Exercise is something that benefits everyone. It is any bodily activity that enhances you physical fitness and health and . People exercise for various reasons be it for weight loss, to improve athletic skills, or build muscle. Regular exercise boosts your immune system and helps to ward off dangerous life altering diseases like heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
It helps with mood function and to stave off depression and maintain positive self esteem. Studies have also found that exercise can help to improve your sleep. Sleep is important because during that time our bodies are working to repair the cells. It is also said to help reduce your risk for dementia.
Childhood and adult obesity is becoming an epidemic in North America. So it is very beneficial that as a society we exercise. Exercise is a preventative way to ward off obesity and all the evil effects of it. The health care cost from treating obesity has sky rocketed over the years. Therefore, we are in dire need to stay healthy and two ways of doing that would be to hop on a cross trainer or an elliptical machine.
First introduced by Precor in 1995, the elliptical is a popular low impact cardio machine. It is a cross between a treadmill, stationary bike and stair climber. So basically you can go hiking, cross train, and bike all at the same time. The elliptical is comparable to the treadmill as far as range of motion and all the benefits including calories burned. But one main difference is the fact that there is no foot noise since the user doesn’t have to take their foot the device in order to use it properly.
Ellipticals burn between 8-12 calories a minute which is more than a treadmill. It also feels like a brisk walk rather than a 5K. Another advantage over the treadmill is that when you stop the machine stops. So no YouTube videos of you practically falling to your death are likely to surface. You control the speed as well so it is completely controlled by you and what you want to do. The elliptical is great for your home gym as well. It uses minimal electricity and maintenance is low.
A cross trainer is a variation of the elliptical. The main distinguishing feature of the cross trainer is that it allows you to work your upper-body at the same time as your lower body. This movement gives your body resistance training and helps you to burn more calories. With the cross trainer you are getting a full body workout. You aren’t just working your legs but you get to work your back, biceps, triceps, etc. Most cross trainers also have forward and backward capabilities for the legs which allows you to work different leg muscles.
An elliptical’s main difference from the cross trainer is that it has stationary handle bars. This makes it a little easier for people to maintain their balance, so it’s great for beginners and the elderly. This machine is great for people that may have joint or any issue that limits their ability to do any strenuous activity. It’s great for toning and maintaining basic fitness. You can change incline positions so that you can increase your heart rate or work different lower body muscles.
Both choices are great if you want a low impact aerobic workout. You just have to pick out which one is right for you and your situation. They both get your heart beating and blood pumping to release those endorphins to improve your sense of both mentality and physically.