I just got my machine yesterday. It was a work out in itself to put it together. The instructions were a bit vague but I managed. I did my first workout this morning. I only lasted seven minutes but my goal was ten so I guess that is pretty good. It is a lot harder than it looks but I think I am going to get used to it and enjoy using it. My legs felt like rubber bands when I got off that thing.
If anyone has comments or suggestions about the Elliptical trainer I would love to hear them 
Oooh, I love ellipticals. I use them at the gym all the time. About how much does a home one cost? I don’t really have room for one right now, but it would be so nice not to have to drive to the gym to work out.
As far as recommendations go, just start slow. It is a little weird at first, but I love it now. It just feels so much better to me than either a stair climber or a treadmill. After you’re used to it, vary the resistance. The more resistance there is, the better your workout will be (i.e. more calories burned, more muscles strengthened), but I’ve found that I like to start with lower resistance, move up to where it’s pretty hard and then move back down. Just keeps it from getting boring and makes me push myself.
I use the one at the gym all the time and love it - it’s easy on your knees and hard on the rest of you! It takes a while to get up to speed on it, though - the first time I used one I couldn’t really sit or stand without just, you know, falling back into a chair or lurching out of it with legs as straight as possible.
Try going “backwards” for some of the time you use it. It’s an entirely different experience.
I don’t know what kind you have, but the kind they have at the gym, if I’m doing, say, 20 minutes I like to do two sets of 10 one after the other in whatever pattern I like (I’m a fan of the one with two peaks, although I should be doing two valleys because that’s harder for me) - that way your altitude changes often enough that you don’t get bored, so it dosen’t feel like it’s as long.
I got mine from here. I never bought any equipment online but it really seems like a sturdy machine. Actually I have never used any gym equipment before. The Elliptical appealled to me because I read it puts less stress on the joints.
I am going to take it slow and try at least 5 to 10 minutes a day for 5 days a week and slowly build up my endurance. I think I am going to like it. It was nice to be able to pedal backwards to ease the muscles when they got tired.
I bought one last November and I LOVE it! Started out on level 1 for 20 minutes, 3-4 days/wk and have gradually moved up to level 8 for 20 minutes, 2-3 days/wk. I make sure to stretch my legs a lot before I get on and I do a 4-5 minute cool down on lower levels. Every once in a while I try going backwards for a minute, but I’m not that in to it. I haven’t tried the “rolling hills” option yet, but am saving that for when I need more variety. It helps a lot that I have a TV to watch and a window to look out of. Along with the rest of the things I do, I’ve lost 50 lbs so far. 50 more to go!
I got mine from a local sports equipment place. If anyone wants to know, the $50 delivery and assembly charge were well worth it. Total cost was $1100.
Ellipticals are the reason I’ve lost 35 pounds in the last year. I started out doing 15 minutes three times a week and am now up to 45 minutes. The ones at the gym I use have heart rate monitors, which I used to keep my heart rate around 130-135 at first. Now I just put it on resistance level 8 (out of 12) and go. I also go backwards for the last five minutes before I cool down. That hurt like a bitch at first, but my legs have gotten much stronger from it.
I’ve been working on making room in my tiny one bedroom apartment for one so I can do some in the morning before breakfast, which is the best time to do it. It gets your metabolism up for the whole day. When I can do it in the morning, it improves my energy and mood for the whole day as well.
The best part was after I discovered that I could climb this really tall set of stairs at college without being winded. That was worth all the work by itself.
So long as you stick with it, it will work. Don’t overdo it and keep at it!
I love the elliptical. I’m so envious that you have one at home!
Intervals are cool: Alternate between 1 or 2 minutes at high resistance, so high that you have to go slow and use all your weight to keep going, then 1 or 2 minutes at low resistance, where you try to go fast. When you’re sick of going so fast, you get to slow down. When you feel like your legs are about to fall off, you get to switch to low resistance.