Hi @buddawiggi!

With the holidays right around the corner, now is a great time to invest in a treadmill. In the cooler months, it is often more difficult to exercise outdoors or make it to the gym. Home gym equipment makes burning off those extra holiday calories possible without ever having to leave the house. I have owned two different treadmills. One of them was a total mistake, but the second I really enjoyed and felt like I got my money's worth. I do not remember what the brand of the first treadmill that I owned was, but i purchased it at Walmart for less than $300. The frame was not very sturdy, the track was very narrow and made it hard to balance, and the motor quit within one year of owning it.

Following this incident, I purchased a NordicTrack A2750 Pro Treadmill for right around $1,000. I got mine at Sears, and it is still working just as well as when I purchased it three years ago. I use mine a couple of times a week, as I am now use my Spinner Pro bike a lot more often than the treadmill.

The Nordic Track Commercial 1500 has all of the bells and whistles, and is a step above the A2750, but it runs about $1,200. NordicTrack has been making fitness equipment and treadmills longer than any other company, and you always get what you pay for. I am really happy with mine. The Sears Outlet has a refurbished one of these for $650.

A newer treadmill to the market within that same price range is the LIVESTRONG 10.0T. It has a number of favorable reviews, and is also available for around $1,000. While NordicTrack products are only sold through select retailers, the LIVESTRONG 10.0T treadmill can be found in a number of sporting goods stores. Keep in mind that many of these stores will be offering big discounts this seasons, and a lot of fitness equipment is already marked down. Another thing that you might look for in your area is a display model that is marked down in one of these sporting goods stores. I recently purchased a Gold's Gym recumbent training bike for less than $100 because it was a display model. If you don't see a display model marked down, ask a sales associate about one of them. Some of these stores will negotiate prices on big-ticket items. Unfortunately, this is never true for Walmart. (I have tried.)

Walmart does have one affordable treadmill that has favorable reviews, however. I have been quite happy with some of the fitness equipment offered by the Gold's Gym brand, and despite the affordability, many of their products are very sturdy and durable. The Gold's Gym 450 treadmill might not have all of the added features of the NordicTrack treadmills, but they are less than $300 at Walmart.

If you are shopping for a cheap treadmill, don't forget to check out local Craigslist ads. Treadmills and other types of fitness equipment are often items that people do not like to move when they are relocating and things that people buy on impulse and then do not use. Because of this, you can often find fairly new treadmills for really great prices. A friend of mine once sold a Bowflex gym for less than $100 on Craigslist, and I have found a lot of fitness equipment on there myself.

The only thing that I would add is that if you are buying a treadmill for the first time, invest in the extra magnetic safety key. Those things are terribly easy to lose, and the treadmill will not operate without it.

Good luck!

If you are just looking to walk or run, don't by a treadmill. Just walk or run outside, it would only cost you the amount of a pair of shoes. Most treadmills are the same, unless you want the extras. You pay for the extras like with anything else. My suggestion would be to try one out at a gym (with a week free trial at the gym, of course), or find one on craigslist for free. That way if you hate it, you can at least give it up.

On the other hand, elipticals that work a little differently than treadmills (they aren't as painful on your knees) are well worth $1000. I like the ... I think it's Precore elipticals, with the variant stride length. It's quite the work out.