A well-constructed treadmill is a piece of home exercise equipment that every member of your family can enjoy, from young to old. Treadmills have become the hottest home exercise equipment choice. If you are yet to invest in a serious piece of indoor exercise fitness equipment like a treadmill then never fear because help is at hand.

With treadmills you need to watch out for the impact involved when your feet hit the belt; your body absorbs up to two and a half times your body weight. A few treadmill models are powered by the user rather than a motor. Some treadmills fold up for easy storage which makes them an ideal choice for those with limited space in a small apartment, small house or condo.

The console indicates belt speed and other factors, such as heart rate, mph, distance, etc. Features such as extra cup holders, built-in fans, CD players and other electronic gizmos may be handy but not essential for you to get an ideal workout. The monitor indicates belt speed and other factors, such as heart rate, mph, and distance.

Safety features on a treadmill are especially important if you plan to work out alone or if you have small children who might accidentally start up the treadmill.

One feature that is absolutely necessary in a home treadmill is an emergency stop button or a safety key that automatically shuts off the power if you should stumble, trip or fall. Many of the treadmills available have the ability to add an incline to your workout to duplicate running or walking uphill, therefore increasing the intensity of a workout.

Notice that some treadmill heart rate monitors clip onto an ear or, for more accurate readings, strap on to the chest. A pre-programmed workout registers your heart rate without being connected to the treadmill by a cord or wire.

Treadmills are a very important investment, regardless of the price; if it’s not right for you, you don’t want to find this out after you’ve set the treadmill up at home. Consider bringing your water bottle and towel to the treadmill store and try out their treadmills. Any treadmill with a belt that causes jerky movements while you walk or run should be avoided.

Noise from the smallest repetitive sound can drive you nuts over a period of time and provide you with one more reason not to exercise. If you’re looking for a heavy-duty treadmill that can withstand running as well as walking, be prepared to spend more money. You’ll want a treadmill with an aluminum or high alloy steel frame that’s strong enough to support the heaviest runner who’ll be using it.

If there’s a treadmill you’ve enjoyed using regularly at your local gym or fitness center check to see if there’s a home version available in your price range.

Make sure to add in the cost of shipping when purchasing a treadmill online; quality models can be heavy, but some manufacturers do offer free shipping. It’s best to get a treadmill that has a warranty that lasts for at least a year.

You’ll probably want to buy a unit with a motor that delivers 1.5 to 3 continuous horsepower. Purchasing fitness equipment over the Internet has grown at a fast pace over the past few years. Most manufacturers of commercial treadmills found in gyms and health clubs also produce home versions. Make sure to check out the warranty, this is very important.

Be careful, any type of jogging or running, whether on a treadmill or not, puts strain on leg and hip joints. The more programs the treadmill offers the more you can vary your workout and then more likely you’ll continue exercising on a regular basis.

Selections of preprogrammed exercise routines are not essential to obtaining a good workout from a treadmill, but they do help to provide motivation. Better quality treadmills provide excellent cushioning to limit the impact on knees, ankles, hips and lower backs.

And remember, home exercise treadmills are a large investment financially and in your fitness and much thought and preparation should go into the purchase of any new treadmill. Buying a treadmill is a major purchase for most people. A treadmill is a good investment for anyone who has decided to make a conscious effort to become healthy and fit.

Helen Hecker
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/buy-treadmills-the-easy-way-115230.html

Copyright (c) 2007 SharpBrains

A year ago we wrote a Glossary where we defined Brain Fitness as “the general state of good, sharp, brain and mind, especially as the result of mental and physical exercise and proper nutrition” and a Brain Fitness Program as a “structured set of brain exercises, usually computer-based, designed to train specific brain areas and functions in targeted ways, and measured by brain fitness assessments.”

Now, thanks to a recent ELDR magazine article, we can add Brain Fitness Vacation to the glossary:

“A brain fitness vacation is like a regular vacation, only you attend events, do exercises, and arrange for experiences that address the aspects of good brain health: physical exercise, mental exercise, good nutrition, and stress management.”

Dave Bunnell, the founder and editor of new magazine ELDR (and previously editor of PC World, PC Magazine, Upside, and many other magazines) met Dr. Goldberg and myself after our speech in San Francisco State University last May. When he showed an interest in writing a story, and I mentioned half-jokingly that it would have to wait a few weeks since my wife and I were about to take a much needed “brain fitness vacation”, he said, well, maybe that’s the story!.

Here you have some of the activites mentioned in the article:

1) Guesstimation. Lisa asks Alvaro a question, “How many trees are there in San Francisco?” To come up with an answer, Alvaro first tries to guess how many trees, on average, there are in a city block. He then calculates approximately how many blocks there are in a square mile, followed by how many square miles there are in San Francisco, and so on.

2) Number Series. Alvaro says, “Two, three,” and Lisa replies, “four, six.” Alvaro then says, “Six, nine,” and Lisa replies, “Eight, twelve.” He says,”Ten, fifteen,” and the sequence goes on as long and as fast as you can keep doing it.

3) Haiku. During the entire vacation, Alvaro and Lisa composed haiku for each other every morning. The rule was they couldn’t write them down. They had to create them in their heads and remember them.

4) Sensory training. Lisa puts a piece of chocolate into Alvaro’s mouth while his eyes are closed. He lets it melt completely without chewing and without opening his eyes. Next, he puts a grape in Lisa’s mouth.

5) Visualizations. Alvaro and Lisa sit quietly for about 15 minutes, breathe deeply using their diaphragms, and visualize special moments from their past, such as the most beautiful view they’ve ever seen, or a loving personal moment.

I hope this gives you some ideas for your next trip with your partner!

Alvaro Fernandez
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/brain-fitness-vacations-for-baby-boomers-tips-for-staying-sharp-241279.html

Patience and Persistence will pay off. While many new moms want to emulate celebrities and return to their pre-pregnancy figures as quickly as possible, it is important to remember that pregnancy and birth take an enormous toll on your body. As frustrating as it may be, rushing into an intense workout regime can cause significant damage to your joints and ligaments if not planned properly. Because your body requires time to adjust to the changes brought on by birth, taking it slow is the best way to regain your figure while avoiding serious injuries. There are a number of specific exercises that have been developed for new mothers looking to strengthen their abdominal muscles and begin the process of reshaping their body.

The Importance of Exercise Following Pregnancy
Finding the time and energy to exercise after a pregnancy is a difficult challenge, but one that is very important to your overall health and happiness. Maintaining even a simple exercise regime that can be completed while baby naps can have a positive effect. Some benefits of post-natal exercise include:

Increased energy
Positive body image reinforcement and self confidence
Enhanced muscle tone and weight loss
Assists in relieving stress and post-partum depression

Abdominal Exercises
Following a pregnancy, the muscles that make up the abdominal wall will have considerably less elasticity than their pre-birth condition. Toning these muscles can help to increase your circulation and help you to bring back your pre-pregnancy figure. While your body needs time to recover from the trauma of birth before resuming a regular workout, some simple exercises you can perform include:

Pelvic Tilts. Lie flat on your back, with your knees up and your hands resting on your stomach. Your feet should be flush with the floor. Gently contract your stomach muscles and push your lower back towards the floor, while simultaneously tightening the muscles in your bottom. Hold this position for 5 seconds and release.

Pelvic Crunches. This exercise is similar in nature to the pelvic tilt, with the exception that instead of holding the position for a count of five, the muscles should be tightened and released in rapid succession in increments of five. Pelvic crunches can be alternated with tilts until you begin to feel tired.

As you begin to regain your strength, your workout intensity and the diversity of exercises you can incorporate can be increased. Check with you doctor before beginning any type of rigorous exercise program.

Wendy Wood
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/fitness-finesse-for-new-mothers-post-natal-exercises-135337.html

Boredom. It may not be the number one reason why people stop working out, but it is a big contributor to the list of reasons why people stop exercising. This is true whether they primarily do cardio workouts or if they typically lift free weights.

This is, in part, why health and fitness centers have a wide variety of cardio and weightlifting equipment available. It is also a part of the reason why many people choose to work out with personal trainers.

However, not everyone belongs to and works out at a health and fitness center. Not everyone can afford to work out with a personal trainer. Many people, in fact, choose to work out at home with limited weightlifting equipment.

That does not mean that they do not also want to add more variety to their workouts. They may make changes to the number or repetitions that they do and, on some days, perform more repetitions with a lighter weight and, on other, perform fewer repetitions with heavier weight plates.

Or they may include more variety in their workouts in other ways. They may perform a different series of warm up and cool down exercises. They may work different muscles groups or choose a different exercise to strengthen their pectoral muscles or triceps in a slightly different way.

But regardless of which methods they use to add variety to their workouts, one thing remains the same. In order to effectively add variety to their weightlifting workouts, they need to have a variety of weights and weight plates available to them.

This may be as simple as having five pound, ten pound and twenty-five pound weight plates available. For those who hold a weight plate while doing crunches or other abdominal exercises, it may mean having one or more solid rubber or rubber encased weight plates that will be easier to keep hold of.

For others, they see additional advantages to solid rubber weight plates. They know that they can use solid rubber weight plates to add color to their workout equipment.

That is not to say that people choose to add five pound green solid rubber weight plates to their fitness equipment simply because green matches their home weight room. However, if they know that they frequently change between two weights – such as ten pound weight plates and twenty-five pound weight plates – purchasing these plates in their colored, solid rubber form can help to make them easier to identify and thus easier to change over quickly.

But the ability to add color is not the only advantage to using solid rubber weight plates. In addition, solid rubber bumper plates are preferred by many home exercisers because the weight plates will not crack or peel over time. Not only that, but also they reduce noise and lower the risk of damage to walls and floors as well as other weightlifting equipment.

o one doubts the benefits of weightlifting and exercising. However, without adding variety to one’s workouts it is not difficult to lose interest in fitness.

With colorful solid rubber weight plates, you can brighten up your exercise room while you are working out. With solid rubber and rubber-encased weights, you can worry less about your home exercise room. And, with a variety of weight plates available to you, you can be sure that you always have the right weight for the weightlifting exercises that you do.

Phil Franklin
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/want-to-add-more-variety-to-your-workouts-138787.html

Have you ever considered having a career as a personal trainer? Do you know that a good personal trainer can be paid as much as $100,000 per year? Yes, it is a profitable venture but still you need to have right foundation as a map to guide you through you personal trainer career. This article will attempt to provide the foundation you will need.

Treat Your Personal Trainer Career as a Business

It was a business in the past, it is a business at a current time, and it will be a business in the future. Take a look at some of the most successful people in many professions; whether be it a doctor, lawyer, or consultant, they have one thing in common: they treat their job as a business.

What it means by treating your job as a business? Simple, you need to organize your time carefully, remember that your time is money. Track your own expenditure, how much you spend and how much you make.

Follow up with your clients, always over deliver. Simple things like that can be quickly add up to boost your personal trainer career.

Develop Networking with People. Business is about all interacting with people.

This statement holds truth no matter what is your field. Don’t be like those arrogant personal trainers that just merely walk when they meet someone at mall.

Who know the people you just barely meet a few minutes ago might become your client, so just say hi whenever you meet people and try to make a 3 minute presentation about your business. It doesn’t matter whether you will get client or not, simply making those simple smiles can go a long way later on.

Know How to Sell

Don’t overburden yourself with certifications. No matter how much certifications you have, it is knowing how to sell that eventually will put money on your pocket. Read a book about how to sell.

Most business owners spend so much time on unnecessary things such as filling their inventory, hire a thousand dollar designer to design their flyer. Remember this, if you’re not making sales, your business will die sooner or later, it is as simple as that.

You can simply attend your local radio as a free commentator in fitness program or write article about fitness to your local newsletter. You might not get paid by doing that, but in the long run you will establish yourself as an authority in your field, and that is where the money will start rolling in the blink of an eye.

Ricky Lim
http://www.articlesbase.com/men’s-health-articles/how-to-make-money-as-personal-trainer-751313.html

95% of all personal trainers are making a huge mistake in their fitness marketing strategy.

Specifically there is one major mistake fitness professionals are making and that’s trying to promote your fitness business without knowing who your best leads are, how to best communicate with them, and why they should choose to work with you over your competitors.

Unless you figure this formula out you’re never going to get what you want out of your fitness business. What you want is to identify the most competitive advantage that you have and then turn it into your most compelling fitness marketing message then make it available to your prospects as in irresistible offer, one that they simply can’t refuse. But for that to happen you have to have three things dialed in.

MARKET: Who is your ideal client? Is it the housewife at home or the busy executive? What are their biggest fears, frustrations, and desires? What problem do they have that you can solve? The more you know about your target marketing the easier it will be to get personal training clients. One thing to remember is that people don’t buy on logic they buy on emotion so it’s only more important that you find their hot button before going to the next fitness marketing step.

MESSAGE: This is the part that can get a little sticky. Once you know who your marketing is you can’t just simple send out a random marketing message. You message need to convey two things.

The first is your USP or unique selling proposition and the second is an irresistible offer. Your USP answers this question: what makes you unique compared to your competitors (hint: your USP needs to be benefit rich). The right message to the right marketing is critical. Here’s an example from Dominos pizza: “hot fresh pizza delivered in 30 minutes or less or it’s free”, remember that?

Your irresistible should be a hook. It should get the target market’s attention and get them to want to pick up the phone and call you. Once you have your USP and irresistible offer down you can move on to the last step.

MEDIA: How do you plan to deliver your message? The options are limitless; direct mail, print ads, website, search engine ranking, email, radio and TV, referrals, telephone scripts? The answer is simple you’ve got to test which way your market wants to receive your message. Often time’s personal trainers will want to buy local mailing address by the 1,000 or more and just mail out a letter or postcard. That’s fine IF you know that your marketing piece will perform but if it doesn?t then you just lost a bunch of money. My advice is to test fist with 200-300 addresses and then roll out to bigger numbers if it the test was a success. This goes for all of your fitness marketing strategies.

Competition in the fitness industry is growing. You’ve got to be a better, smarter, and more organized with your fitness marketing system if you want the upper hand.

Bedros Keuilian
http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/the-three-step-fitness-marketing-system-752127.html