Bowflex?
 

Anybody got one? DH surfed Craigslist and found one for $350. He's got it into his head that we need one of these things because we're fat asses and the kids would train with it for their sports (cheer/gymnastics and wrestling/baseball).

Personally, I am anticipating the purchase of an expensive clothes rack.

What do you think?

I've used one in the past and they are great - if you actually use it.

I say buy one once you've begun and stuck to an exercise routine for long enough to know that you're not going to hang clothes on it. There are tons of exercises you can do using only your own body weight or small pieces of equip (ball, stretchy band, bosu etc) to get started with. My trainer is not a big fan of machines and has shown me a ton if you want some ideas to get started with.

I don't know anything about Bowflex other than you do not see them in real gyms.

$350 buys a lot of free weights and they take up a lot less space when you stop using them in a month.

Here's a spoiler: Exercise is boring and it sucks. Activities like cycling, swimming, running, soccer, basketball, hiking, walking, skiing are fun and don't suck.

$350 is too much. Do real sports where you can, If you need an indoor machine, don't spend gajillions on it -when you don't use it as much as you planned it will make you hate exercise all the more because of the wasted money. You're more likely to use it if it was "cheap as chips" and so no loss if you barely touch it. Trust me, I'm a Dr.

I agree, for anybody just starting out, you can do a lot with resistance bands and stuff. And they're cheap and easy to store.

(Note to self: Why don't you take this advice instead of giving it? I swear, I'm going to watch that Beginning Pilates video one of these days.)

Yeah, do something fun instead.

Alternatively the monetary investment could be construed as a motivating factor.

My wife's been doing pilates for the last 6-9 months or so (attending a class) and it's freaking awesome what it has done for her. She is really happy with the shape she's in, and her abs are amazing. She complains on weeks when the class is canceled or she has to skip for some reason.

That's because Instructor Sven is an amazing motivator. ;)

You jerk, my Instructor Sven was killed on 9/11. Have you no soul?

As the wife of the owner of a treadmill that has been used exactly twice, I can assure you that factor is no motivation at all.

I drive 30+ minutes 5 days a week to use a treadmill.

Exercise is fun Juniper, don't let the nay-sayers ruin it for you before you get started. It also makes 'fun" activities more enjoyable and less likely to injure you.

If you have been talking about getting in shape, I say go for it. Invest in a calendar or workout journal that you can keep close by. Make a plan, write it down, then work the plan. (note my signature :)) Start easy, say 20 min a day 3 times a week for 3 weeks. Then re-evalute. Were you able to keep that schedule? Want to do more? Too much? Pump each other up. Start some kind of competition with each other...whatever motivates you. Don't forget to treat yourself either. After you have done 25 workouts, treat yourself to a new toy...preferably something workout related. Maybe a new dri-fit T-shirt, or new CD to workout to. Brag to us here too!!!

Before I had my daughter, I belonged to the Y and worked out there. After she was born, I had to squeeze in workouts whenever I could, so buying a treadmill made sense for me. The large amount of money I spent (1K+) works to motivate me to use it when there is bad weather or I don't have anyone to watch the kid. I also invested money in some good workout music to help pump me up when I am stuck down there. Decorating the walls around it with old race numbers, posters, and finishers medals helps keep me motivated too.

The bottom line is we don't want to do things that aren't fun, so do what you need to to make this fun for the both of you. Good Luck!!!

Sorry to hear that. I can't really do the treadmill. Way too limiting and the impact on my legs drove me to use an elliptical. I do like the ease, flexibility and the evenness of the Bowflex. As compared to a weight bench... not even close. Bowflex rocks!

I agree. I love the feeling now that I get working out and feeling fit(ter?) Plus when out doing stuff, be it work or play, I find I have a lot more energy and endurance and that makes me feel better both physically and mentally.

Well, he just went over and bought the thing. It's en route to our house as we speak.

I don't particularly like "working out" - it IS boring, and I would much rather go do something more fun like take a hike, ride bikes, go swimming, play a sport, etc.

BUT...where I live there's nowhere safe to hike/ride (busy road), our swimming pool at the moment is a bit chilly, and let's face it - watching me play a sport would be damn good entertainment and you'd pee in your pants laughing so hard. Ha. Ha.

I especially hate going to a gym, having to wait for someone else to get off a piece of icky, sweaty equipment so I can use it (and feeling rushed by the person waiting for me) or feeling like my jiggly fat ass is on display in the middle of the room while I (ungracefully) struggle with the elliptical. Then I have to either take a shower in a public stall or go home sweaty, both of which suck in the wintertime.

My problem is that it's just such a huge time sink. "30 minute workout" requires at least 30 minutes total commuting time, 10 minutes getting ready, 30 minutes actually exercising, 15 minutes cooling down after, 10-20 minutes getting dressed to go home. Pretty soon you've sunk three hours into this workout thing, effectively taking up your entire morning or afternoon that you could have spent sitting on the PC surfing the Cellar eating Doritos. ;)

No no seriously, I mean, could have spent working. For pay. Or doing laundry or something. ;)

I've worked out at the YMCA off and on. I put my son in preschool at the YMCA, so when I dropped him off I'd work out. Of course the next year he went to Kindergarten elsewhere and I had no reason to drive the whole 5 minutes down to the Y. I still did, occasionally, though. We joined the Y near where we live now, but I couldn't make myself go as much as I needed to.

Oh, and last year I joined Curves. I like that even less than the Y. Ew, ew, ew. Curves is a strange thing. You do every piece of equipment for 30 seconds (!) then move on to this walk-in-place mat, then another machine, another mat, etc., while Curves cover versions of pop music blare, and in the middle of the circle is a way-too-perky instructor chatting with you and the other ladies and telling you what you're doing wrong. You're supposed to chat with all the other women while you work out like it's some kind of social event, because you aren't supposed to get "winded" anyway. Blech.

I think that if I can just get up in the morning, do my work out, then take the shower I would have taken anyway and really only spend 30 minutes on the exercise part of my day - while I watch the news or something - that might be just fine.

At any rate, it's clear I've got to do something. I'm not quite obese or anything, but I've got about 30 pounds that need to go away. I also have high blood pressure and I'm sure that 30 pounds would make that go away too.

Could be really cool having a buff hubby too. ;)

Social networking comes to working out.

http://lifehacker.com/5113772/dailym...-your-workouts

We need a Cellar Fitness Club. Thread. Whatever. I have been going to the gym and enjoy it, but my workout partner prefers going later (7:45AM). By that time I'm already moving onto other tasks but usually go anyway. Just not happily!
Equipment vs. sports - for weight training, I prefer equipment since it's harder to injure myself. I'm not a team player so no sports, but a good outdoor activity is fun. Except leaf raking, which is what I'm heading out to do now. Anyone want to work on those arm muscles?

Hey Juni, you could put a white board near the bowflex with $350 written on it. Every time one of you uses it, take $5 off (approxipate cost of entry to public rec center). Or your weight. But the $$ is always going to reduce when you work out, so more of a motivator, maybe?

Good luck with it, find some awesome workout music and have fun. You could invest in a few free weights and bands too, and then the two of you could workout together, swapping half way through....

Wow! Everything that ever should be is already here at the Cellar. Are there any mentions of recipes for pink fairy armadillos, though? I am guessing 'yes'! :D

Hm. What is this 'work out' you all speak of?

The last time I was on a treadmill I had a scotch and soda in my hand.

I'm not sure but I think it had something to do with "controlled drinking" that Griff was talking about in another thread.

But if you have a home gym, then aren't you working in?

I think if you're going to buy a big piece of equipment like that, the total gym would be a better choice, because it seems more versatile--you can use it to do pilates. Not sure if you can do that with the bowflex--it seems more oriented toward upper body.

I have one, donated it to our call room so we could use it while we were sitting around on our fat asses. Makes a great clothes rack.

What about the iron gym? It hangs from your door frame.http://www.getirongym.com/Default.asp?tcode=asp3&bhcp=1

Or the 'Red' swivel seat which I am skeptical about.

My New Year's resolution is to begin a serious training regimen . . .

on the Wii Fit.

My son actually does have one of those pull-up bars in the doorway of his room. It gets extensive use as a form of indoor playground equipment. They can do flips on the thing!

Juniper, the Bowflex is awsome. So is the Total Gym. And $350 is a GREAT price for a bowflex, if it works. I have always been into lifting weights, since I was 15. I have worked in 4 gyms, including the original Golds Gym in Venice CA. There is nothing like being in a gym and working out, because there are motivating factors all around you. But it's also expensive. If you have the room for a bowflex or a total gym, I say GO FOR IT! And if you have trouble in the beginning getting motivated, start out slow. Go do a set in between doing laundry, or making the beds. Do a few sets several times a day, and before you know it, you'll be looking forward to working out. Then you can really design a serious program for yourself.

ya right. like either of you have a fat ass. :p