So what's the best way to get your own body in shape? Recent sales figures suggest many of us are tired of wiping another person's sweat off the equipment at the gym, and are looking for quality exercise equipment to use at home.
Some cross trainers and exercise bikes are as good as those you use in the gym, but you should fight the urge to buy a cheap one.
We found these wobbly, boring and uncomfortable - a combination that will have you reaching for the stop button long before you reach your target weight.
You're far more likely to stick with a machine that makes exercise interesting so we'd recommend paying enough to get a solid machine with at least a few different exercise programmes and a heart-rate monitor.
Programmes
More expensive machines tend to be more solid and offer features like water bottle holders and reading racks but, frankly, if it's a toss up between a reading rack or an exercise programme, we'd advise you to ditch the books.
Programmes make your workout more interesting and effective by varying the resistance level, which governs how hard you have to work.
They can make it feel like you're strolling through a valley, tackling a small hill, or even taking on the Three Peaks Challenge.
Calorie Counters
To help you track your progress, most machines display basic feedback about speed, distance, time and - supposedly - your calorie expenditure.
The calorie counts can only ever be estimates (the machines don't know enough about your metabolism to be accurate) but we were surprised that even those on some expensive exercise bikes or cross trainers don't take account of the resistance level. So they give the same readout whether you're really pushing yourself or just taking it easy.
To check whether a calorie reader does factor in resistance, try using the machine for a minute at both high and low resistance and see whether the calorie readout differs.
Heart-rate monitors
It's definitely worth buying a machine with a heart-rate monitor. Even the monitors on cheaper machines tend to be accurate, and they bring an extra dimension to exercising. Some machines, for example, have programmes that vary the resistance to keep your heart at a specific rate.
Handgrip monitors can be a bit of a pain if you wantto let go of the handles. The radio controlled chest-strap versions, found on more expensive machines, are more handy. An alternative is to buy a chest strap unit that displays your rate on a watch (from 35), or on the machine's display (from 30).
Several of the machines' manuals mention the so-called 'fat burning' and 'cardiovascular workout' heart-rate zones. Butwe think these can be misleading.
The maximum heart-rate calculation on which they're based takes only your age into account, even though the maximum heart rate of a sedentary 40-year-old won't always be the same as that of a super-fit and active one.
To improve your fitness level, it's more important to train for 35 to 40 minutes several times a week, than tire yourself out quickly by trying to achieve a particular heart rate. As you get fitter, your heart rate during exercise should gradually come down, and should recover to its normal level more quickly.
Treadmill-specific features
Assembly
Avoid falling at the first hurdle. Find a friend to help you set up at home. Even some of the simpler ones need two people to assemble them safely, but the instructions don't always mention this.
Belt
You should check the belt length is right for you before you buy even if you are of average height. It shouldn't be too narrow or too short. The belt should have a good grip but not be so rough that it sandpapers your running shoes. A good machine won't slow down too much as your foot hits the belt.
Calorie counters
If these are dependent on the speed you're running at, they're more useful than if they're independent of speed. Some calorie counters don't take account of whether you're scaling Everest or doing the equivalent of a gentle stroll through the park.
Even so, they give you only a rough estimate of how many calories you're burning. They are slightly more accurate if you can input your age, weight and sex.
To check, compare the readings for a few minutes when you're pushing yourself and again when you're not. They should vary.
Console buttons
These are usually plus and minus buttons for speed and incline. Pressing and holding them down makes the value change faster. They need to be large so that you don't miss hit them while you are running, and respond to your touch well.
Deck release mechanisms
It won't help your fitness regime to have your treadmill falling on your foot. The majority of treadmill tracks lower safely. On some models if they are not supported they will drop suddenly to the floor with a loud thud! The worst models need support all the way to the floor.
Display
Check if there are descriptions of the various programmes on the display. On some models all your workout information is displayed simultaneously, but on most there is too much to see at once, so you may see some information constantly, and have the option of scroll or alternate to check other functions.
Drinks holders
These are useful but they should be deep enough to prevent the bottle falling out as the frame shakes.
Fans
Some models have fans but we didn't find them particularly effective for cooling down our test runners.
Feedback
Feedback modes give you information on your current workout. They vary between machines, but often include speed, pulse rate, incline, calorie counter, the current programme you've selected, heart rate measurement and total exercise time and distance.
Foot Platforms
The platforms on either side of the belt should be wide enough to stand on, and not sloping, so that you can get your balance right before stepping onto the belt.
Handgrips
These should be textured to prevent sweaty hands from slipping.
Handrails
These often have control buttons on, sometimes with speed on one side, incline on the other.
We found some handrails were awkwardly positioned. So if you prefer to vary your workout by changing the intensity manually, you should check that you can easily reach the handrail buttons. Otherwise you'll probably end up using preset programmes.
Commercial Treadmill's
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