Hi,

Winter is coming and I'm considering buying a treadmill for mainly walking. I live in Michigan and as you know we get quite a bit of snow, which makes walking a bit cold and just plain difficult. I've been thinking of purchasing a treadmill to be able to take my walks in the comfort of my home without the dangers of winter and traffic. I was almost hit 2 winters ago because, I guess, I wasn't seen. My only time to walk during the week is after work and it is dark out.

My question is, do any of you have any suggestions? I know I could go to a gym, but gyms are just not my thing.

Or do any of you offer some other kind of light workout equipment that I could use at home. I just want to move a bit this winter.

I will have to add, that I will be getting a bit of exercise by shoveling my sidewalks and steps, but besides that....

Hi, Meintc. Treadmill is pretty boring. And so many of them end up as expensive clothes racks

If you've got a little space in front of a tv with a DVD, you can use videos. Actually, a lot of people are accessing streaming workouts now, but I'm not geek enough yet. Go to collagevideo.com to view hundreds of workouts on DVD.

Right now, my space is limited to about the size of a yoga mat. I throw that down and cue up the video. I'm loving Ellen Barrett Slim Sculpt Express. Uses light hand weights (optional) for a full body workout with continuous movement that really gets my heart rate up. It's only 30 minutes, and feels good.

If you can stand her style, Leslie Sansone has a bazillion walking workouts you can also do in a small space. I get a kick (so to speak) out of her chirpy talk.

Over the years, I've had a huge library of videos and quite a bit of equipment--step, barbell(s), weights and balls. So much fun! I've recently moved into a house with space in the basement, and I'm planning to rebuild my home workout space. With video capability!

Best wishes.

Meintc:

I am in the same situation as you, except I actually have a treadmill. I just don't like using it. I have been walking almost daily since June and have really enjoyed it. But I ran out of daylight after work and my neighborhood is not well suited for nighttime walking. I don't want to get hit by a car or trip on uneven ground. So I'm faced with finding something to do indoors for the next 5 months.

I have a weight machine and a treadmill in the garage. Both cost a lot of $$, take up a lot of space, and both have gone unused for most of the time that I've had them. That is pretty typical for exercise equipment. But I have noticed that when I eat LC, I actually want (need??) to exercise - so I am starting to use them again. I started weight training 2 months ago and the dreadmill this week.

Walking on a treadmill is different than going for a walk. It works the muscles differently and you really have to pay attention to what you are doing. Many of the cheaper models have short, narrow ramps so you really have to walk at a steady pace to stay centered on the belt. If you slow down a little or step a little too far to the left or right, you just might end up in a heap on the floor behind the machine (just like on all those AFV videos). Plus, they are noisy and you just grind away in on place the whole time. The clock is ticking away right in front of you and I swear it actually slows down the longer you pound away on the treadmill. Perhaps some people like it -- but it is not my cup of tea and not nearly as enjoyable as walking. But I will use it out of necessity and I just hope I can get over my distain for the machine and get comfortable using it.

I hadn't actually considered Barbara's idea of following some sort of workout video in front of the TV. Pardon my testosterone here, but I've always considered that more of a lady's thing. But I'm open to trying anything at this point. Who knows, I may actually enjoy it. So long as it does not involve Richard Simons or Jane Fonda, I just might give this a try. Does anyone have any recommendations for a willing but still very-heavy-on-my-feet newbie?

I live in South Florida so walking is OK almost any day of the year. I walk outdoors 4 miles per day.

But before I started walking on the street I wore out 2 treadmills and 2 elliptical machines (in about 10 years)

Treadmills:

I wore grooves in the metal plate under the conveyer belt. My advice there is to buy treadmill lube and apply regularly - it will extend the life. Part of my problem is I had the treadmill on the back porch, so I suspect some sand may have found its way inside.

I also recommend a manual treadmill, as they exercise you more like actual walking and they will burn more calories in less time. Plus they are smaller and less expensive.

The longest lasting manual treadmill for me was a NordicTrak - I don't think they make manual ones anymore.

Ellipticals:

So to keep from wearing out the plate, I went elliptical.

I don't recommend an elliptical. I wore two of those out as well, the clutch mechanism that regulates the resistance froze on one, and the upright actually broke on the other, each a month after the warranty expired - and one was an expensive NordicTrak

So I decided to quit buying machines and walk on the street. What I noticed after the elliptical is that my ankles were week, the treadmills exercise those muscles but obviously the elliptical did not. When I went back to the street my ankles ached until the muscles built back up.

So my advice would be:

1. Buy a manual treadmill
2. Get a sturdy one - don't go for the bargain brand
3. Get lube for the underside of the belt and keep it lubed
4. Don't buy it at all if you aren't committed to using it - they make expensive clothes racks

I know you cannot walk outdoors in Michigan all year. I spent a year in Michigan, from Detroit to Grand Rapids to Houghton Lake to Ispeming and a few other towns.

But I have found that walking on the street with a 1.5 pound weight on each wrist gives me better results in less time than the treadmill. So when the weather is nice, go outdoors and do your walking there.

Bob

More on this and that.

Years ago, my dad "cheaped out" and bought a non-motorized (is that what you mean by manual?) treadmill for my mom to use. She was in her 70s. (Hmmm, that used to sound old to me! ). It was extremely difficult for her to actually sustain motion on the treadmill--much too much work. Definitely try out one of these before you buy.

Exercise videos are probably not suitable for dreadmill workouts. I'd recommend checking out audio with a steady beat on iTunes. Just search for workout music.

Yes, exercise videos used to be--and many still are--kind of girlie (eg. the Firm). But if you can match muscle work with Cathe Friedrich, you are Mighty Man. And there are many other female and male exercise gurus in the game, with a huge variety of workouts from power yoga to Pilates to HIIT training. It's so easy (and cheap) to establish a workout routine this way that fits your life. We all know that the secret to exercise success is choosing a "sacred time" for exercise when nothing else stands in the way. For me, when I was working, that was always 5:30AM. It helped to be a morning person! But even now, I make myself get that exercise done in the morning as early as possible, or other stuff takes priority.

Best wishes.
P.S. I will walk outdoors in winter as long as there's not ice on the ground and the air isn't too cold to breathe. KC doesn't usually go sub-zero (for long anyway). I use .5 wrist weights, as more than that would be a shoulder strain for me. I use my 1.5 wrist weights to supplement dumbbell weight when I move up.

Definitely. The cheapest ones don't have good flywheels (or whatever they substitute with) to sustain the motion. Mine took about the same strength as it took to walk naturally.

The motorized ones move your feet for you and really don't work your muscles.

Bob

Thank you all for your replies. Very informative and helpful. I appreciate it very much.