Visit your local HealthStyles Retail store in Denver, Boulder, Fort Collins, Glenwood Springs, or Grand Junction for the best holiday gift ideas.

Resistance Bands $6.99 – $12.99	5lb – 15lb Kettlebells $7.95 – $23.95	Jump Ropes Only $8.99	Fitness Handbooks Only $9.95
$9.99 – $14.96 Yoga Blocks	$12.99 – $24.99 Foam Rollers	Only $14.99 Push Up Bars	Only $21.95 FitBall Balance Disc

Medicine Balls $22.95 – $49.95	Yoga and Exercise Mats $26.99 – $49.99	Pull Up Bars $29 – $46.95	Heavy Resistance Bands $29.99 – $49.99
10lb – 15lb Dumbbells $32 – $48	20lb – 30lb Kettlebells $32.95 – $47.95	FitBall Exercise Balls $32.95 – $41.95	Weighted Hula Hoops $39.99 – $49.99

20lb – 30lb Dumbbells $64 – $96	35lb – 60lb Kettlebells $55.95 – $95.95	Balance Boards $59.95 – $99.95	Power Wheel $59.99
Heart Rate Monitors Starting at $59.95	Jungle Gym XT $99.99	Trampolines $59 – $79	Weight Storage Racks Starting at $55

TRX Suspension Trainer Pro $164.95	BOSU Balls $109.99	Inversion Tables Starting at $329	PowerBlock Dumbbells Starting at $149
Functional Trainers	Vibration Trainers	Benches & Racks	Exercise Bikes

Maybe it is 4-Hour Body becoming a bestseller, touting the benefits of kettlebell workouts. Kettlebells are becoming the new staples in gyms, right along with dumbbells and plates. While this surge of popular interest has been unprecedented, kettlebells have been around a while.

The modern version seems to have originated 350 years ago in Russia as counterweights to measure goods. Since they were fun to swing around, they became weight-lifting tools and finally, modern kettlebell-lifting became Soviet Union’s national sport, in 1948.

However, many cultures around the world have used weights with handles since long ago: Shaolin monks with stone padlocks, Scottish tribes in their hurling contests, Indians with their ishi sashi clubs. These early predecessors and kettlebells work to extend the center of balance, allowing the users to mimic many real-world activities involving swinging, like shoveling, farm work, picking up your child, etc.

Today, the US Secret Service, FBI Counter Assault team, and many military training programs around the world use the holistic, explosive exercises that high-repetition ballistic kettlebell workouts provide. The benefits of this workout includes a full-body conditioning, anaerobic and aerobic exercise improving mobility, range of motion, and strength, particularly in lower back, legs and shoulders.

Are you looking for ideas for unique Christmas gifts?

HealthStyles Exercise Equipment has some great gifts for fitness enthusiasts in all price ranges!

Whether your gift is for an avid runner, a Cross-Fit or P90X junkie, or a friend or loved on who is trying to firm up or lose weight, here are just a few of the many possible gifts you can put under the tree for those important people in your life.

If you haven’t yet heard of kettlebells in relation to strength training, you may have been a bit out of touch with what is happening in fitness training recently. Kettlebell training as a way to lose weight and gain strength has literally exploded over the past few years.

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Here is a great demonstration of a basic kettlebell circuit. This circuit can be used as a strength workout or a cardio conditioning workout. Simply change the weight of the kettlebell to reduce the load and decrease rest time to focus on cardio conditioning.

Click here to shop for kettlebells online or visit your local HealthStyles retail store.

Here is a great demonstration of six kettlebell exercises for women to develop hips, thighs, and abs as well as a total body tone up.

Click here to shop for kettlebells online or visit your local HealthStyles retail store.

Here is a great demonstration of several full body kettlebell exercises.

Click here to shop for kettlebells online or visit your local HealthStyles retail store.

SAN DIEGO (Feb 9, 2010) — The American Council on Exercise (ACE), America’s leading authority on fitness and one of the largest fitness certification, education and training organizations in the world, today announced key findings from an exclusive study on the benefits of kettlebell workouts conducted with the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, through its exercise and health program. Results concluded that kettlebells provide a much higher-intensity workout than standard weight-training routines and offer superior results in a short amount of time. (more…)

The use of fitness accessories to expand and enhance your cardiovascular and strength routines have never been more popular than they are today as is obvious by the number of equipment manufacturers that are getting into the fitness accessory game. Life Fitness, one of the major cardiovascular equipment manufacturers, is set to roll out Body Shape Kits this fall, which combine many of the most popular accessories sold by HealthStyles Exercise Equipment, into one all inclusive kit. Octane Fitness will combine an elliptical workout with stretch bands in the programming and design of their new ellipticals to be introduced later this Fall, to create circuit training workouts that add strength training to the traditional cardio workout. (more…)

The snow has melted and the warm weather and sunshine calls us outdoors for spring training. It’s time to start building your endurance and overall joint strength in order to stay injury free during a summer filled with hiking, running, biking and power walks.

Phenom athletes like Lance Armstrong and Olympic marathon champion Constantina Dita employ all of the tricks of the trade when it comes to training for their sport. I know some of you don’t consider yourself an “athlete”, but I encourage you to change your thinking and find your inner athlete. By doing so, you will build a better and stronger body and find optimal health.

Here are 5 Tips to help you get started: (more…)