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And lastly, my main objection against a treadmill is that most people just find it boring. Many people spend $500-1000 on a treadmill, use it for 3 months and then stop using it because they find it monotonous. Are you able to go for walks outside before/after work or during a break?
I agree with this point. If you are going to invest in a treadmill, you should already be seriously running or walking for a considerable length of time. At that point you've make a commitment to this form of exercise and want to move it indoors for convenience, etc. When I was seriously looking at a treadmill, I was averaging 35 miles a week outside in all kinds of weather and often in the dark.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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Quote:
Originally Posted by villageidiot1
I agree with this point. If you are going to invest in a treadmill, you should already be seriously running or walking for a considerable length of time. At that point you've make a commitment to this form of exercise and want to move it indoors for convenience, etc. When I was seriously looking at a treadmill, I was averaging 35 miles a week outside in all kinds of weather and often in the dark.
Our problem is the weather with 9-10 months of rain here, but also living at the top of many hills at 615' elevation, if we walk anywhere its steep hills down then back up. We end up driving to some of the nice trails in our area but then they are muddy most of the year. We do a lot of outside walking July-September most years, but I do the treadmill for at least 1/2 hour, about 3,000 steps. With other walking daily I usually show 7,500-9,000 steps a day on the Fitbit. The treadmill is boring but I watch videos on Youtube on my iPad with earphones on.
If you're 250 lbs, this is not just an exercise problem. Fitness is 80% nutrition, 20% exercise. A treadmill isn't going to fix a poor diet.
You should track your calories. Measure your food with spoons/cups or weigh it on a food scale.
I went from 310 to 190 lbs while barely ever exercising. I ate around 2200-2400 calories per day. I just ate smaller portion sizes, cut out sugary beverages, and drank less alcohol.
Make sure you're getting in enough protein (at least 100-150g per day) so you're not losing too much muscle while you lose fat.
A treadmill alone won't help your muscle development. Maybe you can get some dumbells, or do bodyweight exercises.
And lastly, my main objection against a treadmill is that most people just find it boring. Many people spend $500-1000 on a treadmill, use it for 3 months and then stop using it because they find it monotonous. Are you able to go for walks outside before/after work or during a break?
It's essential though. For exercise to work, you need the correct nutrition. You can't talk about these topics in isolation; they very much go together.
Just recommending a treadmill without taking into account these other factors will just mislead them with bad advice.
It's essential though. For exercise to work, you need the correct nutrition. You can't talk about these topics in isolation; they very much go together.
Just recommending a treadmill without taking into account these other factors will just mislead them with bad advice.
I think I understand what you're trying to communicate here. For weight loss to work, diet is critical. Exercise works even if you don't have a good diet. Watch an NFL football game sometime and you will see a lot of elite athletes who are overweight and don't follow correct nutrition. I've seen a lot of elite distance runners who live on junk food. It is possible to exercise enough that you can basically eat anything. For the majority of people who are trying to maintain a healthy weight and some level of physical fitness, diet is more important than exercise. Most people can't exercise enough to overcome an unhealthy diet.
It's essential though. For exercise to work, you need the correct nutrition. You can't talk about these topics in isolation; they very much go together.
Just recommending a treadmill without taking into account these other factors will just mislead them with bad advice.
OP can speak for himself, but if you read the first post, he's not asking for health, fitness, or weight loss advice. He wants to buy a treadmill for his home office so that he can walk while he's working on his laptop. A lot of people who WFH are buying walking pads so that they don't have to sit at a desk to work all day.
Some posters here have recommended NordicTrack C series Treadmills. They also get very good reviews on Amazon and other sites. But do not pay more than $700 for one. They can be hard to get hold of and the prices can range from less then $600 to $2,000. But I have seen them on sale on Amazon for under $600. Also avoid the cheap knockoffs. Even in promotional pictures they look like complete crap, and the ratings are never great. Just keep shopping until you find a good deal on a legit NordicTrack.
Walmart has a C700 for about $600-$700. I'll keep looking. This seems to be kind of what I am looking for.
There are plenty of "no name" treadmills on Amazon, but most don't look very well-built.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140
Our problem is the weather with 9-10 months of rain here, but also living at the top of many hills at 615' elevation, if we walk anywhere its steep hills down then back up. We end up driving to some of the nice trails in our area but then they are muddy most of the year. We do a lot of outside walking July-September most years, but I do the treadmill for at least 1/2 hour, about 3,000 steps. With other walking daily I usually show 7,500-9,000 steps a day on the Fitbit. The treadmill is boring but I watch videos on Youtube on my iPad with earphones on.
Agreed. The weather is warm here and it's nice out, but it also rains a lot here. I live on a municipal walking trail that is a quarter mile from a park that is bigger than NYC's Central Park.
This is really to supplement other walking. If it's nice out, I usually walk a ~1.30 mile loop from my house into the park and back at lunch. I'll try to walk most evenings if it's pretty out now that we're back on DST. I sit a lot during the workday on meetings and in between meetings, and this is just a way to keep more active during core business hours.
If you're 250 lbs, this is not just an exercise problem. Fitness is 80% nutrition, 20% exercise. A treadmill isn't going to fix a poor diet.
You should track your calories. Measure your food with spoons/cups or weigh it on a food scale.
I went from 310 to 190 lbs while barely ever exercising. I ate around 2200-2400 calories per day. I just ate smaller portion sizes, cut out sugary beverages, and drank less alcohol.
Make sure you're getting in enough protein (at least 100-150g per day) so you're not losing too much muscle while you lose fat.
A treadmill alone won't help your muscle development. Maybe you can get some dumbells, or do bodyweight exercises.
And lastly, my main objection against a treadmill is that most people just find it boring. Many people spend $500-1000 on a treadmill, use it for 3 months and then stop using it because they find it monotonous. Are you able to go for walks outside before/after work or during a break?
I'm relatively short (about 5'8"), but was a very serious weightlifter from high school until my mid 20s or so. I still weight train about twice a week. Yes, I am overweight, and definitely have too much fat, but I was able to bench almost 300 last year and squatted 405. Muscle mass is not the problem.
I walked around at ~190 during college, but I was younger, probably didn't drink as much, and was much, much more active then. I took a job stocking at Walmart during my final college semester - between classes, the walking at school, gym, and stocking, I got down to ~170. I felt terrible at that weight. When I quit the Walmart job, I went back up to 190 and felt great.
I hike at least ten miles most weeks during the warmer months. Like I said, this treadmill would be primarily to keep more active during the business day when I can't really go outside or break away from the computer for extended periods. It's a supplement. That's why I don't want to spend a ton of money on it.
Walmart has a C700 for about $600-$700. I'll keep looking. This seems to be kind of what I am looking for.
There are plenty of "no name" treadmills on Amazon, but most don't look very well-built.
Hopefully Walmart actually has them in stock. They sell out pretty quickly. But just keep trying.
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