Beginner's Guide To FitnessWritten by Diana Keuilian
So you are finally ready to turn from your couch potato ways, and trade your T.V. remote in for a dumbbell! Congratulations, and welcome to wonderful world of fitness! I commend you on your resolve to lose weight and get into shape! Now where do you begin? These days there sure is a lot of talk about diet and fitness, whether it is a new diet pill or piece of exercise equipment. It is enough to make your head spin, and certainly enough to confuse beginner. Take a deep breath, and follow these simple tips to go from being a fitness beginner to a pro! TIP #1: GET MOVING The first thing you need to do, as a fitness beginner, is to start moving! I mean this literally. Get up, and walk out your front door. Now walk down street. Now turn corner. Keep going! Do you get picture? Start introducing your body to fitness by going on walks. These walks will probably start out slow and short, but before you know it they will be brisk and long. Try to work up a sweat as you tour neighborhood. Make it a habit to wake up early to go on your walk, or consistently go on a walk before you go to bed. These walks will get you to start burning calories each day, and will also begin to build your cardiovascular endurance. TIP #2: STRETCH Once you become a pro at walking, you will need to add something new to your routine. Stretch before and after your walks. Start by reaching down to touch your toes and holding it for 30 seconds. You will feel tightness on backs of your legs, in your hamstrings. Now place your palm against a wall at chest level and turn your body away from it. As you hold this for 30 seconds you will feel a stretch in your chest. Most inactive people have tight hamstring and chest muscles due to prolonged sitting, so it should be your priority to stretch these muscles out. You will be pleasantly surprised at what this will do for your posture! TIP #3: CLEAN YOUR DIET Fitness professionals like to claim that 80% of what your body looks like is directly related to what you eat. In other words, if you are eating burgers and fries and visiting gym everyday, you are still going to look like you are eating burgers and fries! It is time to clean up your diet, so you can continue on your fast track to fitness.
| | The History of TreadmillsWritten by Jennifer Dennis
The History of Treadmills You must be familiar with treadmill exercise machine. The darling of home and public gyms alike, treadmills are a popular and ever-present part of fitness landscape. But where did treadmill originate? And how did it come to be so popular and effective among fitness buffs and ordinary folks alike? It all began with fitness equipment. Physicians, physical fitness instructors and personal trainers have been chanting same mantras for years: “Get in shape!” Exercise can help you burn fat, increase circulation, build healthy bones, create stronger muscles, increase self-confidence, fight high cholesterol and many, many more benefits. With higher importance being placed on getting in shape, demand for fitness equipment grew. Fitness buffs needed a machine that could give them workout they were searching for—with additional perks, such as heart rate monitors, calorie counters and more to help them work out smarter, not harder. Along came treadmill. The treadmill was actually invented in 1875 and its original purpose was for power, not fitness. Agricultural farmers, needing additional power sources on their farms, used a small manual treadmill run by dogs and sheep for butter churners, while a larger one run by horses for power threshing machines. The year 1952 ushered in cardiologist Robert Bruce and staffer Wayne Quinton. They bring first medical treadmill on market to test and diagnose heart and lung disease. Quinton later sells his concepts to Stairmaster (later bought by Nautilus). With design of medical treadmill comes easy transition to fitness machine. Fitness enthusiasts and beginners alike demanded a better, smoother machine for their daily workouts. Aerobics, Inc., for example, began production of smooth, affordable treadmills in late 1960s and now manufactures an award-winning Pro Series with top technology and automated controls. Trackmaster models in 1978 are known for their very tough, very durable machines that set standard in gym models today. The addition of treadmill motor revolutionized fitness machine. Motorized treadmills give user a superior workout compared to manual models. The addition of motor can give a runner, jogger or walker encouraging component they need to take that next step…and next step…and next step. Add cushioning belt originally seen with Woodway models in 1974 and you can see a rough version of our current-day fitness phenomena.
|
