Exercise Machines That Will Help You With Your Diet

While you probably know that losing weight happens much more quickly through diet and exercise than through diet alone, you may be a little bit intimidated by all of the bulky Nautilus-style workout machines that you see a lot of fitness buffs using. After all, if your goal is to lose weight and not to pile on a bunch of muscle, you don’t want to spend your time working out in a way that’s going to produce the latter result. But there are actually quite a few low-impact exercise machines that are specifically designed for people like you whose goal is weight loss.

One of the most common low-impact workout machines for weight loss is the exercise bike. This is a bicycle frame that sits stationary on the floor while the rider pedals a wheel that spins freely above the ground. Various levels of resistance can be applied to the wheel in order to make it easier or harder for the rider to pedal the bike.

Another common, but more expensive, machine that delivers a low-impact workout is the treadmill. Treadmills allow you to walk in place while a kind of short conveyor belt moves underneath you in a loop. You can increase or decrease the speed of the treadmill, using it for slow walks or fast-paced jogging. Some models also allow you to tilt the walking platform up and create an incline which simulates the experience of walking or running uphill.

The treadmill also had a weird cousin called the elliptical trainer. This machine takes the low-impact workout to a new level. Instead of walking or running to lose weight, your feet stay in place on two separate panels that take turns moving forward and backward. The motion is a bit like running in the air. There are also handles for your hands so that you can get your arms into the motion. It’s a pretty fun way to work out, and the “burn” you get is surprising – you can definitely tell you’re exercising.

One last low-impact exercise machine that isn’t found in many homes, but is popular in gyms and fitness clubs, is the stairclimber. This equipment simulates the motion of walking up a flight of stairs. Your feet move up and down on a pair of alternating steps, and the motion causes very little impact on your feet, ankles, or knees. While some companies do manufacture stairclimber models meant for the home user, they are on the higher end of the price spectrum compared to other weight loss equipment.