Fitness Treadmills

Home fitness treadmills are becoming very popular right now, because more of us are taking an interest in our health, wanting to get and maybe lose a few pounds in the process. A treadmill isn't just something we use at the gym anymore, and with the increase in popularity and demand, the good news is that the prices of home treadmills are coming down quite considerably.

You can pick up a good one for a few hundred dollars now, which isn't that much when you compare that one off payment against the regular monthly subscriptions of joining a gym. Plus you get the convenience of being able to workout at home when you have some spare time, rather than having to make time to go to the gym - which isn't necessarily always that easy.

Treadmills are also a great way to maintain and improve your fitness levels and a lot of runners have a fitness treadmill at home for training or for when they can't get out for a run. I have a horizon treadmill at home, which has not only helped me improve my fitness, but my kids love it too - something I never thought of when I bought it, but it's a great additional benefit that I'm very pleased about.

Have you considered joining a running club?

I love running on my own, because it gives me some precious time to myself. But I also love belonging to a running club.

Running clubs are not full of super-fit, super-fast athletes. You do not need to be fast to join: whatever your standard, you will be welcome, and you will find that there are plenty of members who run more slowly than you do.

There's lots of benefits to joining your local running club. You will:

• meet other runners, and so be encouraged to run regularly
• get advice from other more experienced runners who can tell you the best tips to start your running routines, simple ways to avoid injury, how to get better, some great routes for running in your area:
• get lots of motivation and plenty of enjoyment by running with other people, and the miles will slip past on your long runs;
• meet new people from all walks of life; and
• get discounts from local running shops and towards race entries.

Depending on the club, you may also get access to coaching, regular races and competition (if you want it) and an opportunity to be part of a team. Some clubs provide access to physiotherapy, and information such as newsletters and seminars.

Any club worth joining will be more than happy to visitors - all you need to do is show up at one of the clubs outings and see how you like it.

Some new runners make the mistake of thinking that they should wait until they are faster and more experienced before they join a club. Some clubs will have one or two fast megastars, but these will easily be outnumbered by members who run to control stress, keep fir, lose weight or just to socialize. Don't be daunted about joining a club. Every one of its members was a beginner at some time. Any club will be glad to welcome new people into the sport.

Your first steps as a runner are the most important. They will determine whether running becomes a lifelong pleasure, or a temporary, injury-laden aberration. Once you lace up a pair of running shoes and get outside, you will find that it is much easier, and more rewarding, than you imagined it could be. The biggest obstacle is likely to be that you try to do too much too soon.

Somewhere near you there is a community of runners, each of whom was once a beginner. If you want to sustain running as part of your lifestyle, learn from the experience of others, and enjoy a broader social life, you should consider linking up with colleagues or friends who run, or joining a local running club. Summon up the courage to go along: it is a decision you will never regret.