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- Watch the indoor exercise track in actual use!
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- How to organize a cluttered roll-top desk.
- How to remove bench seats from an old minivan.
- Watch Stan's home improvement videos!
Exercise machines are great for exercise.
But I don't get my exercise from using them. I get my exercise largely from moving the exercise equipment.
Our first piece of equipment was a "cheapskate's" exercise bike. To use it, you had to provide your own bicycle, mounting the rear axle on a small stand with a metal cylinder. As you pedaled, the bike's rear tire would press against the cylinder, creating resistance.
We set up the stand -- and the bike -- in the cold, dark basement. The device was rarely used because, well, it was in the cold, dark basement.
So we hauled it up two flights of stairs to our bedroom. We figured we could pedal while watching programs on our tiny television.
That worked until we grew tired of stumbling over the bicycle and the stand in the middle of the room.
So the stand was relegated to storage and the bicycle back to the shed.
Is smaller better?
Perhaps something smaller and less cumbersome would be better -- like a mini-trampoline.
We could exercise upstairs, then stow it out of the way -- in the cold, dark basement. It was great. The daily treks up and down the basement steps helped build leg muscle.
But the trampoline kept breaking.
We decided it was time to step up to something that would last -- like a real exercise bike.
The new machine, with adjustable levels of difficulty and three different programs, was set up in the cold, dark basement. Previous experience should have told us we would rarely use it there. Previous experience was right.
So we hauled it upstairs to the study. Like its "cheapskate" predecessor, we figured we could use it while viewing television.
We did -- until we decided the computer should be in the study, forcing us to rearrange the furniture.
The new mix didn't allow space for an exercise bike.
So back to the cold, dark basement it went.
We managed to brave the cold, dark basement and used the bike off and on for awhile. But each week, it had to be picked up and moved to a separate room to make space for the homeschool group.
Lifting and moving the heavy, awkward bike each week was, well, awkward -- and heavy -- and a lot of exercise. Soon, the bike was no longer coming out of its hideaway at all.
How about a weight bench?
If we weren't going to use the exercise bike, perhaps we needed to try something else we definitely would use, like a weight bench. Yes, that would be the ticket!
But it took up more space than an exercise bike, and the bar, heavy weights and sturdy bench would need to be set it up somewhere.
There was nowhere else for it to go except the cold, dark basement. But this time, it would be in the middle of the workshop -- my workshop!
We would be doing our bench presses and leg lifts in a cramped space near the freezer, storage cupboards -- and my workbench.
Workshop projects took a back seat as we worked out during the next several months. Then one day, my younger son injured his knee.
Suddenly, the weight bench no longer seemed like such a good idea. It fell into disuse, and after several more months, we decided it would be best to pack it up, wrestle it up two flights of stairs and store it in the attic.
Now there was a real muscle-building exercise!
Here comes the treadmill
A few weeks ago, my brother-in-law called.
"Hey," he said, "I'm getting rid of my old treadmill. Do you want it?"
Without thinking too much about where we would put it, we jumped at the chance. Our older son, the runner, could use it on snowy, slippery winter days to keep in top form. It would make a great, early birthday present for him -- a free one! Besides, the rest of us might use it, too.
We waited for the clear, dry, snowless days in January to end before deciding to move it. I would get more exercise that way.
And half of the muscle-building would come from removing -- and later replacing -- two rows of stubborn, bulky seats in the minivan to make room for hauling the treadmill.
With the van emptied of excess seats, we arrived at my brother-in-law's condo.
Stationing one person on each corner of the treadmill, we lifted it sideways through the basement sliding door, then lugged it through foot-deep snow and up a steep hill to our van.
At home, we reversed the process, lugging it through foot-deep snow then taking it through the door and into -- you guessed it -- the cold, dark basement.
For now, the only place the treadmill fits is perilously close to the door, butted up against a futon.
But who's using it?
My older son jumped on the treadmill as soon as he had a chance and has been using it religiously every day since.
I have yet to try it.
For me, the exercise machines I use the most are the ones that are easy to move.
That must be why I exercise faithfully and regularly with a couple of wrist weights and a fitness DVD. Because they're small and mobile, I can easily transport them to any room. I can exercise where I'm comfortable.
And that's the key. If you want to really make use of your exercise equipment, keep it where you'll use it.
Most of all, keep it out of that cold, dark basement.
Making exercise equipment user friendly
- Put your exercise equipment in an area that will keep you active, engaged and coming back for more. In other words, put it where you like to spend time.
- Make the space inviting by painting it a color you like and adding good lighting.
- If you enjoy fitness videos, a Wii or a Kinect for the Xbox 360, invest in a good TV and sound system.
- Use equipment that works not only your muscles, but your heart rate, flexibility and mind.
Connect
- To share your home improvement stories, ideas, gardening tips and recipes, click on "Comments." Or e-mail your tips to Stan.
- For more home improvement tips, gardening ideas and recipes, go to Stan's blog at Been There, Done That.