When winter is approaching and the weather outside is starting to turn cold and grey, many of us may want to consider hiring exercise equipment to help us lose weight and improve our health in time for summer.

This article discusses the pros and cons of hiring equipment like treadmills, exercise bikes and home gyms, what can be hired, useful equipment features to look for, as well as the costs involved, terms to look out for and a couple of other important considerations.

Why hire exercise equipment

There are many reasons people hire exercise equipment, but according to Marc Ricci of Fitness Choice, who hire a large range of exercise equipment across Australia, approximately 75% hire equipment specifically for weight loss, 15% for general fitness improvement and 10% for rehabilitation or medical reasons.

And why hire exercise equipment if you want to lose weight?

Here are just a few of the specific reasons we might choose to hire:

• We want to give our weight loss efforts a kick-start

• We want help to get over a weight loss plateau

• We want to get the whole family exercising

• We want to be able to exercise at any time night or day

• We want to be able to exercise when it's cold, dark and wet outside

• We are embarrassed about exercising in public or at the gym

• We want to get used to exercise and exercise equipment before joining a health club

• We need the extra motivation good quality exercise equipment can provide

Benefits of hiring exercise equipment

Of course hiring exercise equipment isn't our only option if we want to exercise more to lose weight.

We can of course buy exercise equipment instead, join a fitness centre or simply exercise without equipment at all.

Here are a few reasons why hiring exercise equipment may be superior to these other options:

• Hiring equipment can be cheaper than joining a fitness centre

• Hiring gives us access to good quality equipment that we might not be able to afford to buy

• Hiring good quality equipment may motivate us to exercise more often and for longer periods

• Hiring equipment means that we don't need to worry about equipment maintenance, repairs, etc

• Hiring equipment before we buy can insure us against buying the wrong equipment

• Hiring the wrong equipment is easily fixed

• Hiring equipment we don't use is better than buying because it costs less and we can give it back

• We can hire equipment for as long or as short a time as we need it

• Hiring equipment for a short period may encourage us to use the equipment while we've got it

Negatives of hiring exercise equipment

Hiring exercise equipment isn't for all of us.

Here are some of the negatives associated with hiring equipment:

• Hiring equipment is a waste of money if you don't use it

• Over a long period (usually more than 1 year), hiring may be more expensive than buying

• Some of us may not be able to afford to hire even the least expensive equipment

On the second point above, although it may be more expensive to hire over a long period than buying, hiring does allow us the added benefit of upgrading to the latest equipment very cheaply and easily.

What to hire

By far the most popular equipment hired is aerobic styled equipment.

The most popular pieces of equipment hired are:

• Treadmills

• Cross Trainers (elliptical trainers)

• Exercise Bikes

• Rowing machines

Fortunately the variety of equipment within these categories is vast to cope with a wide variety of needs and budgets.

The decision about which type of equipment we hire is a very personal one.

Usually these decisions are based on what exercise we like, what equipment we're more likely to use regularly and any medical conditions or injuries we need to work around.

Once we've decided which type of equipment to hire, we need to decide on which model is right for us.

This decision is again a personal one but will be based on considerations such as:

• Our budget

• Our desire for quality

• The features we want

• The quietness of the equipment

• The size of the equipment

• The intensity levels we want to exercise at

• Which model(s) we are considering buying

Useful equipment features

When it comes to deciding which model of exercise equipment to hire, the features that we want usually plays an important role.

Here are some of the more common features that this type of equipment has:

• Computer controlled exercise programs

• Heart rate monitor interface

• Information displays (Time, distance, calories burned, etc)

• Storage options (e.g. folding)

• Varying speeds, inclines, cushion decks (treadmills)

• Heavy duty construction

• Recumbent versus upright (exercise bikes)

Costs

The costs associated with hiring exercise equipment can vary greatly depending upon what type of equipment and model we choose, how long we hire for, etc.

Generally speaking, hiring equipment for longer periods of time is cheaper per month than hiring for very short periods.

For basic level equipment expect to pay around $75 a month and upwards, and for very high quality treadmills with all the bells and whistles of gym quality machines expect to pay around $200 per month.

Between these prices are a very wide range of great machines to suit everyone's taste and requirements.

If you hire your equipment from someone like Fitness Choice , who offer a Hire-Try-Buy option, some or all of your hire costs can be deducted from the price you pay to own the equipment depending upon when you decide to buy.

Terms to consider

As with hiring anything there are certain terms that we need to be mindful of.

When hiring exercise equipment the most important of these terms include:

• Equipment warranty

• Equipment repairs

• Equipment damage

• Stolen equipment

• Delivery to and from your home

Reputable companies like Fitness Choice simply replace faulty or damaged equipment.

Although it is rare for exercise equipment to be stolen from our homes, it is a good idea to make sure that any equipment hired is covered by our home and contents insurance.

Availability

Most of the larger hiring companies can supply equipment Australia wide (despite not having an office in every state) but delivery costs may vary depending upon where we live.

Other considerations

In addition to the considerations listed above, there are some other things to take into account before hiring.

For example:

• Is there sufficient space in our home for the equipment?

• Who else besides us will be using the equipment?

• Does the equipment need electricity and therefore need a power outlet?

• If going into a living space, will any equipment noise cause problems?

Conclusion

With winter approaching, now is the time many of us consider hiring exercise equipment to help us lose weight and improve our health.

This article discussed why we might consider hiring exercise equipment, the pros and cons of equipment hire, what can be hired, the costs involved and a couple of other important considerations.

If you would like to hire some exercise equipment, please visit our exercise equipment directory where you'll find many quality companies like our friends at Fitness Choice (www.fitnesschoice.com.au) who we'd like to thank for their help in writing this article.

And while we're at it we'd like to thank you for visiting weightloss.com.au.

Good luck with your weight loss.

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