You’ve got yourself a nice little exercise routine that you are happy with. You use an elliptical trainer, which burns up the calories and keeps you in shape. The only problem is that when you have been on the machine for 20-30 minutes, you start getting numb feet. What can you do?
Numb Feet During Elliptical Exercise
First of all, you will be relieved to hear that you are not alone. There are plenty of other people that have had this problem, but most do not mention it. It feels like your feet have gone to sleep or that you have the sensation of pins and needles. You maybe familiar with this if you have been standing in one place for a long time or you go to sleep on your arm and your arm goes dead.
The cause is the same as in these cases. The odd sensations come from the nerves in that area of the body. This is in response to a lack of blood circulation. Essentially the body is trying to tell you to get more blood to the area. It seems funny that you should have a lack of circulation when you are exercising but this can happen if you feet are kept in the same position on the machine. It’s a bit like standing still in one place for a long time.
How to Prevent Numb Feet on an elliptical trainer?
There are a number of things that you can do to combat numb feet on your elliptical. First try to vary your foot position as you use the machine. You could use a heel to toe action that varies the pressure on different parts of the foot. You can also split your workout up into sessions of going forwards and in reverse. This also has the advantage of using different muscles.
Some people have found some relief by loosening their shoelaces or removing their trainers altogether and just exercising in their socks. Different machines can also be of benefit. The Bowflex Max Trainer M5, a one-of-a-kind hybrid workout machine allow a more natural movement of the foot that can help blood flow. The Bowflex Max Trainer is known for the 14 Minute Workout. In just 14 minutes, burn 2.5 times the calories of a traditional elliptical and what you’re burning on a treadmill. So if you’re on the thing for just a short 14 minutes, who will get numb feet?
By using these tips you should be able to get back to enjoying your elliptical trainer workout without the inconvenience of numb feet.
Anna Leake is a health blogger that focuses on topics related to nutrition, fitness, and mental health. She was born in New York City but at age 6 moved to the Midwest where she spent her childhood exploring nature with friends and family. Anna graduated from University of Michigan-Ann Arbor with degrees in psychology & human development.
