Exercise Equipment That You Don’t Need (Pt. 2)
Exercise Equipment That You Don’t Need (Part 1)
Indoor Cardio Machines
Indoor cardio machines are in the homes of millions of Americans. These include treadmills, stair-climbers, elliptical trainers, rowing machines, etc. However, most of these machines are never used to burn additional calories. Instead they are used as expensive coat hangers and dust collectors.
Indoor cardio machines are not useless. They can actually help you lose weight and improve your health if you use them on a regular basis. When I was over 330 pounds, I bought a recumbent exercise bicycle. I put the bike in front of my television. I was only allowed to watch television if I was riding the bike. So, I had two choices: exercise more or watch television less.
If you do not have an indoor cardio machine, you do not have to buy one. You can do aerobic activities inexpensively. Read and use the strategies in the Don’t Go Broke Activity Plan.
Heart Rate Monitors
Heart rate monitors are devices that measure your heart rate while you exercise. As your heart rate increases, the calories you burn increases. So heart rate monitors can also give you an estimate of how many calories you burn while you exercise. Heart rate monitors are great but unless you’re training for a marathon or triathlon, you do not need one to do aerobic exercises.
It is true that as your heart rate increases, the calories you burn increases. It is also true that as your heart rate increases, your respiratory rate increases. So, as your respiratory rate increases, the calories you burn also increases.
If you monitor your respiratory rate, you can gauge your calories burned. The key is to exercise to the point where your respiratory rate barely allows you to carry on a conversation. If you are not able to carry on a conversation because you are breathing too rapidly, slow down or stop.
If you have a heart rate monitor use it. Training in your target zone is an effective way to maximize your calorie burn. However, if you do not have one, do not fret. Self monitor your respiratory rate and leave the heart rate monitor at the store.
Home Gyms
Millions of Americans have home gyms. Most of them never use it. Most of them bought the gym after seeing an infomercial or bought it as a New Year’s resolution.
People who purchase home gyms always have good intentions. They bought the gym thinking it would help them lose weight or get in shape. Unfortunately, the gyms cannot work out for you. You actually have to use them.
If you already have a home gym, use it. Some of them are actually pretty good. You can get a great workout using them. My home gym is the small and ultra-portable Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells.
However, if you do not have one, do not buy one. These gyms are expensive. Read the Don’t Go Broke Activity Plan and learn how to strength train with relatively inexpensive equipment.
Exercise Equipment That You Don’t Need (Part 3)
Exercise Equipment That You Don’t Need (Part 4)
Weight loss can be enhanced and better maintained with strength training. For more information on my favorite strength training tool, read my review of the Bowflex SelectTech Dumbbells.
Photo by normanack.
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Agreed. But there is a lot of stuff in life that we don’t necessarily need… we still want it.
Yeah Mary, like Fried Turkey.
Good post. The point is that no matter what you think you might need to get to your goal – be it weight loss equipment, prepackaged foods, etc. – you don’t need. What you need is determination to succeed and to make the choice of changing your lifestyle.
@AFG – I totally agree. Determination and perseverance are key to permanent weight loss. The best thing about determination is that it is free.
Hey Doc,
Just started reading your blog after seeing you on Muata’s blog roll on Mr. Low Body Fat. (I started with this series of posts partially because I have a Swiss Ball, haha.) A good friend told me that he thinks people who buy anything to aid in pursuit of any goal (weight loss or anything really) and end up succeeding at it, owe more to their own commitment than to whatever they buy. He always lived pretty frugally and whenever he spent anything it was primarily out of pure necessity.
I on the other hand, have definitely bought a lot of equipment that I could afford (DVDs, pull up bar, medicine ball, swiss ball, mats, basically nothing more than $30) and may not have necessarily needed, but I made a point to USE IT. With a lot of discipline and effort, I’ve managed to cut my body fat from over 35% (my scale can’t accurately read anything over 35% using BIA,) to now 17%, and this is over the course of yeaaars. While I’ve always made a point to engage in serious exercise at home, what finally pushed me over the plateau and helped me get to my lowest weight ever and maintain it is simply learning to maintain a calorie deficit and finding an eating plan that works for me.
I look forward to reading more of your blog.
Mark,
Welcome to my site. I hope you come back.
Congrats on your body fat loss. There is nothing wrong with buying exercise equipment, as long as you use it. It is obvious that you are using it. Keep maintaining that calorie deficit and keep up the good work.
This is so true about indoor cardio machines. And, can be true with other workout equipment in the home (I also have the Bowflex SelectTech dumbbells in my home gym). You must commit to using them consistently in order for them to be worth it. I started back using mine on a regular basis. Just make the commitment…
James@Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill´s last blog ..Bowflex Series 7 Treadmill – $700 Off updated Wed Apr 28 2010 11:18 am CDT
I am not effective on home gym type because I get bored doing it alone and sometime I honestly gets sleepy
. I am more effective on dancing lesson because I have company and I am enjoying it but it should be a modern dancing. So for me I think home gym is only for people who can handle exercise alone. Just my thought on this.