Originally published October 4 2005
Elliptical machines are gaining in popularity
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
According to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, which has tracked elliptical machine use since 1997, only 1.1 million people used them that year and now the figure is estimated at around 6.7 million users.
Their use has spiked 158 percent over the past five years, according to the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association, a Boston-based trade association.
When the group first began tracking elliptical machine use in 1997, only 1.1 million people used them; that figure is now estimated at 6.7 million.
Interest in elliptical machines and stationary bikes might be explained by the rising number of older Americans in gyms, said Brooke MacInnis Correia, a spokeswoman for the group.
The low-impact workout they provide is appealing to people over 55, comprising nearly a quarter of gym users, Correia said.
"It's not as hard on my knees," Albany resident Kris Ditzel said, explaining why he made the switch about a year ago.
A runner in his 20s, Ditzel abandoned the treadmill after a leg injury.
"Anybody who knows how to walk knows how to use them," said Richard Cotton, spokesman for the American Council on Exercise, in explaining their enduring popularity.
Stationary bicycles, which fell out of vogue in the 1990s, are staging a comeback with up to 7.7 million users in 2004, a 7 percent jump from five years before.
The bottom line is that if you push yourself to a moderate level, you're going to burn about the same amount of calories," Cotton said.
Carl Foster, president of the American College of Sports Medicine and a professor at the University of Wisconsin's Department of Exercise & Sport Science, agreed the differences in the machines' effectiveness are negligible.
"Ambulating -- walking or running -- are probably slightly superior to everything else, but the differences are vanishingly small," he said.
Low-impact activities like walking on a treadmill help build bone density and calcium.
Meanwhile, elliptical machines -- which often have moveable handlebars that provide resistance -- work out the upper body without beating up joints, said Cotton.
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