Stepper Handling Tips

With a stepper use it can be a fun way to raise your fitness level and before taking that first step, make sure you have your doctor is good enough to begin a new exercise program. Do consider these useful tips. As soon as you step on the stepper, hold on to the handrails and stand up straight by placing your feet comfortably on the foot pedals. Force down the start button on the console display and enter your personal information. And you may be prompted for your weight in pounds, intensity level as level 1 is the easiest, time in minutes, distance in miles, age, sex etc. Always step up one foot at a time, as if you were climbing a set of stairs. And to adjust the intensity level, while you're exercising, always use the "up" and "down" arrow keys on the console of the machine. Try to use the stepper console to program your workout. We have a quick description of three of the most common programs.

Manual program allows you to adjust the intensity level at any time during the workout. Hill program offers a combination of hills and valleys that occur at regular intervals throughout the workout. And the Random program offers a combination of hills and valleys that occur randomly throughout the workout. The new exercise routine typically involves a learning curve. Consider five of the most common mistakes: Never skip the warm-up as the most effective workouts begin with a 5- to 10-minute warm-up. Try to lean on the stepper as leaning on the stepper or the console holds back your progress and can lead to injury, stand erect with your upper body relaxed. Never slow down your steps and use a full range of motion. Try to avoid bumping the foot pedals at the top or on the floor. Try to keep your feet in contact with the foot pedals at all times. As your body recovers best when you slowly reduce the intensity of your workout so always remember this basic rule.

We can maximize the effectiveness of your workout in many ways as firstly; monitor your heart rate often in order to make sure you are working within your target heart rate. Slowly but surely increase your exercise intensity, distance, time or frequency to continue to see improvements. And after each workout, take time to stretch your muscles. It is especially relevant for the lower legs, quadriceps, hamstrings and hips and also important to allow ample recovery time between workouts. On the way to avoid stepping into trouble, clear the stepper of any clutter or obstacles. Do wear proper exercise shoes, and tie your shoelaces tightly, avoid hanging water bottles, towels or any accessories on the stepper. And finally, keep your hands away from the foot pedals and moving parts of the machine.

Bekie Cohner is a health and wellness professional with 16 years experience helping people make the right decisions for everything from Exercise Equipment to nutritional supplements.