How Do I Choose My Exercise
Equipment?
Choose your goals ... strength? Flexibility ?
Endurance ?
Are you looking for fitness equipment? There are different ways
to stay fit. Fitness means you essentially exercise to achieve
4S : Strength,
stamina, suppleness
and speed. Each one requires different equipment to reach your
goals.
There are specific equipment to
improve cardiovascular & respiratory efficiency also. When you are ready to buy these equipment one needs to
consider all these factors.
It is one thing to study and understand which exercises are required to be done to
remain fit and it is another that these exercises are done every day using the bought exercise
equipment.
The type of exercises which you are likely to do every day or most frequently are,
the ones that will help you choose relevant exercise equipment initially. Later, you can graduate to more difficult
and strenuous exercise schedule / equipment.
Otherwise there is a possibility of expensive equipment like
treadmill, stationary cycle etc remaining unused & stored in the basement / garage.
Some of the major steps one needs to consider before buying expensive exercise
equipment are as follows:
Step 1 -
Choose your goals.
Do you want to increase strength?
Do you want to improve suppleness / flexibility?
Do you want to improve stamina / endurance?
Decide your goals. Best route to overall fitness & health is to include a variety
of physical activities in daily physical routine.
Step 2 -
Can you set some time in your daily routine for
exercises?
Schedule a time period / slot in your daily routine for your exercises. Stick to this
most of the time every week.
Step 3 -
Combine sensible diet with your exercise regime to get
better results, especially when weight loss is your major area of attention.
What you eat generate calories & these are spent whenever you do any physical
activity, including your home or office work and your exercises.
If you eat more than your
basic daily energy need, you accumulate extra calories in the form of fats in your body and you increase your
weight.
Any equipment which works the
whole body or major portions of the body is likely to burn more calories than the equipment used for just one part
of the body.
Equipment also needs to be easy
to operate so that it is used more number of times and does not remain unused.
Combining exercise & sensible diet is always a good way
on the path of fitness.
Step 4 - Check tall claims of the manufacturer or
equipment seller.
Many times a certain kind of equipment is more suitable to advance user or athlete
whose physical condition is far better than a normal person. He / she is likely to find these equipment useful and
easy to use. Normal individual may find it difficult to continue on these equipment.
Check whether a particular
equipment is suitable for your use & for continuing your exercise routine.
If possible, try these
equipment before buying, at your local gymnasium. This will give you a chance to judge its possible continued use
at home.
Step 5 - Before buying the equipment, check and
compare prices.
Magazines
on fitness, local department stores etc are good sources to do this exercise.
Look for total cost of
owning the equipment -- price of an equipment + shipping & handling + taxes + set-up fees,
if any. Check guarantees, warranties, return policies also. After sales service & support are important if you
require spares or repair.
By:
Pradeep Mahajan
Last updated : Jan 5,
2010
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