Whether you're looking to lose 3 pounds, 20 pounds, or 100 pounds, you need to do the right cardiovascular exercise. Running is typically what most people turn to, but what if there was a better way that could exercise with less joint pain with less exertion and more calories burned. Does it sound too good to be true? It's not if you're choosing to use an elliptical trainer.
Joint Problems:
The important part about elliptical exercise is the reduced strain on your joints. Running puts a lot of strain on the joints. The ankles, knees, and hips can become sore, or damaged. Elliptical trainers don't have this problem.
Your legs move in an oval. Each leg glides through it's entire extension without the sudden jarring caused by asphalt or tread. Elliptical trainers remove a large portion of the back and hip problems that most runners have.
Perceived Exertion:
You can also exercise longer on an elliptical trainer. Since elliptical machines put less strain on the joints and back, it makes it less difficult to workout for longer periods. This is because an elliptical creates a "lower perceived exertion".
Perceived exertion is just that: the amount of work you think you're doing. Some people hate running, so running seems a lot harder than, say, swimming. Swimming is a great example of low perceived exertion because you don't realize that you're actually using every muscle in your body.
Elliptical machines are the same way. You don't realize you're actually using more muscles in your body, so therefore, you don't perceive that the exercise is actually as intense as it really is.
Calories:
Elliptical exercise actually burns more calories than a normal treadmill. Elliptical machines use more muscles than the standard treadmill. The more muscles in the body that are working, the more calories are being burned.
Elliptical exercise recruits glute (butt), core (abs and lower back), and sometimes arm muscles. This gives your entire body a workout, which burns more calories. This means you can burn more fat in less time.
As you can see, these are only three points mentioned, these points tend to make a big difference in choosing what type of cardiovascular exercise one decides to incorporate in a fitness routine. If you're looking for less joint pain, more calories burned, but with less (perceived) exertion, elliptical exercise is the ticket.
