I haven’t blogged for a while. Quick back story so that in case you’re new to reading this blog you won’t have to scroll down too far. My husband and I began our exercising program because about a year ago he had to have open heart surgery and a triple bypass. We researched all the exercise equipment by joining a gym first—finding out, also, how easy it was to skip the gym when time got short or the weather turned bad. Finally we bought a standard upright bike because my husband liked that the best. I liked the recumbent, but it was most important to get something he would be sure to use. We bought it (thanks, Kings of Cardio!) and we both began a very decent exercise program at home.

But then, a month ago, he began to have a slight shortness of breath again, and went back to his cardiologist, who set him up the next week with a stress test, the kind where they make you work your heart to its limit, getting the pulse up high, then laying you down to take tests and do an ultra sound. He felt he had done fine and there wouldn’t be any problems because he didn’t really feel any chest pains during the stress test, but they saw that something was wrong and sent him by ambulance to The Cleveland Clinic. The next day he had a heart cath—where they discovered that one of his bypasses had completely shut down They immediately put in a stint into one of the bypassed arteries, one that was only 80% closed before the open-heart surgery, then sent him home a few days later.

He wasn’t to exercise, but could do some steady walking. He missed the workout on the stationary bike! This guy who never before had an exercise program actually missed it! Now it’s time for him to begin again, and luckily we have the upright here, at home, where it’s easily accessible.

But where I’m really going with this post is that even with a completely collapsed bypass artery, he was doing mostly fine, because he had been doing consistent exercise that built up his heart muscles. The strength of the heart muscles is important, because a weaker heart has to work harder with less blood flow and oxygen. He would have been in a lot more trouble if he hadn’t been exercising. Bypass arteries do collapse sometimes. I can’t give you a percentage because the cardiologist avoided giving us that number. But it can happen, despite diet and exercise. Having a bypass isn’t as simple as “fixing” your heart as if it’s brand-new again. A bypass is not a new permit to go back to your old ways. And keeping your heart strong with consistent exercise is obviously of utmost importance. My husband’s strong heart kept him going with a completely collapsed artery. Sure, if his heart wasn’t so strong he would maybe have collapsed and would have been rushed to the hospital and had to have the same procedure done, but how scary would that be? Collapsing at work? Or in front of a spouse or kids? His strong heart kept him going until a doctor was able to ask a few questions and schedule that stress test. It allowed him to take the stress test and not collapse from that. Instead of outright panic, we had the time and energy to understand what was happening.

Keep your heat strong. Exercise.

Some of us exercise to lose weight, some for the good energy it brings, some to tone up after childbirth, some for medical reasons like heart problems and diabetes, some to become stronger, build muscles, impress ourselves and other, some for a combination of any of these reasons, or other reasons I haven’t mentioned. I want to tone up, but I also need to strengthen my stomach muscles so my back doesn’t keep going out. They say my bad back is because of weak core muscles. But the problem is that I have to be very careful what kind of equipment I can use. The weight machines need to be adjusted each time I use them at the gym, and I need to understand what each does, and how best to do reps, etc. I’m always embarrassed when I have to take the pin out, and leave it out.

What I’m really looking for is a multi-station home gym that does more than one thing, but doesn’t strain anything in my back. As I’ve mentioned in past blogs, I like the elliptical and the stationary bike and the recumbent elliptical, but I’m still trying them out—and I think I may have found the perfect machine, the recumbent cross trainer.

I like the seats on the recumbent. I don’t get sore or slide off, and there’s less stress to my back, and yet I do need to hold in my stomach muscles—my core—to use them. And the recumbent bike has handles that I can pull and push, so I can strengthen my arms at the same time as I work my legs. It’s easy to adjust the seat so it fits my small frame, and to adjust the workout I get. And it is a workout, even though as I watched someone else use it, it looks awfully easy. My legs disagreed with that assessment after my first five minutes, but still I could keep up with the pace after ten minutes. I was able to keep going on the recumbent cross trainer for a full thirty minutes without feeling as if my butt had gone numb.

It’s amazingly quiet, too, quieter than a stationary bike, though those don’t make a lot of noise. I think it’s the quietest machine I’ve used so far. The test will be trying it when my back is bad, which is unfortunately, this week. I just turned around to get something from the back seat of my car and ding, there it went. You may know exactly what I mean. Or you may have a strong core already. But I aim to strengthen my core so this never happens again, which means I have to work out even when I’m aching. So I’m off to test the recumbent cross trainer again. I’ll let you know.

Maybe I’ve found the fitness machine that’s perfect for me, the recumbent exercise bike. Watching other people work out on it, it looks easy. Too easy? Is it just for old people? I’m not that old. But I do have a back that goes out now and then, and I figured I should try out the recumbent bike, see how it works, for one of those days when my back is tight but I still want to exercise.

I needed to adjust the seat, pull it up, because, as I mentioned in one of my last blogs, I’m short. It always takes time to do these adjustments, and, once again, a home gym will be the answer. Soon. Very soon. Kings of Cardio has a few deals I’m about ready to spring for, as soon as I’ve done enough testing to know exactly what I want. The recumbent bike was comfortable, once I got everything set, and I started out at the easiest setting, to get my bearings. What surprised me was that it wasn’t like sitting in a recliner. In order to cycle, I had to hold my stomach muscles in, which was good. And it wasn’t quite as easy as I thought. Within minutes, I could feel that burn that the upright bike gave me, but my butt wasn’t as sore. I amped it up and rode for twenty minutes, just as I had done on the upright. To be honest, after twenty minutes my butt was a bit numb. Remember, I don’t have much padding. Placing my towel on the seat helped. The seat is almost flat, so the towel stayed. And I’ve heard there are seat covers that will help, too.

I liked it, even better than the upright, and my legs certainly got their exercise. I walked the track after, to cool down, carrying two light weights, two-and-a-half pounders. I realized after my walk, I could have held the weights as I biked, doing curls. I’ll try that next time.

Well, actually, next time I’m going to try the recumbent cross-trainer, which will exercise my arms at the same time. I saw it too late, just as I was leaving the gym. I didn’t even know they made them. But they do. Onwards to better health!

Kettler developed an extremely reliable and user friendly upright bike in their latest exercise cycle, the Kettler X1. Its bio-mechanics allow its users to maintain an ergonomically correct biking motion that mimics a regular bike ride, without putting pressure on your knees.
However, this awesome stationary upright cycle is no regular fitness bike. Its 75 different levels of intensity make this bike great to use for beginners and marathoners alike! In addition to its various training levels, this Kettler upright bike also has user interactive workout options that will keep your workouts fresh and innovative. Along with goal-oriented and motivational exercise programs, the electronic readouts such as heart rate and calories burned, create an interactive environment between the user and the bike.

Due to its variety of programming options, and many different levels of intensity, training on this Kettler X1 Upright Bike remains fun and innovative and if you remain motivated to use it, it is sure to blast your gut and firm your but! The Kings of Cardio guarantee you that if you use this piece of equipment for at least 20 minutes a day, your legs, but, thighs and quadriceps will all feel tighter and more firm.

If you are looking for a long-lasting and comfortable upright stationary bike for your home gym, you can end your search, because this unit is perfect for you. With a smooth and quiet drive and braking system, you can watch TV, listen to music, or carry on a conversation with your friends or family. Along with durable framework and and heavy-duty 22 lb. flywheel, this stationary upright bike has all of the essential features and amenities that one would find in an exercise bike at the gym.

75 Resistance Levels
Grade: Residential
Drive System: Electromagnetic Resistance
Heart Rate Technology: Wireless Heart Rate Transmitter Chest Strap (sold separately)
Pedals: Precision Balanced w/ Foot Straps
Seat: Gel Padded for Comfort
Wheels: Transport Casters
User Feedback: Time, Distance, Speed, Heart Rate, Resistance Level, Program, Energy Consumption
User Weight Capacity: 285lbs
Product Dimensions: 39.5″ L x 21.0″ W x 50.5″ H
Power Requirements: 110V U.S.

People that have home fitness equipment get to skip all of the hurdles one has to surpass in order to get in a workout at their local gym. Once you have a gym quality treadmill, elliptical and strength equipment, you can wave bye bye to traffic, bye bye gas money spent to get to gym and bye bye waiting in lines. Having health club quality fitness equipment in your home will lead to you spending more time exercising. Excuses such as the gym being closed, traffic being bad and long lines for machines, will al be a thing of the past, once you purchase fitness equipment for your home. Make it easy on yourself. Start with something simple like a stationary bike and an exercise mat, and then take it from there!