Q: I am planning to invest in an exercise machine, but treadmill is very expensive. Could you please advise whether the stepper is okay? Should I save for the treadmill, as I am not very comfortable with the manual treadmill? Please advise.

A:The treadmill is an excellent option for walking and has the benefits of variations that you might not find in the outdoors. Firstly it works just as well when you cannot access the outdoors for reasons like the cold or pollution. Secondly, you can time your walk, use the motorised treadmill to increase your pace and keep a tab on the exact number of kilometres/miles you have walked. What it cannot do, however, is give you the EXACT caloric loss (unless you have one where you can enter your weight). Having said that, the non-motorised treadmill, though cheaper, does have as good benefits as the motorised one, without the above variations. I would recommend the one, which is on a flat bed rather than on rollers. There are models that also have variations in the incline of the treadmill. If you have weak knees / joint problems, then I would not suggest the stepper for you. Although it works well as cardio equipment, for those with a choice, I would say the treadmill is relatively safer for the joints.