptical machine workout is perfect if you want to workout your entire body. If you are ready to kick your existing workout up a notch add an elliptical machine to tone and work your entire body.

An elliptical machine workout is great for any level of exerciser from beginner to more advanced. Elliptical machines are widely used in gyms across the country and they are available for home use as well.

They come in any price range to make them more obtainable to all different budgets. The great benefit of elliptical machine workouts is they can help you lose weight, increase your energy levels, and increase your overall health in just 30 minutes a day.

Using a full body workout machine can help you get a great workout for your entire body in a shorter amount of time than other machines can. It is also easier on your joints than other workouts and can give great results.

Adding regular exercise into your day can increase your energy levels and even help to lift depression. These are great benefits of the elliptical machine workouts.

An elliptical exercise trainer is a perfect machine for at-home use. It takes the movement of stepping and combines it with cross-country skiing. Some machines even have poles for you to use to get a full body workout that will work every major muscle group in your body.

It can provide a more complete workout than even jogging can give you. The great thing is that you can exercise within the comfort of your own home during the cold winter months and during the extreme hot summer months.

To vary your elliptical machine workout you can reverse your motion to use even more muscles. Increasing the intensity for a few minutes makes it more challenging and interesting to you.

Keeping your routine interesting can help you to remain committed in your quest for better health. Commitment is the key to getting results with any exercise regimen, including an elliptical machine workout.

If you are looking for a great full body workout machine consider purchasing an elliptical trainer. With the health benefits that the elliptical exercise trainer can help you achieve you will be feeling healthier in no time.

If you are committed to achieving better health, start an elliptical machine workout program today