Maybe you're just starting out with our Fitness Walking Programs. Just getting those sorta groany old muscles and joints acquainted again with this walking thing. Maybe still a bit shaky on your feet?

Maybe you're still a bit shy about walking outside and want to hold off until it's a bit easier for you. Maybe you're a bit more 'caboosey' than you'd like and prefer to work out in the comfort of your own home.

Or maybe you're a seasoned veteran walker and want a change. The beauty of walking on treadmills in your home is that you can adapt them to your needs and wishes no matter what your walking abilities are. Bonus!

The beauty of tread mills is that you can use them for just about any type of walking you want. Set up your 50Plus programs from here, make your own or even create your own 'swingin' fogies dance craze'. (More on this later but if you can't wait you can take a wee little peek here).

You can watch TV, listen to your own music, even get neat DVD's of walking routes around the world. Pop it up on screen, drop in your favorite music from Europe, the Mediterranean, Hawaii - you name it! You can be enjoying your fitness walking and travel the world from your own home.

HINT: The bigger your new flat screen TV, the more realistic your journey (just in case you needed any more reasons to get one)!

Just before we get to the Plus'es, Not So Plus'es and Features & Benefits, we gotta do that thing about any new type of exercise. You know...check it out with your medical professional first! As always - This Is Important!

One more important thing! When you're just starting out on your tread mill, it's always a real good idea to have a friend with you until you're comfortable getting on and off it AND starting and stopping it. Just to be safe. Start slow. Go easy. And know where the STOP BUTTON is! These are moving machines. Great benefits. Just make sure always to be safe!

OK, Let's get on with it. Here's some of ...

The Plus'es (Back to Top)

• Walking on tread mills gives you a softer and bouncier walk. Less strain on your joints. Your old feet are happier! Pretty important especially when you're just starting our Fitness Walking 1 program.
• You walk in the comfort and safety of your own home.
• You can walk at any time of day or night
• You can dress any way you like! We recommend you dress with the proper workout clothing, walking shoes or athletic shoes.
• You can walk in any type of weather
• You walk on a smooth, consistent surface.
• Tread mills can be set up near your window. Get some fresh air and sunshine while you're walking. Ahh the best of both worlds!
• You can control the time, speed and tilt angle of your walk.
• You can watch television or motivational DVD's as you walk!
• Better treadmills can be programmed. You can create your own treadmill walking workouts and enter our fitness walking programs! How cool is that as the kids say!

And some of the ...

The Not So Plus'es (Back to Top)

Yup, despite all those neat benefits there are some other things you need to be aware of too.

• You're inside and not enjoying the fresh air, sunshine and other 'weather' in your face.
• You usually walk alone. If you're a social person this might be am issue.
• Some units can be quite noisy. This tends to be more of an issue in the lower cost units.
• There can be a boredom factor with time. Creating your own programs can reduce this possibility for you. More variety to keep your interest up!
• They do use electricity that outdoor walking doesn't.
• They cost a fair bit of money - typically in the $1,500-4,000+ range for a quality machine.
• They can take up a fair bit of floor space in your home - typically about 16.75 square feet*. A folding treadmill can reduce that by about six square feet.

*We love walking in the great outdoors. We also love the idea of walking on tread mills but just plain don't have the space for one at the moment! Maybe we can find one to winterize and use it on our deck! We'll keep you posted.

OK. OK. The Plus'es list is longer! The Plus'es win. Yeah!

Do you think this is a good way for you to help with your fitness walking programs? If so here's some of the ...

Features, Benefits, Factors To Look For In Tread Mills (Back to Top)

...that we discovered. (keep your notepad handy or print out this page and take it with you. There's a lot of info.)

• The belt bed of the tread mills should be at least 58" long, longer if you or family might also use it for jogging. If it will only be used for walking than a shorter bed will be OK.
• The belt deck width of the tread mills should be at least 20" wide for safety and comfort. Some of us may cut a little wider path when we walk now than we did in the 'old' days.
• The side rails or straddle pads (outside of the moving belt on each side) should be wide enough for you to safely put your foot on as you step off while the belt is moving. 6" is good.
• Choose the best drive system with the best warranty you can find. A few have lifetime warranties included. (The Baldor Motor on the Landice L770 LTD Cardio Trainer Treadmill is one that does). The motor should not sound like it is laboring when you're walking on it.
• Pick the proper quality and performance level for your weight. Heavier people require a heavier duty machine. Choose a machine that is rated for at least 50 pounds heavier than the heaviest person who will be walking on it. The best machines can easily handle people weighing 350 pounds.

(Take a deep breath...there's more!)

• Choose tread mills that allow you to record or create your own custom programs. At least one program per person using the machine is good. More is better.
• You may not need all the preprogrammed treadmill walking workouts that some treadmills offer. No need to pay for something you may never use. Being able to add your own should be your priority here. More variety this way!
• One neat idea to add variety to your workouts. Show a walking DVD on your TV in front of the machine. You can get these showing many different and interesting areas of the world. Walk the world from your home. Cool!
• The Control Panel should be easy to read and use. The STOP button and Emergency Stop buttons or pads should be clearly visible and easy to reach. Look for a BUTTON rather than a SLIDER
• Look for a speed control that allows you to start very gradually from a standstill. This way you can get on the machine with the belt stopped and slowly bring it up to the speed you want. Some jump from stop to a start speed that can jerk you if you're standing on it when you start it.

• You may want a heart rate monitor - either included or as an option. The wireless one is great - usually a belt you wear around your chest. You can watch your heart rate as you walk, power walk or even run. No wires to get in the way.

(... Hang in there. Almost done!)

• Many tread mills have a touch area on the machine to get a heart rate reading too. This is fine when you're not walking. Not so convenient if you need to grip or touch something on the machine while you're walking.
• Choose tread mills with a walking belt that is heavy enough to last but not so heavy it causes the motor to overheat and fail early.
• A good belt (4 ply as an example) is better than a 2 ply belt. When the belt stretches with use (which they all do), the 2 ply belt can stretch to the point where you run out of tightening adjustment room before the belt wears out. It will need to be replaced much sooner because of stretch - not wear.
• Choose a machine with the best warranty you can find. Clearly a lifetime warranty would be the best!
• You want a stable, rugged and sturdy machine that provides a smooth ride and feels solid.
• The handrails should feel sturdy and provide good support. They should be in a good position that doesn't block your arm motion as you move.
• Pay close attention to the engineering quality. Good engineering can get a lot more from average components. It makes superior components totally shine! The reverse is seldom true.

Resale-ability - A Word To The Wise (Back to Top)

Here's our approach when we're deciding to make a major purchase, especially when there is a chance we might outgrow it or no longer use it. In a word - Quality. Quality makes our experience more enjoyable and worry free. Quality costs less in the long run and when the time comes, Quality is easier to sell! Pretty simple really. You know the saying - you get what you pay for.

When it comes to a tread mill, we must admit that some of the benefits we would include may not all apply just to us or even to us. Things like a 350 pound user, several hours a day of use, many different users, people who may be runners rather than just walkers, people who would be much harder users of the equipment than we will ever be.

If there's a chance we would like to sell it down the road though - maybe to a local school or community center, a health club, the 350 pound jogger - who knows? We don't want to limit ourselves only to buyers like us with our needs. Just sorta smart advance planning. (Hmm. Maybe we did learn a thing or two along the way!)

We just like to keep our options open and have something of real value to sell if that day comes. We must admit that after extensive snooping into these machines, the Landice L770 LTD Cardio Trainer Treadmill we mentioned earlier seems to be just the ticket for us more 'seasoned' types and would be really easy to resell in the future. Heck, it even allows you to reverse the direction of the belt so you can practice walking downhill. Boy have they come a long way with these things!

NOTE: We're not equipment specialists nor is this list meant to be an equipment review. These are features pointed out to us by many folks specializing in tread mills as important. We agree and have added a few of our own from an 'oldies' point of view that those youngsters might not tweak to.

OK. You've waited long enough. It's time for the ...

Swingin' Fogies Dance Craze Contest! (Back to Top)

As we were putting this page together, we came across a really neat video (put together by OK Go) that is so unique it just plain blew us away! We just have to share it with you. Have a look!

BIG WARNING - Don't try this one at home without A LOT OF PRACTICE and lots of other people with you. Safety First Please!

That is just something else isn't it?

Now here's our idea. Our very own ...

Fogies Tread Mill Dance Contest!

Let's have a little contest where you come up with your very own version of a Fogies Tread Mill Dance. The only rule is to have fun and be safe doing it. It can be 1 person, two people - however many you want and can find treadmills to work with. You can go slow or slower, waltz or boogie, shuffle or saunter - whatever works for you. Heck you could even do your own slow boogie on a stopped treadmill. Anything goes - as long as you would be proud to have your grandkids see it!

We'll put your video right here and as a prize give you all the praise and glory you can handle for a month! We might even find some very rare and special 50Plus Fitness Walking T-shirst for the winners. Let our visitors from over 45 countries around the world see you at your finest. Start our own revolution! Let's have some fun and show them!

(If you peaked and jumped down here from the top of the page, just click here to go back where you were).

Next Steps

Have fun with this. Share your stories and successes with your experiences on the tread mills. Get in touch with us and we'll tell you how to send us your videos for the contest.