The frenzy for exercise equipment is every increasing. Media channels are flooded with one spectacular exercise machine after another, each designed to target a new appendage or muscle that has yet to be reached. Some would lead even me to believe exercising is fun; others confirm one's belief that it's pure torture. Whatever you may think it is everybody's doing it!

The message they are broadcasting to the viewer is "yes you can get that beautiful figure back ladies;" and yes man you can have six pack abs and bulging muscles in a matter of days. It is all very appealing because we as human beings are endowed universally with a sense of vanity aren't we?

TV commercials are enough, we also had gyms galore with very seductive names, in every mall, arcade, plaza and shopping center. And what takes center stage? Aching bodies in sweats wall-to-wall on treadmills, the ellipticals and every kind of machine imaginable. Where there is a wall there is a machine; where there is a machine there is a body and where there's a body there is every shape imaginable.

With all the shtick and flippancy of some of my remarks, we must now assume a more serious posture and focus on whether or not these gyms and their exercise equipment are the way to go for those of us determined to get and keep in shape. Are we really just being duped; do we really need them, and can they really do the job?

Actually, my answer might surprise you. We are not necessarily being duped; no, we don't really need all the exercise machines; but because studies show that most of us won't exercise without the machines, it makes sense to use them to get and keep in shape. Picture this, if you will: you have decided you don't need machines, so you are taking your five-mile run but after that first mile the TV gets mighty heavy and you still have to turn around and carry it home. You see, if you stayed home, you could be on your treadmill and watch your favorite TV program as well.

For many people, going to the gym is a social affair. My lady friends sign up together and make it a real gathering place; some men do this also. Quite frankly, distractions annoy me when I'm concentrating on my exercise; I take them seriously. I prefer to keep my social life separate from working out; social isolation is no issue for me.

So I think it all comes down to each individual person. Even though exercise equipment, like a treadmill, costs a good bit of money if it does its job and keeps you fit how can you put a price tag on your personal health. Personally I have belonged to various gyms and I found it to be too time consuming. Now I have four different exercise machines and love them — they have kept me tone and fit.

Whichever you prefer, the home or the gym, professional trainers encourage you to consult a professional to plan your program, or to research and map out your own plan for the safest and most effective results. Usually the instructions with your exercise equipment have a suggested plan of action. So all you "hefty, hearty and happies" start pumpin', stretchin', pedalin', and crunchin' and join ranks with the trim, fit and slim.

Tags: nutrition, meditation, exercise