Buying fitness equipment can be a lot of fun, at least until you start seeing the price tags. While you can certainly get yourself healthy and fit with lower priced items, you can also go way overboard buying the latest and greatest fitness equipment. There are so many items available that you may find yourself feeling fairly overwhelmed. There are products that do one thing and one thing only, and there are products that do a number of different exercises. Whatever equipment you choose should be carefully selected for how well it is built, how long it will last and what it can actually do for you. You also have to consider if you have the room to have this fitness equipment in your home.
Be Wary of the Infomercial Impulses
Late night television is filled with infomercials about fitness equipment with ads and pitches that you may find impossible to resist. You see the smiling faces as they work out, obviously having a great time while they do so. The claims that the fitness gurus promoting their products make are incredible – lose five inches in a week, or lose 50 pounds in a month. While you certainly can have fun and possibly lose some weight with this fitness equipment, you will not do anything this outrageous without some kind of miracle.
If you do decide to buy fitness equipment from an infomercial, consider whether you will really use it, if it is actually worth the price and how well it is made. Additionally, you may also want to wait a few months and see if you can find it at a yard sale or local resale shops. Of course, this brings you to your next consideration.
Buying Used Fitness Equipment
People succumb to the temptation of the infomercial or they find themselves unable to resist the latest gadget at the sporting goods store. Well-meaning family members buy one another fitness related gifts for birthdays and various holidays. All of this fitness equipment eventually meets the same fate: it is relegated to the basement, the attic or the garage where it becomes buried by a mountain of other unused items. Or it gets shoved to the corner of the bedroom where purses, coats and clothing gets hung from it. Eventually, sick of the clutter, the equipment is hauled out to the front lawn for a yard sale, taken to the consignment shop or hauled to the curb with a “free” sign on it.
If you are looking to start a new fitness routine and want to have good fitness equipment, you can find top of the line, gently used items of fitness equipment without having to pay the top of the line prices for any of them, however, you should do so only after very careful inspection. Before you buy anything from that yard sale, consignment shop or haul anything free away to your home, you have to be sure that:
– All pieces are there and it is properly assembled
– All pieces are in working condition
– Belts or chains are in good condition and not frayed or damaged by dry rot
– Anything electrical should have a cord that is in good condition and not modified in any way.
Of course, it would be better if the equipment had an instruction booklet with it, but if it is a pretty straightforward piece, it should be okay. Treadmill belts have to be lubricated, so if it seems like it is not moving correctly, it still might be in good condition.
If you have the chance to do so, fold and then open any of the easy to store equipment to make sure that the piece will do what it is supposed to do and that it will actually stay up when you want it to rather than folding down when you are about to work out.
Buying Fitness Equipment to Fit Your Lifestyle and Your Interests
Before you buy anything at all, you should consider what you like to do. If you are more of team or racquet sports kind of person, you will only be happy with fitness equipment that you convince yourself will boost your game, for instance. If you prefer walking or jogging, then a treadmill is a good indoor alternative to you. If you like to swim, there are fitness trainers for the pool as well as special weights that you can use while doing water aerobics.
No matter what you choose initially, you should plan on some variety in your routine or it will become stale and boring to you and you will probably stop doing it as effectively. You should also cross train so that you hit different muscle groups with different activities as you go. Strength training should also be included in every type of routine and does not require a ton of fitness equipment, only a set of free weights. You can increase the amount of weight you lift as you get stronger or change the way you lift, increase the number of reps or slow down each rep to a full four count lift or slower.
Minimalist Fitness Equipment
There are some people who think they have to buy tons of stuff to be happy, or that they have to get the latest gadgets before anyone else gets them. Then there are those people who like open spaces with just the bare minimum of everything. To them, more is far less than they would like to have. Some people are perfectly content with having a yoga mat and a CD player in their workout space. Some people have a set of free weights and a jump rope. As long as everyone is getting exercise and is happy, it should not matter if their home looks like a gym or a tribute to infomercials or more like a Zen retreat.
Keeping Yourself Nourished While You Work Out
It doesn’t matter if you buy the latest workout gear or you just hop on your trusty bike and ride every morning, you still have to keep yourself energized throughout the day. The body refuels with the foods we eat, but sometimes, even the most health conscious adults forget that vital fact. To keep your body healthy, even when you are too busy to eat, there is Isometric, the world’s smallest and most balanced meal replacement drink from Protica. Packing two servings of fruits and vegetables into each three ounce serving, it also provides ten grams of fiber and six grams of essential fatty acids in a variety of refreshing flavors. Isometric and other products like it can be found at www.protica.com
Protica Research (Protica, Inc.) specializes in the development of Capsulized Foods. Protica manufactures Profect, IsoMetric, Pediagro, Fruitasia and over 100 other brands, including Medicare-approved, whey liquid protein for diabetic patients. You can learn more at Protica Research – Copyright