To get motivated (and to help count calories when you're not strapped to a piece of equipment that does the counting for you), Falaschetti recommends a device to track your activity level, such as the Nike SDM Tailwind. It attaches to your shoe and counts every footfall. The Tailwind ($100 at www.nikerunning.com) also calculates pace, calories burned and other variables.
For the added motivation that music can bring, Nike offers a monitor and MP3 player combo, the MP3 Run shown here ($300). Its shoe-mounted gadget counts footfalls and transmits the data via a Bluetooth signal to the MP3 player and readout device strapped to your arm or waist.
Suzanne Falaschetti sums up an age-old problem: "For some people," she says with a diplomat's tact, "the love of exercise is an acquired taste." The fitness expert also knows that even the best-laid plans to start or sustain an exercise program can be bedeviled by a lack of time or motivation, or by the wrong gear. She has strong opinions about equipment (as you'll see), and she's an authority on the land mines that can destroy our best intentions.
Falaschetti, 36, has worked as a personal trainer and in hospital cardiac rehabilitation centers (her master's degree is in exercise science and cardiac rehab). Now, from her home in western Montana, she coaches clients to lose weight and stop smoking. Exercise, weight loss and smoking cessation all require a big change in lifestyle, Falaschetti says.
And that big change can literally begin with small steps. One of her tricks to nurture a taste for exercise is to have clients wear a pedometer. To be considered "active," with all the health benefits that notion implies, you need to take at least 10,000 steps a day. "If you work in a sedentary job and log only 500 steps a day, there's your first clue to why you feel bad," she says. Just increasing your step count -- taking the stairs, walking the dog -- can produce results that motivate you to do more.
But even motivated clients sometimes chafe at the inconvenience of making trips to a gym or hospital rehab center. To help them, Falaschetti began designing home exercise programs and wrote Home Fitness: Designing Your Own Home Gym and Workout Plan (Healthy Learning, $20).
Home gyms can defuse many motivation mines. Studies show that people are more likely to exercise if they don't have to leave the house. Aside from the convenience, Falaschetti thinks part of the reason is that a health club filled with spandex and bulging muscles "can be a very intimidating place."
Pick your spot
The first consideration in setting up a home gym is location. "Don't fool yourself into thinking you'll ride an exercise bike in an unfinished basement," she says. A rec room with a big-screen TV might be just the ticket.
Next, choose equipment that ensures a total workout. Falaschetti breaks people into two groups: those who prefer cardiovascular training and those who prefer strength training. Cardio training is great for burning calories, lowering your heart rate and controlling blood pressure. Weights improve your athletic performance and help increase lean muscle mass, which burns more calories and prevents injuries as you age. Falaschetti recommends that you buy equipment that lets you do both.
When selecting a weight machine, Falaschetti says, look for one that exercises all the muscle groups. Just as important, it should be sturdy and adjustable. She recalls testing a machine that was too long for her to do a leg press. When she asked if the seat could be moved, a salesman told her, "No, you can just put a pillow back there." That's unacceptable, she says. "I shouldn't have to jury-rig my fabulous home gym." If you can't adjust a machine to be comfortable, you probably won't use it. So, put a machine through a workout before buying.
Falaschetti's top choices in weight machines are from Hoist. The model H-2200 Multi Gym (starting at $4,300) is a good choice if you have the space. It's 7 feet long, 8.5 feet wide and about 7 feet high. The Hoist V5 ($2,600) -- same length and height as the H-2200 but about five feet narrower -- has fewer exercise options, though it still works the major muscle groups. Falaschetti recommends buying the V5's optional leg-press attachment ($660), which adds about three feet to the width.
For cardio machines, Falaschetti prefers elliptical trainers over treadmills, mainly because you push your heart rate higher by using your arms as well as your legs. Also, trainers offer a no-impact workout, and they require less-frequent repair because they have fewer moving parts.
Her favorite elliptical is Precor's top-of-the-line EFX 5.33 ($3,700). This sturdy model has nine preset workout routines and 20 resistance levels. Falaschetti generally likes the full line of brands that she recommends and notes that a less-expensive model is usually similar but with fewer features. For example, Precor's EFX 5.19 lacks some of the preprogrammed courses and readouts of the EFX 5.33, but retails for $1,100 less.
A treadmill is a much more complex piece of equipment, Falaschetti says, so going for quality is crucial. Her first choice is the True 540 HRC ($3,950) because it has a roomy running surface and attached heart-rate monitor. The company's machines also have a solid reputation. You can adjust the platform's hardness and modify its preset workouts for speed and elevation.
Falaschetti believes treadmills and elliptical trainers provide better workouts than exercise bicycles. But for people who can't stand for long periods, or who just prefer cycling, she recommends the Life Fitness R9i recumbent bike ($3,000). It has a heart-rate monitor and 19 workout programs.
Our expert, Suzanne Falaschetti, is a former personal trainer who now works as a health coach.
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