Thursday, May 02, 2013

Walking up a steeper hill....

It's been almost 10 years since I shopped for a treadmill.

Things have really changed.

Oh, the basics are still the same: pick a speed, start the unit and adjust the incline if that's a feature.

But all the OTHER stuff that's been added!

Flashing lights and big consoles that include cooling fans and even small image screens.

There are places to plug-in your iPod music maker or hook up your computer to download extensive pre-programmed exercise plans.

And charts and graphs and diaries built-in to track your progress.

Good grief.

I walked past all that and looked for a simple, sturdy machine to replace mine that flamed out.

I learned that what burned probably was the circuit board. Motors hardly ever fail I was told.

In fact, most treadmills come with a 5 -10 year warranty on the motor. Some companies guarantee the motor for life. Circuit boards however start at around $300 (plus installation) and could sizzle unexpectedly. Yikes.

Here's the one I chose yesterday at Play It Again Sports near Anna Knapp Boulevard in Mt. Pleasant.

The Vision Fitness T9000 is described as an entry-level commercial machine. You know, like you see in gyms.

Heavy (350 pounds) and sturdy, it's built the way I want to use it. I have several fans and I watch a tv that's streaming Netflix movies.

A simple, non-fancy console with START and STOP buttons.

SPEED control up and down arrows and INCLINE up and down.

My former machine offered a 10% incline which I would use to get more results from my daily 30-minute fast walk.

This rugged workhorse has a 12% incline.

Starting to sound like a stress test machine at the hospital.

(Click on the pictures for more details.)

Two men and a truck will deliver it tomorrow. There's a small fee but it sure beats ME trying to get it home. In my Saturn Ion.

I'd be too tired to exercise.


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