Things I am not going to buy - Day 8: Fitness equipment

There are some things in life that are absolutely guaranteed, like death, taxes, and the fact that a piece of equipment designed for home exercise will not be used more than 10 times (being generous!). It’s not just me – it’s everyone. Oh how many more handbags could I have bought with the money I have squandered on useless devices that are meant to make exercise easy(!) and fun(!!!!!!!)?

• Steppers – I think I’ve had a couple of these over the years at various points
• Nordic Track skiing machine – A HUGE piece of equipment that was bought at vast expense, and which took up almost the whole floor in the spare bedroom for about 8 years. 
• Re-bounder – nice little mini-trampoline, which actually was quite fun – well at least for the first couple of goes. It was just a bit repetitive, and, although I bought a nice little video to watch whilst I was bouncing, I never actually got to watch it as I couldn’t see the telly from the garage, which was the only place I was allowed to bounce in case I damaged the floor. It did, at least, get some use as a fun toy when my son was small tho’!
• Weights – hubby bought a set of dumbbells, I have various hand and kettle weights purchased over the years. They fill up the floor area in the spare wardrobe and never get to see the light of day.
• Rollerblades – I have two pairs. I have ALWAYS wanted to be able to do this – how cool does it look to see people whizzing around the streets, effortlessly gliding along on their blades? The reason I have two pairs is that I started with a cheap pair, then DH bought me a fantastic pair of top-of-the-range, horrendously expensive Roces blades from a shop in Sweden. I got rid of the cheap pair, ready to glide effortlessly on my new pair. I couldn’t even stand up on them, and if I started to move, there was no way of stopping other than crashing into a wall or falling over. I bought another cheap pair so I could continue to improve before using my super-duper pair. This was 20 years ago. I got them out once, about 3 years ago, hoping that I would be able to glide effortlessly along. It didn’t happen. I can’t bear to part with either pair, because when I am a pensioner, and have more time than I do now, I WILL learn how to skate!!

• Tennis racquets – bought when DH and I decided to have some private lessons. Used for the 5 or so lessons, then never used since.
• Badminton racquets – bought when DH and I were invited to play with some people I used to work with. I left the firm shortly afterwards, and never saw my ex-colleagues again (or the badminton court)
• Surfing machine – this definitely ticked the “fun” box – it consisted of a board that you stand on and try to balance whilst it moved around. You were meant to do it for 15 minutes every day for a simple, fun way to stay fit. Yeah, right!
• Mini-bucking bronco – Actually called an iJoy ride, which sounds a bit like something you might buy in Anne Summers, but is actually a horse (without the head, tail or legs) that you sit on whilst it jigs about. Fun – yes, but same comment applies as for the previous item.
• Wii – this doesn’t come into quite the same category as other items on the list as it has had plenty of use over the last few years – my son and his friend have had many happy times playing various games on the device. What DOES come into the category are all the other bits bought when mum seriously considered this as a possible contender for regular exercise – the board, the various racquets and batons, the hand weights and bands, and the numerous sport/exercise games that were purchased to make exercise “fun”. Ha!
• Fitbit – the little clip-on device that tracks your steps and other activity. I wear it all the time but other than tell me how inactive I am, it doesn’t actually help! Tell me something I DON’T know!
• Treadmill – this is the latest acquisition. I bought it about 6 months ago – it was second hand, from eBay, as I knew there was a possibility that I wouldn’t use it very often. I haven’t.