SlimTree Reviews

Editor's Star Ratings:

Costs:

• Membership is free

Features:

• Huge library of exercise and workout demonstration videos
• Special emphasis on:
  • Aerobics
  • Pilates
  • Yoga
  • Cardio training
  • Kickboxing
  • Martial Arts
  • Jazz Dancing
• Workouts suitable for home, work, the gym or even a hotel
• A wealth of dietary information and advice
• Online tools for tracking your progress (BMI calculator etc)
• Large online community shares advice and support
• Successful members are often profiled on the website
• Slimtree marketplace offers:
  • Fitness DVDs
  • Dietary supplements
  • Totally secure online shopping

Editor's Verdict:

Slimtree.com is a bright, friendly-looking freely available fitness website based in California (it shows) that puts its emphasis not just on being slim but on achieving optimal overall health.

The Slimtree site sets out its shop as a virtual fitness community by styling itself as an "online gym": a place where people who share a desire for enhanced fitness can meet and exercise together in a spirit of mutual betterment and positive challenge. Its motto "Live Healthy" is well-chosen, embodying the website's ethos of good health enabling you to live the fullest life you can (although grammatically speaking, shouldn't it be "Live Healthily"?).

Whilst a lot of fitness sites you see on the web can feel very butch and testosterone-drenched, Slimtree has a much more feminine feel to it which many will find refreshing, and seems to be more concerned with feeling slim, healthy and well than pumping up your abs, biceps and quads. It is much more about making fitness a fun part of your lifestyle than following the "no pain, no gain" approach. Even so, it is in no way exclusively aimed at women, there is much to be gained here for anyone wanting to improve their overall fitness and well being.

Diet as well as exercise is a major focus of the Slimtree website, which provides a great deal of dietary know how and wisdom as well as the expected exercise and workout information. The overarching ethos is that a balanced diet and good exercise regime are both indispensable aspects of a healthy lifestyle grounded in a mindset focused on overall wellness. In this philosophy, getting fit is something that enables you to live a fuller life rather than something that gets in the way of it by consuming large amounts of your time and energy. With Slimtree you don't beat your body into shape against its will, you work with it to attain optimal health, energy and well being.

A major features of Slimtree is its emphasis on providing online videos which demonstrate how to perform all the workouts and specific exercises you could want. Whilst a lot of free fitness websites offer videos that are mostly uploaded by members, Slimtree's videos have all been produced by qualified fitness professionals. The videos are helpfully organized by workouts at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels so it is simple to know where to start and how to work your way up. Please note, though, that you will need a decent speed broadband connection to view an online workout properly.

The website also has a strong online community component geared towards encouraging members to share advice and encouragement with each other, as well as provide accountability and a friendly sense of competition.

There are also online tools to help you keep track of your progress, including a handy body mass index calculator. Membership is completely free, the only thing you will have to use your credit card for is if you decide to buy anything from the Slimtree Marketplace, which specializes in fitness DVDs and dietary supplements.

All-in-all, Slimtree provides an accessible and lifestyle-friendly library of health information and exercise advice which, for no money at all, is very good value. The only drawback of free sites such as this is that they can't afford to allocate you an online personal trainer or tailor a dietary and workout program to your specific needs, like paid subscription sites. That aside, Slimtree may well offer you everything you need.

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