Want to Exercise at Home?

Want to Exercise at Home?

Colin Milner
International Council on Active Aging

N ot long ago, home-exercise equipment was for young guys preparing
for a summer at the beach. Today, men and women of every age are
benefiting from treadmills, dumbbells and other home-exercise
equipment.

Bulging biceps are no longer the main objective, though building up
arm strength can indeed be helpful to people over age 50. Exercise
equipment can also help improve your cardiovascular system, strengthen
respiratory functions and help you lose weight.

Exercising on home equipment can have big advantages for people who
don't enjoy the atmosphere of health clubs or for those without a club
nearby. It's also a plus for people who live in areas with cold
winters, where outdoor sports -- or even walking -- are difficult.

Even if you're a member of a health club and live in a warm climate,
home equipment has the benefit of convenience. It allows you to
exercise in the middle of the night, before breakfast or any other
time you want.

Important: Be sure to consult your physician before you start an
exercise program.

BUILDING A HOME GYM

Don't make the mistake of buying lots of equipment right away. Start
with basic devices to gain strength, and then -- if you still enjoy
exercising at home -- work up to more demanding and sophisticated
equipment. Road map...

Step 1: If you haven't exercised regularly in a few years, start again
by increasing your strength. That type of exercise is relatively easy,
the equipment is inexpensive and building strength will give you the
ability to go to the next step -- cardiovascular exercise.

Resistance bands are the simplest type of upper-body equipment. These
are bands of expandable materials with hand clasps at both ends.
Stretching the band builds up strength in your arms and upper body.

Dumbbells are also effective in building up muscles in this area, and
they're usually preferable to barbells. Reason: Dumbbells are weights
lifted individually by each arm. Since you're probably stronger in one
arm than the other, a dumbbell lets you concentrate on the weaker arm.

That's nearly impossible with a barbell, which is one long bar with
weights at each end. Moreover, if you lose control of a barbell, it
could fall on your chest and even roll back on your throat. If you
have problems lifting a dumbbell, you can simply drop it on the floor.

Weight-lifting guideline: Start with about 70% of the greatest amount
of weight you can lift. Then increase the amount slowly -- one pound a
week, for example.

As you improve your fitness, also consider a "multigym," a device with
one or two weight stacks, plus attachments that let you exercise arms
as well as legs in many different ways.

Step 2: Once you've increased your upper-body strength, work also on
improving your cardiovascular system.

Pedometers aren't usually thought of as a piece of gym equipment, but
they can serve in that role by encouraging you to take more steps,
even around the house.

Some pedometers, including Digi-Walker, record the number of steps you
take and estimate how many calories you burn. Most people over 50 take
about 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day, and only taking 1,000 steps more is
known to improve heart and lung functions.

Treadmills can be an even better way to burn calories and improve the
cardiovascular system. You can adjust a treadmill to move at varying
speeds, so you can start at, say, one mile per hour (mph) and slowly
increase the pace and/or the length of your exercise.

Stationary bicycles and recumbent steppers (which exercise your
muscular and cardiovascular systems from a sitting position) also help
improve the cardiovascular system. They are safer than treadmills,
which present the risk -- however slight -- of falling.

General rule: If you have a problem with balance or if you haven't
exercised in several years, opt for a stationary bike or recumbent
stepper.

Elliptical machines (motion is similar to a bike but you pedal while
in a standing position) are a good addition to your home gym once
you've worked out for several months -- or if you're already
physically fit. By requiring you to move in elliptical patterns, this
relatively new device gives you the opportunity to improve your
cardiovascular system while also getting a particularly safe workout
as you stand.

If you doubt that you're exercising at the right level, use the "talk
test." If you can't talk comfortably while exercising, you're probably
pushing yourself too hard.

TEST, THEN BUY

With so many different types of exercise equipment on the market, it's
easy to spend big bucks for a device that winds up as a coatrack. The
solution is to visit retailers that sell exercise apparatus, and try
out different types of equipment.

Major retailers are usually listed in the Yellow Pages under "Exercise
Equipment" and include Gym Source and OMNI Fitness Equipment, Inc.
Exercise devices are also sold by Sports Authority and other large
sporting-goods outlets, as well as by Sears and Wal-Mart.

Most stores have several types of exercise equipment set up on the
floor and allow customers to try them out there.

Look for equipment that challenges you but doesn't cause pain or
require exertion that you can't perform. Be cautious of machines with
expensive gadgets that you're unlikely to use, such as a treadmill
device that tells you "how far you've gone," just as though you were
on a track. All you really need is a timer and speed indicator so that
you can pace yourself at, say, four mph for 20 minutes.

But, if you enjoy using gadgets, they could be valuable motivators
that inspire you to work out.

Don't fall into the trap of buying equipment that's difficult to use
on the theory that you won't benefit much without a major challenge.
In fact, equipment that's overly demanding often falls into disuse.

Instead, consider devices that let you start with easy exercises and
then work up incrementally to more demanding ones.

Example: A weight-training machine that starts at 10 or 15 pounds and
allows you to work up in five-pound increments.

What about exercise equipment advertised on TV? The problem is that
you can't test it like you can at a store where you can compare three
or four types of equipment.

My advice: Never buy anything advertised on TV unless you have the
right to return it and get a complete refund, including shipping
charges.

Helpful: Information for assessing fitness equipment can be found at
my organization's Web site: www.icaa.cc/Facilitylayouts/equipmentneeds.htm.

Regardless of where you shop, the cheapest equipment will rarely be as
long-lasting as more expensive models, but the most costly devices
will probably have unneeded bells and whistles. Even though you don't
need to buy the most expensive equipment you can find, it's still
worth investing in good quality. So expect to pay up to $2,000 or
$3,000 to get something durable that has what you need.

Be sure that you have room for the equipment in your home. It's easy
to underestimate the space you'll need, especially when you try out
equipment on a large showroom floor. For a treadmill, make sure that
you have at least five feet between the device and the wall behind it.
That will prevent the treadmill from pinning you against the wall in
case you should fall down on it.



Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed Colin Milner, health and fitness
expert for more than 23 years, and chief executive officer of the
International Council on Active Aging, in Vancouver, British Columbia,
which promotes healthier lifestyles for adults and provides
information about fitness equipment to consumers and organizations
(www.icaa.cc).