Q: I am a 37 years old man who does not get time to work out. Hence, I am planning to buy a home gym equipment but I am confused between a treadmill and an elliptical trainer. What should be the duration of workout to maintain good health? Please suggest.

A:The treadmill is an excellent option for walking and has the benefits of variations that you might not find in the outdoors. First, it works just as well when you cannot access the outdoors for reasons like 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 kilometers/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 one, which is on a flat bed rather than on rollers. There are models that also have variations in the incline of the treadmill. An elliptical trainer is a more expensive option but one that uses more of the upper body as well as the lower body as well. So you can look at the budget as well as the space you have to help you finally decide. The duration and speed would depend on your present fitness level and your goal. For fitness benefits, even a small 10-20 minute walk on it can make a difference, but if you are looking to lose weight, you may want to spend more time on it. As long as you are comfortable on it and can slowly increase the speed over time, you are doing well and benefiting from the exercise you are getting. Read the following tips: At the onset, fitness has to be a lifelong commitment and not just timed goal, involving lifestyle changes that can be easily adapted. The slower you lose the weight, the surer you can be that it will stay off for good. A yardstick to go by, is approximately 2-3 kilos reduction, a month. A good way to lose weight is to combine calorie-reduction with spending calories as much as you can. That means if your intake is less than your expenditure, you are bound to lose weight. To achieve the first, you have to eat a balanced, nutritious meal, which our dietician will be able to help you with. It may not be a good idea to miss any meal as that slows the metabolism down and hinders weight loss. To aid that process, you may like to add on any exercise you can manage to get. The best results are when the exercise is regular and consistent, but the good news is that every bit counts! So find some way of incorporating any activity into your daily routine like walking to the office, school, up the stairs; any weekend routine can also be of help.