Used to have one in our office, but I didn't use it. I found out while I like walking, hiking, etc. I do not like, and therefore did not use, a dreadmill. And yes, it was a bit of an eyesore, but if it benefits you, then so be it.

We got rid of it and I bought a smallish stepper which is much easier to keep out of the way. I do use it some, but it is still only something I will do when I just cannot get outside and exercise.

Hey! (lightbulb moment here LOL) search the convo threads for hula hoop. There are some good discussions on that and the success some have had. Maybe that would be something you'd like.

tina

No you are not crazy; it seems you are committed to giving it a shot.

DH had an elliptical machine in the LR and used it 5 times; after a year of inactivity,I threatened to remove it, he promised to use it more, then another 6 months without use and I gave it away. It coincided with us moving so it was easier to discard it.

You'll know after 6 months if this is a good idea for you ; possibly if you establish a routine, having it in plain view might be a motivator for you,
since you can watch tv at the same time.

You can always put it behind a nice screen when it's not in use or you have people over.

Thank you, Mitch. I *am* committed to giving it a shot.. no, I am committed to success! I must shedding the pounds and increasing my exercise. I've found a high end treadmill that is appropriate for running (when I work up to that on CL and while it is more than I had budgeted, I am seriously considering it--as it's an investment in my health. The way I look at it, I'd spend at least as much to buy a wardrobe of clothes that fit. If I drop the pounds now, I'll fit into my old wardrobe again!

Tina-- I get what you are saying about wanting to be outside but to get into the daily routine, the best way for me to do it is to exercise very early or very late. I've already modified my schedule to get up at 4-4:30 so I think I am ready. I still expect to supplement my treadmill with outside activities-- kayaking, walking/hiking and jumping rope. I don't really see hula hooping lol.

My biggest worry is the large number of people who start out with the best intentions but end up not using the equipment. I don't need more guilt.. I need more successes!

I think it's a great idea!
Remember magnaverdes rule? "Decorate for the life you have" (or something like that)
Put it so you can watch tv, have some favorite shows recorded and don't worry about it!

Oh Funky - I wasn't trying to be a downer or make you feel guilty! I was just answering the question at the end of your post. Even if it turns out you don't use/like the treadmill, just keep searching for something that works FOR YOU. That's the point I was trying to make about me and a treadmill.

I never thought a hula hoop would be for me and I haven't gotten one yet, but I believe it is terriks who lost a good bit of body fat and if I remember correctly lost inches off waist/belly. She even won a contest - losing the most body fat! I still want to try it. It's something that can be done indoors (and there's a travel hoop too!). I think Jenn got one too and maybe a couple of others around here. Look up the old threads - that is, if they weren't lost. Maybe one of the "hoopers" will chime in here.

Right now with our temps, late evening/early morning walks are all most anyone can handle. I've got too much going on in the mornings and not getting up any earlier than I already do LOL, so it's evenings for us. Thankfully, my hubby and the pup are good motivators.

Good luck to you - it sounds like you are really ready for this and that is half the battle - having the right mindset.

tina

We keep our treadmill and bowflex in our formal living room. We never used it as a formal living room so the furniture got moved out and the equipment got moved in. I would love to put doors on the room someday. We also have a small tv and a dvd player in there so you can either do exercise dvds or watch a dvd while using the treadmill. We never really watched Friends when it was on TV so we are watching that now while we use the treadmill. I use it in the morning before I go to work and DH uses it when I get home from work.

That is the plan anyway. :) We use it much more often since we put it in the living room.

Tina.. oh gosh, I am sorry! YOU didnt make me feel bad LOL. Trust me, you are not the only person I know who isnt using her equipment! The reality is that I haven't been exercising and didnt even when the temps were better. I'll be honest-- part of it is that I don't want people I know to see me running/huffing and puffing down the road. I am not all that vain but well, I used to mentally make fun of the people running down the road--so I KNOW people do it. When I ran before, it was in a town where I didnt know people LOL. I remember the hula hoop posts-- I just know that I'd prefer other exercises to hula hooping. I think their successes are great but like so many things, sticking with it is a matter of finding something that works for you.

Boop.. I am so glad you also put your equipment in a convenient room and that it seems to help with the routine. I have watched so few series that there are plenty for me to catch up on... that is if i can hear the tv over my wheezing and sputtering haha.

I am not thrilled about putting it in the LR and there really isnt a way to put a screen up to hide it. Whatever. Anyone who would be in my home would be supporting me in my efforts. I'll have to promise myself a reward if i hit a target weight-- by that time I should be able to move the treadmill to a less intrusive spot in the house so maybe I'll promise myself a trip or a new chair when i have reached the goal. I am ALL about incentives LOL.

Thanks for your support everyone!

Living = life. Yes! Set that treadmill up in your living room. What good is a living room if you are dead from being overweight and suffering from lack of exercise!! You need to define your own 'living' room, IMO.

Well, we don't have a treadmill in our living room or family room but, we do have one sitting right out in the open on the third floor. That's my DH's room but we're up there with company a lot because the pool table is up there. It's sorta the "game room".

Oh and our treadmill? It takes up more room than most treadmills because it's extra long....it's built for dogs and since I have Dobes I got the largest one they make.

I LOVE that you have a doggie treadmill ha! I have heard of putting dogs on a human treadmill but that always seemed dangerous to me. Your treadmill doesn't seem as visually intrusive in the room as I expect mine to be. Obviously you don't have the main support with controls/etc but I think it helps that you have the DVD rack behind it. My treadmill will need to be in front of the staircase but I am wondering if putting a bookshelf back there would help somewhat. I don't have a lot of flexibility with rearranging the furniture but your room makes me think a few small changes may help a lot. Thank you for sharing the photo!

Golddust, I'd prefer not to think the alternative to putting a treadmill in the living room is to be dead but thanks for the perspective on the use of the room.

Hey, much easier to condition dogs for agility and for showing if you've got a doggy treadmill! Small dogs can use human treadmills but if you have a large dog, and I have Dobermans, it's a very bad idea to use a human treadmill. They're not long enough to accomodate the dog's natural stride so if you work them on a human treadmill you start teaching them to pull their stride which can cause all kinds of problems. Not just "looks" but physical problems.

And hey, I sometimes use the dog's treadmill myself. Not as often as I should which is why I think putting one in your living room is a good idea!

That's not a DVD rack, that's a paperback bookcase! I never thought of it but you're right. Something like that behind your treadmill might break things up a bit visually.

I'm sorry funky, I misunderstood your post, I thought you were wanting to hide the equipment when you weren't using it hence the screen suggestion. I'm in and out of houses all the time and see them in living spaces often.

tina: I'm interested in hooping as well. Only problem is I've never been able to hula hoop so I'm concerned I won't get the hang of it!

No reason to be sorry, Lukkiirish. I do appreciate your suggestion but my room is somewhat odd and the only place I could put the treadmill wouldnt be a place a screen would do much good. It's a shame.. there are some really cool screens out there!

I think you all have convinced me that it is ok to be less concerned about the decor and more about my routine. I'll just focus on other rooms of the house for now.

I hula hooped as a kid but it just doesnt appeal to me now as an adult. I do love jumping rope though.

Until a six months ago, our treadmill was in our LR. LR is the main room where we hang out as we do not have a FR at the moment. The treadmill definitely got more use in the LR than it ever did in our workout room (outside pole barn). As soon as the snow season ended, the treadmill went to DB & SIL and we now have a recumbant bike in its place. As soon as the snow stopped we started walking from our home to the local park where there is a 2 mile track. We do a total of 5 miles from home, 2 loops around the track and back home. Plan to do so year round unless it snows. The cold doesn't bother me, the only real need is earmuffs. I have found that I keep a more consistent routine when I can walk outside, which explains why the treadmill got very little use. DB is now hanging clothing from it! I love my recumbant bike and do not mind using that in the LR as I can watch tv or listen to music while using it. I usually try to exercise between 4-5 a.m. I don't own a bike at the moment, and unless/until I do, the bike will stay in the LR.

As I sit here in my office, I look over my shoulder and can see my stair stepper. It is positioned to face out the floor to ceiling windows. We live on a heavily wooded property and I like that I can take in the view while getting a bit of exercise. This time of year the birds are out and their babies are learning to fly.

So, I say go for it. If you are more likely to use it in the LR, by all means. We had a bbq over the weekend so we moved the recumbant into my office while we had guests, but this morning it went back into the LR.

While every other piece of workout equipment is housed in our pole barn, we haven't yet set up a climate control system, so those machines sit for now as it just too hot to use the barn.

I've found that I need to mix it up when it comes to exercise. So depending on the time of year (weather) or my personal favorite exercise of the moment, you can find one or another piece of exercise equipment in our LR!

It's your living space and that's what you are doing, living, and living well if you are exercising! Heck, you can always move it to another room if you need to get it out of the way for a party.

Good luck with your treadmill.

We have an exercise bike in our family room. It's behind a sofa in a corner that enables me to watch TV while riding. It's not in the way, or part of, the L-shaped conversation area. It's in that room because that's where it gets used. I had it in a guest BR before and it collected cobwebs.

I say place it where it works for you.

Lukki -

Terriks listed some websites on her posts before about the hoops. Apparently the hoops are not what we remembered as a kid. I loved hooping as a kid, not so sure I could do it now! LOL The hoops for exercise are weighted. I need to find her posts again myself and order one.

Hoping these posts were not lost recently, if so, I'll do a shout-out to terriks and ask her for info again.

tina

I have a rebounder (mini trampoline) in my foyer. I have lymphedema and it is one of the best exercises for that. Sometimes it is on the floor and other times it is sat upright ... but always there ready for use :)

Tina - Yeah, I saw Terriks post and looked through the sites. One of the sites is Hooping.org and it has instructions on how to even make your own hoop, which sounds fun to me. I will probably do that. I realize it's heavier because of the material it's made out of (PCV pipe) but it sounds like it would be fun (still). One site has the hoops for arms too. When I Googled "hula hooping" all of the sites Terriks posted were available. :c)

I just wanted to butt in with two cents that you didn't ask for, but how about other options besides a treadmill? You could record exercise shows on a fitness channel on TV and exercise to those -- no equipment needed. Now I work out w/ weights (I occasionally meet w/ a personal trainer who gives me routines/exercises) -- I have a fairly small selection of weights, some exercise bands, and an exercise ball that are all easy to tuck away in a corner.

Sue, I appreciate your suggestions for options that are less equipment dependant. I think when it comes to exercise, we need to choose those that target the areas we need to address and also those that we'll stick with. Having been an athlete in my very distant past LOL and also an "all or nothing" kind of personality, I feel the need to have a serious exercise at the core of my regime. I have had great success with running/jogging in the past and it's something i enjoy (when I get strong enough). I don't poo poo other exercises, in fact, I think that i need to supplement my running with other exercises. I just know that there are some I embrace and some I don't. For instance, I HATE aerobics, stepping, spinning and all those things that typically involve upbeat music and classes/groups. I have liked tae bo -- though mostly because it gives pretty immediate results and because it isnt so "cutesy". I havent been very impressed with the fitness shows on tv but I do have some DVDs that I really enjoy both for pilates and yoga.

Again, I love your suggestions for other activities but I am pretty keyed in on what will work for me. Do I need a treadmill to walk/run? No-- but given my schedule and where I live no, the treadmill gives me more opportunity to use it when my schedule allows.. and i can get over the self conscious hurdle of getting back into shape in private. I think that's key in being successful.

I am glad you've found something that works well for you-- how does the personal trainer work for you? Does he/she come to your house or do you go to them? I am open to working with a trainer.

He comes to my house. It feels very indulgent, but before I started seeing him, I was basically wasting my gym membership (paying every month and not going!), so at least this is money well spent. He pushes me like I'd never have EVER pushed myself. I used to do some lame weight work that I thought was useful, but it never made me sweat. After an hour with him, I'm sweating from every pore! And he gives me a new routine every time, so I have probably 8 different ones now -- so I'm not bored. One thing I like about him is that most of his exercises work at least 2 different areas at once -- so they're very efficient.

I have also come to discover that I much prefer exercising in the privacy of my own home!

And now if I could just get a handle on the eating... I might actually lose a few lbs.!?

Sue, I am totally with you-- I think having someone to push you harder than you push yourself is money well spent. Not only do they provide that push but they improve the efficiency and effacacy of the exercises. Time is precious--so using it to our best advantage is important.

I also much prefer working out at home-- I am just not a social worker outer ha. I also like the flexibility of doing it on my own time... especially as I work to get in shape initially, I imagine I'll run/walk twice a day but for shorter duration.

Thanks again for your input!