Those of us who enjoy a good run now and then can all understand the demands that are required for the activity. Some of the most obvious are good weather, comfortable, supportive shoes and attire, and not to mention time! It can soon become hard for us to run for long periods of time–the painful impact it can have on knees and ankles just doesn’t seem worth it sometimes. Not to mention that the appeal to job outdoors easily looses appeal when the weather turns inclement.

Those of us who aren’t so much into jogging may be looking for a low-impactexercise that offers the same excellent health benefits you can get from jogging or running with the comfort of remaining indoors. How can one really enjoy an exercise after having to piece together two or three different routines or jump on and off several different machines?

Years ago, the exercise world was ruled by the stairmaster and the treadmill. People were ecstatic to finally find an exercise machine that produced “jogger’s physique” results without having to actually run. But those machines are incredibly space-consuming, not to mention bulky!

Now there is a new machine that is not only much less bulky than the stairmasters and treadmills of years ago, but is also offers an extremely smooth movement. The elliptical trainer can be as low or high-impact as you want because you are the one who sets the pace!

The really great thing about elliptical trainers is that it offers all your major muscle groups a thorough workout: shoulders, back, hips, buttocks, thighs, and calves. You don’t have to trudge through hours of sweating and grumbling to achieve nice muscle tone, either. If you’re worried about the element of time, just ask yourself if you can manage about 20 minutes a day, three to five days a week. Even if you use the elliptical trainer while watching your favorite show, the workout still counts!

Elliptical trainers vary in price range and can be purchased online or at most fitness equipment stores. If you want to use an elliptical trainer, but don’t want to commit to a purchase—you can usually find a few elliptical trainers at most gyms.