Wifey & I have been going to a gym lately and we both have been using an elliptical trainer. We'd like one for the house, but a good one is too expensive. However, I found this area of Overstock and some of the ellipticals are 25% of MSRP. Shipping is free. We bought one last night. Here's the link: http://www.overstockpromodeal.com/search.php?tag=Elliptical Here's an excellent site that reviews ellipticals: http://www.ellipticalreviews.net/
I use an elliptical. Any other cardio exercise is too hard on my back and knees. Except for swimming I guess. But I would drown.
I use elipticals at the gym and really like them. I find them a nice low impact way of getting my cardio in, and a good alternative to treadmills and running outside. I get bored doing one thing over and over though so I switch it up as much as possible. I recommend getting some home equipment though, as it will make your work outs more convienent. Check craigslist for good deals on exercise equipment, they are the types of things that people buy and never use then sell for cheap just to make space in their house. Most people try and sell it for what they paid but if you find ads that are old and then seriously low ball them, you will find more takers than you thought. I would also suggest looking into home work out programs like P90x or insanity. The Beachbody group has a ton of reasonably priced programs available, P90x is probably the best introductary program out there. If you follow their nutrition guidlines as well as the work outs then you will see amazingly quick results. Also look to join facebook exercise groups, facebook is a good way of linking up with people of similar goals and keeping eachother challenged and motivated, as well as providing tips and support. One really good site to like is "I see fit people" the girls and guy there are great and they are always starting up challenge groups you can get involved in. My girlfriend also just beceame a beachbody coach and started up her own fitness motivation facebook page, "Everybody Sweat NOW", which I encourage everyone here to "like". Her page is in the begininng stages but she provides lots of healthy living tips and motivation, and she will be starting her first challenge group in a few weeks. She is hard core, and knows her stuff which keeps her looking good so I dont complain (unless I want a bacon cheeseburger).
I use an elliptical all the time. I prefer the type with the moving handles. I agree with donkiez. Insanity are great workouts. But I'm not a fan of P90X. The P90X guy annoys the shit out of me so bad that I cant do those workouts without getting pissed off.
Lol Bobo, you just need to channel that rage! The guys in the videos can be a little cheesy and annying, I usually distract myself by wondering how many of the girls in his video he is banging.
Rep'd An excellent post. Like you suggest, I do mix it up. I recently bought the Schwinn 225 recumbent exercise trainer and we have a Nordic Track treadmill. I want to lose weight, darn it!
I have a feeling they don't work that much. Whenever I do treadmills I seem to get in a lot better shape over time.
I've got one at home -- it's definitely good to have, but what a pain if you need to move it. Brace yourself for getting it in the house and set up where you want it...but it's even worse if you ever move because they're a little hard to take apart and haul with the moving parts.
Thanks glad to help, being healthy is pretty important in our household. You sound like your on the right track. To get the stubbon weight off you probably need to adjust your diet also. Being healthy is 75% diet and 25% working out. Some generic diet advice 1) No sodas, juice, gatorade, etc 2) drink lots of water 3) take vitamins 4) Eat more meals but less per meal. Idealy one small meal every 2-3 hours. 5) find some good meal substitues, protien shakes, bars etc. Make sure they are low calorie and low carb though. 6) eat less carbs as the day goes on and little to no carbs for dinner. 7) Find good high protien, low fat and low carb meals, like turkey burgers or steamed chicken. 8) build in a cheat day for the week, eat whatever you want that day (within reason) its a reward for job well done.
I definitely agree that losing weight is 80% diet, 20% working out. And the older you get, the more it goes toward diet, because there's not a damned thing you can do to rev up your metabolism like you could when you were 20. I lost 86 pounds doing basically Atkins and have kept it off. Right now at 6' and 198. Not bad for a guy who's nearly 40. I'd like to drop to 184 so I can say I lost a solid century. We'll see. No rush. Anyway, every exercise machine I've ever bought inevitably becomes a clothes rack. YMMV. My secret to success has been: 1. Atkins (or it's trendy to call it Keto) diet. Learn more here. 2. Skip some meals. Hell, skip whole days. "Starvation mode" is nonsense. I've gone on 36 hour fasts and it's pretty damned cool to pull it off. Eating lots of small meals is a terrible idea because you inevitably just wind up grazing all day, thinking about food non-stop. "Yeah, I'll just eat 1/4 of this muffin." Right. 3. Hang out with thinner people. I do a lot of bird hunting, and the peer pressure to keep up with other guys who are in shape keeps my motor running, even during the week. Helps to have a highly strung hunting dog that has to go out daily. Sometimes I run, but a lot of times I just go for a hike with a 60lb backpack. When I complain to myself about the weight, it's nice to remember I used to carry more on my gut. 4. Cheat days are good. Cheat weeks...not so much.
If I've learned anything from the biggest loser, it's a simple math equation Burn more calories than you intake... boom! Lose weight.
