Before she had kids, Chan was a self-described Gym Rat whose personal fitness regimen included twice-monthly jaunts from her job in Hong Kong to a world-class golf course in Macau. She loved hanging out in fitness clubs and there were days she did pilates until her muscles ached (in a good way, of course). She eagerly trained her body for the rigours of ten-kilometre runs and a half-marathon—and loved every minute of it.

That was then. Now the mother of two boys, ages four and five, Chan juggles family and fitness with a full-time job as a partner and CFO in one of Calgary’s busy executive search and advisory firms. She still craves the endorphin-fuelled feel-good sensa­tion that follows vigorous physical exercise, but her root motivation is decidedly different: Chan is deter­mined to age in top physical shape. “I also don’t want to be the lame mom on the playground who just doesn’t participate,” says Chan, who skis when the snow flies and wake­boards when it melts.

These days, a trusty treadmill is Chan’s fitness machine of choice. Located in the Calgary home she shares with her kids and husband Mike, it’s one of several pieces of home gym equipment the couple bought to buff up the training capacity of a basement storage area.

She and Mike, a black belt in karate, also have an ergometer (rowing machine), a bench and smattering of free weights, plus a ‘torso’ he uses to practise martial arts.

Their fitness area includes a TV and DVD player, which provide welcome companion­ship to the home fitness sessions Chan views as the ‘currency’ she pays for other life choices. “I am unwilling to make significant changes in my diet. So I eat healthy, but work out so I can stay fit and still enjoy food.”

Buy smart
While Canadian stats are tough to pin down, Americans spend more than $4 billion a year on exercise equipment. That figure is misleading as it doesn’t include the purchase of fitness-related clothing, nor the entertainment systems bought for home gyms and fitness rooms. It also doesn’t calculate the number of treadmills, elliptical trainers, bikes and weight systems that should probably be tracked under furnishings—since they’re more likely to be used as clothing racks than to get fit!

The fact people buy home fitness equipment they never use is old news to Jamie McArthur of Apple Fitness Store Ltd. With retail operations in Edmonton and Calgary, Apple’s sales staff often field questions from frustrated buyers who already own equipment they don’t use.

While fitness equipment retailers can “never guarantee results, we can raise your chance of being successful because we’ll take some time to understand what our client needs, not in terms of equipment, but in terms of fitness solutions,” says McArthur, whose company retails a complete line of quality fitness equipment.

Figuring out what you will use is an essential part of a professional sale, adds Rick Couture of Go-Mango, which also sells top-line fitness equipment to the residential market. With stores in several Alberta cities, including Edmonton and Calgary, he cautions against buying “what’s on sale this week.” Instead, buyers should spend some time trying out different machines, learn what each does—and think about how the machines will work as their fitness level improves.

That’s paramount, says personal trainer Crystal Bishop. The owner of Training Spaces, a Calgary-based company that helps consumers design home workout spaces, Bishop says too many people “buy what they think they should have instead of what they need.”

Treadmills may burn more calories per hour than any other piece of exercise equipment, but if you hate walking and running you should look at something dif­fer­ent, insists Bishop, who also sells fitness equipment for Physique Fitness, with stores in both of Alberta’s largest cities.

A lot of people assume they need to buy one major piece of equipment and that may not be the case, adds McArthur. With professional advice, those in the market for home-based fitness programs may opt for a bike and some resistance training equipment, or buy a cardio machine and some free weights, then hire a personal trainer to help them optimize their workout—and ensure their new routines don’t cause injury.

Others may keep their gym memberships and buy supplemental equipment to use at home. “You don’t have to spend your whole budget on a single piece of cardio equipment,” says McArthur, who often recommends clients hook up with a trainer to help them set and track fit­ness goals.

Recognizing the value of that support, Go-Mango gives clients three months of free access to an online personal training company with every major purchase, adds Couture.

Back at the Chan house, Lorraine Chan credits a personal trainer for getting her fitness on track after a hiatus of several years. She and the trainer started working together in the spring of 2007 “and I felt stronger when I wakeboarded this past summer.” The trainer also helps her stay focused —and get the most out of every exercise. “I would totally recommend hiring a trainer.” NL