Monthly Archives: September 2011

Which Exercise Bike is Best for Bad Knees?

September 20, 2011 4:16 pmLeave a Comment

If you suffer from bad knees or a bad back then you might be frustrated at the choices available to you when it comes to purchasing or buying an exercise bike.  The options can sometimes be a little bit narrow – and that’s all down to the action in which a person uses an exercise bike with the painful motion of pedalling downwards, plus having to sit upright on the stationary models.

But There is an Exercise Bike that will Help

But, don’t be despondent because there are certain models of exercise bike that will be suitable to someone who suffers from pain when doing physical exercise – so you can actually discount and ignore the upright models that you have experienced problems with – and instead check out the range of affordable recumbent exercise bikes that are on the market.

Recumbent models will be more suited to someone with bad knees because of the way a person uses them.  You will sit closer to the ground in a reclined position and won’t need to bend the knees as much – plus your back will be supported as you sit in a reclined position.  This will still let you burn calories and lose weight like the more traditional upright exercise bikes do.

With that in mind here is a small selection of superb recumbent exercise bikes that are best suited to someone who wants to know which exercise bike is best for bad knees and back problems.

V-Fit BST-RC Recumbent Magnetic Cycle

If you are on a strict budget then you can’t really go wrong with this V-Fit model.  It is one of the most affordable and cheap recumbent bike available to buy online – plus it will still help you to lose weight and get a fitter body.  It comes with magnetic resistance so you can work out in almost silence when at home and also has a very handy and free 2 year no questions asked warranty.  This might help you if you are unsure over the cheap price – because you can at least return it if things go wrong – great consumer protection and one reason why V-Fit are so well regarded when it comes to seeing which exercise bikes are the best on the market.

Reebok R900 Recumbent Exercise Bike

Everyone should know the Reebok brand and they are seen fitness experts – plus now have a wide range of great exercise bikes.  The Reebok R900 is really impressive and includes a computer display as well as twelve separate workout settings over twenty resistance levels.  In simple terms this means you can always find something different to do on this recumbent exercise bike.  Consumer review websites rate this as one of the finest recumbent exercise bikes for people with bad knees and back problems.

Spirit CR800 Club Series Recumbent Bike

Coming in at a similar cost to the Reebok model, the Spirit CR800 has a couple of different features that set it apart.  For example it has a far more advanced on-board LCD display and computer which let you measure progress as you cycle indoors.  Items you can track are things such as your heart rate, distance, calories, speed and time.  It even lets you put together your own custom work outs which you can keep going back to over time.

Need Further Details?

The Exercise Bike Planet website contains many different recumbent exercise bike reviews and also advice on how to get the best from your purchase – especially if you do suffer from joint and back pains.  You can find out more on www.exercisebikeplanet.co.uk.

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How to Gain Weight with a Sensible Food Strategy

September 20, 2011 2:00 pmLeave a Comment

If you have asked yourself recently “How Do I Gain Weight”, then there are some basic rules that you should follow in order to achieve weight gain both healthily, and at a reasonable rate of speed.  Put simply there’s one simple rule to weight gain and that is the need to take on more daily calories than you are actually burning off with physical exercise.  If you want to know the basics about how to gain weight then the following is a short guide to the food strategy you might need to adopt.

Additionally it is possible to gain weight (and not fat) by working on your muscle mass and most people will start the whole process off by counting the amount of calories that are currently eating each day.

Ultimately you are going to need to increase your calorie intake, and in order to do so you could either eat more food – or the more sensible and health approach which is to instead choose foods that are dense in energy and calories.  So in effect you will be avoiding fatty foods – plus working out on your muscle definition at the same time.

The foods that you choose should be nutrient-dense instead rather than the easy approach of high-fat content junk foods.  Here’s a short list of great food choices that are both energy and nutrient rich and work best for fast weight gain.

  • Nuts
  • Seeds
  • Seafoods
  • Olives
  • Legumes
  • Meats
  • Poultry
  • Avocados
  • Dairy products

As your weight gain goals are to increase calorie intake it is also wise and recommended by health professionals that you increase the frequency of eating – and if training you will also look to have both pre and post-workout high energy snacks.

Balancing the intake of foods is also key to weight gain success because you should be eating the right amounts of protein, carbohydrates and fat.  As an example a meal could be something like this:

  • Meat, or poultry, or fish (this is the protein source)
  • Side dish of starchy foods for example potatoes or rice (this is the energy-dense carb source)
  • Top with butter or olive oil (just to give some extra calories)

Big meals might not be suitable for you – and everybody is different.  If that is the case then you can snack throughout the day on smaller meals.  People taking this route should choose energy-dense foods like dried fruit, seeds, and nuts which sandwiches that include peanut butters or such like.

This is just a very short guide to prepare you for what life might be like if you are trying to gain weight.  For men weight gain programs should be supplemented with muscle mass building work outs – more of which you can find with generic men’s health magazines that you find in the shops.

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