Last week, a client came to me with a big decision to make. Jane wanted to buy either a treadmill or an elliptical. With so many differences between the two, we discussed various features, benefits, pros and cons during our weekly meeting.
Why the purchase?
Jane and I set exercise intensity minutes goals a couple months ago. Although she is doing great, Jane is concerned that she may soon get bored with her 80’s aerobics videos. So, she thought purchasing either a treadmill or elliptical would help maintain her activity as boredom (potentially) sets in.
Regardless of the purchase, any piece of equipment is a feature of the environment that can enhance your fitness, if used properly…and consistently.
How do you decide?
Prior to our meeting, Jane contacted a sales rep from the manufacturer. He went through the pros and cons of a treadmill and an elliptical. Jane looked at mid-level models in the $1500 – $2500 price range.
Ellipticals are low impact, your feet do not come off the moving platform. Jane looked at a model with variable stride settings that simulate different movement patterns (e.g., walking up a hill), a heart rate monitor, fancy video display, came with 1-year app coaching subscription, incline adjustments, and more…
The treadmill was standard and came with the similar features, the pros of any 21st century walking machine.
Jane’s decisions was affected by another X factor – her husband’s fitness levels. She hoped that whatever machine she purchased that he would use too. Jane thought that just maybe, her husband might use the elliptical machine because of his bad knees. For that reason, she leaned towards purchasing an elliptical.
We had a lengthy discussion on these features, how the machine could be integrated into Jane’s current programming that we built to date. I reminded her that sales reps are trained to overcome any objection.
“My knees hurt…” à “Well Jane, it sounds like an elliptical…”
“I’m not sure how to…” à “Jane, the benefits of having our support team…”
“What I don’t like is…” à “The great thing about return policy…”
You get the picture.
The problem with worrying about features and benefits is that there is little discussion about integrating the tool (the elliptical or treadmill) into Jane’s program and current lifestyle. The manufacturer does not have access to Jane’s baseline data like I do.
I encouraged Jane to find a show room before making any purchase as she had not been on an elliptical machine in 10 years. I would hate for her to spend $2000 and not like the motion.
The Decision
Jane mulled on everything we talked about and came back with an answer at our next meeting. Jane decided to purchase a treadmill. Our discussion changed her decision.
Jane made an interesting conclusion. As I emphasized considering how the exercise machine will map on to real life and generalize to other settings (i.e., you don’t really perform the gait pattern of any elliptical anywhere except on the elliptical), she thought about the long term. She did not see herself using the elliptical 10 years down the road. What is more, Jane considered that as she got older (in her mid-50’s now), the elliptical could be a tripping hazard if her mobility declines in the future.
The Lesson
The decision was not about the equipment. But its application and functional use, now and in the future. We often get distracted by the bells and whistles – color TVs, Bluetooth integration, heart monitors – without considering how this variable (i.e., the treadmill) becomes a part of the environment.
When the treadmill becomes part of the environment, does it become a clothes rack in 3 months, or a tool that supports consistent fitness behavior?
