The Powertool Shed

Schwinn Ellipticals live up to the name Schwinn. Everyone is familiar with their bikes, so you won’t be disappointed with their ellipticals, the company puts the same quality into those.

Schwinn makes two machines in the mid price range for ellipticals. They are the Schwinn 418, and the Schwinn 428P. Both these ellipticals are thought to be worth the money.

Most people are more comfortable on ellipticals when the flywheel is in the rear of the machines, like the ones you might find at the gym. However the Schwinn ellipticals come with the flywheel on the front of the unit. This is unusual because they have still somehow managed to make a smooth and comfortable ride. They are simple to assemble and seem to be made of durable and quality parts.

The pedals have some movement so that the heel of your foot is supported, which makes for a smooth stride that most people can use. It is always a good idea though to try the machine out in the store before you buy.

The Schwinn elliptical uses a motorized brake, which people say is fairly quiet.

The Schwinn elliptical 418 comes with only a six month warranty on the wear items, which are the parts that are more delicate and most likely to break first. It offers a fifteen year warranty on the frame, and one year on the electronic parts.

Overall the Schwinn elliptical trainer is a wonderful product and well worth the price.

Timothy Gorman is a successful Webmaster and publisher of Elliptical-Trainer-Solutions.com. He provides more elliptical trainer information and elliptical trainer reviews that you can research in your pajamas on his website.

Like sushi, Sumo, and Hello Kitty, the idea of walking 10,000
steps per day is “made in Japan.” It originated with Japanese
researchers, most notably a Dr. Yoshiro Hatano, who wanted to
determine the calorie burn resulting from brisk walking. He then
wanted to take that research and try to stem the rising tide of
obesity in his country.

Dr. Hatano’s research determined the average person took 3,500
to 5,000 steps per day, and that increasing that count to 10,000
steps per day would result in better health and lower weight.
Combine sophisticated research with the penchant for Japanese
technology, and the pedometer is born.

Pedometer use quickly swept Japan, with millions of citizens
strapping on a “Manpo-kei” (10,000 steps meter). The trend also
caught on in the USA, where we have our own problems with
obesity in adults and-alarmingly-in children as well.

However, Dr. Hatano is not the original inventor of the
pedometer. Based on Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings, it is
generally believed he created the earliest versions of a device
to count steps.

Thomas Jefferson was also involved, hundreds of years after da
Vinci, as he brought a step counter back from his sojourns in
France. Jefferson was a staunch advocate of regular walking for
mental and physical health.

Jefferson penned a well-known epistle to his nephew, Peter Carr,
where he advised him on what he needed to do to become a
productive member of society. There were a number of subjects
Jefferson wanted him to study, but he also wanted him to walk
regularly. He said:

The object of walking is to relax the mind. You should therefore
not permit yourself even to think while you walk; but divert
your attention by the objects surrounding you. Walking is the
best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.

He also said Carr should carry a gun with him, but no books. I’m
thinking that practice would be frowned upon today, however.

The great thing about walking is that anyone can do it, and you
can do it anyplace at just about any time. There are exceptions
of course to the above statement, but it is the absolute
simplest form of exercise.

You don’t need any special clothing (although comfortable shoes
are nice) or special equipment (although a pedometer is
recommended). You can do it alone or with a group. You can do it
with your family, your friends, or your pets.

Do you need a formal “program”? Not necessarily, but it can
help. Some programs will walk you through establishing a
baseline, setting goals, and working to meet those goals. A good
program can help you stay on track until you meet your health
and fitness goals.

So it’s not important whether the pedometer or the 10,000 steps
program came first. The important thing is to get out and move!

Copyright 2005 Ryan Cote

This article may come as a surprise to you…

Pizza. It’s the weakness of many, many people including me. I
love pizza- always have. I eat it in moderation, but it’s still
one of my favorite foods.

There’s now good news for pizza lovers.

According to Men’s Health magazine, research concludes that
pizza can be good for you. We’re talking about, however, real
pizza- not the kind you get from Pizza Hut, Dominoes or the
frozen food section of your supermarket. By real, I mean pizza
made with real tomato sauce and olive oil.

According to Men’s Health, scientists writing in the European
Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that eating pizza can reduce
your risk of a heart attack. In a 4-year study of nearly 1,000
Italians, those who ate pizza at least once a week were 30
percent less likely to experience a heart attack than the folks
who didn’t partake of the pie.

This is contributed to pizza’s cardio protective ingredients,
including olive oil and tomato sauce. Here’s the secret: top the
pizza with vegetables, part-skim cheese and thin crust and
you’ve got a meal that is actually good for you.

Can you get this kind of a pizza in a pizzeria? Most likely not.
Instead you’ll have to buy the ingredients at your local grocery
store and make the pizza yourself. Speaking from experience,
however, this can be a fun thing!

Enjoy the experience of making your own pizza and savoring a
nutritious meal. After all, feeding your body with nutritious
meals is the number one thing you can do for better health.