Why Own an Elliptical?

Part 2 - Health benefits

The health benefits to owning any fitness equipment as long as you use it are enormous. But this is especially so for ellipticals. All cardiovascular equipment will help you lose weight. The consoles are have the amount of calories you've burned so you can keep track. They also have the amount of time exercising and distance for further help. Some will measure your heart rate while working out so you can make sure you're working out at the right intensity.

The real benefit of elliptical trainers are that the are totally non impact, there are virtually no stresses or strains on the body during exercise. On a treadmill which is usually the first choice for weight loss there is alot of tension in the lower body. The knees are pounded with every stride. If you are overweight in any way then a treadmill as a starting point in an exercise routine is a bad choice. Even exercise bikes put a strain on the lower back. There is no movement in the lower back during exercise and it can often be stuck at an awkward angle. Elliptical trainers suffer none of these drawbacks. Swimming may be an ideal choice but it's just to easy, there's not enough resistance to get a good workout. You'd have to be swimming for hours to get a similar calorie burn from a half hour elliptical session.