A couple of cheap suggestions (advice is always cheap, no?):
-- Jump rope. Good for coordination as well as aerobic fitness, and you
can listen to music while you do it (or watch TV, if your ceiling is
high enough to do it indoors). There are books that explain techniques
and training regimens, if you want to read them.
-- Watch aerobics shows -- hokey, but it can work.
Slightly more expensive suggestions:
-- Mini-trampoline: Similar to jumping rope -- not as intense a workout,
but easier on the knees.
-- Take a martial arts class.
--Get a punching bag.
-- Join a gym with a swimming pool. Plenty of variety, and if there's
a hot tub or sauna like my gym has, there's an extra reason to go.
And, to counter your (hormone-induced? :-) ) urge to buy a Western Flyer:
I recommend the Schwinn Air-Dyne as a quality piece of exercise equipment.
It's like an exercise bike that you can also use your arms with, and it
works by air resistance (it uses a fan, which means a) it gets harder as
you pedal faster; b) it has the added bonus of fanning you while you ride
it). I have comparison data showing that it can give quite an intense
workout if you pedal fast, and Consumer Reports rates it highly. They
can be expensive new, but Will got one for about $35 in a thrift store
(apparently one exercise bike is the same as another to them).
Don't forget that gaining muscle is as important as aerobics to losing
weight (some say more so), and that raising the fruit/vegie/fiber
content of your diet can help a lot, too.
Cheers,
Kennita
Kennita Watson | The bond that links your true family is not one of blood,
kwatson@netcom.com| but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do
| members of the same family grow up under the same roof.
| -- Richard Bach, _Illusions_