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Completely You: Fitness
Do Infomercial fitness products really Work?
By Robin Hilmantel for completely You
When you’re on a late-night TV bender, sitting on your couch and eating potato chips, a product that promises to whip you into shape fast can seem like a godsend. but how do you know whether you’d be making a wise investment or throwing your money away by placing an order?“Anything that inspires people to step their bodies is a good thing,” says Nicole Burley, M.Ed., a certified life instructor and health coach. “That said, I suggest a healthy skepticism of lots of of these products. beware of contraptions and things that do sound way too good to be true, and do your research.”So we examined findings from The American Council on exercise (ACE) on some of the most popular infomercial exercise products. Here’s how each stacks up against its lofty claims.P90X starting at $119 plus S&H (BeachBody.com)These high-intensity workouts incorporate a good variety of exercises and movements. keep in mind, though, that the program requires equipment such as dumbbells and pull-up bars — which indicates you’ll have to shell out extra money if you don’t already own the devices. fitness rookies, be warned: considering that the program requires working out for 20 to 50 minutes six or seven days a week, it might be tough to maintain if you currently follow a minimal exercise routine (or no exercise routine at all).Our verdict: worth the price, if you are a severe exerciser and already own the needed equipment.The Shake WeightStarting at $19.95 (ShakeWeight.com) This infomercial star does activate muscles a lot more than comparable dumbbell exercises do — often as much as 88 percent more. Still, that number is nowhere near the commercial’s claims “to increase your upper-body muscle activity by up to 300 percent compared to some standard weights.” It’s also worth noting that the Shake Weight isn’t great at targeting particular muscles; using it nearly always activates the triceps, even during movements created to work the biceps. So while novice weight trainers will likely see some results from using the Shake Weight, you’re probably better off using different equipment if you have experience with resistance training.Our verdict: skip it!Wii Fit$99.99 (Amazon.com)Even the most rigorous activities on this game won’t give you a legit workout: A study conducted by research experts at the university of Wisconsin La Crosse exercise and health Program found that the routines aren’t strenuous enough to help you maintain or improve cardiovascular health. The complimentary Run and Island Run activities, which expended the most calories, still burned only 165 calories in a 30-minute workout — and some games burned as little as 99 calories during 30 minutes of play. The Wii sports game will actually get you moving a lot more than Wii fit will — although neither is enough to constitute your entire exercise program.Our verdict: get it for fun, but be sure to do other exercise too. The best Pushup starting at $19.95 (PerfectFitness.com)Elevated pushups help minimize anxiety on the wrist joint. ACE exercise physiologists say the best Pushup achieves this — but so would an ordinary set of dumbbells. What’s more, the device’s pivoting handles make it harder to maintain proper technique, which can cause injury, particularly if you’re doing the accompanying two-minute Navy seal workout. The upside: The best Pushup doesn’t take up much space, and compared to lots of of the other fitness-related infomercial products on the market, its price identify is a bargain. but considering that the device has limited uses, your money may be better spent elsewhere.Our verdict: skip it!The Ab Roller$29.99 at AbRoller.comResearch conducted by the Biomechanics lab at San Diego state university shows that the Ab Roller is only marginally a lot more effective at activating abdominal muscles than standard crunches. A similar device, the AB Rocker, was actually 80 percent less effective than regular old crunches. That doesn’t indicate you have to resign yourself to a flabby midsection, though. Crunches done on an exercise ball were found to be highly effective, and one of the best abdominal strengtheners doesn’t require any equipment at all: the bicycle maneuver. To do it, lie on the floor in crunch position and put your hands besideyour head. then bring your knees up to about a 45-degree angle and slowly step your legs as if you were pedaling a bicycle. As you move, alternate touching your left elbow to your ideal knee and your ideal elbow to your left knee.Our verdict: skip it!Robin Hilmantel is an associate editor at Food Network Magazine. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, USA Today and Maxim, among other publications. She is a frequent contributor to completely You.
Related lose Weight faster by finding Time to exercise by Kathryn Martyn Smith M.NLP
About Our Founder
Cascia Talbert is a busy blogger, and mother of five children, living in Spokane, WA. With a B.A. in history and law and a passion for writing and staying healthy, she started The healthy mommies Magazine in 2007. The healthy mommies magazine is currently ranked the top health blog for moms. Ms. Talbert believes that if mothers are well educated on health issues and how to stay healthy, they can pass that information down to their children and reverse the childhood obesity statistics in the U.S.
Ms. Talbert runs the Healthy mommies Social Network on Ning, is the founder of Healthy mommies Media, and is the chief marketing officer for Talbert Nutrition LLC. You can follow her on facebook.com/TheHealthyMomsMag, and twitter.com/cltalbert.
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