I’ve been looking for a good piece of at home gym equipment to boost my cardio workout. I find I struggle to find time to get to the gym, and I don’t always have a half an hour to go for a jog. If I had equipment at home, I could squeeze in a quick workout after the kids have gone to sleep, or on my lunch break. After a lot of research, I still haven’t figured out what the best option is for me, but I learned a lot along the way about options.

A good piece of home gym equipment, for me, has to meet the following criteria – be able to withstand a tough workout a few days a week, be relatively easy to put away, and be energy efficient.  These are pretty tough requirements, but not uncommon.

1) A good quality treadmill – A treadmill in the mid-price range meets most of these requirements, as they are easy to store and put away, and if they are a sturdy model you can run on them several times a week. The problem is, they do require a great deal of energy, and I don’t want to see a huge jump in my electricity bill. Speaking with the salesman, I was able to get a bit of clarification and feel a bit more comfortable about considering this purchase, but I am still not convinced.

2) A mid-range elliptical -  A mid-range elliptical trainer can withstand a long workout, and it doesn’t need a great deal of excessive electricity. You can run many good ellipticals with your body weight, but they take up so much space. If I had a room allocated as a gym, I would get an elliptical without thinking twice, but since the machine is going in my guestroom and will have to be moved any time we have guests, I am not convinced. Where can you keep a giant machine like an elliptical?

3) An exercise bike – This is a machine you can easily find on eBay any day of the week, because so many are collecting dust. The exercise bike is a machine that doesn’t require a lot of electricity, and you can get a pretty decent workout from it without the machine breaking down. The problem is that the workout is not always a difficult one. With a treadmill or elliptical, it is easier to get that challenge. With a bike you can workout longer and still get a significantly easier workout. Also, exercise bikes are not easy units to hide. They are just as large as a mid-range elliptical.

In the end, I am still stuck between a good treadmill or elliptical. I really prefer the elliptical, but I am worried about having room for the unit. I think a treadmill would give me a good workout, but I don’t know if I want one in my home. I have a few weeks to decide before the sale at my sports shop is over. I’ll let you know how it works out with my purchase!