Friday, January 15, 2010

What Is The Best Fitness Equipment For You?

By Fiona U. Edwards

New year's resolutions. The annual tradition of making promises to ones self. This year, 2010 represents a banner year with the marking of a new decade. Resolutions are bigger and better than ever, and made with more conviction than in the past. The standard resolution often surrounds losing weight, becoming more fit, or both. To that end, retailers of fitness equipment often run their best sales in January.

Exercise is key to weight loss. Scientific evidence proves this fact. If you want your weight loss to be long term you must include exercise in your plans. Because of this, many folks choose to purchase home fitness equipment. But the options are endless and choosing the right equipment can be daunting.

There are multitudes of machines and gadgets on the market to assist in your weight loss and fitness goals. The simplest products and perhaps the least expensive are fitness bands. This product has the appearance of rubber tubing with handles attached or large, long sheets of elastic. The purpose of these simple bands is to use them for resistance training. Usually such items are included as a set which comes with instructional booklets or DVD's.

A little more expensive but equally as simple are a wide range of exercise balls. Some rubber balls are quite large and used to balance on for the purpose of building core strength. Smaller balls can be heavier and used for strength training. Another type of ball is the very intriguing half ball. This ball, built on a platform can be used in the ball up or ball down position. The basis is that the user balances on top while completing various moves to improve balance and core strength.

For those with a plan to build significant muscle, with a bigger budget may opt for weight sets. The variety of weight sets and machines is staggering. From simple free weight sets to complete universal gyms designed for the home user, significant results can be seen quickly. It is always important with this sort of exercise to use proper form so paying for a few sessions with a personal trainer can be a great start.

When deciding to lose weight and get in shape, one must not forget about cardiovascular health. Keeping your heart healthy is the human equivalent of keeping the motor in your car in top form. Without it you are not getting anywhere!

There are hundreds of ways to improve cardiovascular health without purchasing fitness equipment. However, sometimes a new toy is just what we need to boost motivation. From jump ropes to tread mills, rowing machines to elliptical machines, the options are nearly limitless. The most important thing to remember when choosing fitness equipment will always be the same. Purchase something you will use. There are expensive fitness machines all over the world being used as clothes hangers and frankly, a coat hanger will not help you fulfill your resolutions!

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