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Question: What Consumer tips can you give me about home
exercise machines?
Answer: No matter how much good advice Pat Kendall gives us
about staying fit over the holidays, it is a losing battle with many
folks. But don't despair, just get going now. One of the most
important considerations in exercise is doing something that you like
and will stick with. Personally, I like to walk, but not when it's
dark. I find that watching movies on a treadmill is good for me, I
like to do it, and I am willing to keep at it.
The January 1998 issue of Consumer Reports covers several types of
home exercise machines. I'll give you some of the basics. If you want
specific information about brands, check the library for this issue.
Consumer Reports tested models of treadmills, walkers, and riders. For
the most part, treadmills are more expensive than walkers and riders.
It appears, however, that treadmills may offer more benefits for a
wider range of people. Because you can spend from $300 to more than
$2,000 on a treadmill, you'll want to gather a lot of information
before deciding to purchase a treadmill.
The purpose of treadmills is to help improve cardiovascular fitness,
build endurance, and burn calories. Treadmills provide lower body
conditioning and depending upon your use, light to heavy aerobic
exercise. Men and women, short and tall, slim and portly, experienced
and novices, and walkers and runners, found they could easily use
treadmills for walking. Runners found that machines costing around
$1,900 performed with the most stability.
Most of the treadmills tested by Consumers Union worked just fine, but
several malfunctioned. All of the treadmills had a 90-day warranty
covering parts and labor. You'll want to make sure that you give a new
treadmill plenty of use during the warranty period, so you can get any
defects corrected under the warranty.
If you live in a small apartment, a fold up model will give you added
flexibility. Most of the less expensive models fold up. Motorized
treadmills are more comfortable to use than nonmotorized models.
A home-exercise-walker combines walking and cross-country skiing. Most
also have arm levers that provide upper body exercise. Tests founded
that walkers ranged from fair to very good at aerobic exercise. A
major drawback with walkers that were tested is that they could not be
adjusted for leg length. This made use uncomfortable for tall and
short people. Three of the nine walkers tested failed the durability
tests. The walker nine models described in Consumer Reports ranged
from $130 to $450.
When you exercise with a home-exercise-riders, you sit on a seat, pull
on a handlebar as you push out on the pedal and the machine lifts your
body. Riders offer benefits to the whole body, plus light to moderate
aerobic exercise. A major problem with the riders tested by
Consumers Union is durability. Five out of seven models had parts
break during testing.
One of the major attractions of walkers and riders is their price.
They range from around $99 to $450. For the most part, however,
walkers and riders are recommended for those just beginning to
exercise. The more fit you are, the less effective this equipment is.
Recommendations: Try equipment in a store before you buy. Compare
comfort, stability, and noise. Understand the terms of the warranty,
and if you buy, keep track of the warranty in case you need to use it.
For more information, contact your local
Colorado State University Extension office.
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