Thank you so much for your responses!
Harriet, it was a post long ago by Kathryn (thanks, Kathryn!
) about her customized treadmill shelf that planted this seed of using a treadmill again. Besides a laptop, I immediately thought about catching up on all my reading while I walked, too! I have some of Leslie's walking videos -- she is wonderful. I get bored so easily with them, though, & with the repetitive conversations between the exercisers.
Thoughts on ski machines -- more than 15 years ago we bought a Nordik Track one that dh really wanted. You push your tummy against a padded square to help with balance. You can move as fast or slow as you like, and extend your arms & legs a lot or a little. We both kept losing our balance on it. More than once I almost fell off the darn thing which scared me enough to stopped using it.
A few weeks ago we had originally talked about getting an elliptical, & while in a WMart recently that had some on display we tried one out. I was surprised that it hurt my knees, since they are supposed to be easy on your joints. The foot pedals were angled down, not flat, so when my weight would shift to the foot that was down, my foot was in a "pointing down" position rather than flat and I felt twinges at the bottom front part of my knees (maybe that was my shins?). When dh tried it felt fine to him. But because of the height of the machine dh would not be able to use one at home, since we would be putting it in the basement & there would not be enough headroom for him. If we had still been contemplating one I would have looked at others to see if those foot pedals are adjustable, & tried one that lets your feet remain flat rather than pointed.
Lurky, I'm hoping to watch TV, too, to pass the time. Thanks for the incline tip! I would like to work up to jogging during commercials. I'll stop at a Sears store and check out the NordikTrac.
Kathryn, thanks for telling me about the duty cycle. Love the features listed on the Silver, especially that it is quiet, has easy speed changes & good cushioning. Not sure dh would go for the 3x higher price tag, although it makes so much sense in the long run. Lots of really good sales on equipment this time of year so maybe ...
I just read an article about how good those crossover walks are for balance! And much safer to do that when holding a rail on a treadmill than while walking outside. It also said one of the best exercises to help prevent falls is to practice balancing on one leg for as long as you can. Keep increasing the time, and alternate your legs.
Sunny, I had forgotten that some have arm levers. I like that, & also that you don't have to use them for the days I want to swing my arms. The distance & calorie features sound great; I'd want to know how many miles I was walking. And it has the shelf already built in
! I will look for this model too, when I go to Sears.
OK, we belong to Sam's so I will look for your model, too. That ironing board trick of yours is inspired!
Good to know that you like the one you have. There are so many out there that I appreciate everyone's input. I would much rather buy one that is recommended than spend the money on an unknown & get a dud.
Loved the video, Harriet! Toe tappin' & funny
Thanks again, everyone for all your help! I'll let you know what we get