Category: Fitness

Elliptical Trainers for Marathon Running

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Running a marathon is an incredible achievement and something that many people dream of doing. If you have ever run a marathon then you will feel like you have conquered a mountain and it will be something that you can always remember proudly. At the same time it’s an ideal way to raise money and awareness for a charity and it’s a perfect way to improve your health and fitness.

However at the same time it’s also incredibly difficult and a huge challenge. People train for months before entering marathons and many people come back injured or damaged or even unable to finish the event which of course is highly distressing and disappointing. Training correctly for marathons is very important if you want to maintain your health and if you want to avoid injury, but at the same time it’s important not to train too much which conversely can cause more problems than it solves. Here we will look at how the use of the top elliptical machines can help you to improve your chances.

When you train for the marathon, of course you are going to be running – not skiing – and so jogging is the most relevant form of training in that it uses the same muscles and prepares your body for the same rigors. However at the same time you will also find that if you run too much this places a lot of strain on the joints and on the body in general. Running impacts the knees and it’s easy to end up with a twisted ankle or shin splints if you run too much. This is why experts recommend that you don’t actually run the full length when training but instead keep to just half marathons. At the same time it’s why it’s so important to get a lot of rest when you aren’t training.

This then limits the improvements to your CV and it’s important to think outside the box here to avoid those problems.

This is where the top elliptical machines come in – they allow you to train for the marathon by training your CV and improving your heart and lungs, but at the same time they don’t place the same strain on your joints and nor do you risk a twisted ankle that can set your training right back. You should of course run as well to get your body used to the movement and to strengthen the supporting muscles in your ankles and knees that you can only strengthen through jogging on uneven terrain. However at the same time you should also avoid running the entire time and a great substitute to do a couple of time a week is to use the top elliptical machines.

Another situation in which elliptical machines can be ideal for marathon training is where you are already injured – say you twist your ankle or say you hurt your knee. In this scenario you will then have to continue training but must do so in a way that doesn’t damage your joints further. This is where the top elliptical machines are ideal and where you can stop worrying about further damage to the joints.

Pauly Singh is a fitness enthusiast and has run many half and full marathons. He writes reviews of ellipticals to help others choose the top ellipticals for their training.

Guest Post: Safety Tips for Cyclists

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Cycling is having a bit of a renaissance period at the moment. A bike boom has swelled across the UK with ever 12% more people hitting the roads on two wheels in the last 10 years, leaving their gas guzzling street sofas behind. There are many factors behind the increase, with perhaps with government tax breaks and things like the London Cycle Scheme playing a particularly important role, (110% increase in cyclists in London since 2000).

cycling safely

The side effect of all this though is an increase in the amount of accidents suffered by cyclists on our roads. Maybe this is because of sheer volume and statistical inevitability or maybe it is due to an increase in intolerance by drivers. Either way, cyclists need to be careful out there.

Here is some sound advice on what you can do to stay safe.

Bike Maintenance

Starting with something easy…keeping you bike in a good condition is very important. Wet roads plus bald tyres for example are a hazard waiting to catch you out; as are faulty brakes and loose handlebars. Do yourself a favour and take your bike down to a bike garage and get them to give it a check. The will tell you if brake lines need replaced or anything else that could be dangerous.

Helmet

Helmets save lives. Would you let your child go out on the main road without a helmet? I think not, so why would you ever consider going out without one. Don’t get the cheapest one either as you want to invest money in the thing that will be protecting your brain.

Campaign for Cycle Lanes

This one might take a bit more effort…start campaigning for your local council to improve cycle lanes in your town. There are many ways to do this but one of the best was in 1999 when the Warrington Cycle Campaign, produced a book entitled: ‘Warrington Cycle Campaign’s book of Crap Cycle Lanes’. This held 50 images and descriptions of the worst examples of cycle lanes in the UK. The aim was to shame their council and hopefully others, into making improvements to the existing networks. Come up with an idea like that and you just might make an impact. Councils can save lives by improving their cycle lanes; they just don’t know this or don’t care…yet.

Children’s Bike Club

Another thing you might like to try if you are particularly motivated to protect children, is to start a children’s cycle club. This might involve getting a group of school kids together and encouraging them to cycle together on the way to school with your supervision. This will keep them safer and hopefully make them more likely to cycle in the future, reducing the number of cars.

If you are a keen cyclist, or even if you’re not, raising awareness of cycling safety is important and can even save lives, so if you can do anything to help please do.

Jim Anderson is a keen cyclist. He has a collection of Raleigh bikes with and would like to find time to ride more hybrid bikes.