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Choosing the best home treadmill can be confusing as you sift through all of the options, new models, and brand name ‘deals’. Too often, people get caught up in all the ‘Goodies’ a treadmill offers them that they miss the fact that the treadmill doesn’t have the basic essentials of a quality unit.

By knowing the 4 basic essentials of a quality home treadmill, you’ll be able to quickly sift through the treadmill deals and choose the best home treadmill for you.

The 4 basic essentials to a quality treadmill are:

#1 - High Powered, Well Built Motor

Since the motor is the most expensive part of the treadmill to fix, a good motor is essential to your treadmill. Try to find at least a motor power of 2.0 HP, preferably higher.

Remember that a 1.5 HP motor has to work twice as hard as a 3.0 HP motor - so it will burn out long before the 3.0 HP motor.

Also, not all motors are built with the same quality parts. Look for a good brand name and a long motor warranty to give you clues as to the quality of the motor.

#2 - Excellent Cushioning

There’s not enough said about cushioning and it is so important in a home treadmill. A good cushioning system protects your joints, ligaments and back. A poor cushioning system can result in injury and pain.

I know of one woman who bought a cheaper brand of treadmill and then ran on it. Within 6 months, she had damaged her hips so badly that it hurt her to even walk on the treadmill. You definitely don’t want that!

Make sure your treadmill offers an excellent cushioning system - especially if you’ll be running!

#3 - Extensive Warranty

You want to protect your investment so a solid treadmill warranty is a must. A good treadmill warranty will cover the frame for at least 30 years, the motor for at least 5 years and other parts and labor for about 1 year. Anything above that and you’ve got an excellent warranty.

But a warranty isn’t just to protect your investment - a good warranty lets you know about the quality of the treadmill parts.

Treadmill companies do not include warranties because they think they’ll have to fix the treadmill within that time frame. They know that they WON’T have to fix them within that time frame because the quality of parts used are high. So if you find a treadmill with a 10 year motor warranty, you KNOW it’s a quality built motor. If the motor warranty is only 90 days however…that tells you something.

#4 - Quality Brand Name

Certain brand names have a reputation for building a high quality home treadmill. Other brand names may be well-known but they don’t necessarily have a good reputation.

Choose a treadmill that has a solid, trusted brand name. Not sure which brands are good? Check out expert ratings and ‘Best Buys’ on various treadmill review sites and/or magazines. You’ll start to see a trend where certain brand names come up frequently. These brands are the quality treadmill manufacturers.

So those are 4 basic essentials of a good home treadmill:

- High Powered, Well Built Motor
- Excellent Cushioning
- Extensive Warranty
- Quality Brand Name

Knowing these, you can sift through the treadmills available and easily locate the best treadmill for your home.

For more treadmill reviews and best home treadmill buys, visit:

http://www.TreadmillReview.net

Good luck and have fun!

Kathryn O’Neill is chief editor for Treadmill Reviews, a consumer oriented website focusing on home treadmills.

For buying tips, brand reviews, and best buys, visit Treadmill Review at: http://www.treadmillreview.net.

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The Roll of Oatmeal (Porridge) in a Healthy Diet

Oatmeal, or porridge if you live outside the US or Canada, play
a major role in our modern diet yet few seem to know the true
health benefits it gives. Oatmeal provides two of the required
three daily servings of whole grains required in a healthy and
balanced diet and this alone should help convince you to use it.
However there is an added bonus because oatmeal (porridge) is
the only whole grain recognized by the US FDA to help reduce
cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Can’t you imagine all the Scots jumping in the air, waving their
Sporrans in glee telling the world: “We told you so!!!” (Sorry I
can’t type in a Scottish accent.)

There is also a school of thought that claims that by eating
filling foods in the morning you actually suppress appetite
later in the day and this makes oatmeal an ideal breakfast for
weight-watchers. Research clearly indicates:

People who eat breakfast, like a bowl of oatmeal for instance,
tend to weigh less than those who skip it.

Adults that eat cereals, cooked or cold, have a lower body mass
index than those who eat a combinations of meat and eggs, or
those who skip breakfast altogether.

On the subject of healthy eating and weight control - don’t
forget that you need seven daily servings minimum of fruit and
vegetables to maintain health. Again this is also good advice to
weight watchers.

The biggest problem you are likely to face if you are trying to
lose weight is serving sizes. I’ve lost count of the number of
weight watchers who have told me that they follow a strict diet
regime but never seem to lose weight, then they serve themselves
at least double recommended serving sizes. Hey it doesn’t work
that way. Serving sizes are the biggest problem that most weight
watchers must contend with and when they come to terms with
serving sizes they not only start losing weight they keep it off
too.

Quaker has recently introduced Weight Control instant oatmeal,
no doubt there are equivalents in all parts of the world and you
can get some good tips at HREF="http://www.weightcontrol.quakeroatmeal.com" rel="nofollow">www.weightcontr
ol.quakeroatmeal.com

You can also find a free weight control program at: HREF=http://www.recipesmania.com/weightlossprogram.html rel="nofollow">http://ww
w.recipesmania.com/weightlossprogram.html

Sometimes all it takes is a change in your daily habits to
regain health.

This article is © Copyright David McCarthy 2005. It may only be
reproduced in its entirety.

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When you talk about joining a gym, the first thing that comes to
mind is, “What kind of yoga or Pilates classes do they have
there?” Yoga is an ancient form of exercise that focuses on
stretching and balancing, in finding peace and in strengthening
the body and muscles with bouncing, running, hopping, jumping or
other vigorous forms of movements. Pilates is all about
movements that help rejuvenate the mind and strengthen the body,
while injecting vigor into your everyday life. For people who
like aggressive movements, go for cardio activities or classes,
like Steps, Dance, Combat or other forms of Les Milles types of
programs.

For the rest of us, there’s always Pilates. And how do you know
whether Pilates is right for you? Here’s the answer…

Pilates is perfect for those who have old sport injuries For
those of us who have preciously been physically or emotionally
injured in one way or the other, Pilates can help nurse your
wounds back into normalcy. Pilates is non-strenuous, therefore,
it does not strain your muscles, joints, bones or other parts of
your body. In Pilates, the most important thing is that you move
slowly and stretch as far as YOU can go. Pilates is also
suitable for children and the elderly. Unlike other types of
cardiovascular programs, it does not, generally speaking, raise
your heart rate to a point that you will faint.

Pilates is good for those who like challenges Pilates, right
now, probably sounds like a piece of cake to you. But in actual
fact, it is not. It sounds so mild that many people think that
it’s a walk in the park. But there’s a lot more to Pilates than
meets the eye. Although you’re not pushed beyond your own limit
and you don’t need to bounce, hop, skip and run around in a mad
frenzy, you’re going to be stretching every single muscle in
your body and hold different positions for some time. This can
be a challenge for most of us. Exceptions are made for those who
are older, very young and the injured. For Pilates fans, we’re
in for the challenge. If you take a look at some of the
positions in Pilates, you’ll see what I mean.

Pilates is suitable for those who are depressed The fantastic
thing about Pilates is that it not only stretches your body and
muscles, Pilates is a kind of program that also stretches you
mentally. In order to hold positions and balance yourself, you
need focus, you need concentration and you need the will to hold
it there until the Pilates instructor says you can change
position. It gives you a reprieve from whatever problems you’re
facing and focus on you. Pilates helps you refocus your life and
for the whole 45 min to 1 hour session, your focus is none other
than YOU.

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You are likely to be seeing a new ingredient in some weight loss
supplements by the name of Caralluma Fimbriata. Caralluma
Fimbriata is similar to hoodia in that it is a natural appetite
suppressant.

Caralluma Fimbriata is said to be a vegetable that is used daily
in tribal India. It is eaten in several different forms and it
is said that it is used by tribesman in the same way Hoodia is
used in other parts of the world - Tribesman will consume it
before a long hunt to curb the appetite.

A company named Gencor Pacific USA has created a brand called
Slimaluma which is a standardized extract of Caralluma
Fimbriata. Caralluma Fimbriata already has some studies behind
it that makes it look very promising in the world of weight loss
dietary supplements.

If you have tried Hoodia and did not have any success, you may
want to try Caralluma Fimbriata before giving up on an all
natural appetite stimulant. Currently there are not many
products on the market containing Caralluma Fimbriata but I
suspect that will change in the near future. We will probably
start seeing combination products which contain other well known
weight loss supplements such as green tea, Citrimax, and
Chromium.

Remember that weight loss supplements usually target different
areas. Some are considered fat burners, some inhibit the
absorption of carbs or fat, and some are appetite suppressants.
Caralluma Fimbriata is for people who want help in controlling
their appetite.

We may see Caralluma Fimbriata combined with ingredients
designed to burn fat, absorb carbs, etc. Keep in mind what your
goal is before purchasing a weight loss supplement and you will
probably not be disappointed with the results. It appears
Caralluma Fimbriata will be affordable and the dosages will be
reasonable. It appears that dosages are going to be around 1
gram per day. The manufacturers will probably recommend divided
doses throughout the day but be sure and follow the directions
on the bottle.

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There is a tremendous amount of popular home gyms out there to suit a variety of needs for those who enjoy exercising in the convenience of their house. Depending on what you wish to accomplish you will have many choices. Some home gyms focus on strength training while others focus more on endurance training. And a new breed of gyms will do cross training or a combination of many exercises for a variety of muscle groups.

For those individuals looking to get bigger and stronger you can find home gyms with alot of weight that focus on pressing exercises. These are the more traditional equipment that you are used to seeing, similar to what is used in a public gym. You can do such exercises as bench presses, military press, lat pulldowns, and more. The selection for these gyms is quite large, fitting many different budgets.

You can also use your home gym to tone up your muscles and perform cardiovascular exercises. These types of exercises focus on strengthening the heart and increasing endurance, while toning the muscles at the same time. This type of total body workout is excellent for those people who don’t desire bigger muscles, but rather want a thinner and healthier body.

Some home gyms can actually do both quite well. One that comes to mind is the bowflex which is designed for just about anybody who wants to get in great shape, while saving time in the confines of their own home. You can apply alot of weight to any of their stations or use less weight and vary the angles for more cardiovascular work. These home gyms are terrific in performing quick and effective workouts to target all muscles groups in the body. Plus most of the bowflex models fold up and can be stored out of the way.

If you are on a tight budget and don’t need to workout your entire body you can also consider purchasing a treadmill, elliptical trainer, or even stationary bike. These pieces of equipment will all raise your heartrate and burn calories but are not used for increasing muscle size or strength. Many people use these daily to reduce stress and increase their energy levels after a long day of work.

When deciding which home gym is the right one for you, consider what your specific needs are. If you want to build muscle and size then there are many options out there that are geared just for that. Additionally you can find home gyms that do strength training as well as cardio training for a complete body workout. Weigh your needs against your budget and do some research. There will be many choices for you.

James McDonald writes for fitnesstrainingsource.com where you can find many types of home gyms and other fitness equipment. We also have alot of informative articles to help anyone looking to get in better shape.

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