This month must be the crowning jewel of poor exercise this year. While I respect Mother Nature and often enjoy and engage in her gifts, I have completely had it with all the snow. To be fair though, this “dump” of snow is really contributed to by global warming and not Mother Nature. However, all of the indoor time does allow one to become more comfortably acquainted with the indoor fitness devices of torture: the treadmill and the elliptical*. Before discussing my rigorous treadmill/weight workouts of these past few days, I will explain why each of these devices is helpful and why I detest them. As I am sure you are sensing this may not be my most positive post thus far.
*please note that these of course are not the only machines in a gym/fitness center, they are simply the ones I am choosing to discuss right now.
The Treadmill: This ancient torture device was originally created in the late 1800s as a way to harness energy, but not as a fitness tool. In 1952, Dr. Robert Bruce and Wayne Quinton at the University of Washington created the fitness treadmill, a device used to test medical and cardiovascular health. The device was originally used to examine and determine respiratory and circulatory during exercise stress testing. Dr. Robert Bruce extensively studied heart and artery functions as well as heart diseases. He was not only a kind of pioneer of stress tests and the usage of the treadmill, but he also was a major contributor to the field of cardiovascular physiology. With all of this said, what does a treadmill do? A treadmill is a device that allows the user to be in place, but run or walk thus gaining the fitness advantage. Many runner use treadmills to mix up their workouts, for example: if they are stuck inside due to snow and cannot run outdoors, to change up a routine or practice on paced running. A treadmill, in truth is a very handy device, however, most runners (especially distance runners) complain that they do not get a hard enough workout on a treadmill and that it bores them (hamster in a wheel syndrome).
The Elliptical: Elliptical machines are a recent fitness/exercise tool. They have only been around since the 1990s, but have quickly become a staple in every gym and fitness center. Precor patented one of the first of the modern elliptical machines we often see today in 2004. The elliptical gives a similar cardiovascular workout to running, only it “relives pressure” from joints, making it a low impact aerobic activity. Most ellipticals have a variety of programs the user can choose from and can set both intensity levels and incline* (only on some models). Many people who are beginning to loose weight will work mostly between an elliptical and a treadmill, because these two instruments are both inside and are relatively uncomplicated to use. Also on both machines, the user can set it to their fitness level/pace by entering information about themselves into the device; i.e – weight, age, etc.
Now that I have done this bit of research on these devices, I do no feel the hear to bid them ill will. On Friday, I again graced the treadmill with my presence for a brief 3 miles and the lifted weights (a topic to be explored at another time). I was as it is, only this time I watched European football on the tele while I ran, hence making my run a much more sporting endeavor.
cheerio mates!
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