Foot steppers, also known as mini steppers, provide a challenging workout at a budget-friendly price. As of December 2010, available models cost less than $100. Many models offer side-to-side motion along with up-and-down stepping action, while others feature hand grips or resistance bands to provide a whole-body workout. Use a foot stepper at home, in the office or even while traveling to obtain a quick workout break from your daily routine.
Interval Training
When you first begin using a mini stepper, you may only manage a short session, especially if you've been sedentary, according to personal trainer Nicola Glanville, writing for Weight Loss Resources. Try interval training to allow your body to become accustomed to increased activity and the motion of the stepper. Begin with one minute of exercise, then one minute of rest. As you become more fit, alternate periods of regular stepping with periods of more vigorous stepping to ramp up your heart rate, improve your aerobic capacity and burn more calories, MayoClinic.com advises. Your exercise sessions should ultimately last between 45 minutes and one hour at a time if you're trying to lose weight, advises Dr. David Musnick on the Truestar Health website.
Whole-Body Workout
Several models of mini steppers have attached poles or resistance bands to stretch the muscles in your arms and upper back along with your lower body, much like an elliptical or ski machine. Use the poles only for balance, not for support, and maintain proper posture, the Nova Feel website suggests. For mini steppers without attached poles or resistance bands, holding small dumbbells or wearing wrist weights and swinging your arms can provide an alternate means of exercising your upper body during your stepping routine. Nonetheless, you will not receive as strenuous a workout with a mini stepper as with a full-fledged elliptical machine, according to Elliptical Trainer Reviews.
Sit and Be Fit
According to a study conducted at the Mayo Clinic by James A. Levine, M.D, you could burn up to 100 calories per hour by placing a mini stepper underneath your desk and using it while you do paperwork or use your computer, KCBY.com 11 reports. That can translate to weight loss of 40 lbs. or more over the course of a year. You can also use a mini stepper at home while you watch television or chat on the telephone. Do interval sessions once every hour at home and three times per day in the office -- in the morning, at lunch and in the afternoon, Musnick suggests. Adjust the height and angle of the pedals to avoid straining your ankles and legs.
References
- Truestar Health: Mini Steppers, Interval Training and Weight Loss
- Weight Loss Resources: Reebok Mini Stepper Review
- Elliptical Trainer Reviews: Mini Stair Steppers
- Mini Stepper: Improve Your Fitness with a Mini Stepper
- Nova Feel: Stepper: Advantages, Disadvantages, Tips for Exercise
- KCBY.com 11: A Few Unique Ways to Burn Extra Calories -- NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis); Charles Stuart Platkin; January 9, 2008
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