wow, i actually like the elliptical machine...theres this one elliptical machine that is popular at the gym and i swear, every time i go there, i see people on it..its always in use...and in HIGH DEMAND...lol...my legs did burn the first week i used it...now , after three weeks of using it, i do an hour easily and i set it up to the highest interval..but the problem is, im not losing weight..sucks!
for those of you starting off, just do it for as long as you can, no matter how slow you are.
eventually you will get up there and be able to increase the time youre on it.
i went from 15 minutes in the first week to an hour in three weeks...

I swear by the elliptical. it's my go-to machine, the first thing i head to in the gym. i lost my first 20 pounds on it. was doing the slow and steady cardio burn on it. Am anticipating my plateau, so am now trying HIIT (high intensity interval training) on it. Love it!

For those doing the elliptical at home- which brands and models are they. I have to buy one for my mom and I have no clue which one to get.

I have a LifeFitness x5i. I love it but I bought it with the mindset that it was an investment. I was also greatly disappointed with many of the consumer ellipticals on the market. Even the ones that cost $1k were falling apart in the stores and felt flimsy. We also great deal because they were trying to get rid of it because it was the previous model and they wanted to make room for the newer model.

I love my elliptical, I don't know what brand or anything, it was given to me by a friend. I agree with the music, I also find that I do best with my eyes shut so I can't see how long I've been on until near the end. I could only do 5 minutes the first day but am up to 35 minutes and increasing. I do work up a sweat.

I have a Sole E35 that I bought in February. It is so cold and dark here that time of year that I thought it would be a great way to kick-start my exercise program. Like Nelie says, it was an investment. I tried the machines at Sears and Costco but they all felt rickety and loose.

I'm not really using mine right now because I like to get out and briskly walk (including hills) during the nice weather but you can bet when winter comes and it's dark after work, I'll be back on the elliptical. I credit the elliptical for really helping to slim down my hips and for improving my cardiovascular health a LOT. I like to watch TV shows on Hulu while I'm using the elliptical. I cover up the readout with a piece of paper that says, "Suck it up, Princess--you can do this!*" so I can't see how slowly the minutes are ticking by.

*I can't take credit for the quote--I saw that someone else had a similar sign in their home and I shamelessly stole it.

That's a nice idea. Usually when I'm on the ellipticals at my gym I just cover up the readouts with my towel (if I remember to bring one), and I've seen at least one other person do the same. Funny how we can play mind games with ourselves that way!

Your experience was my experience. I also think very highly of the Sole E35. It was on my short list of ellipticals to get. If I hadn't got such a great deal on mine, I think I would've gone for the Sole.

I did get the Sole, didn't like the feel of the front flywheel, and returned it for my Life Fitness (like nelie's) which I love. well, sort of love in a weird way. and I also cover the readout most of the time :)

Mel

I have a Nordic Track Audio Strider 900 something or other. Had a cheaper one before that fell apart in 3 months of use... Happy with the Nordic Track so far. Use is several times per week, not much noise, smooth, long enough stride for me, and it has adjustable incline and resistance which I like. I covet a Sole or one like Nelie's, but didn't have the cash to invest at the time of purchase. :)

i agree with the girls, just stick with it!. The first time i hopped on one i made it to 1min 54sec...today i did 50min

Shannon mentions stride length, which is a good consideration and one that I forgot about. I'm pretty tall, so a longer stride length was important to me and was one reason that I went with the Sole. A machine with a shorter stride makes me feel like I'm taking short, choppy steps and it's not comfortable. A shorter girl might not mind a smaller stride length, so people should get the elliptical that fits their needs best.

Windchime - Good point. I think I've read that an elliptical should have at least a 20" stride length. Too short of a stride length can actually cause knee issues. The Lifefitness I have has an adjustable stride length, 18 to 24. Its good because both my husband and I can use it.

I love our elliptical. We have a nordic track audio strider that is a space saver model. It also has a longer stride because i'm tall. It folds up and we keep it in our living room.
When we first bought it, i would only do 10 minutes at a time, it was pure torture. Eventually though i worked my way up. I really like the pre-programmed workouts, i'll do them while i watch a movie or a tv show. It helps to distract me. Last night i did 45 min. while watching He's just not that into you.
I don't like covering up the display though, because a lot of times i'll do intervals and stuff and i like to follow along with the time.

The first time I used one of these machines, 1 minute was pure torture.
after working at it slowly I find that the first 5 minutes are the hardest but have worked my way up to 10 minutes or 100 calories.
I can now do 10 minutes in teh morning and 10 minutes in the afternoon.
But yeah it was a killer at first....
good luck