I like to listen to Old School Rap and Pit Bull Radio ( Pandora) while I work out on my eliptical at least 5 times a week for 20 - 30 minutes (beginner). Every once in a while I like to speed walk or jog to break the monotony.

I use the ones at the gym and listen to music on my phone and watch the captioned TV if there's something interesting on that particular one. I'm trying to make it a goal again to be there 6 days a week after work for 4 of them and 2 on my days off...but I haven't succeeded yet this year....but I'm trying this week....I didn't go yesterday due to the sleet here in NH...I had fun slipping and sliding on the way home from MA! I would love to get one for my room but my room is too small and there isn't any room in the rest of the house with my roommates...it's a tiny 3 bedroom cottage!

I was just given one of these machines and I have to admit to liking an exercise bike better but i'm prepared to give it a go for the sake of my butt lol
Can anyone give me any advise on the best way to get into a routine with it?
I have been doing yoga and going for long walks up until now but I need to tone up.
Lost 29 lbs so far but I want to be more toned and firm it all up.
Any ideas would be gratefully recieved.

@amisnercpa
My Octane 47ci is incredible. I really enjoy the feel and it is a nice looking machine. I ended up putting it in my bedroom, and surprisingly it matches well since it is decorated in grey and silver!




PROS
+ Cardio Chest Monitor - I like the cardio chest monitor and works very well. There is a program that maintains your heart rate no matter your speed. If it is too low, it increases the power, if you go too fast then it decreases the power.
+ Programs - Lots of other programs and options for different modes
+ Solid - The most solid of all machines. I am a bigger guy and didn't want something flimsy, creeking, and swaying. This thing is a rock . My house will move before it does!
+ Great natural feel - Out of all I tried... and I tried all of them, this one has the most natural feel that felt less mechanical.
+ Lowest height - The "Steps" are very close to ground level so you don't need 12 ft ceilings with this thing. It can go anywhere even if you have less than 8ft ceilings in a basement, etc.
+ Auto programs you can set to your favor settings
+ Fan - the built in fan is very effective and not annoying. Keeps me from being a slobbering mess.

CONS
- Interface - The number of buttons and modes are a bit intimatading and setting it up isn't the most intuitive. I can see what they tried to do but sometimes the most obvious things aren't clear. There are special up/down buttons for ALMOST everything but not everything. But a little patience and it will be nice.
- Heavy - Kind of a required trade off for being so solid. But for example, I wanted to move it about 4 inches to the left and about 6 inches forward by myself -- it took almost everything I had to do it. Felt like I could skip my workout after moving it! So make sure you pick a good place for it and don't plan on moving it around.
- Status indicators - Things like heart rate, calories, distance, etc. share LED screens and automatically change which can be nice, but sometimes when you want to check the heart rat or calories burned, you need to wait like 35 seconds and there seem to be no provisions to get there fast. There is a large display area that is completely underutilized and there isn't enough info displayed or option to display ONLY what you want to watch. This model is suppose to have the fancy interface and I am underwhelmed fro a machine with an MSRP around $5,0000. As an engineer, I appreciate that they are trying to utilize low power and robust display technology but the interface looks like a Life Fitness bike machine from the 80's -- for a new product line, they need to update.
- Cup holder - Nice cup holder but a tight fit between the inner handles. I had to buy a special water bottler that was narrow and tall and now all is better.
- Hand Grip Monitor - Hasn't worked yet for me. I can live that but the bad part is if you are using the chest monitor and you touch the hand grip area too long, you get error messages saying it can't see your heart rate anymore. So you loose a grip position if you want your heart rate monitored even with the chest monitor. Kind of annoying since it is probably my favorite position/

OTHER COMMENTS -
o Cross Circuit - It has an available cross circuit kit with power bands etc. and can be incorporated into the programs. I haven't really given this much of a chance yet, so I can't comment. I am not completely sold on the idea yet as I have done a lot of weight training in the past and don't like the feel of these type of bands. But in the absence of other options and compact, it could be effective at toning.

CONCLUSION -
I would highly recommend this machine or is little brothers. It by far has the best feel, is relatively compact, the most solid, and attractive. The user interface could use some improvements and modernization considering the price point but they don't take away from the experience or flexibility of the machine.

I try to get on mine at least 5 times a week and if I'm feeling really good 6 times a week. I get up around 5 am stretch a bit and do 30 min. My elliptical has a weight loss setting which I love using for the automatic resistance changing and I increase the resistance by 1 level every day so that I'm always pushing myself.

I have to keep thing pretty quiet since my wife and daughter are still asleep so I listen to music or audio books with my headphones.

I just wish I found this site when I started my weight loss, my stats would be better!:laugh: But I'm loving all the tools and support groups.

I'm really looking forward to making a positive life style change.

I have a Nordic Track. I try to use it about 4 times a week with resistance training 3 times a week. I ususally use the preset programs for weight loss. I started with the 300 calories 30 minutes program. I now use either the 400 calorie or 450 calorie 30 minute program. I plug in my music and away I go.