Treadmills are boring

Treadmills are boring. They are efficient, they are useful when the temperature dips to -20C, but they are boring as hell.

Knowing this in advance for my treadmill setup I added some entertainment capabilities. The treadmill itself has a set of speakers built into it so I can hook up the iPhone and listen to music or audiobooks or internet radio. The treadmill itself faces a bookshelf. Yes, a bookshelf. On the top of the bookshelf there is a small LED television, an Apple TV and a fan.

Fan? To keep me cool when walking. I generate a lot of heat when walking and the fan is necessary to cool me down.

LED Television? For visual stimulus when on the treadmill.

Apple TV? To connect to everything I need and surprisingly there is a lot to connect to. For example:

• Music. The Apple TV connects to my iTunes and can stream everything I have in my music collection.
• Movies. When I buy movies these days I try to make sure that there is a digital copy that I can load into iTunes. This doesn't mean that I need to keep the copy on my local machine - iTunes can stream it from their library - but it does mean that I have an even wider selection of things to watch.
• Netflix. There is a lot of stuff on Netflix. For example, over the past few weeks I was watching The Walking Dead. Now I have switched to Doctor Who (the 2005 reboot). With seven seasons to watch this will keep me busy for a while. After that I have Supernatural on tap. By the time all of that is done there will be at least one or two more series I need to watch and then I will need to catch up on all of the series that I started watching this way.
• Audiobooks. I keep complaining that I don't have time to read, but I do have time to listen.

There is a lot of stuff out there to watch/listen to and there is a lot of winter still left. Since I am trying to do two sessions a day (one when I wake up and one at lunch) I try to watch things in the morning, when I am close to the TV, and listen to audiobooks at lunch when I am walking.

 

Yeah, treadmills are boring and this is how I am keeping my sanity.

... or a Gym

So, a treadmill is the way to go. Or is it? What about a gym? You know, those sweaty rooms where testosterone laden men are hitting punching bags.

It appears that gyms have changed since I was a kid. Gyms are now "fitness centres" and those testosterone laden men are now being replaced by women in yoga pants. Base on some recommendations I thought I would Che k out a number of options.

Grant Macewan. A local university has opened up their fitness centre to students, staff and the general public. The facilities seem to contain what I am looking for, a treadmill, and they have a variety of options available and they are relatively close to work.

City of Edmonton Recreation Centres. City owned facilities provide a varied level of support for what I want. Some smaller centres contain few options available for what I want while other facilities seem more than adequate. The nearest facility is very small with the odds of the correct machine being available when I want it available akin to being struck by lightning.

Gold's Gym. I am quite leery of Gold's Gym, at least the one closest to my house, because of the numerous complaints I have heard about their business practices, both online and in person. And to be honest, their web site sucks. (Once again, the local branch not the main web site.)

World Health Club. Much better reviews and the locations seem well equipped. There is even one on the direct route to work. They appear to be the one to beat.

Spin Fitness. Small locations open 24 hours a day. Located one block from where I work. Costs less than a gym or rec centre. Not only that, I can get the first month for only $8.95.

West Edmonton Mall. Yeah, I know, it's not a gym or a rec centre but it is big and would allow me to get a good walk in when it was snowing outside. But what about all of the electronics in the car? Wouldn't they freeze in the car?

Lot's of option, but with winter swiftly approaching there is a need to come up with an answer soon.

Treadmills

I have to face it, the weather is going to turn bad and I am going to need to find someplace to do my walking. There are a number of choices:

• Take a walking tour of the floor at work 20 times a day
• Wander through the parkade in the building from the bottom level to the top level 7 times a day
• Go to West Edmonton Mall and walk from one end to the other, and back, twice.
• Walk through the barely shovelled sidewalks and gamble that I am going to be able to make the neighbourhood circle without twisting an ankle.

I don't particularly like any of those options. Oh, some work on certain days while some work better on others, but there is no "perfect" solution. Or is there?

What about a treadmill? I can stay at home, nice and warm, and walk to my hearts content. There are some things that I do need to take into account, however:

• As I am still over 300 pounds I need a treadmill that can handle my weight. This eliminates many of the less expensive treadmills as they are designed for skinny waifs who don't need to lose weight.
• I have a rather wide walk. Wide hips, chunky thighs rubbing together, whatever the cause I need a wider tread to walk on. It used to be that 18" was the standard. That's way too small. 20"? Better. So now I have eliminated another swath of treadmills.
• I plan on using this on a daily basis (up to an hour per day) and I fully expect other people in the house to use it as well. That means a more powerful motor to handle the higher usage pattern and the fact that I am still over 300 pounds. 3 CHP (Continuous Horse Power) or higher is what I am targetting.

So there we go. I think a treadmill will work, but I'm not sure. I know that walking outside won't work for me in winter, but I'm not sure that I can find a treadmill that I want either. (A treadmill that won't cost a fortune.) Let's see what's out there.