do you use exercise equipment?

[dont_eat_bambi]

I spent most of my teenage years working out like crazy(sometimes 2 hours or more a day) just to music and now that I am an adult and would like to lose some of the post high school , just married, gained cause of medicines weight. I simply cannot make myself just exercise to music anymore so Im toying with the idea of buying an elliptical machine. Has anyone here ever had one? Is a cheap walmart one worth my money? My husband kinda wants one of those machines with the tension weights (not just a weight bench ) Which do you think is better???


I would like to lose around 20lbs this year.

[SheThrowsDown]

I don't have equipment at home but I go to the gym 5-6 days a week so I know exercise equipment pretty well lol.

I'm not sure about walmart ellipticals, mostly because I don't shop there so I have no idea what they have. But as a piece of equipment I really like the elliptical. I use it typically as my warm up and many times for cardio. So I do suggest those.

As for the thing your hubby wants, my personal opinion is he would be better off with just free weights. I really REALLY prefer free weights :).

I would see if you have a play it again sports or other 2nd hand sports equipment store near you. I got my FID bench, name brand one in GREAT condition, at one of those. It was 150 new and I got it for 30 bucks! They have large equip like ellipticals too.

[3LittleBirds]

I have an elliptical from Wal-Mart. I've had it for about 5 years. It's okay. I go through phases of using it, but it's definitely good to have in the winter when it's too cold to walk outside. I like having it at home, b/c I know that I can easily talk myself out of going to the gym. :)

[Kristine73]

I work full-time and am a full-time college student. I don't have time for gym's I have a treadmill that I use. My hubs wants one of those bow-flex things, but we really don't have the room, right now. Mt treadmill folds up, when not in use. Therefore, it doesn't get in the way.

[sybaritik]

I would advise you to get both (if you an afford it), because it's not a case of one piece of equipment being better than the other, it's more like they're both good as they both do different things.

I recommend you start with buying an elliptical machine though as it's a low impact cardio exercise which is good to begin with if you're not used to exersizing. If you like using that and find yourself sticking with it, maybe then think about getting some weights.

I haven't tried Walmart's elliptical machine so I have no idea what it's like to give you a good opinion but I have seen similar budget brands and I chose not to buy one because although they probably do the job ok, they lack programmable functions, not as many resistance levels, have shorter stride length and the movement itself doesn't feel as smooth as it does on a gym-quality machine.

But, if I could only afford the Walmart one, I would buy it as any machine is better than no machine. :)

.

[vigilant20]

I ended up with an elliptical with a short stride (for a shorty like me, conveniently the small ones are also cheapest!) and some adjustable dumbbells. I have a little gym started in my sunroom, but it's unheated. For the winter it's parked it in front of the tv so I can hop on in the evening when I'm watching movies. It's hard to make excuses when it's 2 feet from the couch.

[3LittleBirds]

I haven't tried Walmart's elliptical machine so I have no idea what it's like to give you a good opinion but I have seen similar budget brands and I chose not to buy one because although they probably do the job ok, they lack programmable functions, not as many resistance levels, have shorter stride length and the movement itself doesn't feel as smooth as it does on a gym-quality machine.



This is definitely the case with the one I bought from Wal-Mart. It was what I could afford at the time, though. I doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it does the job okay.

[dont_eat_bambi]

okies. i think im gonna buy one (elliptical) from wally world sometime this week or after I get paid next weekend. I def need to do something. Im tired of being out of shape. The cheapest one in the store is $200

[keepitlow]

Don't have an elliptical. Have lots of other stuff. dumbbells, smith machine, pulleys, ex bike, treadmill, getting an upper body bike and fluid rower someday also lots of other equipment, sandbags, kettle bells, body bags, inversion equipment, lat machine, etc.

These are areas I aspire to train in. Although time, $$ and energy constraints don't always allow me to get em all in. But having the right formula is half the battle.

Weight / strength training
Aerobics
Nutrition
Balance training
Yoga / flexibility training
Cold training
Mind training
Mind relaxation / meditation (zazen)
Speed training
Height / altitude training
Centrifugal training
Jump / Height / Plyometrics trianing
Breath Holding training

For those that do not know how calories work, when you eat 3500 unburned or unneeded calories, whether in a day or over a week, it puts on a pound of fat. (For reference: 3200 calories is the same as 4 sticks or one pound of butter.)

We all burn up so much calories in a day and my balance point at 54 years of age for my height and metabolism and lifestyle is about 1900 calories a day. It took some time to figure this number out, but thorough trial and error I now have it.

Although metabolisms change with age, as my caloric balance point was about 2500 calories a day when I was 30 years old. If you are in a big city you can get a RM test to find out your caloric resting metabolism rate, but where I live it is only by trail and error.

You can lose weight by eating a 1000 calories a day diet of candy bars. But is it healthy? Is it sustainable? Is it balanced? What about vomiting and laxatives so you can artificially eat more food? Working yourself ragged exercising day and night to the point of ill health to eat more? All must be answered as NO!

These are not healthy or sustainable practices for a lifetime of weight control. So make your losing weight diet and lifestyle healthy and sustainable so the switch back to normal eating is not that different from a diet of weight loss eating, with the main difference just being less calories by 15%-20%

BTW, you are a nice looking lady...keep up the good work in the right direction with your health!

[dont_eat_bambi]

well, thanks for your input. and thanks for saying that I am a nice looking lady. Hubby and I just went and bought an elliptical. Its been put together and I used it for about half an hour (all I have time for at the moment ) and I love it. Mine even has a pulse monitor thingy on it, it also has a drink holder that silly husband put on upside down... hehe...

[vigilant20]

it also has a drink holder that silly husband put on upside down... hehe...

lol That's cute. And really quick for you guys to haul it home, put it together, and use it already!!

Congrats on the new piece of equipment, hope you enjoy it :)

[BostonSG]

I had a gym membership, but it has to date expired and i do not have the funds to get a new one (N) lameee

[dont_eat_bambi]

lol That's cute. And really quick for you guys to haul it home, put it together, and use it already!!

Congrats on the new piece of equipment, hope you enjoy it :)

im very motivated... hehe