When it comes to purchasing a home piece of exercise equipment, many things have to be addressed. There is the obvious “how much space do I have”, or “will I use this piece of equipment”. Let’s face it, you can find a treadmill on craigslist that is gently used for a decent price but you should still have concerns about that (I’ll address that in a later post).
When I talk with people about home equipment, I make sure they understand there is no one perfect piece. You probably have that friend that loves the treadmill, uses it every day and burns so many calories! Or, better yet, you were up late and watched that infomercial showing a hard-body using the latest, greatest piece of equipment. What do you do?
If you don’t like to use the elliptical, you probably aren’t going to use one at home. The same holds true for a treadmill, bike etc. You can burn calories on any piece of equipment, you just have to challenge yourself. Infomercials sell because they make promises that most of the time are too good to be true but you don’t know that until you have made the purchase. Plus, with those infomercials, you don’t get to try the equipment out. That is really what it comes down to. You need to get on the equipment, see what is comfortable and what you will like. If it doesn’t feel good when you are on it chances are you won’t use it very long.
Having equipment for your home is ideal but only if it is something that will be more than a clothes hanger!
