Home Exercise Equipment: Another View

We know that exercise is a critical component of weight loss, weight maintenance and overall good health, so the question is: Should you buy a treadmill? A study by Consumer Reports indicated that nearly 40 percent of people who bought home exercise machines admit that they use the equipment less than they'd expected to. That having been said, you need to examine your life and style to determine if you're likely to fall into that group if you buy a machine - or not.

There is a tremendous amount of appeal to home exercise equipment, beginning with the flexibility to work out any time of the day or night that you choose, at the drop of a hat. No parking lots, lines, or hassles. There is privacy. There is cost effectiveness - it's a single purchase versus a rolling fee paid out for a gym membership. And if you're an outdoor exerciser by preference, it's an incontrovertible backup system for lousy weather.
Treadmills and traditional stationary bikes have long been the most popular home exercise equipment, but with advances in technology barely keeping pace with the ever expanding fitness and weight loss industry, you'll find that there are now affordable total gyms, elliptical trainers, spinning bikes, rowing machines and the like available for home use. And interestingly, the Consumer Reports story we referenced earlier recommends against buying an extended warranty on home exercise machines, since their survey data indicated that most equipment on the market will hold up reliably.

So if you've determined that the home machine route is for you, we'd advise that you spend a little time investigating just which machine is best suited to your needs. Obviously, if you don't enjoy riding a bike outdoors - don't buy a spin or stationary bike for your home exercise. Alternatively, you may love jogging but have problem knees or joints - in which case you're better suited to low impact exercise on an elliptical trainer instead of a treadmill. Beware becoming bedazzled by gadgetry - the more sophisticated the machine, the higher the price. If you know you don't need anything more than a timer, a calorie counter and maybe a heart rate monitor - don't be seduced into overspending for features you'll never use.

Once you bring that sucker home you are the master of your own destiny - if it's sitting in your house you have no excuse for not being able to take the time to use it. It's an investment in your health - and it'll only pay dividends if you work it. If you can put it in front of a television you can maximize your workout with the news, with soap operas, with cable series, with DVDs - for the distraction and entertainment of your choice. (How many of us have been stuck on treadmills in a gym with an ESPN classic football game from 1997 or a movie with no sound or captions?...)

We would like to make the point here also that home exercise does not necssarily have to mean machines. Inexpensive equipment like dumbbells, stability balls, stretching bands (a'la pilates), jump ropes, perfect pushups and the like will - when used regularly - tone you up every bit as well as the professional machines in a gym. Mix in some cardio - whether it's walking the neighborhood or running the stairs in your building or your house - and you'll see results, guaranteed.