My New Toy!

I have been wanting to purchase an elliptical machine for awhile now. I am bored with running and soon the weather will be too warm for me to comfortably run. I figure an elliptical would be great for exercise as I can workout whether it is rainy or 115 degrees out (which it will be soon!). An elliptical is a great way to work out both the upper and lower body, you can burn more calories than running, and it is also easier on your joints.

So, I did some research and found the Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer was rated a Consumer Reports Best Buy. I bought mine at Play It Again Sports here in town. They delivered it and set it up for me, which was convenient since my car is too small to haul a whole lot and I hate assembling anything . Amazon.com is currently offering free shipping to your doorstep for the Schwinn 430, which is a really good deal considering how much freight it would cost to ship something so heavy. Just keep in mind you have to assemble it yourself, which I understand only takes about 2 hours to set up.

I have to say I am so pleased with the machine! My knees and hips no longer hurt as they did when I ran. I am working out about 30 minutes and it equates to 3 miles and 300 calories burned. The screen is easy to read and I think overall it was well worth the money. I love the convenience of it, too! I did have to do some tweaking to it (Okay, Slack did the tweaking). The Schwinn 430 had some seriously loud squeaking but all he had to do was loosen the handles bars and lubricate it with some silicone spray. It is now silent and awesome. It feels like a truly sturdy machine and should last a long time. I just thought I would share my experience and opinion. I will update if anything changes.

UPDATE: I have been using my new Schwinn 430 Elliptical Trainer for a little over a month now and I can honestly say it has been a great purchase. I use it 4-5x/week for about 30 minutes. It has not had any more squeaking issues, etc. One thing I do need to keep an eye on is every once in awhile in the middle of a workout, the computer goes into Pause mode. I am not sure what that is about but all I have to do is hit the Start button and it is back on track with my current workout on screen with the correct stats. I will probably call the manufacturer before the warranty ends just to make sure it does not need any repairs. Other than that, it seems to be well built, sturdy, and worth the expense. From a fitness standpoint it is fantastic. I can run 3 miles and I am only halfway on the levels of strength it offers. Woohoo!