The eternal battle to lose weight and get healthy has many foes and allies. However, if you want to get into shape this year then you may want to consider buying a good quality treadmill. I say “good quality” for a reason. Cheap treadmills simply don’t work. I speak from experience. Last year I purchased a “value” treadmill. In other words, I bought a cheap treadmill. As soon as I got it I tried it out and, quite frankly, the thing just didn’t work. When the motor was turned on and I tried walking on the belt it skidded and stalled, making walking on this treadmill difficult at best. Even after I adjusted the belt, per the instructions’ recommendations, the thing still didn’t work any better. The only way that I could use it is to leave the motor off and to walk on it in manual mode. This quickly discouraged me and I didn’t use it after that. This year my city is offering a marathon for the first time and I bought another treadmill to help me train. This time I looked for quality.
My Experiences with the ProForm 6.0 GSX Treadmill
A little war torn from my last treadmill experience I was apprehensive about buying another treadmill, however, after reading through some reviews of the ProForm 6.0 GSX Treadmill I decided to try my luck again. This treadmill retails for about $600 and has a shipping and handling charge of about $95. However, if you buy it through the Home Shopping Network, like I did, then you can spread the cost of this machine over three months. That’s about $185 a month for three months. It offers an extra wide tread belt, a built in fan, an extra quiet motor, power incline system, several pre-programmed workouts, you can select speeds between 0 and 10 mph, it has a 300 pound capacity, it offers a 10 year motor warranty, it offers a 90 day parts and in-home service warranty, and a special ClearView Display.
The first thing that you should know about this treadmill is that it comes in a large and heavy box. It is a good idea to get someone to help you move the box inside and to help you set it up. However, as a 5’2″ woman, I was able to set up this machine myself in about a half hour, after the delivery driver helped me get the machine into my house. If you will be setting this machine up downstairs make sure that you measure the stairwell to make sure that it will fit down the stairs before you try to maneuver it downstairs.
After setting up this treadmill you are ready to roll, walk, job, or whatever you do. You can easily select from a number of pre-programmed workouts. The first two are based on heart rates, and the remaining workouts offer a variety of speeds and inclines. If you want to control your workouts you have the option of selecting a speed button, or manually increasing and decreasing the speed by arrowing up and down. This treadmill also has a power incline system so you can adjust the incline by simply pressing a button.
When you are done with your workout make sure that you return the treadmill to a 0 incline and turn the power off before you try to fold it up. If you don’t do this then the latch and peg won’t line up and you won’t be able to lock the machine in its upright position.
I really love this treadmill. It is easy to use and it performs great. It also offers an extra wide platform that is great if you have a tendency to drift while you walk or run.
Other Items
If you are serious about starting a walking or running program, then you may want to purchase a treadmill mat to protect your carpet and treadmill. These typically sell for about $20 to $30. To work your upper body you may also want to purchase a small set of hand weights. Finally a water bottle is a cheap addition to your workout equipment collection that will help you to stay hydrated and healthy.
