Polar Heart Rate Monitor Running – Health-and-Fitness – Fitness-Equipment EzineArticles
- The Portable Chin-Up Bar by Michelle J Scott
If you want to have portable equipment for doing the chin-ups, then you can check one of the portable chin-up bars, which will provide you the advantage of portability. If you do not get a bar for doing the chest exercise, then you do not worry, as there is chin-up bar that will provide you the help to do the chest exercises. This equipment is intended to interlock with the doorframe and they are held in place with your weight and it gives you a sturdy support.
- Information About Slimmer Belt by Michelle J Scott
Slimmer belt is used to remove excess of water from various parts of our body. The excess fat or salty fluid that is secreted by our body organs is removed by it efficiently. We can lose weight effectively from our stomach with ease wearing this belt. It is thin enough to wear and feels comparatively free within our clothing.
- Reebok Cross Trainers – Get Rid of Those Calories Fast by Chris Cornell
The first elliptical trainer was patented in 2004. There are three different types. Each has a different drive system. The center drive is the latest technology. The Reebok Cross trainer is designed to work the users upper and lower body the cross trainer are considered to be minimal impact, and provide cardiovascular workouts rather than build muscle. Each machine can be adjusted to change the burdens on various muscle groups. Reebok elliptical cross trainers provide a highly effective, non-impact way to work out, burning more calories than running, power walking or weight training.
- York Cross Trainers – A Model For Everyone by Chris Cornell
York Cross Trainers and what the different models offer. Different models of York Cross Trainers, models, features and prices.
- Proform Cross Trainers – Models For Every Need by Chris Cornell
Proform cross trainers have been one of the hottest selling brands in the United States and are quickly taking hold in the United Kingdom. Holding on to a solid reputation and a maker of a range of good value elliptical trainers its safe to say that the company has a solid reputation.
- Tunturi Cross Trainers – The Cadillac of Elliptical Cross Trainers by Chris Cornell
Tunturi machines are a top of the line cross trainer and market directly at the consumer who want just a bit more from their elliptical. They are, generally, somewhat more expensive than other brands, like Proform or York, but the fact that they are high quality machines really stands out and makes you notice. Originally a manufacturer of high end road bikes the company is branching out into all sorts of training equipment like treadmills, elliptical and exercise bikes and are now owned by the German fitness company, Accell, Accell produce the Bremshey cross trainer range.
- How to Get the Best Mixed Martial Arts Equipment For Beginners by Laura Jane Smith
When selecting MMA equipment it is always recommended to research the brands that are available for that MMA equipment before you buy. This is true whether the MMA equipment you are buying is boxing gloves, MMA sparring gloves, MMA boardshorts, kick shields, rash guards and so on.
- Safety Tips For Gym Newcomers by Joseph Devine
If you decide to join a gym, you are taking a step in the right direction to improve your health and fitness levels. However, as you pursue a greater level of personal health, you should keep your personal safety in mind. Gym accidents and injuries occur frequently, and can range from overuse injuries to injuries due to the negligent behaviors of other gym users. Each time you hit the gym, keep your personal safety in mind and watch out for hazards posed by your fellow exercisers.
- The Benefits of Exercise Rowing Machines by Sarah Childs
The benefits of using exercise rowing machines are numerous as they are beneficial. For instance if your main goal is to lose that excess weight you are carrying around then they are perfect for you as regular sessions on this type of fitness equipment will soon have those calories burned to a frazzle!
- Will You Be Able to Burn More Calories on a Non Electric Treadmill? by Christopher W Smith
The answer to the title question is “maybe”. Although it sounds reasonable to say that a non-electric treadmill will cause you to work harder, that isn’t necessarily the case. After all, you’re the one making the effort. As with all other types of exercise, the number of calories you burn on any type of treadmill is going to be directly proportional to the amount of work you put into the effort.
- Ab Circle Pro Review – How Does it Compete to Other Abs Machines? by John Davenport
When you’re thinking about buying a product, you usually try to figure out if it’s worth the money. But wouldn’t it be better to find out whether or not it’s better than the alternative products on the market?
- Treadmill Features – The Treadmill Feature Advantage by Jennifer Lynn Hanson
Treadmill features have come a long way. Here’s what you can expect from these machines to help you in you workout efforts.
- What Cardio Machine Burns the Most Calories by Caitlin Chock
All exercise machines are not created equal. Depending on the muscles they target and engage, the range of motion, and even design and layout of the workout machine you are on determines just how many calories you are able to burn each session.
- Best Exercise Bikes – Find a Top Exercise Bike by Panah C Rad
Looking for a top exercise bike? Not sure which model works for you the best? Read on to find out.
- Real Ab Circle Pro Reviews – Where to Find Useful Customer Reviews of This Popular Ab Machine by Jay Jordan
It can be very difficult to find real reviews of the Ab Circle Pro abdominal exercise machine. In this article I’ll show you what to look for and where to find some useful customer reviews, testimonials, and expert information.
- Keys Treadmill Review by Darren W Chow
If you are having trouble looking for a powerful home treadmill, then Keys Fitness treadmills may be just what you are looking for. This heavy duty treadmill is sturdily built, and is suitable for hardcore fitness enthusiasts.
- Ironman Treadmill Review by Darren W Chow
The Ironman treadmill cost about $1,000. Just what do you get for such a price?
- The Concept 2 Rower – Is This the Best Indoor Rowing Machine? by Kevin Foulds
Is the concept 2 rowing machine the best indoor rowing machine money can buy? Take a look at why we think this is the choice you should make.
- The Dangers of Buying Low Quality Trampolines by Robert A Hull
Jumping on the trampoline is a fun activity for your family, kids love it and it is always inevitable to tell them not to jump too high on the trampoline. Here is where high quality trampolines come into the picture. You don’t want your kids get hurt or injured because of the equipment you brought into your house.
- What Are the Different Types of Heart Rate Monitors? by Keith O
Heart rate monitors became popular in the mid-90s when a lot of health conscious people found that using them can be useful while they are doing their training or workouts. It evolved slowly, and found its way to most exercise machines, such as stationery bikes, treadmills, and other fitness equipment machines.
- Image Treadmill – Ultra Low Budget, Ultra Cool Features by Darren W Chow
Image is one of the many brands of treadmills produced by Icon, one of the most prolific exercise equipment manufacturers today. The brand Image is targeted at low-income households, and the treadmills are priced at an astonishingly low $600 or less.
- IFit Treadmill – Your Own Personal Trainer, Available Round the Clock by Darren W Chow
Ifit is a service that is used to avail of interactive programs to aid your workout on the treadmill. It has been introduced by Icon, the global leader in manufacturing treadmills, and features on many of its machines – Reekbok, Nordic Track, Proform, HealthRider and Image.
- Icon Treadmills – A Smorgasbord of Treadmills, Leaving You to Choose by Darren W Chow
Icon is the company that manufactures treadmills of many known brands, from the sub-$500 models like the Weslo and Image brands to mid-range series like Nordic Track. Other Icon brands include Proform, Epic and Healthrider – all of which are popular among their target segment, and completely in their own right.
- Smooth HR Treadmills – Power Folding, Premium Shock Absorption by Darren W Chow
The Smooth HR treadmills are among the most loved sub-$2000 treadmills in today’s market, due to their value for money in terms of durability, comfort and features. This review will focus on the two most popular models, the Smooth 7.1 HR Pro and the Smooth 9.35 HR.
- Horizon Treadmills – The Best in Low-End Treadmills by Darren W Chow
Horizon treadmills are some of the most popular treadmills for buyers on a budget. Priced between $699 and $1999, the Horizon treadmill range provides affordable equipment that looks as good in your living room as something worth twice the money.
- Rowing Machines Provide a Total Body Workout Fast by Dean Michael
Rowing machines are great exercise machines for people of all ages that are ideal for losing weight and shaping up and toning the body muscles. These exercise machines simulate the feel of gliding on the water in a boat.
- Benefits of a Life Fitness Elliptical Machine by Lindsey George
A Life Fitness elliptical trainer, also called a cross trainer or just simply an elliptical, provides a full-body workout with causing undue pressure to the joints. It simulates walking or running and also provides a great workout for the upper body much akin to cross-country skiing.
- How Good is the Bow Flex? by Jason Katz
We have all seen the commercials, especially if we are up late at night. It seems that all that you see during that time are different ways to lose weight, get in shape or to improve your general fitness. One of the more interesting and popular of these commercials seems to be for a product that is known as the Bow flex. Since this is a substantial investment, you should take a good look at the product before you sign on the dotted line.
- Kettlebell Revolution For Fat Loss Product Review by Parth Shah
The Kettlebell Revolution Fat Loss System is a training program developed by Turbulence Training Author Craig Ballantyne and Turbulence Training Certified Trainer Chris Lopez. Out of all the Kettlebell Fat Loss systems out there, Chris Lopez’s system is the only one that uses the famous Turbulence Training method of training.
- Used Treadmills – Tips to Buy “Guaranteed” Used Treadmills by Alevoor Rajagopal
If you’re researching used treadmills, I know how much you value your money and what it means to you. Buying used treadmills help save hard earned money on your purchases provided you know how to take what you want and owning a gym quality reconditioned treadmill for less than half of the new price is in your hands.
Confessions From A Fat Doctor
by: Dr. Jeff Banas
I never intended to get fat! I am not exactly sure how it happened, but there I was a 6’2” thirty-four year old pushing close to 270 pounds. My cholesterol was high, my triclecrides were high, and my blood pressure was high. I was on a direct course for developing diabetes, increased risk of heart disease, increased risk of cancer, and a ton of other diseases related to obesity.
It gets worse. I am a doctor, a sports chiropractor to be exact and my office is located inside a health club. Unfortunately, like many other doctors and other health professional out there, I was not practicing what I was preaching.
Living in sunny Arizona, land of the endless summer, sooner or later you have to go to the lake, the water park, or you are invited to a cookout and pool party. That is when all my excuses caught up to me. Despite knowing the health risks associated with being overweight, it was the feeling of low self-esteem and embarrassment that finally drove me to action.
So there I was, a doctor, ready to get the weight off. I hate to admit it; I tried some of those quick fix gimmick supplements. I tried a bunch of the fad diets. I bought a bunch of books from all the “weight loss experts”. Sure I would lose a little weight, but I could never stick with the diet for any length of time. When I went off the diet I would gain the weight right back. Then tried working my butt off in the gym, running almost every day. That got real boring, and I found that running everyday is not the best thing to do when you weigh close to 270 pounds.
There I was again, still no direction, no focus, no drive, nothing to guide me. Frustrated about not getting any results and what to do, I thought I was just going to have to accept that I was overweight and deal with it. I gave it a real effort and it did not work.
During all of this, the chiropractor that I bought my office from mentioned that he was beginning a weight loss program at his office, which was based on his experience with triathlon training. That got my attention. I really wanted to give the program a try, but I lived too far from his office to come in on a regular basis. So I began researching the sport on the Internet.
The more I read about triathlons and triathlon training, the more sense it made to me as a way to help me lose weight. If you are going to do an event that involves swimming, cycling, and running you obviously are going to have to train that way. The idea about jumping into the pool for an exercise swim was not something I was looking forward to, and the last thing I wanted to do was to put on a swimsuit and workout. Then I remembered how painful my knees were from running around, and swimming would be easier on my joints.
I also began reading about using heart rate monitors and the affects of exercising at different heart rates. Many of the authors of the books on heart zone training were triathletes themselves, and they gave numerous examples on how using heart zone training you can track your progress and maximize your exercise program.
The more I searched the triathlon Internet sites, the more I became interested in the sport. The people who competed in triathlons looked really fit, it was inspiring. That is when I decided to take my commitment to losing weight to the next level. Weighing close to 270 pounds, I signed up for my first triathlon. Five months away, I was going to do a sprint race, which was a 500m swim, a 15-mile bike, then and a 3-mile run. This was a much shorter distance than many triathlon races, however at the time I could not do even one of the events let alone all of them back-to-back.
Using a combination of what I learned about heart zone training and from the triathlon Internet sites, I started my program. I my alternated exercise sessions between swimming, cycling, and running. I also did about an hour of weight training a week. This really added a variety to the exercise program, and it never got boring. One day I would just bike, then next maybe run 10 minutes, do a weight session, then bike for 25 minutes. Then the next day I would just swim. The next day I would swim then follow it up with a run. My knees were holding up very well with little, if any pain. At the same time I started eating better, no real diet, just common sense stuff, avoiding the sugars and white breads.
The use of the heart rate monitor became a very useful tool. It kept me from working too hard or too easy. The monitor I was using, the Polar 610, also came with software. I was able to download all of my exercise sessions into a computer. Then I was able to objectively document my exercise sessions. The software was able to track my calories burned during exercise, my average heart rate, hours spent exercising per week, and much more. After every exercise session actually looked forward to downloading my session to see how I did.
It also allowed me to exercise at different heart rates. One day I would run at 70% of my maximum heart rate for 10 minutes, then bike at 80% of my maximum heart rate for 10 minutes, then go back to running at 70% for another 10 minutes. The next day I would just bike for 40 min. But I would again exercise at different heart rates, 10 min at 70%, and 5 minutes at 80%, and 10 minutes at 75 %, and 5 minutes at 80%, and then 10 minutes at 70%. This was a fun way to exercise and I actually began to look forward to exercising, the whole process was less boring.
I kept up with this type of training for five months. On the day of my first triathlon, I was forty pounds lighter.
Some how, some way, I did it. I finished my first triathlon, and as crazy as it sounds I really enjoyed myself. I was feeling good about my accomplishment, but I still had some serious weight to lose. So I found another triathlon race six months later, signed up for it and continued training. The weight just kept coming off and coming off.
At the time of my second race, eleven months after learning about triathlons, I had lost sixty pounds.
It seemed like every week one of my patients, whom I had not seen for months, would come in for a treatment. The reactions were always the same, doc what the heck happened to you, you look like a totally different person!
I felt like a different person too, I was running without knee pain, I was happier at work, my relationship with my family was better, I was no longer embarrassed to go to a pool party or the water park, in fact I looked forward to them.
My patients and the members of the health club where my office was located were constantly asking me about my weight loss. I remember one of the gym members walking up to my desk and looking at my before and after pictures. He pointed to my fat picture and said, “That is me” then he pointed to my fit picture and said, “That is the way I want to look”. Wow, what a great feeling, I could not believe it.
As I am sitting here writing this article, it has been a year since my first triathlon. Just a few weeks ago, I raced in my third race and I actually managed to finish second in my age group.
As a result of getting into triathlons, not only do I have a new body, I have a new life.
–
Please feel free to publish this article in your Newsletter or on your Website (with Resource Box included).
About The Author
Dr. Jeffrey Banas is a Chiropractic Sports Physician practicing in Mesa, AZ. If you would like to contact Dr. Banas, he can be reached at his office at 480-633-6837, or by visiting his web site at www.personal-weight-loss-help.com
drjeffbanas@yahoo.com
Small U.S. firms face credit squeeze as crisis drags – Yahoo! News
SAN DIEGO (Reuters) –
Small companies create more than half of America's jobs, but the entrepreneurs who drive this part of the economy continue to complain that access to credit two years into the recession remains scarce.
Small business owners say banks remain extremely wary of risk and a world away from the carefree lending that inflated an epic boom in housing values that went bust and pushed America into its worst economic downturn in decades.
They say their home equity lines of credit have been cut, business credit lines withdrawn and credit card limits slashed. Still profitable firms complain of a major pullback by banks, which many warn will leave a U.S. economic recovery stillborn.
“It's like we've gone back 15 years in time,” said Carmine Ryan, who founded Ryan Bros Coffee in San Diego with his brothers Tom and Harry in the early 1990s, using credit cards.
“We have a proven track record, we pay our bills early and we're profitable,” he said. “But banks are so gun-shy now that no one would touch us. They're just sitting on the money.”
The Ryans developed a wholesale coffee business and opened a second coffee shop earlier this year. After they opened it, they sought a loan of $120,000 to finance operations. Nonprofit lender CDC Small Business Finance was able to arrange a $90,000 loan. The rest they had to come up with themselves.
“This is not the way it should be right now,” Harry Ryan said. “Banks should be lending to people like us.”
A few miles away, Yi Ping Lai runs an online business, Heart to Heart Gifts, which sells toys and decorations ranging in price from $6 to $100 for girls up to six years of age.
Last year, her sales passed $1 million. With the downturn, her revenue will end up about 50 percent lower this year. But she will still turn a profit, she says.
In August, she got a letter from her bank canceling her $55,000 business line of credit. She said the bank cited routine credit checks that had reduced her credit score.
“All of those credit checks were for legitimate personal reasons,” Yi said. “For instance, I move apartment and my landlord ran a credit check on me. I tried to explain that to the bank. But they said I was now a risky option for them.”
The bank later restored $20,000 in credit. But Yi said she is being hampered in developing a new product line.
“I need that cash flow for my business,” she said.
Susan Lamping, a senior community loan officer at the nonprofit CDC in San Diego, helped Yi obtain $35,000 in credit.
“Financing is extremely hard to come by and many businesses can't get help through the banks,” she said.
ECONOMIC BACKBONE
Small business representatives like Todd McCracken, president of the National Small Business Association (NSBA), warn that unless more credit becomes available, America's entrepreneurs cannot expand, hire people and grow the economy.
“The situation when it comes to credit is just as bad as it has been for months,” he said. “But it's now that we see some signs of a potential recovery that we need credit the most. Without credit, the recovery is not going to happen.”
Small business is the backbone of America's job market.
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, in 2002 the United States had 112 million workers on payrolls. About 56.4 million of them, more than 50 percent, worked at small businesses.
Such businesses vary in size, but usually have no more than 500 employees, if the company is a manufacturer. Retailers in this category usually have below $7 million in sales and construction firms below $31 million.
During the recent property boom, the same easy credit available to consumers to buy homes with no money down and use them like cash machines as property values rose became available to entrepreneurs to expand and hire people.
“Many self-employed people just starting out couldn't get a business loan,” said Namoch Sokhom, director of the business development center at the Pacific Asian Consortium in Employment in Los Angeles. “But then the bank would point out they had hundreds of thousands of dollars in home equity. They would offer them a personal loan based on that.”
But the home equity line of credit, a common source of loans for small businesses during the boom, has dried up.
“All of a sudden, unless you had perfect capital, perfect collateral and perfect cash flow, you couldn't get a loan from a bank,” said Roberto Barragan, head of nonprofit lender Valley Economic Development Center in Van Nuys, California.
Small businesses also found all existing credit tightened.
Rich Frostig, owner of media consultant Pinnacle Media Relations LLC, said he lost a major client in 2008 and fell behind on his payments on his American Express credit card.
Then the monthly interest rate on his credit card jumped to 27.2 percent from 15 percent. When he complained, American Express told him his rate would be reviewed in January 2010.
“I'm going to be looking for a new bank with which to do business,” he said.
But two years into the recession, there have been only a few signs that bank credit may be loosening slightly.
In a quarterly U.S. Federal Reserve survey of bank loan officers in July, 3.7 percent of respondents said their lending standards had “eased somewhat” to firms with annual sales under $50 million, the first easing since July 2007. But 35.2 percent of respondents also said their lending standards had “tightened somewhat,” indicating there is still a long way to go.
CREDIT CLAMPS STILL ON
Small businesses say they have seen little improvement.
In its half-year survey in July, 38 percent of respondents told the NSBA they had seen a decrease in credit lines or their credit-card limits in the past six months, up from 28 percent in December. Sixty-seven percent said they had been affected by the credit crunch, up from 55 percent.
“If you have suffered any kind of sales decline, banks are running for the hills,” said George Cloutier, head of Orlando, Florida-based American Management Services Inc, which has 6,000 small business clients in 30 U.S. states. “Half of our clients are making 50 percent or less of what they made in 2007.”
Even loans backed up to 100 percent by the U.S. Small Business Administration have dried up. So banks are balking at the risk even if the government covers losses.
Sokhom said he arranged more than 500 SBA-backed loans in 2007, which fell to 82 in 2008 and will not pass 50 this year.
Daniel Berch, founder of research company Anything Research, said that some regions of the country have not been as badly affected as others. Small banks were key, he said.
“Those with relationships with local banks are suffering the least because when the big national banks pull back, they do so across the board,” he said.
Barragan said that to help small businesses grow, the SBA should treat the housing crisis as if it were a natural disaster like an earthquake. He wants the SBA not just to guarantee bank loans, but to lend directly to small businesses.
“Otherwise, this situation will feed upon itself,” he said. “If small businesses can't get credit, they can't hire people and (instead, they) lay off employees. So no one creates jobs, small businesses lose sales and banks won't lend to them. It's a vicious loop that we've got to stop.”
(Editing by Peter Bohan and Martin Golan)
Mail this post
Tags: Heart Rate Monitor Running, Heart Rate Running Monitor, Polar Heart Rate Monitor Running