Elliptical workouts are great for cardiovascular health. They are also perfect as low-impact workout machines, fantastic for people that are starting on their fitness journey for weight loss or otherwise, recovering from injuries or suffering from various health issues.
We’ll tell you about 10 straightforward health benefits you will get from regular elliptical workouts.
Health gain no. 1: Boost cardiovascular health
An elliptical machine can work your heart and lungs harder than a treadmill, bicycle, or a stair climber. Why?
Elliptical machine movements are sure to engage both your upper and lower body, including almost all major muscle groups. This in turn enables your muscles to get more oxygen, and your lungs and heart too!
Health gain no. 2: Improve your stamina
No matter if you do regular sessions of 15-minute high-intensity or 30-minute moderate-intensity workouts, you will for sure improve your stamina on your elliptical machine. You can use one of these HIIT workout suggestions for those high-intensity workouts planning or set your own pace in one of the virtual workout options found in HOLOFIT.
Your lungs and your heart will work hard to pump oxygen to all parts of your body, and after regular daily practices for at least two weeks you will see your stamina levels going up.
Health gain no. 3: Lower your cholesterol levels
Aerobic exercise is the king of lowering bad cholesterol levels. And the elliptical machine is the crown jewel.
Plan to work out at least three times a week. Five to 7 days is better. Try to work out for a total of at least 150 minutes. Anything over that is just a plus.
Your bad cholesterol levels should decrease after just 3-6 months of regular workouts. Just make sure that you also make sure you stay on top of your nutrition.
Health gain no. 4: Recover from injuries
Because it is a low-impact exercise machine, elliptical is perfect for all of those recovering from knee or joint injuries.
Furthermore, for people recovering from cardiovascular diseases or strokes, elliptical machines are a great companion in easing back to fitness activities. The intensity of workouts can vary greatly and can easily be adjusted to user fitness and health levels.
Health gain no. 5: Reduce high blood pressure
Being physically active means that your high blood pressure is in control, as well as helps manage your weight, heart, and stress levels. If the latter three are under control, then so will your blood pressure be.
But is every physical activity the same? No: aerobic exercises that do not put too much pressure on your muscular or cardiovascular system are the best. In short: your elliptical machine is your best friend in fighting HBP.
You need to love it though, and that’s not easy. Add variety, include virtual workouts, get social, and connect to others on elliptical machines for best results.
Health gain no. 6: Improve blood circulation
Remember what we said: your elliptical is working both your upper and lower body muscles, making them pump more blood into the heart and more oxygen into your lungs. You will get better circulation all around, and that will help you improve and maintain your cardiovascular health.
And one more important thing to know: because your elliptical workouts will give you better circulation, you will also minimize the risk of vein problems: varicose veins, excessive blood clotting, or even deep blood thrombosis.
Health gain no. 7: Decrease chronic inflammation
Inflammation is how your body’s immune system fights any potential enemy. That’s why you get inflammation whenever your immune system is battling viruses or bacteria or attempting to repair damaged tissue.
Many of us suffer from chronic inflammation without even being aware of it. So how can elliptical machine workouts help?
Recently, researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found how just one session of moderate exercise can act as anti-inflammatory therapy. The findings have encouraging implications for chronic diseases like arthritis, fibromyalgia, and obesity.
The study from the University of California also found that one session of about 20 minutes of moderate elliptical machine exercise resulted in a 5 percent decrease in the number of stimulated immune cells producing tumor necrosis factor (TNF), a key regulator of local systemic inflammation that helps boost immune responses.
Select one of HOLOFIT virtual worlds, get on your elliptical machine, and start healing yourself!
Health gain no. 8: Total body conditioning
The great advantage of ellipticals is that you can exercise both the upper body muscles (biceps, triceps, abdominals, pectorals) as well as the lower body muscles (legs, thighs, and buttocks). The other advantage is that it is possible and even recommended to target the different muscle groups of the body by varying the exercises and the way you workout. By doing this, you focus on the weaker or underdeveloped muscles.
Health gain no. 9: Increased breathing capacity
Although ellipticals do not increase the volume of your lungs as such, they do affect your breathing positively. When you use the elliptical regularly, the efficiency of your muscles increases meaning that they will now consumer less oxygen during exercise, and produce less carbon dioxide. In practice, this means that you will need less air during exercise and not feel so out of breath.
This does not mean your lung capacity will increase, but it sure means you’ll be able to breathe better and feed your body more efficiently with oxygen.
Health gain no. 10: Reduced risk of type-2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by a dysfunction of insulin in the body that usually appears from the age of 40 and affects nearly 1 in 10 adults. Insulin is a hormone whose role is to provide cells with sugar (glucose) so that they can use it as a source of energy. When you have type 2 diabetes, insulin doesn’t work as well as before meaning that sugar builds up in the blood. This is called hyperglycemia, which is to say an increase in the level of sugar (glucose) in the blood.
Exercising on an elliptical aka cross trainer has a positive effect on blood glucose levels (blood sugar level). Indeed, when we exercise, our muscles need energy and will use the sugar stored in our body, which leads to a drop in the blood glucose levels.
Exercise and physical activity also have benefits on insulin. Sport makes our body more sensitive to insulin, meaning that less insulin is needed to get the same amount of glucose from the blood to the cells, thereby partially counteracting the effects of diabetes.
By participating in sports or training, you significantly reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes since exercise helps better regulate blood glucose levels.
Conclusion: Your health can’t afford NOT to use the elliptical machine
Every elliptical workout you do will cause your body to release endorphins and serotonin, making you happier and healthier.
And if you add HOLOFIT to it, you’ll be sure to find and keep your workout motivation and have fun while working out. Don’t waste your time: start getting healthy today!
