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The more you want to use it, the more we would recommend that you go for high quality treadmills.

When you understand the basics of a quality treadmill, then it will be easy to find one that is perfect for your home and budget.

Long or short workouts determine the quality of motor you need for your treadmill.

I usually end my treadmill routine with about 15 minutes of quality stretching.

Researches have shown, that during exercising most people forget to breath deeply or they are unable to integrate their breathing pattern with the exercises causing them muscle pain and fatigue after the workout.

The Truth About 'Toning' Shoes
Can shoes really tone your butt? That's the burning question that has emerged this year, what with the introduction of 'toning' shoes like the Reebok EasyTone Shoes, Skechers Shape-Ups and MBT Sport Walkers.

There are plenty of 'toning' shoes out there, but do they really help you burn more calories and tone your hips and thighs as the ads claim? According to the American Council on Exercise, the answer is, not really.

In the ACE-commissioned study, researchers had a group of women go through a series of treadmill trials to compare how they responded to exercise while wearing different shoes - regular running shoes, Skechers, MBT shoes and EasyTones. They then measured muscle activity using EMG (electromyography) to find out if the muscles responded differently while using the 'toning' shoes. The results:

• The toning shoes showed no significant increases in muscle activation
• There were no significant differences in rate of perceived exertion (RPE), oxygen consumption or calories burned while wearing the toning shoes as opposed to the regular running shoes.

Vote in this week's poll: How do you feel about exercise?
Trying to convince someone of the importance of exercise is probably a lot like trying to teach kids the importance of learning things math and English. Some day, they appreciate those things but, until then, they usually think it's a big waste of time.

Exercise is sort of the same way. Until you feel the benefits for yourself, you may understand intellectually why it's important but that does nothing to motivate you to actually do it. I've had clients who claim to hate exercise and I can talk about how great it is until I'm blue in the face, but no one likes a blue-faced trainer who talks too much.

The truth is, you have to exercise for awhile before you experience the many, many perks - More energy, better sleep, a sense of self-satisfaction and, of course, losing weight. Many people give up before get to that point. Maybe it's frustration, maybe it's confusion, maybe they really do hate to exercise - or, it's all of the above.

I'm curious about you? How do you really feel about exercise? Do you have a love/hate affair or perhaps there's no love there at all? Maybe you're on the other side, someone who loves physical movement and couldn't imagine your life without it. Vote in this week's poll and tell us about it.

Vote in this week's poll: How do you feel about exercise? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Monday, July 26th, 2010 at 05:00:49.

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Stay on Track With Exercise During Crazy Summer Chaos
One of the most common things I hear from my clients during the summer goes something like this: "I was on a roll with my workouts but then..." - Insert chaos here. That chaos might be visiting family, traveling, weddings, flooded basements from heavy summer storms or kids being out of school. Whatever it is, it happens often this time of year and it can really throw you off your game.

Staying on track with your workouts often comes down to this: How creative are you and what are you willing to do to keep some form of exercise on the daily schedule? It helps to have a few timesaving workouts on hand and these other ideas might help too:

• Plan Your Workouts - Being prepared and having a plan is your first line of defense against summer chaos. If you have family coming in, plan early morning walks and a few basic strength exercises. If you're traveling, find out if there's a fitness room at your hotel or plan running/walking routes before you leave town. Be prepared with resistance bands, fitness apps or even streaming fitness workouts if you have a laptop and an internet connection.
• Focus on Maintenance - If your mother's in town, now may not be the time for long, complicated workouts. Focus on maintaining a basic level of strength and endurance rather than trying to accomplish major goals that require more time, energy and concentration. When my family visited, I didn't have much time for strength training and stuck with short workouts (such as this Total Body Circuit) or doing a few quick exercises in my bedroom (squats, lunges, pushups, bicycle crunches, triceps dips, and back extensions).
• Find Ways to Stay Active - Take the family sightseeing, for walks around the neighborhood or on nearby trails or parks. Have a weed-pulling party (if you attach the word 'party' to household projects, it sounds like more fun). Look for ways to stay on the move and you'll feel better about missing your normal workouts.
• Enjoy The Change - If you have a chaos-inducing event coming, look at it as an opportunity to take a break from the usual routine. This is your chance to be creative and try something new. We often don't do that unless we're forced to, but you may end up feeling rejuvenated and refreshed by the break.

Reader Success Story - Lunchtime Workouts
Lunchtime workouts aren't the easiest to squeeze in and the logistics can be maddening - What will you do in such a short period of time? Can you really make it back to the office without smelling like a sweaty mess?

One About.com member has found a way. As Occasional Lunchtime Exerciser says, "About once or twice a week, I exercise during my lunch hour. It's a great change from my morning workouts and gives me energy for the rest of the day."

So, how does she manage it? She has it down to a science, focusing on interval training or circuit training to get the most out of her limited time. She rinses off, fluffs her hair and gets back to the office within her allotted time. Impressive!

She also offers some great suggestions for how to make lunchtime workouts easier. Check out the rest of her story and share your own, if you've got one. Do you ever do lunchtime workouts? If so, how do you manage it?

Reader Success Story - Lunchtime Workouts originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Wednesday, July 14th, 2010 at 05:00:31.

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