I’m not sure you hav headroom in the utility area. Besides, location is everything when you’re working out - it needs to be a place you want to go.

If you actually end up using it, a healthy lifestyle choice shouldn’t feel like you’re relegated to an unpleasant cave. How abouy if you puy it in the basement living room, with a “criteria” number of miles a month that it needs to he used in order to keep this space? Or, renovate the utility room to make it cheery, and/or add a wall mounted tv in the utility room for on-the-run/walk entertainment?

" a healthy lifestyle choice shouldn’t feel like you’re relegated to an unpleasant cave. "

Exactly! It will stand even less of a chance of being used if using it means being in a dark hidden place where someone has forced you to be. It shouldn't be seen as punishment to go to the treadmill - it should be in an inviting place where - even if there's no sunlight - there's space, fresh air and ventilation, a TV, and maybe even space for other people so you can chat with them.

I have to agree, I wouldn’t want to work out in a damp depressing place.

Yowza. That is inspiration, indeed, worthy. Had to Google because....60?! She looks 30. Not a throwback pic. Wow. Then I found 81-yr old Ernestine Shepherd. She started working out at 56. I needed to read this today. Thanks, worthy.

How could anyone consider that treadmill unsightly when it helps you improve your health, cerileen? ;-)

Agree to a trial period during which you try out each space for an agreed period of time. Log number of sessions and total miles ran on the treadmill at each location. At the end of the research period, let the numbers determine the final location. If neither works, agree ahead of time to get gym membership instead.

The point of the treadmill is to achieve better health. It's not a décor piece. So, the location where it will get the most use by all is the ideal place.

I doubt the treadmill will be as "unsightly" as a non-treadmill-using couch potato would be in the TV room ;)

I agree regarding the trial period between the 2 different locations. Get the feel of how it would work out. However, being in a cramped and uneventful room brings such uninviting energy to the person working out.

Last thing you want is to have your treadmill or any exercise equipment in your utility room.

It should be in a place where you feel comfortable using it and as far away from where ever it is that you do your laundry or hang your clothes. If if is any where near where clothes are loose, it will quickly become buried in unused clothing.

If you relegate it to a back room, it will be a great deterrent.

Embrace it is all of it's ugliness. Or give it it's own room, a nice one., with entertainment.

I took a look at your photos and I totally third the notion of putting it in that room with the TV. It looks like it will fit right in there.

The utility room looks really depressing. It looks more like a place to store plastic bins and brooms.

I don't even want to go into the utility room for necessary things, yet alone regularly to work out. too depressing of a space. Tv room is a pretty casual place anyway. It fits right in.

There is a dead animal head on the wall. Why is this even a discussion?

@Whaas_5a Well played.

And you raise an excellent point. I should get the Treadmill location not just because duh (look at the poll!) but also because he got to have his dead animal head. :)

He got the dead animal head. You should have EVERYTHING ELSE! :)

TV room to watch tv while you treadmill... agree to utility room only if x paints it pink and puts in a carpet and a tv for y to watch it LOL :-)

I find the assumption of genders in this situation interesting. I originally thought X was female and Y was male (that's the medical part of my mind shining through), and that it would be the man wanting to use the treadmill in the TV room, and the woman wanting it hidden away in the utility room because it was unsightly. It never occurred to me that a man would be bothered by the look of a treadmill in that TV room, and that the woman should use the utility room. But now I'm not sure. Then again, both could be male.

Inquiring minds want to know.

well.. there is the 'he got the dead animal head'..

I'm in the minority here. DW and I had the same discussion around 7 years ago when I bought my elliptical. I ended up using the utility room. I added a free TV found on craigslist, but I mostly listen to the music channel anyway. I still workout about 3-4 times/week, and now prefer it there. I do sweat a lot and don't have to worry about the carpet. Its also convenient to washout the gym clothes and hang them to dry in there. Good luck with your decision.

jasper, it sounds like you found your own little private world away from the world there along side your washing machine. I had a family member who found her own little bit of paradise and solitary peace in a ritual that took her into the garage next to the washing machine on her equipment with her country music everyday before the sun came up. It became a peaceful place and peaceful ritual for her and I understood that. It was where she was on the inside that was important, not what was surrounding her on the outside.

I still think that, if there is a dead animal on the wall and most of the space appears to be empty, there can also be gym equipment, since there appears to be little decor to disturb.

I have my treadmill and stationary bike in the half of the family room that is otherwise empty facing the tv. I can't do a treadmill without watching tv. Too boring otherwise. You get used to looking at it. If you want to throw a party or have people over it is easily moved.

To answer previous post - I / Femaie / Wife want the treadmill in the TV area because !TV! Yes, it is somewhat unsightly, but it's a basement multi-purpose TV, casual entertainment room.... insert treadmill/eliptical/?, no? Husband wants treadmill in the Utility room, which seems both like a weird choice (given that there are other choices) and depressing to me. Issue remains unresolved, but I have managed to make good on my New Year's resolution by using the local Y and I'm still going strong. Also obviously i was deliberately vague about gender and my preference to maybe avoid bias so that could not be blamed when I won by a landslide : D.

If you have another tv room upstairs, then definitely; it should go in basement , if not leave it to the back of the room and I negotiate on best time to use it ( when tv is not open).

The utility room isn’t exactly a motivating place for exercise, but in the end it depends on the person who will use it . If the utility room is large then they may like to add other equipment too- a little den , perhaps.

Running while seeing the TV is wonderful.

This post is too funny. I’m going out on a limb to make a wild guess that X/hubby doesn’t use the treadmill OR do the laundry!

Place it where it will be most conveniently used:)

I filed for divorce. True story. 👊🏻🤩

Goodness, cerileen. I had to zoom in to see your emojis. Happy you're happy.

cerileen , I have the same thoughts as tartanmeup. I really hope you are happy. I guess on a lighter note you can have your treadmill wherever you please AND you don't have to look at dead animal heads. Win Win! :)

It is really depends on the situation, from my experience, it is better to have a portable treadmill so you can place whereever you want. Mine is placed in the utility room and I bought it from amazon. A 2 in 1 portable treadmill can be placed anywhere you want.

Work from home, wife has to workout. Will not walk outside with dog below 50 degrees. Is on treadmill for two hours plus. Treadmill is in my office. I can't take conference calls when she is on it. If she gets on it before I am still asleep I need two pedestal fans going at Medium speed to drown it out. It sucks.

Regarding dead animal head, have y’all not seen Yellowstone’s awesome house?