Stuck inside during the cold winter months?
It’s not as bad as you think for people who have a treadmill to exercise on.
Here are 10 reasons to really appreciate your treadmill – and avoid developing a case of cabin fever.

1. Let it snow, let is snow, let it snow – It’s OK because people who have a treadmill can get great workouts in in the comfort of their own home year-round.
2. Control your climate – It may be 10 degrees, snowing, icy and extremely windy outside, but that hardly matters to you inside on your treadmill. Control the climate with a turn of the thermostat.
3. Wear what you want – There’s no more worrying about layering to beat the cold and lots of laundry after running outdoors in the winter. Where what you want to on the comfort of your own treadmill.
4. Run when you want to – With a treadmill, it’s “go time” anytime you want. There’s no more trying to rush to get your run completed before daylight is gone.
5. Give the babysitter the afternoon off – If you have a treadmill in your house, pop the kids down with some games and books while you get your workout in. You don’t have to find someone to watch the kids, or worse yet try to push a 40-pound stroller.
6. Be sure of your pace – With the treadmill, you can program it for exactly the workout you want. Then your feet have no choice but to keep pace with the belt.
7. Hills when you want them – If you want hills, the treadmill can give them to you. As early and often as you like. Set the incline however you want it.
8. Eliminate the shock – One of the best features in my book about a treadmill is that if you get the right cushioning, it can take away a lot of the pounding on your body that outside running delivers.
9. A reliable surface – You know exactly what to expect each time you pick them up and put them down on a treadmill, unlike the uneven surface you might encounter running on the local side street. (Oh no, was that my ankle that just twisted into a pot hole?!)
10. You watched an hour of “King of Queens” re-runs- and that’s OK (Or, for ladies, you watched the same Sex and the City episode for the fifth time – and that’s OK) – If you watched your favorite show while getting a great treadmill workout, that’s not wasted time at all.
Way to go!

This is the fourth in a seven-part series on building your own home gym. Today, we take a look at which aerobic machine is better for you: Treadmill or Elliptical.

Either a treadmill or elliptical would be a great addition to your home gym, but it’s important to fully understand what your fitness needs are. And try out several models before making a purchase.
Pick the style of workout equipment that you’re most likely to use.
Treadmills and Ellipticals both offer outstanding benefits for any home gym.
Depending on what your needs are for space, finances and training goals, there are many options to choose between them.

Treadmills have been around a lot longer than elliptical trainers and are more widely recognized.
But how are they different?
The biggest difference between the two is that you’re not physically connected to a treadmill. There is no pre-set motion to follow and one size fits all.
Anyone from a rehab patient who walks at an extremely slow pace to a marathon runner putting in a grueling indoor workout can use a treadmill.
Right behind treadmills as the top selling fitness equipment are ellipticals.
Ellipticals are excellent for a cardiovascular workout that will not put as much impact on a person’s joints. Since your feet are placed on a pad, you are burning calories but not getting as much shock to the knees or hips as
with a treadmill.
Another factor to consider is perceived exertion, or how hard a person thinks they’re working. Since we can all practically walk, or maybe even run with our eyes closed, it might not seem like we’re working as hard as when we’re following a less natural movement pattern on the elliptical. The truth is you’re working hard on both of them if you’re putting out effort.
If you’re trying to get more motivated, then this aspect of the elliptical might be a good selling point for you. The elliptical can be set for forward or backward movements. Elliptical handles allow a person to get more of an upper body workout than with treadmills.
Both pieces of equipment can usually change the plane you’re moving on and offer different workouts, such as fat burning, aerobic or strength training.
For hard-core walkers, joggers or runners, it’s hard to beat the treadmill.
However, for older people, those with joint issues or maybe just people looking for a new twist on their workouts, then an elliptical might be the best choice. Octane and Life Fitness are two leading brands for ellipticals. Both pieces of equipment are excellent ways to burn calories and improve your aerobic health.
If space is a concern, AFG and Landice both offer folding and non-folding treadmills.
Treadmills will usually start out at around $1,200 and can be priced upwards of $5,000 for the elite models.
AFG and LifeCore are among the top makers of ellipticals, which are usually slightly less expensive than treadmills and take up less space.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.net