Treadmill Industry Report

#2 You don’t have room.
If you simply don’t have room for your own equipment, you should join a gym and use the treadmills there. However, almost all home treadmills now foldup and can be rolled away. There is even a model that folds down so you can slide it under your bed.

#3 You can’t afford it.
A good home treadmill costs hundreds of dollars, sometimes thousands. Gym memberships typically cost more than a home treadmill over time, but you can probably start with monthly fees that fit your budget. Treadmills for very heavy people are far stronger than most treadmills, so they cost a lot more. If you are very heavy and have limited resources, you may want to use the big treadmills at the gym instead. Maybe you can just walk outside.

#4 You are a very serious runner.
Very serious runners tend to prefer running outside or on a track. Though treadmills produce an experience very similar to running on a track, it is not exactly the same. Treadmills do cushion the impact and are easier on the joints than running on a hard surface, but some runners prefer the track anyway.

#5 You’re not committed to an exercise routine. The #1 reason people regret buying a treadmill is that they just stopped using it. If you lack motivation and discipline, you won’t exercise and your money will be wasted. Wait until you want it more.

You can come up with many more reasons not to buy a treadmill. In fact, you could think of so many good ones that you would perfectly justified in not exercising at all. But maybe you should concentrate on the reasons you SHOULD buy one, eh?

Almost all treadmills are now made with contact heart rate monitors. Their handles have metal sensors that measure your pulse. However, for those who would prefer to swing their arms through their workout, wireless monitors are available. Other people who find it important to use wireless monitors are those who have heart conditions or other health problems. The wireless monitor provides a constant reading for these people, as opposed to the intermittent readings that result from removing your hands from the contact sensors.

Treadmill mats are padding that you place under your treadmill in order to protect the floor or carpet. They can also reduce noise that can be transmitted from the treadmill to the floor. Exercising in the morning can disturb others in the home if a mat is not used. Using a treadmill on the hardwood floor of an apartment building can be tough on the neighbors downstairs.

Home treadmills typically come with plastic “keys” to turn the treadmill on and off. Thes can prevent young children and others from using the treadmill without permission. The key fits into a slot on the treadmill’s console. If you need to stop the treadmill, or if you fall off, it is easy to pull on the string attached to the key. The string is attached to a clip. The clip can be attached to your clothes. This way, if you fall, the treadmill is turned off automatically. The problem? If you lose your key, you can’t start your treadmill! Many treadmill keys have been lost when people move their belongings to a new home. Spare keys come in very handy.

Treadmills come from the factory lubricated. However, after a few years of steady use, their belts can benefit from lubrication. Tread belts circle their rollers hundreds of times every time they are used. Lubricant applied between the tread belt and rollers can keep the belt pliable. Lubrication also allows the treadmill to operate smoothly and can also prolong the belt’s life. Different kinds of treadmills require different kinds of lubricant applied it different places, so it is important to get specific recommendations from the owner’s manual for your particular model.

Of all the treadmill accessories the most interesting is probably the treadmill desk. A treadmill desk fits over the front of the treadmill and allows the user to walk on the treadmill with his desk in front of him. To the surprise of many, it turns out people can efficiently do paperwork while walking on a treadmill. Many can even use their computers this way, with little loss of coordination or comfort. What this means is that most of the dreaded side effects of sitting at a desk all day can be avoided. While working at the same time!

A good treadmill movie is not simply one that is so mindless that you really don’t have to pay attention. Nor is it one featuring things that bounce up and down more than a pornograhic movie. No, a treadmill movie is like a movie you’d see on an airline. That is, it keeps you engaged, passes the time, and you can follow the plot without having to pay close attention, or even to listen to, the words. So which movies are best for watching from a treadmill? On to the reviews!

Chariots of the Gods – This film won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1981. It features runners who run for God and to overcome social prejudice. They run, they run, and they run. The well-recognized music plays. You run, you run, you run. Monkey see, monkey do. They win. You win. Everybody wins. What’s not to like?
Following are a few of the best movies to watch while using a treadmill:

The Expendables – Many of the action heroes of recent years are in this one. You can probably identify with, or at least tolerate, at least one of these guys. As with most action movies that engage at all, you get to want to see how it turns out. If that takes long enough to get your workout in, that’s a treadmill movie!

High Noon – This classic you may cause you to end up injuring yourself from running too long if you haven’t seen it before. It runs about an hour and a half, so you need to be in good shape for this one. As the clock ticks closer to noon, your running pace will quicken to match the ticking of the clock. You will identify with the hero and won’t give up!

The Family Man – Tia Leone is in this one, so men will want to watch it, but it could be any movie that features the personification of your personal lust. That is, whatever leading lady or man you most desire. Sublimate your sexual desire into physical effort and replace heartbreak and alimony payments with cardiovascular health at the same time!

These movies have something in common. It’s that they all feature a protagonist who faces formidable forces and must draw on all of his strength to prevail. This inspires us to pursue our own goals. If Schwarzenegger can neutralize that many bad guys while barely hanging on, we can at least put one foot in front of the other. Or at least you could tie a carrot to a string and dangle it in front of the treadmill.