Health-and-Fitness online information.

It was not that long ago that selecting a quality treadmill for home use was a simple exercise. Once a consumer determined how they planned to use the machine, it became a process of selecting a model that had the right combination of variables relating to motor size, belt length and width and degrees of incline. Products that offered much beyond those basic features typically cost upwards of $1,000 and were found only in health clubs or belonged to wealthy homeowners.

That is no longer the case, as fitness equipment manufacturers have performed the dual feat of dramatically improving the quality of home fitness equipment while adding sophisticated consumer electronics once reserved for club quality machines. Today, treadmills, elliptical machines and other types of equipment intended to deliver a cardiovascular workout have made a club-quality workout experience available for what it cost to join a health club for a year.

The improvement in quality, the addition of sophisticated electronic features at well under $1,000 has helped fuel booming demand for fitness equipment. It is a trend that shows no sign of abating, which helps explain retailers' continued emphasis on the category.

The familiar culprit behind expectations of growth is the aging baby boomer generation and its greater awareness of the benefits of exercise and the quest for the type of low-impact experience offered by treadmills and elliptical machines.

# posted by Medical Information : 1:23 AM