my sister is pregnant and she does alot of walking/running. with winter fast approaching she was thinking of buying an elliptical machine but is worried its not safe. she doesnt feel comfortable walking outside in the snow as pregnant women fall easily.

right now she wants an elliptical machine, but is also considering a stepper. she wanted me to ask which is safer? the stepper? or the elliptical, and if she gets a stepper, should it have handles for support?

I would think either would be safe. I would get handles for the support if available even for myself as I sometimes wobble a bit.

There is a pregnant woman at my gym that uses the elliptical, treadmill, and stair climber machines without problem. I think pregnant women just need to watch their heart rate and they should be good to go.

In my experience, elliptical is much better...not sure whether safer, but just a better all around exercise. We own both and I never set foot on the stepper any more. And definitely she will want handles on anything for stability. I recommend a Precor if possible for the elliptical.

my sister is pregnant and she does alot of walking/running. with winter fast approaching she was thinking of buying an elliptical machine but is worried its not safe. she doesnt feel comfortable walking outside in the snow as pregnant women fall easily.

right now she wants an elliptical machine, but is also considering a stepper. she wanted me to ask which is safer? the stepper? or the elliptical, and if she gets a stepper, should it have handles for support?

I have been using an elliptical for 6+ years with a bad back and a replaced hip and have never had any problems. If she purchases a quality elliptical she shouldn't have any problems. The best inexpensive? elliptical IMHO is the NordicTrack cx925. You can get it from there website with free shipping for $599. If they aren't offering the free shipping then wait till they do. They have that offer about once a month.


http://www.nordictrack.com/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=153&prrfnbr=733181&cgrfnbr=46527&rootcat=46525

elliptical's are easier on the knees typically than steppers.

I bet that the elliptical is preferable. I think that impact should be a good bit less, as mentioned (regarding the knees), and it's also less of a jerky motion, and more fluid. Whereas stepping is constantly throwing the body up and down, the elliptical is not, which should be helpful for her unborn.

Personally I detest steppers. They are very boring to use frequently.

My vote goes to the elliptical.

Today (once again) I had a very bad lower-back day. I have to bend down, sit down and get up slowly in order for the back not to hurt.

But whaddayaknow, I still went to the gym to do the biceps, upper back and forearms.

I did the warmup with elliptical and there was no pain on the back whatsoever. Mind you, walking to the gym and putting on the gym gear was a bit of a struggle. But once on the elliptical, I had no problems. I don't think I could have done anything with a stepper with this back.

Have you tried doing reverse hyperextensions for your lower back? The way I do them is, I have a reverse hyperextension bench set up so that when I'm on it, I can get enough traction to clunk my back back into alignment, then still on the reverse hyperextension bench, while my back is still in alignment, I do about 30 or so reverse hyperextensions which seems to get more blood flowing in the lower back area. So basically, I'm exercising my lower back while it's in alignment, and the reverse hyperextension exercise works the back without putting any stress on the spine. If you are interested, I would have to explain how the bench is made as it is a bit different than the ones you can buy, as it's made so that I can stretch the lower back before doing the exercise.

Have you tried doing reverse hyperextensions for your lower back? The way I do them is, I have a reverse hyperextension bench set up so that when I'm on it, I can get enough traction to clunk my back back into alignment, then still on the reverse hyperextension bench, while my back is still in alignment, I do about 30 or so reverse hyperextensions which seems to get more blood flowing in the lower back area. So basically, I'm exercising my lower back while it's in alignment, and the reverse hyperextension exercise works the back without putting any stress on the spine. If you are interested, I would have to explain how the bench is made as it is a bit different than the ones you can buy, as it's made so that I can stretch the lower back before doing the exercise.Nope, but I think that I can't do them. You see, I can't even do sit-ups (I can do ab crunches as my lower back sticks on the bench) or lie down on the floor on my back and lift my legs straight up. Any kind of lower-back-forward-or-backward-bending motion where either my upper torso or legs stay anchored somewhere is more or less out of the equation.

You know, my back problem is probably not caused by the spine. It's most likely in some deep muscle on the lower left region of my back but that's a long story...

thanks :D