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Anyone who has been at the local YMCA or health club will know what I mean when I say the times have changed. It used to be you would find treadmills everywhere, but now they have been replaced with the hottest item in fitness today….elliptical trainers. Don’t get me wrong, treadmills are still popular and continue to outsell elliptical machines in total numbers, but the sale of these elliptical trainers are growing much quicker.

Why? What makes these fitness machines so popular? There are several reasons, but two main factors come to mind:

• Low impact workout on your body

• You get an upper and lower body workout

Why is a low impact workout important?

Think about this. Almost all types of exercises create some form of impact on your body. Look at walking for example. Every step you take produces force on your feet, ankles, knees and even your lower back. It may not seem like that sounds like a big deal, but over the years this can create stress and even injuries on those parts of your body. If you are a runner this is greatly multiplied due to the fact that running can produce up to 3 times your body weight on all those joints.

Using an elliptical fitness trainer safely reduces the impact on these bones and joints. Because of its elliptical motion, you feel like you are normally walking, or running, without the potentially damaging impact. Another good thing is that this is a weight bearing exercise and will help tone and strengthen your muscles.

Take a moment to stand at the side of any elliptical trainer and take a look at it. You can see that the motion looks like a flat circular movement. The lower quality elliptical machines have more of a bouncy and circular motion to them. No matter what though, these fitness trainers give your body a good workout, without the added impact. Folks of all ages are using them and they are quickly becoming the choice for baby boomers.

Why is and Upper and Lower Body Workout Important?

Never before have you been able to get a complete upper and lower body workout from the same fitness machine, at the same time. That’s what makes the elliptical so unique. You can get a good workout using your quadriceps, hamstrings, back, chest, triceps and biceps. Not one other machine can do all that at the same time. You are also able to optimize your energy using an elliptical. This means that will take less time to reach more results. You will be able to burn more calories and increase your cardio capacity. Many of the elliptical machines will also go backwards. This gives even more of added benefit to your muscles during a workout.

The experts all agree that that by exercising more of your muscle groups you burn more calories, build more muscle and improve your endurance. An elliptical provides a way of exercising with a reduced rate of exertion. You’re still getting a great fitness workout, but it’s not as strenuous. It’s a true win-win situation.

By having an elliptical providing both an upper and lower body workout combined with low impact exercise, its no wonder these machines have become so popular. One other important point of interest is the fact that compared to treadmills, elliptical trainers require very little maintenance. There are fewer moving parts and no motor.

I would encourage those who haven’t taken the opportunity to use an elliptical trainer to go to your local fitness club and do so. I believe that once you do you and your body will enjoy the experience immensely!

Michael Russell

Your Independent guide to Fitness

The ancient science of healing, relaxing and energizing oneself
with the use of plants and its parts like roots, barks, flowers,
fruits, seeds and nuts is called Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is
the amalgamation of two words “aroma” and “therapy” that mean
“fragrance” and “healing” respectively.

Essential oils, extracted from plants and its parts form the
crux of aromatherapy. These oils stimulate the brain, effect our
body, hereby improving our mood, relaxing and rejuvenating us.
Extracted in various ways, they are highly concentrated and
should not be used directly onto the body. They should be
blended with carrier oils such as olive oil, sweet almond oil,
etc, for best results.

If you are new, then explore this world of fragrance at home
with a handful of inexpensive oils. To avoid allergic reactions
to essential oils, perform a skin test before you indulge
yourself. Take a drop of the oil on a cotton swab. Apply it to
the inside of your wrist or inner elbow. Cover the area with a
bandage and avoid washing for 24 hours. If there is no itching
or redness, oil is safe for external use.

Basic oils that any beginner can start with:

- Lavender - Most basic and very important oil in aromatherapy.
Helps in relaxation, calming and balancing of mind. Acts as
antibiotic, antiseptic, antidepressant, detoxifier and sedative.
Soothes cuts, burns, bruises and insect cuts. Relieves stress if
blended with your usual bath oil.

- Rosemary - Acts as stimulant for mental health and physical
body on low energy days. Relieves muscular strains, sprains and
headaches. Alleviates fatigue, congestion and prevents scar
tissue formation.

- Bergamot - Oil for refreshing and upliftment. Acts as
antiseptic, antidepressant, antispasmodic, analgesic, sedative,
expectorant and deodorizer. Could be a slight irritant to skin.

- Peppermint - A great mental stimulant and digestive aid. Eases
headache and fatigue. Behaves as anti-inflammatory, antiseptic,
antispasmodic and expectorant.

- Tea Tree - A versatile antiseptic that is very gentle on the
skin. Remedy for infections, ringworm, sunburn, acne, athlete’s
foot, gum disease. It is antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal,
antiseptic oil.

- Lemon - Great for dispelling a somber mood, lemon oil can be
used to treat insect bites, alleviate tension, headaches and
stimulate immune system.

- Tangerine - Works well to create a bright, uplifting
atmosphere. It’s soothes and calms insomnia and promotes
digestion.

- Floral oils - Great stress relievers. Add floral oils like
rose, jasmine along with carrier oils to your bath oils for a
soothing massage.

- Germanium - Eases stress, acts as antidepressant, adrenal,
hormone balancer, detoxifier, sedative and antiseptic. Helps
during PMS.

- Clary Sage - Relieves PMS. Soothes and relaxes mind and body.
Works as antidepressant, antiseptic, astringent, aphrodisiac and
sedative.

- Clove - Relieves toothache pain, asthma, sinusitis. Avoid
using it directly on the skin. Acts as antibacterial,
antiseptic, analgesic and disinfectant.

- Eucalyptus - Cools the body in summer and warms in winter. An
effective treatment for candida, diabetes, sunburn, congestion,
cough and neuralgia. Also works as antiviral, antiseptic,
stimulant, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic.

Epic treadmills are well known in the treadmill market for their
budget range of treadmills. Epic treadmills are one of the lines
of treadmills manufactured by Icon fitness, the largest of all
the fitness equipment manufacturers and the company which
manufactures, amongst others, Proform treadmills.

Icon has over $1 billion of sales of fitness equipment worldwide
so is a substantial manufacturer. It manufactures reasonable
quality machines for the lower end of the market but doesn’t
compete with the much more expensive brands at the upper end.

Epic treadmills are sold by Costco, the discount gym equipment
retailer (amongst others) so you should expect low prices.

The most well known of all the epic treadmills is the epic t60
treadmill. In fact this treadmill is really the only model
amongst the epic treadmill range that is well recognised.

One of the reasons for this is that the epic t 60 treadmill is
well rated by some of the nets treadmills rating sites as a good
value buy. And the epic t 60 is therefore a good seller.

The treadmill doctor rated the epic t60 a “best buy” in the
price range $500 to $1000, however noted some deficiencies in
the treadmill none the less. In particular they noted problems
with the keypad and the rollers, but you’re not going to get the
perfect treadmill for under $1000.

The epic t60 has a powerful motor. It has a good cushioned
running platform and can accommodate runners up to 350 lbs. It
has an impressive range of user features including iFit
technology, an interactive feature that Icon put on their
Proform treadmills as well.

With iFit your workout becomes more interesting. Hook up to the
internet and track your fitness and progress. iFit will devise a
personal workout program for you, so that each time you set foot
on your treadmill, you will have a new goal to reach, and a
personal best to beat. Competing with yourself is a great way to
increase the challenge.

iFit technology also allows you listen to music as you workout,
and provides inspirational images that can be the backdrop to
your run.

And the epic t60 allows you to fold it away after you have done
your workout. This is a worthwhile feature as treadmills are
very large pieces of equipment and take up a lot of space.

The epic t60 treadmill boasts a worthwhile warranty on the
motor, but not necessarily on the rest of the treadmill. A 12
year warranty on the motor is good, but 90 days for the rest
isn’t so good.

Epic treadmills aren’t known for long warranties.

But are epic treadmills the best value? There is no point in
buying an epic treadmill merely for a great price if it isn’t
the best value.

And good value isn’t just a case of a good price. Customer
service and warranty come into it too. And on those the epic
treadmills tend to fall down a little.

So if you are looking for an epic treadmill, or even an epic t
60, there’s something to think about. Don’t dismiss them out of
hand, however, they are good treadmills for the price, just not
as well supported as they could be. And if you can buy an
extended warranty with the treadmill at a reasonable price then
this would be worthwhile.

Where do you buy them? Well they are available at Costco, but
the range is very limited. And at the time of writing the epic
t60 treadmill is not listed for sale at Costco. That’s something
else to think about. If you really want one then try and find
out why they don’t seem to offer them at the moment. This may of
course change though.

So, epic treadmills, good value or not? It depends, but don’t
buy one without a little more investigation.