Pacemaster treadmills have been in the business for 35 years and in that time they have established themselves as a producer of high quality treadmills as recommended by a number of fitness industry experts and authorities.

Priced between $1,500 and $2,300 they are not the cheapest treadmills around but I still believe that they are great value for money. As I have said many times before, you generally get what you pay for when it comes to treadmills so if you think the pacemaster treadmills are too expensive I would suggest you ask yourself exactly what it is you are looking for in a treadmill and make you own choice from there.

In my opinion if you can't or don't want to spend over $1,000 on a decent treadmill then now is not the right time to buy. Although a treadmill might be only $800 the backend costs like repairs, maintenance and labor can make it a very expensive, unreliable machine indeed.

But I digress...

Manufactured by Aerobics Inc, Pacemaster have some of the best fitness equipment brains behind their products. Including the legendary Bill Staub and Dr. Kenneth Cooper who's exercise science principles help produce each and every treadmill. With this brains trust used in the development of the Pacemaster range you can expect a true high quality product!

The warranty of these treadmills are testament to the quality with lifetime warranty on the frame, 5 years on parts, 1 year on labor and a massive 12 years for the motor. This is a fantastic warranty that is hard to find in even some of the commercial treadmill brands.

Advantages

Pacemaster treadmills have been developed by some of the best minds in the fitness equipment industry and the quality of their treadmills is testament to that. The extended warranty should satisfy even the most demanding user and their competitive prices make them a very good value for money buy.

Disadvantages

I have looked hard for any weaknesses in this brand but can't find any. The only thing that I should point out is that this mid-price range that the pacemaster treadmills fall into ($1,500-$2,300) is very competitive with a number of other brands producing exceptional quality machines as well.

It might pay to compare these treadmills with other similar priced treadmills to find one that best suits your needs (check out my own treadmill ratings).

Recommendation

I highly recommend Pacemaster treadmills for their high quality and extended warranties. If the price is too high then there are other comparable brands with slightly cheaper treadmills that you should consider.

Dean Iggo is a keen fitness enthusiast and home gym user. He is also the webmaster of home-gym-buyers-guide.com a website providing unbiased treadmill reviews and tips.

• 1 comments »

?You are only as old as you feel,? goes the popular saying. Have you ever encountered someone who is approaching or just passed a ?milestone,? birthday (40, 50, 60, etc.) and it seems like overnight he or she suddenly appears much older? The reach of the mind in regards to aging might be much more powerful than you suspect.

It is widely known that in less technologically advanced societies that a voodoo priest or medicine man can place a curse on someone which results in illness and sometimes death. The belief system is the mechanism by which this works. If the medicine man is confident in his ability to conjure up the spell and the victim is equally convinced, the victim?s mind makes the unconscious adjustments to alter the body in a negative way. We might find belief in such apparent superstitions to be laughable, but what belief systems do most of us buy into when it comes to getting older?

Basically, most of us expect to become stiff, forgetful and cranky with the passage of years. This message is reinforced by the myriad of pharmaceutical ads we are assaulted with on a daily basis which insist that functional life is not possible in our later life without their costly products. Yet is this true?

Much of what people fear about aging can be averted to a large degree by behaviors which we control. Feeling stiff? Is it age or the fact you don?t exercise on a regular basis? Feeling forgetful? Could it be that spending all of your spare time watching TV is not providing your brain with enough stimulation to remain vibrant and active? And a good mood is the result of taking care of your stress and making the effort to connect with others in a meaningful way.

This is not to say that the aging process is not a reality. Biologists tell us that our cells appear to be programmed with a certain life expectancy. It is also true that youth kind of gives us a pass, at least for awhile, on the consequences of unhealthy behaviors. Nonetheless, your choices as to attitude and behavior will largely determine if your golden years are a pleasant experience or not.

Hypnosis is an effective tool for changing attitude and behavior. If you want to look and feel younger you must first get past the cultural brainwashing that paints a picture of an inevitable decline over which you have no control. There are too many examples of individuals who shined in their later years like Michelangelo who did his best painting in his senior years to accept that idea. Set a positive intention to actually do something constructive along the lines of exercise, diet and proper hydration.

You may also wish to consider learning and practicing some type of mind/body practice like self-hypnosis or meditation to help you control stress. It is well-documented that continual stress creates negative changes in our physiology that can accelerate the aging process. Being able to enter a relaxed state of mind and body on a regular basis can actually reduce the wear and tear on your cells.

The various forms of meditation can enable you to enter this type of restorative state at will. Hypnosis and self-hypnosis have the added advantage in that you can also reprogram the behaviors and attitudes needed for a more youthful state while you relax.

James Malone, DCH, is a Certified Hypnotist from Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey who enjoys helping people overcome their fears and frustrations. He invites you to visit the New Jersey Hypnotist Web Site to learn more.

• 0 comments »

Depression is something that will occur in many people's lives, for various reasons. But the normal occurrence of a plunge in mood due to stressful events in your life, usually doesn't last very long, before a person's natural resilience responds to the environment of friends and family.

Treatment for depression and anxiety may be needed if you experience persistent, multiple symptoms for more than two weeks. These may include a combination of half or more of the following:

* Sleeplessness, insomnia

* Ongoing negative moods for no reason

* Lack of energy or ambition

* Feeling helpless or worthless

* Believing nobody cares

* Hyper states like edginess or nervousness

* Inability to make decisions or concentrate on things

* Physical aches and pains that don't go away

* Suicidal thoughts

Depending on the condition of a depressed person, they may require admission to a depression treatment center, where they can be monitored while receiving psychological counseling and medication therapy.

Depression is an emotional disorder, and nothing to be ashamed of. But often, people who are depressed are suffering from negative thoughts about themselves, and the illness can feed on that.

If you recognize five or more of the above symptoms in someone you love, talk to them about how they feel. If they won't talk to you, go to their family, friends, or even their doctor.

Treatment may be as simple as counseling and medication that can be undertaken while in their own environment, or the doctor may recommend a short stay in a depression treatment facility to get them back on an even keel.

The medications available have redefined the treatment for depression and anxiety, giving patients a break from the emotional state that is weighing them down, while they receive therapy to resolve the issues that caused their illness.

Find out what causes depression and how to deal with it. Sign up for free blog and get daily updated articles and news about depression treatment. Click http://www.depression-treatment-101.com/

• 0 comments »

Adult acne is a much more common problem than may people, especially sufferers, think. Many adults will suffer from acne at one point during their adult lives and the problem can be just as serious for them as it can be for adults. Treatment techniques are basically the same regardless of your age and these include eating healthily, taking vitamin and nutritional supplements, cleansing your skin and regular washing. You should never pick your pimples as tempting though it may be and you may want to consider using a specialist skin cleanser. There are a large number of acne 'treatments' on the market and people have made good reports about several of these.

Acne, in general, is one of the most common medical problems in the world and it is estimated that 30% of all visits to dermatologists will be due to acne. However, because the world looks at acne as a teen problem they fail to realize the mental anguish that adult sufferers can face. Adult acne can lead to serious depression and social anxiety as grown men and women become afraid to go out in public.

There are a large number of natural botanical remedies to help with adult acne that you may want to consider trying. Dandelion and Burdock are both proven to help as are Lavender, Dock Root, Turmeric and Strawberry Leaves. There are many more natural solutions that are very easy to find and even easier to incorporate into your daily lives.

The exact causes of adult acne, like teen acne, remain unknown. Certainly hormones have a big part to play in people of any age contracting acne but the exact relation nobody knows. Because of it's similarity, though, the treatments and prevention for adult acne are virtually identical to those of teen acne and are easy to use or follow.

Adult acne really is a lot more widespread than you might imagine. 25% of adult men and up to as many as 50% of adult women are expected to suffer from adult acne at some point during their adult lives. It really is a lot more common than you probably imagine and there is no reason to be ashamed by it.

John Mancini has been writing about acne online and offline for a long time. Visit http://www.fast-acne-treatment.info or http://easy-acne-treatment.info to read more about matters like cystic acne and adult acne.

• 0 comments »

Coenzyme Q10 often called COQ10, is natural substance found in the cells of your body and is involved in many different cell processes, but primarily involved in energy production. There has been a significant amount of research involving COQ10 and its impact on human health. Deficiencies of COQ10 can be far reaching and involve many different systems in your body. Some of the possible consequences of COQ10 deficiency include:

 Heart Disease- Some studies indicate that there is more COQ10 in the heart muscles tissue than any other muscle in the body. CoQ10 deficiencies has been seen in patients with hypertension, mitral valve prolapse, angina pectoris (chest pain), congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy and even in post revascularization patients. Many physicians now add COQ10 to the treatment regimen to a significant portion of the heart disease patients in their practice.

 Cholesterol Reducing Medications- There is a significant body of evidence that demonstrates drugs in the ?statin? class such as Lipitor, Vytorin, Zocor, Pravachol, Mevacor, and Lescol reduce your body?s stores of COQ10. Many physicians now feel that most patients taking a ?statin? should also take a COQ10 supplement to prevent their heart muscle from becoming COQ10 deficient.

 Obesity- Several Studies in the US and abroad have demonstrated that patients that are obese are often deficient in Coenzyme Q10.

 Gum Disease- Gum Biopsies in patients with periodontal disease show below normal levels of COQ10.

 Muscular Dystrophy- Patients with hereditary muscular dystrophy showed a marked decrease in COQ10 though-out the muscles in their body.

 Parkinson?s Disease- Patients with Parkinson?s disease have decreased levels of COQ10.

If you have a diagnosis of any of these conditions or are taking any of the following types of medication: Statins such as Lipitor or Zocor, Fibrates such as Tricor or Lopid, Diuretics or beta blockers for hypertension, or a tricyclic antidepressant, you could likely benefit from a high quality, pharmaceutical grade Coenzyme Q10 supplement.

http://www.essential-nutrients.net/

To learn more about supplements available to help prevent the vitamin, mineral and essential nutrient depletion caused by many of the prescription or over the counter drugs you take: http://www.essential-nutrients.net/store/PPF/CategoryID/11/products.asp

• 0 comments »

The Bent-Over Lateral Raise is one of the most common exercises used for working the rear or posterior deltoids. For most trainers, it can be difficult to really feel the rear delts working during this movement as the larger, stronger muscles of the back have a tendency to take over.

To really get the most out of this exercise, you need to remove the back muscles from the equation. This can be easily accomplished with a simple technique.

How to Do It:

First, get yourself into position for the Bent-Over Lateral Raise. This can either be standing, seated or with your chest on an incline bench. The same technique applies to all variations.

Your arms should be hanging straight down in the start position.

Now, drop your shoulders down towards the ground without moving your torso. You will be keeping them down throughout the exercise. This forces the back muscles into a stretched position, thereby reducing their involvement in the exercise.

Once your shoulders are dropped, start the movement by doing a reverse wrist curl with the dumbells. This means simply bending your wrists back and up and holding them there.

Now squeeze the weights up to the top position of the lateral so that they are in line with your head at the top and squeeze hard at the top.

Here is an excellent tip for the way up: as you raise the dumbells, imagine as though you are trying to wrap the backs of your arms around a tree. You?ve often heard that you should try to wrap your arms around a tree for dumbell flyes, now apply it to this movement.

Also, try to force your hands into as wide of an arc as possible and keep the dumbells as far away from your body as possible. This technique will help you to keep your shoulders down as you lift the weights.

What all these tips accomplish is to reduce the ability of the stronger back muscles to contract during the exercise, forcing the rear delt muscles to shoulder the burden of the exercise.

The keys to remember are:

Shoulders down throughout the movement.

Do a reverse wrist curl at the start.

Wrap your arms around a tree on the way up.

Raise the dumbells up in line with your head.

Incorporating these tips into the bent-over lateral movement will target your rear delts like a laser beam!

For pictures on how to execute this technique go the following URL: http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue10-delt-tip.htm

About The Author

Nick Nilsson is Vice President of BetterU, Inc., an online exercise, fitness, and personal training company. Check out his latest eBook The Best Exercises You've Never Heard Of at http://www.thebestexercises.com or visit http://www.fitstep.com. You can contact him at betteru@fitstep.com or subscribe to BetterU News, his fitness newsletter at betterunews@fitstep.com.

• 0 comments »

It's no wonder that confusion reigns when it comes to the worth and reliability of low-carb diets after all the conflicting studies and confusing interpretation of the information. It seems like debates are popping up everywhere!

No matter if it's Atkins, South Beach or some other low-carb plan, there are approximately 30 million Americans are on a low-carb diet.

Supporters contend that the large amount of carbohydrates in our diet has led to increased problems with obesity, diabetes, and other health situations. On the other hand, some attribute obesity and related health problems to over eating of calories and lack of physical activity. They also express concern that without grains, fruits, and vegetables in low-carbohydrate diets may lead to deficiencies of some key nutrients, including vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, and many minerals.

It is already known that any diet, whether high or low in carbohydrates, can produce meaningful weight loss during the early stages of the diet. Keep in mind, the key to a diet being successful is in being able to lose the weight on a permanent basis.

Let's see if we can expose some of the mystery about low-carb diets. Following, is a listing of some related points taken from recent studies and scientific literature.

Point 1 - Some Differences Between Low-Carb Diets

There are many famous diets created to lower carbohydrate consumption. Lowering total carbohydrates in the diet means that protein and fat will take up a proportionately greater amount of the total caloric intake.

Low carbohydrate diet like the Atkins Diet restrict carbohydrate to a point where the body becomes ketogenic (a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that includes normal amounts of protein). Other low-carb diets like the Zone and Life Without Bread are less confined. Some, like Sugar Busters announce only to eliminate sugars and foods that elevate blood sugar levels excessively.

Point 2 - What We Know about Low-Carb Diets

+Close to all of the studies to date have been small with a diversity of research objectives. Carbohydrate, caloric intake, diet duration and participant characteristics are wide-ranged greatly. Most of the studies to date have two things in common, none of the research studies had people in the study with a average age over 53 and none of the controlled studies lasted more than 90 days.

+The results on older adults and long-term results are scarce. Many diet studies fail to keep track of the amount of exercise, and therefore caloric use, while people in the study are dieting. This helps to explain the variances between studies.

+If you lose weight on a low-carb diet it is a function of the calorie intake and length of the diet, and not with reduced amount of carbohydrates.

+There is very little evidence on the long-range safety of low-carb diets. Even though the medical community has concerns, no short-term bad effects have been found with cholesterol, glucose, insulin and blood-pressure levels among the people in the study on the diets. Because of the short period of the studies the adverse effects may not show up. Losing weight typically leads to improvement in these levels, and this may offset an increase caused by a high fat diet. The over-all weight changes for low-carb and other types of diets are similar.

+Most low-carb diets can cause ketosis. Nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and confusion are some of the potential consequences. When first starting a low-carb diet some fatigue and constipation may be met and these symptoms usually disappear quickly.

+Some report that you can have more calories when on a low-carb diet. Remember a calorie is a calorie no matter what you intake. When the study is not closely supervised variations will result by people cheating in the study on many factors of the study.

There are three important factors I would like to re-emphasize:

1.- The over-all success rate for low-carb and other types of diets are similar.

2.- Small amount of information exists on the long-term efficacy and safety of low-carb diets despite their huge popularity,

3.- Dieters usually experience boredom with a strict version of the low-carb diet and are not able to stay on diets of low carb food.

After observing the subject, a more severe and controlled study are needed on a long-range basis. The ketosis produced is abnormal and stressful metabolic state. The results may cause more problems than it solved.

By picking a reliable diet you will benefit over a lifetime of proper eating and not a weight loss quickie. An excellent rule of thumb is look at the diet long-range and see if you can see yourself still on that diet after a couple of weeks. However, by following a diet with fat, carbohydrates, protein and other nutrients in moderation may be the best way to go and a little more exercise won't hurt either.

Jim has been interested in health factors for most of his life. Most of his knowledge is from investigating the many faucets for a healthy being. You can learn more of low carb dieting by visiting: http://www.low-carb-dieting-secrets.com

• 0 comments »