I have a treadmill but I was considering on getting a stationary bike so that I can exercise as I watch TV in the living room with the kiddos.
I found one at Walmart....Golds Gym brand. Is this a good brand? Is it better then the treadmill or the same? How long do you have to workout to get a good workout? I usually do a 30 minute walk sped being 3.8 on a 6 incline.
I'll still use the treadmill but only when dh is home, I just want something I can use while I watch the kids and they're not getting into stuff.

I think it all depends on which type of stationary bike you get. I get a way better workout on the upright stationary bike. The recumbent bike doesn't give me that great of a workout since it doesn't seem as intense. Im looking into getting a upright stationary bike. The upright tends to hurt my butt so I just get a extra thick towel and fold it under my butt and I can stay on that bike for about 20 mins. I never stay on a machine for more then 20 mins. I use about 3 different cardio machines when I workout

I have a stationary bike but it's a bit of a dinosaur. It does however look like it came from a gym. It's bars look as if they can attach to another one. It's an upright with a digital monitor for distance, calories,etc. Nothing too fancy. It appears to be a proform 775. No idea where it originated. My boyfriend was at the recycling center and this guy was getting rid of old equipment so he took it. Burn rate depends on a lot of things. Bikes tend to give off a generic burn rate and assume the person is of average size. There are some good sites that factor in weight because the bigger the person the more force they have and the more they burn while exercising. Anyway, my bike reads about 150 cals burned for approximately 15 minutes of work totalling 2-3 mph speed.

I was interested in the recumbent becasue I thought maybe it would take some pressure off my knees. My knees hurt terribly bicycling or during impact exercises. I thought that the burn rate might suffer though. Thanks for writing about it.