Hi,

I really need some advice. I am thinking of buying a treadmill but am really worried that I should not waste the money. Do many of you own your own? Do you find it useful? Or should I go with a bowflex or something like that? Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks

Have you considered joining a gym to try out different types of equipment and see which you prefer? Many gyms will give free sessions. I LOVE my treadmill and hate my elliptical. But other people feel the opposite way, so it's really a personal preference. The main thing is to make sure you'll enjoy it, or it will turn into a coat rack.

That probably wasn't much help, though

Good question. I am interested to see what people think about the bowflex. I have an elliptical and i LOVE it. I didnt get a treadmil because i cant do the impact and i cant run, but i can burn many more cals on the ellilptical than i can a treadmil. I had something similar to a bowflex and i didnt use it very much and it took up SO much space. If i had a gym i would do something like that but if i had to choose one or the other...i use the elliptical 10 x more than bowflex.

Hi,
Thanks for the suggestions. The problem is I don't really have a gym near me. But I am glad to hear you like your treadmill. Maybe I will bite the bullet and buy one.

Thanks

I use the big equipment at the gym, but would never want it in my home.

I have
weights
a stability ball
a bosu ball
a rebounder (mini trampoline)
a medicine ball
a yoga mat

A TON of workout videos!

It has been working great for me!

Comparing a bowflex to a treadmill or an elliptical is like comparing apples to...no, not oranges, more like chicken. They provide completly different types of workouts. If you want cardio, your choices really are treadmill, elliptical or crosstrainer, or some sort of bike. A bowflex provides you with a way to do resistance training. So then your choice would be bowflex, "total gym" type thing, or a set of weights and a bench or ball.

I have all three types of cardio equipment at home and use them all. I can't do high impact cardio more than once or twice a week so I switch around a lot. I lost most of my weight using just the recumbent bike and going outside and walking or jogging. Now I do much more varied cardio.

I've only used a bowflex a few times. I found it complicated and annoying, but I'm told by the owner that you get used to how to readjust it for each exercise and it becomes less cumbersome. If I were you, I'd find somewhere to try one- a store with a knowledgeable employee- before I bought. My personal choice would be a ball, step and free weights.

Mel

^^^ Agreed. Many people have told me about their bad experiences with the bowflex and similiar machines. For what you pay for a bowflex, you could purchase a nice bench and free weights.

For cardio I adore my treadmill. It's nothing fancy, but we use it all the time. We also have a stationary bike which is nice for a change of pace. You can save money by jumping rope or shadow boxing. I used to take boxing lessons and it was always an awsome workout.

For weight training I would recommend a simple, sturdy bench and a nice selection of free weights. I actually have a real nice bench that includes a squat rack and lat pull down. I purchased it from Wal-Mart so it was real inexpensive. I've been impressed with the quality as well.

Stability balls are real nice to have around. I need to get another one because as I mentioned in another thread, my cat deflated mine. But you can do a lot of stuff with them. Plus there are a ton of videos that use them as well.

Another inexpensive way to build muscle is to focus on body exercises; Squats, push-ups, lunges, dips, ect. It would be something to do until you were able to obtain equipment of your own.

My home gym started off rather small, but I've slowly built it over time. Recently my husband was nice enough to put punch mitts so I can beat him up. I'm also plannng to get a speed bag and punching bag. (I must have a lot of aggression because hitting stuff is fun.)