Resolution Time

The close of a calendar year and the beginning of a new one leaves some of us feeling obligated to make positive changes in our lives. For many, it’s a commitment to increased fitness with an aim to better overall health, and here at Cymax Stores we’ve got the fitness equipment you need to take on the challenge in the comforts of your own home.

In truth, these early days of January are no different than any of the other 360-plus of the year ahead, yet the allure of “a fresh start” to go with a new year creates something of a now-or-next year mystique. One that leads many to believe you’ve got to seize the initiative now in making NEW YEARS resolutions rather than just a plain old resolution that is taken up sometime during the next 11 months.

It’s been suggested that many individuals draw inspiration for their resolutions from the rejuvenative period that is the holidays. Family, friends, celebrations and a general sense of well-being “recharge the batteries,” so to speak, and provide us with a feeling of empowerment that we can and should undertake these challenges come January. Often times, however, once the daily grind resumes itself we may lose that wind in our sails.

I’m reminded of a cartoon I saw once where a decidedly large wealthy socialite announces her resolution is to “get in shape” while making short-work of an entire Yule Log cake. The next frame shows her decked head to toe in work out wear, spandex pants, head and wrist bands etc., but brandishing a platinum Visa as she makes her way into a liposuction clinic.

For those of us with tighter purse strings, a desire for real results and some grasp on reality, it’s understandable when things may not fall into place with your fitness resolution as you’d hoped. Here are 3 tips to stay motivated:

1. Time and schedule permitting, try to exercise first thing in the morning. Your metabolic rate will be at its highest and you will burn calories most efficiently. Also, you are less likely to put off your workout on account of being “too tired” – the most common excuse.
2. Try to leave time in your week as “flex time” where you can make up for workouts lost for whatever reason. Should you stick to your workout plan exactly as planned, use this flex time as a reward of sorts to partake in any activity you love. (Eating entire Yule logs is inadvisable however.) Also keep in mind kinesiologists say you must undertake any regime at least 3 times a week for it to be effective to the extent where you will “see results.”
3. For effective results that can be seen more quickly, combine cardiovascular / aerobic training with resistance training. For example, if you have 30 minutes at your disposal for each session, spend 15 minutes running, cycling or at any other similar exercise and 15 minutes lifting weights in some capacity. Compound resistance training exercises, where more than one muscle group is put to use, are most effective in facilitating calorie burning.

Fortunately, Cymax Stores has all the equipment you’ll need to fashion a workout that best suits your needs. For example, most men wish to lose a little around the midsection and tone up their musculature. Pairing a Phoenix Motorized Treadmill with a Phoenix Power Bench will give you a reasonably priced, top-quality workout station that is not overly space-consumptive and can accordingly be located in a rec. room or similar area.

Women often desire to firm and tighten all over the body, and for that task there is no more effective piece of equipment than an elliptical machine. Pair some time with a MultiSports Fitness Elliptix Dual Action Crosstrainer Elliptical and the aforementioned 3 times-a-week commitment and you’ll be on the fast track to the results you want to see. Stair Stepper units are not as multi-muscle group oriented as the ellipticals, but for pure gluteal conditioning you can’t beat a stepper. A MultiSports Fitness Ultimate 2200 Programmable Stepper can be adjusted to different levels of resistance to keep you pushing yourself towards your goals.

Whatever your New Year’s Resolution may be, stay positive and realize changes don’t happen overnight. In addition, do try to remember you’re not delayed until the dawn 2010 should it come derailed. “New Year’s” Resolutions have taken on something of a limited identity in this regard, but making life changes for the positive are possible all year long.

Should you have one or more, good luck and be resilient!

Get Up and Go

How many of you take the elevator when the stairs are equally as readily accessible? How many drive the car two blocks to the convenience store for a liter of milk?

How many still find it’s not you walking the dog, but rather the dog walking you?

The majority of North Americans lead an overly-sedentary lifestyle. What’s more, the demands on our time and resources are growing exponentially almost daily and we have less and less of both to devote to changing this unfortunate reality. Diet is a contributing factor to many people’s lack of fitness and less-than-ideal physiques that can be adjusted easily. Finding a segment of the day and the initiative to make one’s way to the gym can be decidedly more challenging.

Further, many people find a crowded gym to be full of judgmental eyes and as much a young-persons social scene as a fitness center. Add obnoxious nightclub music and TVs in every direction, and many simply find the gym is not conducive to their focusing on an effective workout.

Enter the rise in home gyms and home fitness equipment. For those who either chose to or needed to exercise at home, these products were well-received and accordingly introduced to the market in waves. Some were well-made, some were decidedly poorly made. While the ones that came into your living room via infomercial night after night were usually shoddy, the quality products all shared one characteristic; they were expensive.

Times change, and so has what you should expect to pay for quality home fitness equipment. For those who have made a resolution to pursue a greater sense of health, strength and well-being, a visit to www.fitnessequipmentselect.com is recommended. They feature one of the largest selections of fitness equipment online, and all at the same competitive pricing that you can expect of a Cymax Stores specialty site.

For those who wish to tighten or pump up long-neglected muscles, one of the many Phoenix Health or Keiser benches or strength machines is an excellent choice for those who have the space to accommodate these quality-made units. For others who are more in need of shedding pounds and getting a great full-body workout, a Multisports Fitness Elliptical will work both the upper and lower body and not your wallet. A Phoenix Health Treadmill is equally good value and a similar means of getting a solid aerobic workout at home.

Ever been cross-country skiing? If you have, you’ll remember the day after your first time traversing the hills and how your gluteus was so sore you could hardly walk right. Imagine capturing that tush-toning power in an exercise machine. That’s exactly what’s yours for the taking with a stepper from Fitness Equipment Select. These compact exercise machines are a godsend for your lower body and are particularly popular with women.

If you’re still drawn to the AB-Ressurectifier on Channel 132, so be it. However, you may want to consider that Fitness Equipment Select offers free shipping of its quality products straight to your door. Now, you may not be able to lift the box up the stairs YET, but we’ll check back with you in 6 months.