Why You Should Avoid the Elliptical Machine

By Craig Ballantyne

Elliptical machines are often the only option for people with bad knees. But if your knees are healthy, think twice before using them - for two reasons.

Reason #1. Men's Health magazine warns, "Never trust elliptical machines." And they quote a study which found that elliptical machines overestimated the number of calories burned in a workout by 31 percent.

Ouch.

So if your "elliptical cardio workout" burned 400 calories, the truth is you really burned closer to 300.

Reason #2. Men's Health magazine interviewed "Biggest Loser" contestant Ed Brantley, who lost 73 pounds while on the show. Ed had this to say: "I hated the elliptical. It was too easy. I didn't feel like I was doing anything."

I couldn't have said it better myself. But that's EXACTLY why elliptical machines are so popular. They are inferior for fat loss because they fail my "human nature" test.

Put it this way...

Take 100 people and put them in a gym with 100 treadmills and 100 elliptical machines. Tell them they have to exercise for 30 minutes at a hard pace, and they can use either the treadmill or the elliptical. Guess where 90 percent of those folks will be headed?

To the elliptical!

Why? Because it is human nature to take the easy way out. That is why elliptical machines are so busy at the gym. You rarely see anyone doing intervals on a treadmill or bodyweight circuits in the corner.

So if you are stuck at a fat-loss plateau and you've been counting on the elliptical machine to help you, forget it. You can't say you "worked out" if you don't get any real work done. Stick to the bike, the treadmill, or bodyweight exercises.

The Language Perfectionist: A Cacophony of Confusables

By Don Hauptman

An ETR reader writes: "Could your language columnist look into the correct usage of 'complimentary' and 'complementary'?"

The word "complimentary," with an "i," means free. It's also the adjectival form of "compliment," an expression of praise. On the other hand, "complementary," with an "e," means completing or making up a whole. Here's an example of the correct use of the latter word: "Rather than contradicting each other, the two historians' seemingly different views on the Renaissance are in fact complementary."

Here are a few more "confusables" that I frequently encounter:

• The verb "augur" means predict; an "auger" is a tool for boring or drilling.

• The word "baited" means used as a lure; "bated" means abated or suspended, most commonly in such expressions as, "He anticipated being fired with bated breath."

• An introduction to a book is a "foreword" (fore + word), not a "forward." Incidentally, a foreword is traditionally written by someone other than the book's author. If the author writes it, it's a preface.

• The word "peek" means look; a "peak" is the top of a mountain; "pique" is irritation or resentment.

• If you mean courtesy or diplomacy, say "tact," not "tack."

The list of similar-sounding words that are commonly mixed up is almost infinite. So we'll revisit the subject in future columns.

It's Fun to Know: The Great Santa Shortage of Aught Eight

In Germany, the tradition of entertaining children at malls and private parties with a bearded, red-robed Santa Claus is more popular than ever before. "People are turning to traditions to protect their children from the 'evils of the real world,' especially in the wake of this financial turmoil," Jens Wittenberger, head of Santa Claus recruitment at the Jobcafe Munich, told Reuters. As a result, qualified Santas are in short supply. But, Wittenberger added, "not many people have what it takes to be a good Father Christmas."

What does it take to fill Santa's boots? You must be child-friendly. A good organizer. Reliable. A decent actor. And you've got to have a clean police record.

Word to the Wise: Protean

Something that's "protean" (PROH-tee-un) exhibits great diversity or variety in its manifestations. The word is derived from the name of the Greek god Proteus, who had the ability to take on many forms.

Example (as used by Christopher Hitchens in The Atlantic): "Anti-Semitism is an elusive and protean phenomenon, but it certainly involves the paradox whereby great power is attributed to the powerless."

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These articles appear courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2532, 12-06-08] , the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.