I'm thinking of buying a stepper exercise machine.

[RedDoughnut]

I have hopefully added a photo.

It's cheap, doesn't take up much space.
I just want to burn calories for weight loss.

I'm not going to go to the gym. You Tube videos are ok but I thought I could stand in this and move while watching TV

Is this a stupid idea?

Upstairs in your bedroom with your phone, 15 min walk/ march.

Why can't you do other exercise while they're watching TV?

This forty quid stepper will do nothing to aid your weight loss.

Also re access to the fridge - dont buy crap to keep in there in the first place. And no, before you say you buy it for the kids your family don't need crap either!

Ignore all the naysayers OP!

I was told the same when I was thinking of getting a cross trainer. Three years in and it's still the best thing ever! I use it often especially in bad weather. I do also do a lot of other exercise but it's so handy to have something upstairs I can just jump on, no travel time. No fuss.

Go for it!

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor I'm going to sound like I'm making excuses but I promise you my bedroom has no space and we are in an old house with creaky beams and ceilings!
No jumping on the beds for my DC when they were little! And no working out upstairs for me.

I bought a cross trainer but after a few goes found that the distance between my feet (pedals) was way too wide. I think it was made for someone with huge hips! In the end I had to get rid of it. Something to bear in mind - if there's a way you can find out stuff like this in advance it would be sensible otherwise building it then returning it is a huge waste of time and effort.

@Getorganized it's not crap food that made me fat. We don't have junk food
It's all food. Bread, cheese, cereal, loads of things are easy to over eat if you have the propensity.

Could you use your home's stairs for exercise? Go up and down stairs a certain number of times and increase number of times and your speed as you get fitter. If you don't have time to do a load in one go you could do it in short sessions through the day e.g. every time you go to the loo.

Well done on losing three stones. That's one hell of an achievement.

DP tried one for a brief period after he'd hurt his back. It was in a separate room at the other side of the house and the noise was loud enough to stop me hearing the TV in front of me. I don't think that your family would appreciate that in the same room as them trying to watch something, even without the possibility of the sounds of you breathing heavily (if you're doing it enough to gain some useful effect from the thing).

Having said that, when I tried it, it didn't seem to be designed with female hip structure in mind, as the position you had to place your feet in to use it put pressure on hips and knees.

Following for inspiration. Also really struggle to fit exercise in. Young children, full time job ( teacher so no chance at lunchtime and work most evenings in order to balance early evening with kids) . Trying to walk to work ( about half an hour) but only manage a couple of times a week due to needing to pick up / drop off kids. YouTube videos are ok, but wonder if would better with a cross trainer or exercise bike

Well done on the weight lose !

I don't know why everyone is being so down on this bit of kit in particular. If the OP is able to use it while watching TV, and actually uses it because it fits in with her lifestyle, then it's 100x better than any other piece of equipment that she doesn't use, or not buying anything and saying 'go for a walk instead' - when she can't find the time to actually do that, so doesn't!?

Buy an 8kg kettlebell for £22 from Decathlon. Look up bodyweight, kettlebell, HIIT, and mobility videos on youtube (e.g. Caroline Girvan, Lebe Stark) and make up your own workouts once you've got the basics under your belt. You can do a million times more in 30 minutes with one kettlebell and your own bodyweight than you ever will with this contraption.

@Soigneur
It's more the aspect of trying to participate in family life. We have one living room that we use as in the evening! It's not fair I'm on You Tube

I don't know why everyone is being so down on this bit of kit in particular.

I feel down on this bit of kit as at £40 it's likely to be a piece of junk that will break and end up at the tip within six months.

Wow so many negative and unnecessary replies. Anything that gets you moving more is good in my opinion.

I say go for it, I have a walking pad as I have a desk job and it's scary how little steps I do in a day as working from home.

I will sometimes use it even on the days I do go to the gym if I feel I haven't done enough. Great for when the weather is rubbish and can easily be stored away.

@RedDoughnut I do all my workouts out in the garden. You only need a patio or something, not much space required. I don't watch videos live, just watch them through before and make a quick note on a post-it of the exercises and timings etc if I can't memorise them.

The best exercise is one you know you will stick to.

I have no experience of a stepper but I did buy a £200 walking pad off of amazon in January. Last year I got 4000 steps a day, now with the walking pad I make sure I make each day up to at least 8000. It lives in front of the TV and I use it in the evenings. It works for me becuase I have to exercise at home in the evenings becuase I have young children to look after and I don't like to do anything too aerobic before bed.

You will feel tired at first but by getting fit you will have lots more energy.

I have a mini stepper and I usually use it after my hit session. Look at Mirabelelume on instagram.
I love it, it doesn't have handles.

op you have adult children!

RedDoughnut

My cousin has been using a Walking Pad whilst watching TV or listening to music, and now she is so toned. She's lost weight too. I have an aerobic step that cost £20. To stop me being lazy its in my eyeline outside kitchen door, so I do 50 step ups every time I pass it. I also have dumbbells, which I keep in sight. Even if Im sitting down, I use them. & I follow ahort Yoga workouts on YouTube 2/3 times weekly.

If youre WFH make sure to stand up every hour, do squats on the spot if thats all you have rime for. Im like you, outdoor exercise doesnt appeal to me, not fussed about gym, but sedentary lifestyle is a killer so I make sure to do what I can at home. Theres always time for some exercise its just whether you want to do it or not. I don't, particularly. But the alternative isn't for me

@brocollilover not all are adults but even so I want to prioritise spending time with them. I can feel my nest emptying! One has flown and it's horrible.

i think they’ll be ok with you going out for a fast walk for 30 mins op

you aren’t going to do a bit of exercise outside the house because you don’t want to spend 30 mins away from your adult children because they’re moving out soon? oh come on op. you want to do this or you don’t

We have a cross trainer in our small gym. Use it when it's raining and don't want to go out. Worth investing in a sturdy one will last longer. Ours is from techno gym.

Not sure if you saw my earlier post, but following a couple of other PP's comments, if this will fit in with your life, I would go for it. You know your home and availability.

Personally, I found my mini-stepper (without handles) to be a completely different workout to using a step or a flight of stairs. The side-to-side action rather than just up and down really worked the legs and body in a different way. The width also fit my hips far better than a cross trainer too.

@brocollilover
I can and do walk and 99% of the time DH comes with me which is frost as I can decompress about work etc.

But I don't know where you are but in my part of the UK it is frequently dark either side of my working day and or belting down with rain.

I had a day off today and went swimming ( it's a 45 mile round trip!). I love swimming but it's not something I can do on a work day.

I need to find more hours in the day.
I want to have time for myself and my family.