Month: February 2018

3 Fitness Machines That Help You Burn More Calories For Under $1,000

Fitness Articles / By

fitness-gearLooking for the best fitness machines that are easy on your wallet while burning mega-calories? You may be surprised to know you have some great options out there.

The fitness equipment industry is always coming up with innovative products to help you lose weight faster – and get more bang for your buck. But you do have to do a bit of hunting.

To help you out, here are 3 fitness machines that will help you burn a lot of calories – and they all come in under $1,000!

#1. Hybrid Trainer

This is a very cool 2-in-1 machine that comes in for under $400. You can use it as a recumbent bike – or as an elliptical trainer.

By moving the pedals and the console, in 2 quick steps you can change it from an elliptical trainer to a bike – or vice versa. There are 16 resistance levels to add more challenge to your workout and burn more calories.

Plus it comes with iFit LIVE – which lets you connect to the Internet and download countless new workouts. You can even go online and run (or bike) famous trails all over the world, from Paris to Sydney.

The hybrid trainer is a great way to get 2 machines for the price of (almost less than) one. Plus you get great workout variety. So if you don’t want to do an elliptical workout one day, no problem just use it as a bike – and vice versa.

Note that the original Hybrid trainer has a 15 inch stride – which might be a bit too short for taller users. However there is a Hybrid Trainer Pro model that gives you a longer stride for a few hundred more – under $600.

#2. Ski Machine

This is a classic – the ski machine has been around for year and still keeps selling over and over again.

Ski machines simulate the cross country skiing workout, using both your upper and lower body muscles.

By using both upper and lower body muscles, you end up burning more calories than say, a treadmill walking workout. And you get upper and lower body toning as well.

Another great thing about the ski machine is that it is generally lighter and easier to move than a regular treadmill or elliptical machine. And the price comes in usually around $699 – so it’s also very affordable.

#3. ACT Elliptical Trainer

The ACT has also been around for a couple of years however it’s generally updated every year with the latest toys and new workout features.

What makes this elliptical interesting is that instead of one large flywheel in front or behind the pedals (like you get with standard crosstrainers), there are two smaller flywheels on either side of the footpedals.

This gives you several advantages. First of all, you end up standing more upright on the pedals and leaning less on the handrails on this trainer than with other designs.

That means you can possibly burn more calories (since you’re not putting as much weight on the machine itself). Also, the footpedals tend to be placed closer together – which lessens the strain on your hips. So a lot of people feel more comfortable on this machine – especially after long workouts.

Finally the ACT also comes with the option of iFit LIVE. As stated above, this means you can download new workouts, or run anywhere in the world.

You can also track your workout stats online – to set new goals and see how far you’ve come. This alone can help you track and burn more calories faster than with another machine that doesn’t have iFit.

And the ACT elliptical comes in under $1,000 in most areas.

So those are 3 ideas for the best fitness equipment for under $1000 that still give you more for the money.

Take your time and remember to listen to your body when exercising. Get a machine that you love and before you know it, you’ll be watching the weight come off and loving how you look in the mirror!

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nutrition

Fasting Can Break the Food Cravings Habit

Healthy Nutrition / By

nutritionThe modern custom of eating three meals per day with a regular snack in between differs a lot from the way that ancient peoples lived for thousands of years. The hunter-gatherer lifestyle meant that people were constantly adjusting from feasting to starvation mode as their food supply allowed. For them, it was not an option but that lifestyle has affected processes in our bodies that are helpful for weight loss and for strengthening the immune system.

The health benefits attributed to fasting are numerous including reduced cardiovascular disease, lower risk of cancer, disease resistance, weight loss and recovery from stress. That last one is one of the main reasons that fasting works. Our bodies are designed to repair genes, cells tissues and nerves after stress, which may be physical or emotional anxiety. Frequent intake of food slows down our body’s repair cycle as it works to process the food instead. If the food is nutrient-rich rather than sugar-rich, we still benefit from this. If, however, your lunch was a pizza and you followed it up with a chocolate covered candy bar at 3:00 PM, your body will be too busy producing and fighting the insulin rush to have any time to repair the damage.

 

 

Taking short breaks from food helps your body to use fat as a source of energy, instead of relying on the insulin producing sugars in so many packaged foods. Insulin also stimulates production of hormones in the body that make you feel hungry. Keeping insulin levels low normalizes these hormones. Fasting also stimulates the body to increase human growth hormone production, which is essential for weight loss and to keep you looking younger.

Looking younger, healthier skin and cardiovascular systems occurs because the body gets better control over oxidative stress, which is stimulated by excess glucose. Your brain benefits by this process too. When your body consumes fat, your brain uses the released ketones to support healthy neuron generation. This keeps your brain healthy and reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s and other mental disorders.

A few concerns about overdoing it are worth noting. If you feel strong food cravings at the end of a fasting period, resist the urge to overeat during that first meal. Keep the meal small and loaded with vegetables and healthy sources of proteins and essential fatty acids, like Omega-3 and the cravings will disappear quickly. Some people report that their sleep is disturbed while fasting. Sleep deprivation can lead to a variety of health issues so please slow down on the fasting if you experience this.

Extended fasting periods longer than a day or so can result in a lack of important nutrients that support a healthy body and prevent inflammation. One consequence of being starved for nutrition is that the body will not only turn to fat for energy, it will also break down muscle tissue. Start slow and be prepared to back off at any sign of discomfort.

If you have not been on a calorie-restricting plan or fasting program of any sort before, then the best way to start is to take small steps. Try skipping breakfast one day per week at first and then add another day if you seem to manage that without any problems. Slowly increase the number of days and meals that you skip eating. You may work your way all the way up to alternating entire days of fasting, but don’t rush into this. A good mode to maintain is to skip breakfast several days per week and to keep your eating to within an eight-to-ten-hour timeframe on the fasting days. You will find that the food craving quickly fades away and you don’t need as much food with each meal to feel full.

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