Does home gym equipment always = clotheshorse?

[CatalogueOnVinylFlooring]

I want to buy a treadmill (colleague at work is selling a decent one for £200). I don't like running but love walking. In the summer, I regularly walk 3-4 hours a few nights a week. I want to try the 3-12-30 challenge - walk on a speed of 3 on a 12 incline for 30 mins, five times a week. Doing it at the gym is prohibitive because it takes a good 20-30 mins to get there and I have a job and kids. So I want to get this treadmill and have it in my downstairs office. DH thinks it'll just end up covered in dust and/or clothes and that the novelty will wear off in weeks. Does anyone have workout equipment at home and actually use it regularly??

I have a treadmill that folds and use it between 5 - 7 times a week.

Not a clotheshorse. I do around 30 minutes in the morning alternating between walking and running

Sets me up for the day. I have had it since 2021 and it has paid for itself easily

Also, not sure about the treadmill you want to buy, but mine should not be put on carpet (it isn't)

I have had, though currently my treadmill is a clotheshorse!

For me it goes in phases. If something gets me out of routine it can take months to get back into it. I had a treadmill a couple of decades ago that I ran 20+ miles a week on for several years, then started swimming and stopped using the treadmill. I rented one for a while at one point. That started out badly, took me a couple of months to get in to a routine with it, then I had six months where it worked well, then I just stopped using it and eventually got rid (since I was renting, getting rid was easier!). I bought one in September to try and build up my fitness again after several years of injuries leading me towards a very sedentary lifestyle. I pulled a muscle part way through C25K in October so stopped and have been hanging washing on it since. Now I need to get the wherewithal to start back up, probably just walking this time.

So, my treadmills have certainly done a fair stint as clotheshorses, but they’ve also been integral to me getting more exercise over the course of my life.

I've always been wary of the folding ones as I've used ones where the belt slips a bit if you go a decent speed. How does yours work for you? And good point on the carpeted floor, I hadn't realised that!

I have a treadmill, spin bike and weights and step but I started with just the treadmill. I found it so much more convenient to workout from home so I packed in the gym and bought more kit. I use Les Mills on demand and they have programs for everything including running which I sometimes do but most of the time I do my own thing on the treadmill and just use that for weights and spin. The treadmill tends to get less use in the spring/summer as I’d always prefer to be outside but as I workout in the morning it really comes into it’s own in the winter with the dark and icy conditions. My little home gym is in my office so it’s not cluttering up the house for everyone else and ds also uses it most evenings so we’re definitely getting our money’s worth.

We have a treadmill, a rowing machine and an exercise bike. The treadmill and the rowing machine both fold to give space for other exercise. None of the equipment is used as a clothes horse but DH, DS and I all use the equipment regularly.

I used to have a cheap exercise bike and I used it all the time, especially in the winter when I didn't want to go outside to run. Also when I got an ankle injury and couldn't run for a few months. It broke (though had a good innings of several years given how cheap it was) and I didn't replace it because I moved house and upped my running game. If I get injured again I'll get a new one though.

They only become clothes horses if you don't use them. That sounds obvious but honestly it's all up to you.

I run (so far) up to 8kmh in bursts and no slippage. You do need to maintain with silicon and tightening of belt, but that should be normal I would suggest

We have a spin bike and rowing machine in the garage plus weights and a step . I have les mills on demand and use bike / weights 5 times a week

Hate rowing but Dh uses 4 times a week

I hate going to the gym so we have a treadmill, bike, rowing machine and multi gym at home, all used for exercise every day by at least one of us. Definitely not used to hang clothes.

If you like walking/exercising, then it’s not a novelty.