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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.
Should Schools Track Your Child's BMI? I got an interesting comment on a recent post about parents' perceptions of their children's weight and it raises a number of questions about whether schools should track your child's body mass index (BMI). Jean says: "I just recieved a letter from my daughter's school saying she is overweight, not even at risk of being overweight. My daughter is 9 yrs old and swims on a swim team twice a week, besides just playing outside. I was really upset because I make sure she makes healthy choices and does not sit in front of the tv. She is all muscle, but that is not taken into consideration. Furthermore, the school sells ice cream and honey buns for snacks at lunch. I checked her BMI using other calculators and she comes up being at a healthy weight. I really feel if the school is getting involved they need to consider all factors, including what they serve for lunch. I also do not see any instructional material for parents or children about healthy eating or exercise presented. They really need to practice what they preach and consider the repercussions of their actions." I'm sure many parents would be upset by getting a note like that from the school, whether it's accurate or not, and it does raise some questions about whether, and how, schools should monitor a child's BMI. There's an interesting study about this in the journal Pediatrics, discussing different ways schools track and use BMI numbers. Some schools, such as those in New York use a 'survellience' method of tracking BMI. The purpose is to gather BMI data anonymously to monitor and track the general obesity levels student-wide. Other schools, like Jean's, use BMI as a screening tool to help reduce childhood obesity and keep parents informed about their children's weight and health. Jean's comment raises a number of concerns about the use of BMI as a screening tool. First, should schools even monitor a child's BMI in the first place? Is it an effective tool for reducing childhood obesity? Do we risk putting pressure on kids who may already have problems with body image and fitting in at school? And then there's Jean's concern, that the calculations they're using aren't accurate and that the school isn't taking some responsibility for the problem. Then there's the issue of BMI itself, which is already a questionable method for determining whether a person is overweight, at least for some populations. Not only that, while it's fairly easy to determine if an adult is overweight, kids are different. They haven't finished growing and the calculations we use for adults won't work for them. There are even special charts and calculators specifically for kids and different ways to determine whether they're overweight. What's happening in your schools when it comes to BMI and what do you think about it? Are they monitoring this kind of thing in your kids and keeping you informed? Should they? Leave a comment and tell us what's going on and what you think about it. What would you do in Jean's situation? Should Schools Track Your Child's BMI? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 05:00:23.
Exercise of the Week: Turkish Get Up If you're interested in trying kettlebell training, the turkish get up is a great exercise to start with (if you're already an experienced exerciser). This exercise may seem a little strange, but you'll be amazed at how quickly your heart rate rises, making it an excellent warm up exercise for your strength training workouts. This is truly a total body exercise with an emphasis on the core and it's also functional - getting up and down from the floor is something we do all the time, although usually not holding a weight the entire time. Another plus is that it's easy to modify. You can do the full movement (getting all the way up and then going all the way back down) or you can practice by starting with the first phase of the movement (sitting up until you're resting on your elbow), adding on as you feel comfortable. If you haven't tried this before, you might start with light weight or no weight for your first few reps. Do it right: Lie down holding a kettlebell or dumbbell in the right hand, arm extended straight over the shoulder with the elbow locked. Keeping the arm extended and looking up at the weight, raise up onto the left elbow as you bend the right knee, crossing the left foot under it. Push up until you're resting on the left knee and right foot, arm still extended straight up over the shoulder. Continue until you're in a standing position, with the arm overhead. Lower back down the same way, arm extended, until you're lying on the floor and repeat 8 times before switching sides. Exercise of the Week: Turkish Get Up originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Tuesday, January 5th, 2010 at 06:00:54.
10 Reasons You Don't Exercise When I was a kid, my grandfather was convinced that raisins were the cure for everything from bad skin to an upset stomach. I'm not sure where he got this (although I did find something about gin-soaked raisins at our Arthritis Site - who knew?), but his fervor was impressive and I wonder, if he were alive today, would he think the same thing about exercise? I wonder that because exercise is so good for treating and managing a number of issues like, of course, weight loss, low energy, depression and anxiety, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, just to name a few. It's hard to think of any activity that has such far-reaching benefits for the body, mind and spirit and, yet, there are still too many of us who aren't doing it. If you're struggling with exercise, it may help to learn about some common obstacles to exercise, like being too busy or finding it too boring, as well as some ideas for overcoming those obstacles. Whatever your experience, leave a comment and tell us what obstacles you face with exercise. Is your schedule busy or do you have trouble finding a routine you can stick with? Perhaps you deal with these obstacles every day and can tell us ways to overcome them. Either way, leave a comment and tell us about your experiences. 10 Reasons You Don't Exercise originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 06:00:56.
Vote in This Week's Poll: How do you stay motivated to exercise? One of the most common questions I get from my readers (aside from how to get flat abs) is about motivation. They usually say something along the lines of, "I'm just not motivated," or "How do I get motivated to exercise?" In my opinion, motivation isn't something that just happens to you but, rather, it comes and goes. For example, if your pants are too tight, that might suddenly motivate you to exercise or go on a diet. But, when the time comes to actually do it, that motivation you felt earlier may not be around and that means you have to generate it yourself. One of the biggest mistakes we make sometimes is waiting to feel like exercising. When waking up at 5:00 in the morning, does anyone really feel like exercising at that moment? Probably not, but the only difference between the person who gets up anyway and the person who doesn't is motivation. The person who got up didn't just have that motivation there waiting for him, he had to find it. Perhaps he thought about his busy day and realized a workout would help him do a better job. Maybe he thought about the vacation coming up and the bathing suit he'll wear. Maybe he had to go through 3 or 4 things before he found something that prompted him to get out of bed and get moving. Whatever that motivation is, some of us search for it each day and some of us give up if it isn't there right away. Which one are you? Vote in this week's poll and tell us how you stay motivated to exercise. Obviously, I can't cover all the many responses you might have in this limited poll, so please leave a comment and tell us about your experiences. I'm sure we could all use some extra motivation this time of year. Vote in This Week's Poll: How do you stay motivated to exercise? originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 06:00:23.
Getting Through the Winter Workout Blahs There's a bad case of the blahs making its way through Chicagoland and I'm pretty sure it's because, 1) The sun has taken quite a long vacation, 2) It's cold and spring is a long way away and 3) With the holidays over, it feels like there's not much to look forward to. This is a tough time of year to get through, especially for those of you who just started working on your resolutions and you may wonder how to keep going. Moving to a tropical island always helps, but less fanciful ideas include: You'll find more ideas in my article about beating the winter blahs, but I want to hear from you. How do you get through the toughest part of winter? Leave a comment and tell us about it. Getting Through the Winter Workout Blahs originally appeared on About.com Exercise on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 at 06:00:51.