5 fantastic reasons to add an elliptical machine to your workout

Home workouts can be challenging as it is difficult to achieve targeted results due to lack of equipment and/or space. However, considering that physical fitness is important for both mental and bodily wellbeing, a regular exercise regime is critical for your overall health. While we may not be able to experience the same intensity as a gym or park workout, certain equipment can provide us with a boost to exercise comprehensively, cut fat, and target all major muscle groups.

One such equipment is an elliptical machine, a simple equipment that, depending on the variant, simulates the movements of walking, running, cycling, and stair climbing.

What is an elliptical machine?

It is a stationary exercise equipment which helps in doing cardiovascular workouts that simulate walking, running or even stair climbing. It is a favourite amongst all age groups, as it is light on the joints, and provides a full body workout.

It has pedals, which can be moved up, down, forward, and backward. Most ellipticals have an adjustable resistance setting, which allows for regulating the intensity of the workout. Another feature available in some variants, is adjustable handles or poles, enabling you to exercise the arms as well.

Here are five reasons to add an elliptical machine to your workout

This equipment will help boost both physical and mental fitness:

1. Reduces strain on joints

Joints such as knees and hips, take a jolt when you indulge in high-impact cardio exercises like running. When you use an elliptical machine, your feet do not touch the ground because of the pedal, providing a low-impact workout. This takes away the strain from your joints. A study published in the journal ‘Gait & Posture’, found that an elliptical workout can significantly reduce weight bearing compared to running, jogging, and similar workouts.

You may also like

Muscle training exercises for beginners Watch Video

Best core exercises: 18 moves for beginners and advanced fitness enthusiasts Read Article

2. Burns calories

This equipment allows you to simulate calorie burning activities such as running, cycling, and walking. Additionally, the adjustable resistance setting feature, allows you to increase the intensity of the workout, and trigger fat loss.

3. Helps recover from injury

When recovering from an injury, we are often not advised to exercise at all. However, due to the low-impact nature of this machine, you could use it to maintain a reasonable degree of fitness. The strain on your joints and muscles is far less than high-impact workouts, like running, jogging, or jumping. It will also help you to recover your full range of motion, and strengthen muscles and joints.

4. Full body workout

The adjustable handle bar or pole feature also engages your arm muscles. Hence, you could workout both your lower and upper body using this equipment. Working out on an elliptical can help improve bone strength and formation, as well as target specific muscle groups, such as biceps, triceps, chest, thighs, calf, and glutes.

5. Reduces mental stress

Exercising on this machine will help reduce the body’s stress hormones levels, such as adrenaline and cortisol. As per research by Harvard Medical School, working out in general, could stimulate the production of endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that are the body’s natural painkillers and mood elevators.

So ladies, warm up, and consider incorporating this equipment to improve your overall physical and mental wellbeing!