V-Fit Mini Stepper

Before I start describing the wonders and blunders of the v fit mini stepper I'd like to explain why I opted for this style of home gym equipment.

I read a bit on the internet about steppers and how people lose 2-3 inches just using the stepper every day, although this would be a nice bonus I wasn't focusing on losing weight so much as getting fitter and healthier. I live in a large block of flats in London, on the 7th floor with ...
...hall. Purely because of this I gave up on my collection of fitness DVDs as I didn't want to be banging about jumping and running every day to the tune of "Lift 2,3,4 and Down 2,3,4, Slide 2,3,4 and Back 2,3,4, and Starjumps...". So basically I believed the quietest exercise equipment I could buy would be a mini stepper.

So off to Argos to get a good deal on a V Fit Mini Stepper I went. I had looked on the internet first to ... more

Before I start describing the wonders and blunders of the v fit mini stepper I'd like to explain why I opted for this style of home gym equipment.

I read a bit on the internet about steppers and how people lose 2-3 inches just using the stepper every day, although this would be a nice bonus I wasn't focusing on losing weight so much as getting fitter and healthier. I live in a large block of flats in London, on the 7th floor with other people living below, above, each side and across the hall. Purely because of this I gave up on my collection of fitness DVDs as I didn't want to be banging about jumping and running every day to the tune of "Lift 2,3,4 and Down 2,3,4, Slide 2,3,4 and Back 2,3,4, and Starjumps...". So basically I believed the quietest exercise equipment I could buy would be a mini stepper.

So off to Argos to get a good deal on a V Fit Mini Stepper I went. I had looked on the internet first to find out the cheapest for quality stepper I could get. I've known of the name V Fit for a while, knowing they make reasonably priced gym equipment, equaling their reasonable quality. I admit I wasn't sure about the quality and simply opted for the cheapest. This particular stepper was £19.97.

When I received the box from behind the counter I was slightly taken aback by the size and weight of the box. I guess the word "mini" to me made me think "dinky", rather than "normal exercise stepper, just without the handles and big fancy digital screen". Fortunately my Boyfriend didn't have to carry the box far (haha) and when we got home I opened it up immediately. I was happy to find the whole thing was nearly in one piece, no annoying or complicated assembly. It was simply a matter of putting the plastic feet in place and fixing the small digital screen into the hole it sat in.

The first time I used the stepper I found it very difficult to keep my balance. It was very surreal to be moving in the way that the stepper guided me, and nearly 1 foot higher up than I'm used to being. I admit I did nearly fall backwards off it, but was always able to just step off when I started to lose my balance. It was after only a few tries that I got the hang of it and found using it just like walking. At first, a few muscles groups started hurting which I wasn't used to, but especially my calf's. But gradually after a few on off days of using the stepper I got used to it even more and I found myself getting 15-20 minutes exercise without too much aching, but just sweating and raising my heart beat. I also started using it bare foot but this became quite painful and I found that wearing proper trainers made it a lot easier.

As for the noise, I believe I made the right choice for the quietest home gym equipment. I do find that after about 10 minutes one of the cylinders squeaks a bit, and the cylinders generally make noise resisting movement. I doubt this makes much noise at all in the flat downstairs. And to me, well I always have my ipod on.

The stepper itself is fairly large. It's maximum height is 11 inches, length is 15 inches, and width 18 inches. I find it fits in the bottom of my wardrobe and is easy enough get out and put back on a daily basis. The machine itself is a bit heavy at 1stone or 6.5kg, but it's easy enough to carry from one room to another, or put it away and take it out of the wardrobe.

Now onto the results. Although I've had the stepper for a few months now, I decided recently to use it every day, creating a tick sheet of every day for a month. From Saturday 31st May until Saturday 14th June (so far) I have done 20 minutes per day. The stepper comes with a very useful but basic digital screen displaying steps counted, time, calories burned and strides/minute. I usually do about 1200 steps in 20 minutes, burn off about 150 calories and keep up to between 50-60 strides/minute. I don't think I have lost any large amount of weight due to the stepper alone, but I know I have become fitter as I am able to cope with the 20 minutes exercise every day a lot better. I also find that 20 minutes on the stepper is much harder than 20 minutes walking but easier than 20 minutes running.

Over all I am very very glad I bought my V Fit Mini Stepper. It has been useful for months. When I don't want to think about exercise I can hide it away, and when I do it's so easy to get out and start using. It works very well, always has and I think it will keep working very well for a long time. And as I've been using it every day for 2 weeks so far I haven't got bored of it and don't think I will. 

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