When it comes to choosing the best home treadmill for your basement or spare room, the choices can be overwhelming if you have never bought or used one before. There are 5 features that you should consider when choosing your home exercise equipment.

1. Size

The first consideration is the size of the treadmill. Will it fit into the available space that you have? Smaller sized treadmills are to be approached with caution, however, because you need adequate stride length (especially if your 6 foot tall husband is going to use it) and width. It is a good idea to buy a treadmill that folds up so that you can utilise more of the floor space when you are not using it.

2. Support

The degree of the support your treadmill provides is extremely important. The amount of impact it absorbs when you run will be the difference between good knees and reconstructive surgery. Cheaper treadmills feel like running on concrete and jar your joints in exactly the same way. You should also check on the maximum weight it can support (see item 1 regarding your husband using it).

3. Incline - electronic or manual

Less expensive home treadmills have a manual incline. This means that you need to move a lever or a handle while you are OFF the treadmill to increase or decrease the incline. Unless you are planning on not using the incline at all or staying on a fixed incline for your entire workout, go for the electronic incline feature.

4. Programs

The idea of built in programs will either delight you or not interest you at all. The more programs a treadmill has, the more expensive it is. If you don't need pre-programmed changes in speed and incline then they are not worth the money. I have never used a program on a home treadmill or a gym treadmill because I prefer making my own speed and incline adjustments as I go.

5. The Extras - speakers, fan, TV, DVD player, drinks holder etc.

Modern home treadmills come with a variety of extras from drinks holders to televisions. Your needs will be totally individual but the only one I highly recommend is a console fan. You can make do with a fan in the room, but having air blowing on your face when you are gasping for breath during a 30 second sprint makes the pain that much more bearable.

Buying a home treadmill is an investment and choosing the one that is right for you is important. If you consider the size of your space, the size of the treadmill, the amount of support, the incline feature, the program offer and the added extras, you will be able to make the best investment possible.

Now all you have to do is remember to use the damn thing!!