Exercise in a Balance Stepper without Tension Bands - Part 3

(This is the continuation from Part 2)

At first, I thought that exercising with the Balance Stepper but without the tension bands would be near impossible. I must admit that I was scared to just step on the foot pedals to mount it.

The thoughts of crashing one foot down and then not being able to put the other foot on the pedal without falling over were too much for the imagination. I held on to the back of a chair for support to carefully mount the stepper.

Exercise in a Balance Stepper without Tension Bands - Part 2

(This is the continuation from Part 1)

From what I've read in the online reviews and opinions, there are some instructions to limit workouts up to 15 minutes only. I believe the reason is because the hydraulic pistons generate friction and enough heat after a few minutes.

Here are some opinions and feedback I read on the Sunny Health and Fitness Twister Stepper. Some of them came from different sources.

Exercise in a Balance Stepper without Tension Bands

Seven years ago, I gave a review of the balance stepper for cardio workouts. It had its shortcomings which I listed in the review. But for its price and my satisfaction of its performance, the shortcomings were no obstacles to my using it.

Sadly, a week ago, one of its hard rubber tension bands broke. This is the thick rubber that provides a bit of resistance when pressing on the pedals.

Recovering from my Wrist Sprain

This week would be week 4 after my right wrist injury. So far, the wrist pain has subsided significantly. I'm able to twist my right wrist a bit more.

The pain occurs only when I turn my right wrist clockwise (as if turning a door knob). Also, as long as I don't push or pull at an odd angle, I've no problems with pushing or pulling heavy weights.

The wrist also no longer gives me pain or discomfort when I sleep. It's been a bit annoying in the first 2 weeks because my sleep would always get interrupted.

The ensuing pain wakes me up when my right wrist assumes a cumbersome position or if my body rests on it.

Review of the Balance Stepper for Cardio Workouts

It has now been over two years since I bought the Balance Stepper. This is the same balance stepper advertised by Tony Little as the "Rock 'n Roll Stepper". I have a post that has the Rock 'n Roll Stepper video.

It's funny, but elsewhere on the net, this same aerobic exercise equipment is being advertised as the "Body Slender". There are plenty of mini-steppers around, but I suppose this one is the one commonly referred to as a Balance Stepper.

Anyway, I feel that after using it for a couple of years, on-and-off (mostly off), it's high time I gave my own review for this fitness equipment.

Stationary Running without a Treadmill

Although trail running was my primary form of endurance exercise in college, it was also limited. I only had the chance to hit the trails when I visited my parents' house in the province.

This was during weekends or the semestral breaks from the university. And for the rest of the year, I stayed at my aunts' house in the city.

Recreational Running for Fitness

Some people call it jogging, while some, the seemingly athletic types, call it running. The running purists call themselves "runners" of course, and have this disdain towards "the joggers".

It's like the term jogging describes the slow manner of locomotion that old folks attempt to revive their sagging stamina. It's either the old folks or the fat folks who're looking for some semblance of exercise.

For me, I called it recreational running for fitness. And yes, it's the long slow distance (LSD) type of running.

Boxing Hobby for Cardio Fitness and Conditioning

One of the sports hobbies I dabbled in during my younger days was boxing. No, it wasn't anything serious or competitive.

In fact it was just my brother who I sparred with and this was at our front yard. We had a front yard with concrete paving and was large enough for half-court basketball playing. This was in the early 80's, I believe.

I was just finishing college and my older brother was already working.

Walking for Exercise

For many weeks now, my wife and I had a liking for long walks in the morning. After three of our kids have gone to school, we'd lock the front gate and head on to the streets. We pretty much have toured our own subdivision (or village) and have become very familiar with its nook and crannies.

So last week, we ventured out to explore our neighboring subdivisions. These subdivisions are similar to ours. We know a couple of friends who live in these subdivisions but we don't really visit anyone on a regular basis.

The walk is a bit longer since we have to step out of our own village first. But that's okay as our subdivision isn't that big to start with.