Health Beauty & FitnessHealth, Beauty, Fitness Tips

When it comes to purchasing an elliptical trainer you have four choices in where to buy:

1. Mass Merchant

2. Fitness Specialty Store

3. On-line Distributor

4. Used from a private individual

I would discourage you from option 4 since quite frankly, it’s very risky to purchase a used elliptical trainer. By their nature, elliptical trainers can be expensive to repair and you most probably won’t receive any kind of warranty with a used elliptical. So be careful.

A fitness specialty store will carry the higher-end ellipticals costing upwards of $1000 and well beyond. They will carry light commercial to commercial-grade elliptical trainers such as Precor, Life Fitness, SportsArt, and others. These are excellent brands and I encourage you to at least have a look at them since quality is extremely important when considering an elliptical trainer. This will also provide a basis on which to judge other elliptical trainers.

You will most likely find knowledgeable sales people in fitness specialty stores, but not always the lowest prices. The salespeople typically work on a commission basis and you may find them to be on the aggressive side. However, don’t let that deter you from test-driving and researching ellipticals at these stores. Just don’t get pressured into buying just yet.

Mass Merchants such as Wal-Mart, Sears, The Sports Authority, and Dick’s Sporting Goods carry the lower-end ellipticals. You can find some good values here, but it’s extremely important to understand exactly what you’re getting. Elliptical trainers in this price range can wind up costing you more that you expect in repairs and down time. I don’t recommend any elliptical trainer that retails for under $500.

Though it may be tempting to go for that $150 elliptical machine from Wal-Mart, you may wind up regretting it soon after you get it home. The salespeople at these stores, though typically friendly, aren’t always the most knowledgeable about elliptical trainers and the quality behind them.

If you are sold on elliptical trainers from ICON Health and Fitness such as Nordic Track, Reebok, and ProForm then I highly recommend that you purchase it from Sears. In fact, you may want to purchase it from the Sears on-line store. You can even purchase your Sears elliptical on-line and pick it up at any of their retail stores. Sears has a good reputation for handling repairs and exchanges during the warranty period.

Some of the best deals on elliptical trainers can be found on-line. Besides frequent sales, on-line distributors often provide free shipping and free extras for ellipticals over a certain price. Having the elliptical delivered right to your door can be a huge help since you won’t have to schlep a large, heavy box home as is the case if you purchase from a mass merchant.

To best answer the question — “Where Can I Get The Best Price On An Elliptical?” — is to try elliptical trainers off-line and buy on-line for the best deals.

Spring is arriving and kids have outgrown last year’s apparel. So where do you look this to find new pants and shirts for your kids? Why not the retail stores at your local mall? 2009 is a year of unprecedented savings at mall stores.

Malls offer the best selection of brand name and house brand clothing for children and now offer the best prices. The economic and distribution mechanics are simple to understand. When 100 to 200 stores share the same property (the indoor shopping mall), they have a much lower overhead cost and that is passed onto local shoppers in the form of lower prices. With this deep recession, shoppers are more price conscious and aren’t willing to drive long distances to single manufacturer’s outlets to buy high priced clothing. The malls are attracting more shoppers and that allows them to stock a greater variety of clothing for kids. More product is seen by shoppers and there is a much greater chance they’ll find the right size and fit and the right price. And malls are leading in the price department.

Zellers is one such low price retailer carrying economically priced kids clothing from top brand name manufacturers. Zellers has more than 350 stores across Canada, many of them in malls in Toronto, Montreal, Edmonton, Mississauga, Winnipeg, Calgary, Ottawa and Vancouver. Zellers.ca is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Bay which also owns Home outfitters stores in Canada.

Sears and The Bay are the country’s kids clothing sales giants although small boutiques such as West 49, Gap Kids, Gap, Old Navy, Gymboree, La Senza Girl, Siblings, The Children’s Place, International Boys, and OK Kids have enjoyed excellent sales through 2008. West 49 is a popular store with the teen crowd and they’re marking down prices severely. West 49 is considered the coolest for shirts, pants, caps and jackets and now with their deep discounts, your child might finally get that designer clothing they’ve wanted for some time.

If you need low priced, durable and rugged jeans for rough and tumble jeans for your boys to play in the yard or at the park, you’ll find plenty of blue jeans and cargo pants at kids clothing stores in malls. The spring collection of t-shirts, skateboarding shorts, and wind breakers will be on store shelves by March. To make their clothes last, choose non white colours of a durable fabric and stitching. Don’t cut off the pants too short. Leave them as long as possible without touching the ground. If you’ve thought cargo pants are unattractive, consider that they are often designed for rough usage such as skateboarding and mountain biking. Designer fashion may not hold up as well under severe use by a youngster and you could be wasting your money. For school, the kids want to look cool and all the brands they’re into are available at your local mall.

Seek financing during the economic downturn. 2009 is starting off rough for everyone so a new credit card might be a good way to get the clothes you need now. If financing for your kids clothes is needed, Zellers, Sears and The Bay offer their own credit cards. They are typically easier to get than regular bank credit cards.

It’s hard to waste your shopping time at your local mall and the savings have never been better. Retail stores in malls have high volumes of stock and are marking down strongly to get product moving. Once the old stock has been sold, prices will undoubtedly be raised again.

Admittedly the Sears, Dr William and his nurse wife Martha, are among my favorite authors on pregnancy, birth and anything parenting. This book with co-author Linda Hughey Holt, MD, FACOG is no exception.

The book’s subtitle is A Month-by-Month Guide and that is exactly how it is organized. Its chapters are organized by month; allowing expectant parents to progress at their own pace or devour it cover to cover as they wish. It is extremely thorough in covering each month…what is happening to the baby, how you might feel and suggestions of things you should think about at that point. One thing I adore about the book is that it includes a pregnancy diary for you to write in. Like all of their books, The Pregnancy Book makes excellent use of illustrations and text boxes to emphasize key points.

As always, the information in this book is accurate and an easy read. The Sears excel at taking complicated medical information and translating it into something that is understandable to the lay person…and fun to read. It is an amazing talent. Of course, being a paediatrician and nurse as well as the parents of eight children themselves; the Sears have the background to do the job.

My suggestion to clients and other expectant parents is buy this book early. Read each chapter at the beginning of the month, then skim it again mid to late month. Towards the end of the month, then fill in your pregnancy diary. It will be a lovely keepsake of this special time in your lives.