treadmill worth it or no?

Will you use it consistently and get your money's worth out of it? Will you be motivated to get up and move more than you do right now? Then, yes, buy it. Is your only concern that are too big to run in public but love to run outdoors? Then, no, get outside and do your thing. Anyone who judges you for doing something good for yourself isn't worth your worry. What other people think of you is none of your business. Love yourself and the future you. If you need a little more inspiration...here are a few of my favorites:

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2014/03/10/to-the-fatty-running-on-the-track_n_4935194.html

http://www.eonline.com/news/685677/woman-slams-idiot-who-fat-shamed-her-during-a-run-in-powerful-open-letter-i-am-not-ashamed-of-my-body

It's not like the person asking the question doesn't already know they can run outdoors, so bringing that up in these discussions always seems pointless. For many people, and for many reasons, outdoor running is not an option.

Having quality exercise equipment at home can be a great convenience and can really help with your weight loss/fitness goals. I am a big believer in investing in quality equipment. Not only does it feel great from day 1, it will still feel great after year 10. If you get busy, fall off the wagon, etc, for a few months, any time you are ready to get back, there is a low barrier to re-entry because it's sitting right there for you.

It's hard for me to recommend specific brands/models because a)I haven't been in the market for a few years and I don't know what's out there; b) I am willing to invest in top quality fitness equipment, probably more than the average person needs. I would, however, recommend staying out of big box department stores. Go to a fitness specialty retailer. You can try different models at different price levels and see/feel the difference.

I have a Life Fitness T5.5 model that I bought in 2008. There have been stretches where I have gone 6 months without using it (usually injury related) and times where I have used it 4-5 times a week. When I get on it today, it still feels like it did the day it came out of the box. The longest I have run on it was 10 miles--usually I run or do incline walking for 30-60 minutes at a time. My wife and 2 adult step children use it occasionally as well.

Treadmill is a good home solution if you don't get out to the gym or neighborhood walks. I have one and use it most when I don't have time to get to the gym.

Do whatever feels comfortable to you. If you want to run whenever you want then a treadmills awesome. I use one at the gym for speed work. Where I live my run routes infested w crosswalks and lights and if I don't wait I am risking my life....my neighbors are horrible drivers!!!! I run mainly outdoors but a treadmill is extremely useful. Do what gets YOU moving .

We have owned our treadmill for 15 years, my husband used it on and off over the years, but i never really did, because it was "too hard".

When I started exercising almost a year ago, (I was at 270 pounds) it was the middle of winter, January 7th. I live in a very cold, hilly, snowy place, so walking out doors was nearly impossible for me. I could just barely make it to the car!

I did 10 minutes on my treadmill. I nearly died, but then I pushed it to 15, 25, and 35 minutes. By spring I was walking fast for an hour and 15 minutes.

And...i was pretty much sick of the treadmill!

I walked outside, did C25K and started jogging, did a 5k race every month since May and now for the month of November I am jogging and/or walking at least 30 miles per week.

And...now it gets dark so early and it is so cold outside that I am back on the treadmill!

This time I am down to 189 pounds and I am working on building up my speed so that I can break my 5k time record.

So my answer for you is -Yes! No! And Yes!