So I have to gush for a couple minutes about my new elliptical machine. So far, I’m using it everyday, sometimes twice a day. That’s how much I love it. I’ve used it drunk, bored, with headaches, after long grueling days at work, even with shooting neck pain. All of these hindrances were frequent reasons why I couldn’t run on my treadmill. But all that has changed now. The Elliptical is so smooth and fluid, you can use it under pretty much any kind of physical condition. I think I burned 632 calories the other night after swilling wine. Where it used to take me ½ an hour to go 2 miles on my treadmill, now I can do almost 4 miles on the Elliptical in the same amount of time.

I’ve only been working out with it for 2 weeks and can already see and feel a difference in the muscle tone of my legs. It’s smart too. The LED screen shows you everything you need to know: Time, Distance, Speed, Calories/Hour, Time in Zone, Heart Rate, Heart Rate %, Target Heart Rate, and Level.

It tells you when to slow down and speed up depending on where you are in the pre selected program you’re working: Manual, Cardio, Fat Burn, Interval, Random, Hill, or Beginner.

And then there is the X Mode. At any time you can kick in the Xmode and it’s like having your own personal trainer keeping the workout fresh and exciting. You just push the button in the middle of any program and it will offer eight different challenges. It will tell you to push arms, go in reverse, squat, pull arms, go fast, use lower body only, go slow, or lean back. Sometimes it will tell you to do a combo of 3 things at once for 2 minutes, and then it will tell you a different combo of maneuvers for the next 2 minutes, and so on. Of course it tracks your heart rate and will tell you to slow down or go faster or it will automatically increase or decrease the tension to keep your heart beating at exactly the right beats per minute according to your age and weight. That is probably the best part.

If anybody is in the market for one, my advice is to spend a little more on a gym quality machine. like the Octane. It’s a bit of an investment but if you add up the monthly cost of your gym membership, it will probably pay for itself in no time at all. Also, if you do spend more, it’s likely you’ll be more motivated to use it because you'll want to get your moneys worth. And as my friend Toni pointed out, it’s an investment in your health and too big of an investment personally and financially to not get something that will work long-term and be stable.

The best part is I definitely don’t feel guilty eating all those Christmas cookies this year.