Last Updated on April 17, 2016 by Michael Brockbank
Recently, I saw a commercial on television showing off some new exercise machines from Bowflex. Apparently, these people are burning more calories in 15 minutes than they did in a 45 minute session at a gym. The biggest and most noteworthy claim is being able to burn 150 calories in 15 minutes. Now, I have no doubt that it’s possible. My question is do you really need something that expensive in comparison to other products?
Burning Calories and Exercise Machines
Burning calories of any kind will be directly related to how much activity you get in any workout. The more active you are, the more you’ll burn. This is, in turn, connected to your heart rate. The more energy you use, the faster the heart beats. This new device that I’m talking about keeps your entire body moving. It is possible to burn a lot of calories on it, but I’m not convinced that you need to spend more than a thousand dollars on something you can do at home.
My Calorie Burn Playing the Xbox
One of my favorite cardio exercises is playing the Xbox 360 Kinect for thirty minutes or so. In the same amount of time that those people on TV burn 150 calories, I wind up doing closer to 170 while enjoying the game. While 20 calories may not seem like a huge difference, bare in mind the activity you need to do to get rid of that 20 calories.
I bought my Xbox for less than $400. This is another contributing factor to why I would prefer to play Kinect Sports Season 2 as opposed to buying a Bowflex machine. For a fraction of the cost, I get more of a workout while being able to play games and other goodies. The Xbox has more to it than just one activity for exercise. It’s an entertainment system as well. So, yes. I would rather spend the money on other Kinect activities rather than elliptical exercise machines.
Your Own Motivation Is Key
A lot of people get duped into buying these big fancy exercise machines with the hopes of getting into shape. They’ll work hard on it for a few weeks, but then it winds up merely taking up space in the room. Do you know people like this? I do. That device is pretty expensive to just be laying around doing nothing.
Getting into shape relies on more than just having fancy machines or cool smartphone apps. It’s all about your personal mindset to keep motivated. If that means you buy and utilize a Bowflex, then that is what you should do – as long as you can keep up the activity.
Being Honest With Yourself Helps
A lot of people are sucked into advertisements and feel like they “need” that certain machine in order to be healthy. That’s what advertising does, convinces you to buy something you don’t necessarily need or want. However, you need to be honest with yourself before committing to any healthy lifestyle. Are you really going to use the exercise machines more than just a handful of times? Are you interested in committing to that one set activity? These are questions you should ask yourself before making any purchase.
You need to find activities that interest you. This will help you keep motivated to maintain proper health. I know a lot of people that got bored of doing the same workout DVDs over and over again. Imagine if you had one single machine that only specializes in that one activity. If this is what motivates you, then that is good. Personally, I’d rather spend the money on my Kinect game collection.
The bottom line is that you don’t need fancy and expensive machines to get into shape. Look deep within yourself first and find the things that can engage you on a physical level. Why waste the money on something that you may find repetitive and mundane? Invest in the activities that you enjoy doing and maximize your efforts there. Myself, I enjoy a nice walk around the neighborhood after a fully active game of Kinect Tennis. New shoes and an Xbox is much cheaper than a Bowflex.
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