Last week when I was on the elliptical to do a little cardio exercise after the kids went to bed (and I remembered again last night), I realized why I don't love it the way I expected. Keep in mind that I've had osteoarthritis in my knees for the past 24 years! The person who assured me that an elliptical trainer is easy on the knees (granted it doesn't have the impact of running) is almost 10 years younger. After a minute on the elliptical even at low resistance, my knees are burning, but I haven't broken a sweat. I do not love my elliptical because it's a workout for my knees long before it's a workout for my lungs. I don't like feeling my knees burn; it can lead to a bout of tendonitis. Most non-machine cardiovascular exercise is limited by my lungs. I do like getting in a quick blast of cardio, but the treadmill is so boring. My natural running pattern is to run a little faster when I can breathe, and to run a little slower when I want to catch my breath. Treadmills are best for longer patterns of uniform speeds than how I run. So nothing cardio beats lacing up my sneakers and heading out the door for a run. Which I would do, but it's 94 stinking degrees with humidity ...
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