The Aid Centers Hub

I must admit that I don’t usually write articles with such a chilling headline, so I feel that I should give a little background on a relatively innocent experience which prompted me to write this piece. I would also say quite candidly that there is nothing really new in the main context of it, in fact most probably everyone is concious of these facts in some way or another.

What I really do wonder though, is just exactly how many of us are actually making any real attempt to seriously look after ourselves, healthwise that is.

I live in Central Scotland in the UK, and according to statistics, we have one of the highest mortality rates from such things as coronary heart disease, strokes, obesity, etc, etc, and I often wonder why that should be the case! Of course many things are contributory factors to this, and I am no medical expert, but there is one very important factor involved which I have studied extensively, and that is diet!

In Scotland we are renowned for our love of deep-fried foods such as fish and chips, pies, takeaway meals, alcohol consumption, and so on. Every region of the Western world has its favourite goodies I suspect, so I am sure that you get the picture.

I must hand it to our Health Authorities however, because for some considerable time now there has been an extensive and on-going campaign of Health Education, including some excellent TV and Radio ads, outdoor billboards, and similar things.

It was one of the latter that really caught my eye recently, so much so that I can’t quite get the image out of my mind. It is a large billboard which contains a graphic picture of a human heart, with two giant grey hands sueezing the life out of it! Very very effective, (at least I thought so), my congratulations to the person who devised it!

This was the spur that prompted this article, and as I said at the beginning, there is nothing really new in it, but I think it bears repeating nonetheless. Life is a precious gift, and although we are not immortal, there are many many things that we can do to prolong it.

As far as diet is concerned therefore, here are some of the important ones again:-

Cut down on the fat,and cut down on the carbs

You’ve heard the popular advice on weight loss diets. Cut the fat! Cut the carbs! Cut the calories! Eat a balanced diet! But how can you cut though all of the confusion, and eat a diet that is balanced and healthy?

Here is some advice from nutritional science.

Cut out the junk fats

Most people do not need an ultra low fat diet, but most of us could improve our diet by cutting out the junk fats. These are processed fats, hydrogenated fats, polyunsaturated oils that have been heated, and fats that are combined with junk carbs.

Processed fats are those fats most likely to put on flab and clog your arteries.

Cut out the junk carbs

The majority of people do not need an ultra low carb diet, but unfortunately, many people who do go on a low fat diet continue to eat highly processed foods. They switch from processed high-fat foods to processed low-fat foods, and then when the food manufacturers create low fat foods, they tend to replace the fat with junk carbs.

These can actually pile on the pounds, because basically junk carbs are low-fiber carbs, like sugar, fructose (and all the other *oses), flour, cornstarch, fruit juice, etc.

Yes, fruit juice is a junk carb too you know!

After all, how much fiber is there in fruit juice. Virtually none, simply because it’s yet another junk carb. You would be better to eat the whole fruit instead, with its fiber intact.

Cut out the junk calories

Most people do not need an ultra low calorie diet, but just think what your diet could be like if you dropped the processed fats and the low-fiber carbs. You would be eating mainly natural proteins, with lots of vegetables plus whole fruits, and the odds would be that you would be eating far fewer calories as well.

That’s the kind of calorie cutting most of us should be doing!

Make every attempt to eat a balanced natural foods diet

By natural foods, we mean those kinds of foods that would have been eaten by our hunter-gatherer ancestors. They would have had lots of whole vegetable foods giving them vitamins and fiber for instance, and also moderate to small portions of meats, fish, seafood, and other animal and protein foods. These they would have grilled, stewed or baked, not deep fried!

They would also have eaten small portions of fresh whole fruit in season, which is the diet on which the human race evolved!

So the next time you’re about to order a meal with fries and a sugary soda, stop and think about how it could be improved. Replace the fries with a salad for example, and the soda with a mineral water say. It would probably surprise you, how much significant progress you have already made towards a healthier balanced meal.

Just simple sensible changes can work wonders!

When you are at home, look for recipes that use whole, fresh foods, with a minimum of processing. Try and make sure that your meals include natural unprocessed foods, with lots of healthy vegetables, both cooked, and raw when in salads. Avoid processed fats and processed low-fiber foods.

Here is a little simple menu that I often use and enjoy.

Grilled fish with steamed green beans and peppers Large mixed salad, dressed with small amounts of olive oil and vinegar or lemon juice

Fresh fruit platter to finish.

A healthy balanced diet can be that simple you know!

Life is there to be enjoyed, but moderation in all things is the watchword in my opinion. I do hope this article has given you some food for thought however!

In the past, purchasing a folding treadmill meant compromise. You were going to compromise on stability for the convenience of a space saving exercise machine. In addition, the overall durability and quality of components would be less then you would find in a stationary treadmill.

In the last several years there’s been considerable design improvements that have contribute to folding models being comparable to their stationary equivalent. In fact, the treadmill company I worked for used the exact same frame for both their folding and stationary models. I could not tell the difference between the two.

There is no question that treadmills are space hogs. An average treadmill with a 20″ wide belt can be 3.5″ x 6″. If you are living space challenged, and you prefer not to sacrifice a good portion of a room to exercise equipment, then a folding treadmill makes sense. In addition to the fact that many folding treadmills are easy to move, and can be stored.

So what should you consider when buying a folding treadmill?

There are a number of good brands that build folding treadmills. Two that stand out are Sole and Smooth. Sole folding treadmills are used in the Hilton hotel chains for in-room service. If they can hold-up under that type of environment, they should do well in your home. Smooth has a good reputation for quality machines and customer service. Both Sole and Smooth have received “Best Buy” awards from Treadmill Doctor.

Fred Waters worked in the treadmill industry for a number of year and is author
of the Treadmill Rating and
Review site. Check out the latest reviews on over 75 of the most popular treadmills, and get important buying tips from the Treadmill Buyer’s Guide.

You know what makes exercising on a treadmill so effective in losing weight and getting in shape – the ability to adjust the incline. With the push of a button you can adjust the intensity level of your workout to any degree.

If you live in a flatlander state like Illinois and you run or walk outside, you’re stuck at one level. With a treadmill you can simulate running or walk on hills or mountains, and that is where you start getting the heart beating and the calories burning.

Breaking Out of the Exercise Rut

For those of us who exercise regularly, we tend to get into a rut. And once you get stuck in a rut you reach a plateau. You find that you are not losing any more weight, and you are not getting in better shape. By changing up your routine and the intensity of your workout you can reach new highs in your personal fitness.

That is why hill and interval training are such popular programs on the treadmill. In fact, one of the hottest trends in exercising and weigh loss is High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This new form of aerobic exercising manages to get the maximum results in less time. And for us who struggle to find the time to exercise, this type of workout is very attractive.

Treadmill Are Ideal for Interval Training

High Intensity Interval Training requires exercising at high intensity levels for 1-3 minutes, and follow-up with a recovery period that is approximately 2 to 3 times longer. HIIT can apply whether you run or walk. It just is a matter of raising the incline level and getting the heart beating faster.

Treadmills are ideal for aerobic workouts like High Intensity Interval Training. You crank the treadmill up to a high incline for several minutes then reduce the level and slow down to a walk or slow jog. You can either use existing hill or interval programs on the treadmill (most at least have hill training), or you can manually control the workout to a level you feel comfortable with.

The important point is get out of the rut. Experiment with different speeds and incline levels. As you start getting comfortable at a certain level for a certain period, increase both the incline and the period of time. The benefits of breaking out of the rut is burning more calories, getting in better shape and breaking up the boredom of your exercise routine.

If you plan to increase your level of exercising, make sure you are physically in shape to handle the intensity. You may want to check with your physician first, particularly if you are just starting back into a fitness routine.

Fred Waters worked in the treadmill industry for a number of year and is author of the Treadmill Ratings and Reviews site. Check out the latest reviews on over 75 of the most popular treadmills, and get important buying tips from the Treadmill Buyer’s Guide.

Do you occasionally find yourself pressed for time when preparing for your workout? Or, maybe you just do not feel like going through your normal routine. You need something a little different! How about this?

This is a quick, ten minute workout to totally blitz the body. It is done on the line of circuit training except it is a mass gaining routine with heavy weights and lower to mid-range repetitions. You will take three basic, compound exercises which cover the chest, back and legs. Your other muscles will get plenty of stimulation from these compound pushing and pulling movements. You perform each exercise without rest in between. For example, we will take chin-ups for the back, parallel bar dips for the chest and squats for the legs. Start with the chin-ups and do as many repetitions as you can. Next, do the same with the dips, then go on to the squats. Try to perform each rep slowly, with emphasis placed on the negative, or downward portion of the movement. After the squats, take about ten seconds to catch your breath, then start the second cycle. Perform each rotation three to four times, then do a cool down and stretch and you are done. This routine can be followed any time you are short on time, or when you just need a little change of pace. You will definitely feel the muscles you worked out in this fashion the next day! You can substitute many exercises into the routine, as long as you make sure to do one exercise each for back, chest and legs.

Examples of exercises: (Choose one from each group)

Back: chins, bent rowing and t-bar rowing.

Chest: dips, bench press and push-ups.

Legs: squats, lunges, dead-lift and leg presses.

This program can also be done taking your normal rest periods between each set. Obviously, it will then take longer than ten minutes to complete, but it is a very substantial training routine. With the longer rest intervals, you will probably use more weight on the lifts, so you will build strength a bit quicker doing the routine in this manner. Either way, you are working the largest muscle groups which will add strength and mass very quickly to your body. Give it a try and see for yourself, what can be done in as little as ten minutes!

There are quite a number of effective muscle building techniques and weight lifting tips you can use in your lifting programs. By putting together a plan and implementing these muscle ideas in an effective manner, you can create a variety of weight training routines that will help you to gain muscle mass as quickly as your genetics allow.

One of the best weightlifting tips you can use is a variation of the superset technique. If you’re not familiar with supersets, here’s a quick rundown.

A superset is when you perform two exercises back to back with no rest in between the exercises. There are a number of different versions of the superset. One is called pre-exhaustion. This is when you perform two exercises for the same muscle. The first exercise is an isolation movement, such as flyes for the pecs. Then you perform a compound movement for the same muscle. In this case you would use the bench press.

By performing a superset in this manner, you pre-fatigue the muscle you are working (in this case the pecs) and then hit it hard with a compound movement that allows other muscles that are still fresh to help the pecs (in this case the delts and triceps) work even harder. This manner of superset is designed to help overcome weaker muscles in an exercise so you can work the main muscle group harder. In this example, a lot of times the weaker triceps will give out on the bench press before the stronger pecs are effectively trained.

Another variation of this muscle building technique is post-exhaustion, where you perform the exercises the way I described above but in reverse. So using this weightlifting tip, you would peform the bench press and then go to the flyes. This version allows you to use heavier weights on the main exercise, in this case the bench press, and then use the isolation exercise to up the intensity and further work the muscle. I’ve always preferred this verisio to the typical pre-exhaustion method. Call it ego, but I would rather drop the weight on use on flyes than I would on my bench press.

Another variation would be to take a brief 30 second rest between the two exercises. This gives you a lot of the positives of the muscle building superset but helps to minimize the main negatives, which is stopping the set short from aerobic exhaustion before working the muscles efficiently, and the fact that you need to reduce the weights on the second exercise.

A very effective muscle building alternative to the mass training techniques above is performing supersets of antagonistic muscle groups, such as back and chest, biceps and triceps, quadriceps and hamstrings, etc. In the case of the chest and back you could superset bench presses with bent over rows.

While these are all effective muscle building techniques, one that you may find even better is the following. When utilizing antagonistic supersets, consider taking your typical rest between sets. So instead of supersetting with no rest between sets, you go back and forth with rest, like you would with straight sets.

Let’s say your typical weight training workout for back and chest consists of 5 sets of the bench press followed by 5 sets of bent over rows. Now, if you were using supersets, you’d perform one set for the chest and then do one set for the back with no rest, then rest for 2 – 3 minutes and repeat this five times.

Instead of utilizing the superset technique in this manner, you would do one set of the bench press, take your normal rest, then do a set of bent over rows, take your normal rest, and repeat until finished. In other words, you would stagger your sets. You wouldn’t really be doing a typical superset so much as switching back and forth between bench presses and bent over rows with a normal rest period.

What’s the advantage of this mass training tactic? For one, you won’t get winded as you might in a more traditional superset, especially when performing big, compound exercises for body parts like the chest and back. You’ll also be able to use heavier weights and you’ll concentrate better because you won’t have the tendency to rush as you might in a typical superset.

You can also adjust your training to your goals. You can change the amount of time you rest between sets to focus more on strength and power or pure muscle building and mass gains.

These muscle building techniques have a unique advantage when performing the antagonistic muscle group version. Whenever you work a muscle group, it’s antagonist works to some degree as well. For example, when you work the biceps with barbell or dumbbell curls, you’re also working the triceps, especially when you resist the weight on the way down. Think about it. Lowering the weight on a barbell curl is effectively the same motion as a reverse grip tricep pressdown.

When you do a bent over row, it’s like the negative of a bench press. When you do the negative on the bench press, it’s like the positive part of the rep on the bent over row.

That bit of work helps the antagonist muscle recover faster. Consider how you recover faster from a run by walking as opposed to dropping to the ground and lying still.

By using these antagonist supersets, you’ll also find yourself stronger on each exercise, because of the extended rest. Using the example above, you’ll get a lot more rest between sets of bent over rows when using this version of the superset than you do when you do straight sets.

These superset weight lifting tips are awesome for gaining muscle mass and strength. You can use these superset variations in any weigh trainng split.

Try these superset muscle building techniques for six to eight weeks and watch your muscle mass and your strength shoot forward. After six to eight weeks of hard training, you’ll want to back off a bit and then switch to a completely different weight training routine.

Your Headset Mic – Getting it on right! By Kevin Dempsey

Fitness headset microphones take an awful lot of abuse. We
sweat, scream, and spit into them. At the end of our class when
we hit shower that poor mic is still out there doing another
class. We work our mics so hard it borders on abuse. Is it any
surprise we have so many problems with them? But you can help.
With a little bit of care you can have of trouble free
performance from your mic system.

Most group fitness headset microphones for are designed to sit
at the side of your face about two finger’s width away from the
corner of your mouth, or slightly in front and to the side of
mouth, not directly in front as with most head worn singer’s
microphones. This helps to avoid amplifying breath noises and
blowing spit into the mic capsule as you teach.

If you need to confirm that the mic is working after you have
turned on the transmitter and checked that the mixer and sound
system are all set to go then, whatever you do, NEVER blow
into the microphone to test it!

Blowing hard into the delicate microphone capsule is the
easiest way to damage it.

A simple “test – one – two” is all you need to say and you
won’t risk being the cause of expensive, unnecessary repairs.

After use, always remove the foam windscreen from the mic,
gently wipe any sweat from the mic, and remove the body pack
transmitter from your pouch belt. To store the system when not
in use, hang the headset microphone on a hook 1m(3ft) above a
shelf for the transmitter so that the headset’s cable is kept as
straight as possible. Do not coil or kink the cable.

A few simple steps:

1) Don’t put the mic capsule directly in front of you
mouth.
2) Never blown into the microphone.
3) If your
mic was design to use a foam windscreen then always use one.

4) Always use a neoprene transmitter pouch belt.
5) Always
remove the windscreen after use.
6) Always remove the body
pack transmitter from the pouch belt.
7) Hang the mic when
not in use. Do not coil or kink the cable.

Feedback (that squealing or howling sound) occurs when the
microphone is too loud, the music is too loud for the microphone
or you are too close to the speakers. In most cases turning the
microphone level down or moving away from the speakers will stop
the howling so just adjust the levels to get the right mix of
voice over music without the howls. If the problem persists you
may need to reposition your speakers to make sure that they are
not ‘firing’ straight back at you. We also find that better
quality speakers are less prone to feedback.

If feedback persists because of the room’s architecture (full
of mirrors, windows, a polished wood floor and brick upper
walls) or your speaker types (ie: some horn tweeters) then there
are a selection of HREF="http://www.fitnessav.ca/DBX_AFS224_Feedback_Suppressor_p/af
s224.htm" rel="nofollow">Feedback Exterminator devices or 31 band HREF="http://www.fitnessav.ca/System_Processors_s/27.htm" rel="nofollow">Graphic
Equalizers available as an add-on component that fits
between the Wireless Microphone Receiver and the Mixer, that
will filter out those annoying squeals.

When used correctly, headset microphones that were designed for
group fitness use will give you many years of trouble free
service. Take care of your fitness microphone and it will take
care of you.

For many new users injecting steroids is a scary subject.
Remember that anabolic steroids are injected into the muscles
(intramuscular) and should not be mixed up with the more painful
procedure inserting a needle into the vein (intravenous), as
when you give a blood sample. The truth is that injecting
steroids actually can be safer and better for your health then
using oral anabolic steroids. Oral anabolic steroids often cause
more stress on your liver then injectible anabolic steroids.
Often the results from injectible steroids are better and longer
lasting then from oral. The actual procedure of injecting
anabolic steroids is something a person has to get use too. In
the beginning the user might have to instruct a friend to help
him with the injection. No matter if you decide to inject your
self or instruct a friend there are some basic knowledge you
need know to stay safe while injecting anabolic steroids.

Before you inject you might research what kind of needle you
need. This depends on the location of your body that will be
injected. In this guide we cover the subject of intramuscularly
injections.

For Americans:

21 or 22 Gauge, 1.5 Inch is ideal for injections into the
glutes.

25 Gauge, 1.0 inch is ideal for injections into the quads and
can be used for all spot injections.

25 Gauge, 5/8 inch is often used for tricep/bicep/delts

For Europeans :

0.80 x 40 mm (green) is ideal for injections into the glutes.

0.70 x 30 mm (blue) is ideal for injections into the quads and
can be used for all spot injections.

Recommended websites to order needles can be found in the end of
the “how to inject” guide under the FAQ section at
http://www.steroidsexpress.com

When you are injecting anabolic steroids you may never ever use
one needle more then once, and you may never ever share the
needle with someone else.

If you ask a friend for help the best spot to go for is probably
the butt ( Dorsogluteal) .

The location is not recommened if you decide to inject on
yourself, most people would choose the upper leg instead (
Vastus lateralis) .

Once you injected yourself a few times it is no big deal. To get
used to it I recommend you to buy some vitamin B12 to train
with. Oil based steroids must be injected with thick needles
into the muscle. Failing to inject into the muscle can be of
great danger. Water based B12 on the other hand also passes
through thin needles and it can also be injected subcutaneous as
well as intramuscularly. This means you can buy injection
needles from the smallest size up to the size you will need for
oil based steroids. So by starting using the smallest needle
injecting B12 under your skin you soon end up injecting B12 into
your muscle a few days later.

Check the expire date of the drugs that is going to be injected.
Also make sure that the vial is containing the right medicine
once more.

Gather all supplies you need and try to work in a clean place.
Wash your hand goods before you start to prepare the injections.
If possible, also disinfect your hands, your hands are always
strongly contaminated with different germs.

To try to keep your tools clean is vital if you want to avoid
infection or an abscess. Coughing or sneezing while the sterile
needle is unprotected or vial are open is a very bad manner,

How to draw back fluid from a vial with rubber top:

Break the package seal of the syringe in the back (where you can
reach the plunger) and draw back as many cc of air as you plan
to withdraw from the vial. By doing this you have drawn back the
sterile air in the package instead of the dirty air around you.
Then remove the seal completely and connect the syringe with the
needle immediately. It can be a good idea to always use a large
needle when withdrawing fluid from the vial, and then change the
needle depending on your injection spot of choice later. The
first reason is that it is easier to draw the fluid back from a
vial with a thicker needle. The second reason is that many
people want to change the needle before injecting anyway since
penetrating the rubber seal made the needle less sharp. But of
course you can use the same needle all the way.

Clean the top of the rubber vial with alcohol carefully.
Remember that when you disinfect something with alcohol it
doesn’t kill all germs in a few seconds. The best way is to
leave an alcohol pad on top for at least 30 seconds up to almost
a minute.

Insert the needle into the rubber stopper in a 90 degree angle.
Inject the air into the bottle so that you have created a vacuum
effect and drawing will be easier. Position the bottle and
syringe so the bottle is on top and the syringe below. Be sure
to support the syringe and the bottle so the needle is not bent.

Check for bubbles in the syringe. If air bubbles are present:
Tap the barrel of the syringe with your finger to move any
bubbles to the top of the syringe. Push the plunger slightly up
to move any air bubbles out of the syringe Pull down on the
plunger again and fill the syringe with the correct amount of
medicine. Check again for air bubbles and if present, repeat the
steps above. Bubbles are not good, but it is not as dangerous
when injecting into a muscle as into a vein. Don’t worry if some
fluids runs down the needle while working on getting rid of the
air bubbles, this is good lubrication. Never ever wipe it off,
the needle should be sterile, remember.

Remove the needle from the bottle.

How to draw back fluid from a glass ampoule:

Of course to inject air before drawing is pointless since you
can’t create a vacuum effect. Drawing back from a glass ampoule
is easier. There is just one downside. Opening a glass ampoule
can be difficult, especially the old kinds. The more modern ones
should have a coloured ring or a dot around the neck to show
that they can be broken here. Put the ampoule is a clean paper
towel. One hand should firmly grasp the lower portion of the
ampoule, the other hand should grasp the very top. A quick
snapping motion should cleanly remove the top of the ampoule.
The older ones can be more difficult. The first have to be
treated around the neck to open. Of course an ampoule opener is
the best choice but not always available. Other tool to look for
can be a metal knife with small teeth or a fingernail file. This
knife should be rotated around the narrow part of the neck in a
sawing motion. After a white line or “score’ is clearly evident
on the neck, the ampoule is ready to be cracked open.

Carefully replace the needle cap. It is of greatest importance
that the needle remains clean. If it would be touched replace it
with a fresh one. The cap offers a good protection

Investigate a good spot to give the injection. When choosing
site we try to seek areas with less veins and nerves. Use
different sites to prevent repeated injections in the same area.
Do not inject more often the once a week per site to prevent
buiding up of scar tissue. Do not use areas that are bruised,
tender or swollen.

To find the right injection spot you should study pictures
carefully. At my website I have detailed images of 4 injection
sites, Buttock (Gluteus Medius), Hip (Ventrogluteal), Leg
(Vastus Lateralis) and Arm (Deltoid). The webiste can be found
at ww.steroidsexpress.com, look under FAQ section for pictures.

Disinfect the injection area well. We recommend you to buy
alcohol pads (isopropyl) from your pharmacy. They can be left on
the injection spot for a whole minute without drying out due to
the alcohol evaporating. Relax the muscle that is going to be
injected. Some people likes to take a hot shower before the
inject anabolic steroids to help relaxation.

Insert the needle swiftly at an angle of 90 degrees. Do not
insert the needle all the way, is a reasonable depth. Aspirate
briefly to make sure no blood vessel has been hit. If blood
appears this is the case and withdraw the needle. No panic, as
long as you didn’t actually inject in the vessel there is no
danger. But you simply have to start over again by selecting a
new spot and disinfect.

If small air bubbles appears and no blood you can start to
inject slowly but steady. If you inject to fast it can be a bit
painful and will potentially result in an abscess. Once all of
the anabolic steroids in the syringe have been injected wait a
few seconds and withdraw the needle swiftly. Press sterile
cotton wool or an alcohol pad onto the opening. A little massage
of the injection spot is not wrong.

It is normal that the injection spot can hurt a little bit or
get swollen, but this should pass within 3 days.

With the advancement in the treadmill industry, quality machines could now cost you up to $5,000. So purchasing the wrong equipment could prove costly. And with the huge variety of treadmills in the market today, finding one that suits you best has become even more confusing.

This is the reason why I created these guide questions. It aims to educate people on how to purchase the best treadmill for their needs and avoid some costly mistakes.

So before you start shopping for your new treadmill, answer first the following guide questions below. They will guide you into making the right purchase.

1) Who would use the treadmill?

The treadmill you would be buying would depend on how much you weigh, how tall you are, and how many people would use it.

Most treadmills have a maximum user weight limit, so be sure that your treadmill will be able to support your body weight. For tall people, I suggest you choose machines with lengthy decks, since your strides will be longer than normal.

If the whole family would be using it, it would be better to buy higher quality treadmills (those above $2,000) to make sure that it can handle the workouts of everyone in the family.

2) How often would the treadmill be used?

The quality (and price) of the machine you will be buying would also depend on the number of times the treadmill will be used in a week and for how long. As a guide, a person who weighs less than 200 lbs. and plans to run on it for 30 minutes a day, 7 times a week should get a treadmill in the $1,500 – $2,000 range.

3) Where will the treadmill be used?

The size and weight of the treadmill you will buy is another factor to be considered. If you have limited space at home, then buying a huge treadmill would not be a smart move. Also, an extremely heavy treadmill is recommended to be only on the ground floor of an old house.

For those with limited spaces at home, you might want to choose a treadmill with foldable feature. This allows you to fold the treadmill after use to save space.

4) What features do you need?

You need to determine the features that would be useful to you and be sure that the treadmill you will buy has those features. If you want to workout in your target heart rate then make sure that the machine you will be buying has a heart rate monitor.

5) How much can you afford?

Finally, know how much you can really spend for a treadmill then, considering numbers 1-4, choose the treadmill in that price range that suits you best. If you can’t find your perfect treadmill in that price range, then you might have to look for one with a higher price tag.

If you need a webpage which categorizes the best treadmills by price, you can visit this best buy treadmills page.

Well, there you have it. Hopefully these treadmill buying guide questions was able to enlighten you on the kind of treadmill that you really need.

Aaron Co is an avid treadmill user for more than 6 years now. He is also the founder of TreadmillTips.com. A website that provides unbiased treadmill reviews and buying tips so shoppers can choose the fitness equipment that suits them best.

By: The Icon Diet Rearder

You would have to be a hermit not to know about the dramatic rise of obesity levels in North America. Health issues have been plastered around the media non stop for the better part of the last five years. The problem is that for the most part the message has been falling short of its mark. There are more obese people in 2004 then there were in 2003. The number of diet related health complications is growing and children are ballooning at a rate comparable to their adult counterparts. On the flip side, the health industry has been showing strong signs of growth, with one in four women and one in five men on a diet at any given time. While times have been tight financially, people have been opening up their wallets in record numbers to by fitness products and gym memberships.

So the bottom line is that while people are actively aware of health and fitness concerns, and are spending more then ever before on products and services to battle poor fitness, North America as a whole is getting fatter. It seems like a contradiction but it is the truth none the less. For one thing, the most people try to fix their health and then give up because it is too challenging. Often they lack the support from friends and family or even the proper skill set to be successful.

However, that being said, North America is in a bad way when it comes to health. We are a society that allows itself to binge to a point where obesity is considered an epidemic. Historically epidemics are things that rage outside of the ready control of human kind. When we typically think about epidemics we think about cholera, typhus or even ‘the plague’ – bubonic fever. In North America we have allowed our own poor habits to become an epidemic. It is really a shameful situation. We are simply eating ourselves to death. It is so serious that we have declared a war on fat. A war, on fat. Somehow by drawing on images of fighting, of military might, of violence, we will be able to battle obesity.

Are we that soft (no pun intended)? Can we not take responsibility for our own actions, including what we put into our bodies? Recently there have been lawsuits filed against fast food establishments that charge them with knowingly selling harmful goods. The lawsuit does not surprise me, after all it’s the American way, it does surprise me that we are willing to acknowledge that we cannot feed ourselves safely. That is, by assuming the position of a victim we allow someone else to be responsible.

In North America, the sad truth of the matter is that we have managed to take the normal daily necessity of eating and pervert it into a national killer of epidemic proportions. We are, as a society, beginning to ask why this as happened. Fingers are being pointed at corporations who used processed foods to enlarge their bottom lines at the expense of health, at the creation of ‘big box’ food companies who saturate the media with their products inciting us to eat, at the government for being so passive and allowing obesity to become such an issue, at budget cuts that see physical education programs taken out of schools. Everywhere you look you can find a guilty party.

While all this seems to make sense – after all you can start healing after you find the culprit- this mode of reasoning deprives us of our individuality and our integrity. If we allow others to be responsible over such base matters as our eating, then what we are really doing labeling ourselves as incapable.

Yes, obesity is an epidemic. Yes, drastic measures should be taken to stem the growth our waist lines. However, the only one to really blame for this is ourselves. Accept in a very few cases, nobody forces you to eat anything. What you eat is predicated on choice alone. Make a choice and choose to be healthy. Take responsibility for what goes into your body. Be capable of guiding your own health and well being.

In the medical community, “obesity” is generally said to be present in women with more than 30% body fat and men with more than 25% body fat. “Morbid obesity,” a more serious condition still, occurs when a person is 50-100% or 100 pounds above his or her ideal body weight or has more than 39% body fat. Medical problems commonly associated with morbid obesity include diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, certain cancers (including breast and colon cancer), depression, and osteoarthritis.

Obesity among the American population is a serious epidemic. The results of a 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicate that an estimated 64% of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese.

Millions of people approach weight control, focusing on the symptom. The symptom being the weight itself. These people put all their energy into baking it off, working it off, starving it off, or all kinds of fad diets.

They all experience the ups and downs on the weight charts and scale. This makes for a lot of upset and depressed people who think that they will never solve the problem of eliminating, permanently, those excess pounds and inches.

The only time that anyone has to be concerned with weight control is when they are eating. The fact of the matter is that people are concerned with weight before they eat and they beat themselves up after they eat. While people are eating there is no concern.

We spend a small amount of time each day eating and that is the only time that people have to increase their conscious awareness and focus on developing proper eating habits.

If you are overweight, you may be so because you formed a habit of eating improperly.

By re-educating your eating habits, you will find that you still enjoy eating and for much more positive reasons. You’ll eliminate weight — and you won’t regain it.

The plan is very basic, simple, and easy. Every week, for a period of six weeks, you are going to practice a new and different mental exercise to help you change your eating habits.

WEEK ONE: Sit down to eat and drink. Even if it’s only a piece of gum or a sip of water, sit down! This will help eliminate the unconscious snacking that is so much a part of being overweight. This also eliminates tasting foods for those who cook.

WEEK TWO: Relax! Take a minute to breathe comfortably and be thankful for the food in front of you. This will help you become aware of the foods that you eat and the way in which you eat them.

WEEK THREE: Chew your food well. Sip your drinks. Take small bites. Depending on what you are eating, chew from 25 to 40 times with each mouthful. By consuming small portions and eating more slowly, your taste buds will have a chance to get the full and wonderful flavor from the nutritious foods you are eating.

Your stomach will have a chance to tell your mind that you are full and satisfied and that you require a smaller amount of food than before. It can take the same amount of time to eat a small amount of food as it does to eat a large amount.

WEEK FOUR: Get rid of bad emotions and frustrations. if you have a problem or transaction that you are working on, clear your mind before you eat. Eating out of frustration is a very common bad habit.

WEEK FIVE: Think about the food you eat, especially the flavor.

WEEK SIX: Leave something on your plate (besides your fork). We’re conditioned to clean everything from our plates and programmed to believe that cleaning our plates will help starving children elsewhere in the world or that it’s a sin to waste food.

OTHER ATTITUDES TO CONSIDER

1. Refer to diets as menus.

2. Refer to losing weight as eliminating weight permanently.

3. Use smaller plates and glasses.

4. Serve yourself smaller portions.

5. Use one room in the house in which to eat, perhaps even one chair.

6. Keep a diary of the food you eat.

In addition to these exercises, it is important that you utilize the techniques learned in altered- states (hypnosis) to effect habit change and visualize exactly the way you want to look.

Imagine yourself standing on your bathroom scale and looking down at the weight you want to be.

Some sample weight control suggestions:

1. I weigh ___ pounds and am slim, healthy, and attractive.

2. I eat only those healthful, nutritious foods that allow me to maintain my weight at ___ pounds.

3. I eat my meals slowly and enjoy every bite. I taste and savor my food better than ever before.

4. The desire to eliminate fat from my body is stronger than ever before. I am, on a daily basis, eating less and enjoying food more, and the desire to eliminate weight is stronger than the desire to eat.

5. I see myself as being slim, trim, firm and solid. I think thin.

6. I am staying satisfied for longer periods of time. The desire to eliminate unnatural fat from my body is stronger than my desire to eat. I see fattening eating behavior and I have no desire to indulge in such behavior. I enjoy being slim, trim, thin and slender.

By utilizing these behavior modification suggestions you will completely re-educate your eating habits and will have formed a successful pattern for creating and maintaining a slim, trim, permanent new shape.

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