Product Review: Reebok Z8 Run Treadmill

So, way back in January of this year I had finally had enough of forking out £45 a month for a gym membership where the only piece of equipment I actually used was the treadmill. So armed with some left over Christmas gift money I decided to cancel my membership and purchase my very own treadmill.

Just as a bit of a background, to myself and my running, I started back in 2011. I had just finished University and although had already lost weight (mainly alcohol related, as is most students!) through dieting successfully firstly using Weight Watchers and then general healthy eating and calorie control I needed something more. I want to tone, and to improve my general fitness levels. I have NEVER been sporty, or even active I would say. I've always been the smart one that was always a bit bigger than my sportier sister. But, something clicked. I started running. And found it...well addictive. It's weird how something so painful (to begin with, I may add) can just become ingrained so easily into your routine. It got to the point where I would feel guilty for not running. Anyways, as the years have gone on, I've taken part in races and slowly upped my endurance and distance.

This year was different though, it got cold. Quickly, and sooner than I had hoped, and with noone to run outside with (safely and all) I thought the gym was the next best option. I knew this wouldn't last, so glad I opted for a monthly contract so I could cancel with not much notice.

So, here we are - 4 months down the line with owning my very own treadmill. After a LOT of reviewing a range of different sites, prices, makes and models I finally decided on the Reebok Z8 Run. Not only did this have some amazing reviews from a range of different fitness levels, but it was a steal! I bought it in the sale from Argos for around £380. Basically, after 9 months I would have paid for the treadmill in the amount I was paying for a membership!

Reebok Z8 Run

So, here we go - why this model in particular apart from the price? Well, it had everything I could need. One of the positives I found from this was actually the length and width of the running belt. I didn't want to end up with a tiny little surface to run on, as I am not very - lets say, spatially aware - and would have come off the sides or back rather easily. The length is 130cm with a width of 41cm. Perfect.

Speed. Well, what can I say - I don't/can't run faster than 8km per hour, so the max speed of 16km per hour is actaully way more than I would need. But obviously, this wouldn't be the case for sprinters (or maybe with runners with longer legs than I!!) It also has a built in mechanical incline, which can reach up to 12%. This hurts! But is brilliant for hill training - I have only used it whilst walking, and I can tell you...Ouch!

The running belt itself is smooth and even when at a fast run, the machine itself is quiet (or as quiet as you would expect it to be when you pounding away on it!).

The 'soft drop' fold system is as it says. It drops. Soft. I myself don't use it much as we have enough space in the conservatory to keep the machine flat but I can see how handy this would be if I didn't have the space. It saves a lot of space when folded which is great.

There are a lot of extras on the machine including short cut keys to specific speeds or incline degrees and it also includes inbuilt speakers which you easily connect via the MP3 input cord supplied. Great way to keep motivation by blaring some music out. They aren't amazing sounding speakers - but who cares? It's not like your playing to a club of people.

Obviously, there are other treadmills maybe more suited for hardcore long distance runners, but for those of you that love to run, but can't do so outside or even don't want to; this machine is perfect. Would highly recommend.

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Exercise & Me

So, I thought I should have at least a go at blogging about a specific topic. When I thought about what it is that I do every day, came to be a no brainer. Exercise!

I wasn't ever a 'fat' child, but I have always struggled with being a little on the curvy side. So last year (at the ripe old age of 20!) I decided I might try running. It was tough! Don't get me wrong. I've never been a particularly active or sporty person, but I thought it would have been a little bit easier! But, I caught the running bug and, slowly but surely over the past 2 and a half years I've increased my fitness.

It's hard starting out. You need ALOT of motivation, and I think the thing that helped me was definitely  raising money for charity. I knew that, if I had something to aim for, something that wasn't just for my own personal gain, this would keep me on track. And, it has!

So last year I completed my first ever charity event (a 5km run), in which I raised £200 for Race for Life. I was extremely proud and so pleased, I wanted to do more. That's when my Dad suggested the London2Brighton challenge. I'll talk about this more in a later post. But the basics are this - walk/run the 100km from London to Brighton over the space of 24 (or so) hours. Mental. But, definitely a challenge worth facing.

So, in an extra bid to prepare for this I have upped my training regime and with it I have bought a few little gadgets that I might want to review. I am not pretending to be all knowledgeable about fitness and exercise  All I am doing is reporting what does and doesn't work for me personally, with the time and resources available to me.

So, keep checking back for updates and more info on how i'm getting on.

A.

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Vanity & Photoshop

Okay, so I had really wanted to post sooner on here, but what with work and other family related stuff this year hasn't started off as well as I would have hoped! But here we are, eventually!

So, I was feeling slightly vain one evening (as well as a mixture of boredom and curiosity thrown in) so decided to do a couple of self portraits. This didn't really amount to much. The lighting in my room plus the harsh false were not flattering. But hey ho. So I decide to instead use it as a way to figure out a few basics in photoshop - (I only have Elements 8.0, which actually came preinstalled on my laptop). 

I was able to refresh my memory on a few things, including changing the colour of lips and creating a smooth skin tone (and erasing any of those pesky spots!). So here are two versions of the same image. I tried to keep it a bit grungy - i.e. not perfect, because lets be honest, I am no model! 

Anywho, I will try to pester SOMEONE to actually model for me at some point this year. And hopefully i'll be able to learn a bit more advanced stuff. But, baby steps :)

A x

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