Fitness, Health and Exercise Equipment Today

Get Fit and Exercise at Home

    According to studies done recently on the health, fitness and exercise habits of adults today, most of us should be exercising more. HHS’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a report in mid-2003 that shows about 1 in 5 American adults engage in a high level of overall physical activity, including both activity at work and during leisure time.  At the other end of the spectrum, about 1 in 4 American adults engage in little or no regular physical activity. It is safe to say most of us could use more exercise.

    Some choose to go to the gym to use the latest exercise equipment and health tools. That's great! But others just can't schedule the time and need their exercise equipment at home. Fortunately, there are a large number of valuable fitness exercise equipment resources available and with the Internet or phone, you can get the latest exercise equipment delivered right to your front door. The only obstacle at that point is to use the exercise equipment you have delivered. It is difficult to make a lot of fitness progress when the fitness equipment isn't used. Most people are probably guilty of this. You can tell by how much fitness equipment can be found in the classified section of your local newspaper. For the best deals, check in February or March after the new years resolutions have faded.

Fitness Facts You Should Now

1. Studies have suggested that walking at a brisk pace for three or more hours a week can reduce your risk for coronary heart disease by 65 percent.

2. About 25 percent of American adults — and an even greater percentage of women — are sedentary. After age 44, upwards of 30 percent of women are sedentary, and by age 65, the proportion increases to almost 35 percent. By the time they reach age 75, about 50 percent of all women are sedentary.

3. Only about 22 percent of American adults engage in regular, sustained physical activity for at least 30 minutes five times a week, and only 15 percent exercise both regularly and vigorously.

4. No matter how poor your current level of fitness, you can start an exercise routine and become fitter and healthier. Even 90-year-old women who use walkers have been shown in studies to benefit from light weight training.

5. Simply adding movement into your daily routine can increase your level of fitness. For example, if you park in the last row of the parking lot and walk briskly five minutes each way between your office and your car, walk up and down the stairs at your office during your 10-minute afternoon coffee break, and walk the dog for 10 minutes when you get home, you've racked up 30 minutes of exercise for the day.

6. Women with heart disease or arthritis actually experience improved daily function from involvement in various modes of physical activity.

7. Fitness consists of four components: your body's ability to use oxygen as a source of energy, which translates into cardiovascular fitness; muscular strength and endurance; flexibility; and body composition.

8. To address all the components of fitness, an exercise program needs to include aerobic exercise, which is continuous repetitive movement of large muscle groups that raises your heart rate; weight lifting or strength training; and flexibility exercises or stretching.

9. Walking at a brisk pace (a 15-minute mile or 4 mph) burns almost as many calories as jogging for the same distance. The benefit of jogging is that it takes less time to cover the same distance and it benefits the bones; however, it may be too strenuous for some.

10. It takes about 12 weeks after starting an exercise program to see measurable changes in your body. However, before 12 weeks, you will notice an increase in your strength and endurance.

Be Careful: Start out Easy

     When you do decide on the exercise equipment you need and order it, it is a good idea not to just jump right in and go for it. You need to exercise in accordance with your personal fitness abilities and limitations. Using exercise equipment incorrectly can do more harm than good in some cases. So, be careful at first.

    There are some issues to be considered before jumping into an exercise regimen. Talk to your doctor about how much exercise is right for you. You might also want to discuss what exercise equipment may be best for your current physical condition. A good goal for many people is to work up to exercising 4 to 6 times a week for 30 to 60 minutes at a time. Remember, though, that exercise has so many benefits that any amount is better than none.

    Start out slowly. If you've been inactive for years, you can't run the Boston Marathon after 2 weeks of light training. Begin with a 10-minute period of light exercise or a brisk walk every day and gradually increase how hard you exercise and for how long.