101 Things to Do with a Treadmill

Probably one of the most well known things to do with a treadmill is this: 

Hopefully, I will put my new one to GOOD USE - in the proper way it was meant to be used, that is!

I shouldn't have this problem because the treadmill's going to be in the "weight room" READ: unfinished room of our basement that currently houses our weight bench and other exercise equipment.  And that happens to be FAR AWAY from my clothes - it'd be a farther trip to the basement - and more effort - to leave my clothes on the treadmill than to just put them away in my closet!  Now, the boys who reside in the basement?.......I can't make any guarantees about where their clothes might end up!

But, here at the Brenchley household, we've found another thing to do with a treadmill.....
WEAR IT ON OUR BACK.
(we always have done things a little differently).
Allow me to explain:
A couple of days ago, when Matt was trying to move the treadmill from the front room down to the basement, he recruited Kyle to help him.
I was sitting at the computer desk minding my own business (actually I was emailing back & forth with Ryan, it was his P-Day) when all of a sudden, Kyle yells, "Mom!  HELP!"
I went down the stairs and found Matt was laying face down on the stairs with the big treadmill box on top of him!  Apparently, the distribution of strength was not equal?  Kyle was standing at the bottom of the stairs just watching, telling me his dad was crunched underneath it!  Kyle claimed he couldn't do much from his position....so, I had to go lift the box off of Matt!

Thinking of other uses for treadmills, THIS memory from two houses ago comes to mind:

{Ryan, circa 1997}
A CLIMB ON TOY FOR TODDLERS.

THIS treadmill didn't get used much because it was a manual one - as in non-electric!  (I KNOW!  What a silly invention, right?!?)  You had to push real hard with your feet to get the belt going, while moving the arm handles.....which meant your speed was never constant.  And sometimes it would stop.  And it was super hard to get it going again...yada, yada, yada!  It was simply too much of a hassle, so it sat ignored by the adults, but it was too irresistible for baby boys to leave alone!!  ;)

While someday I may complete my "treadmill uses book," similar to the idea of this one:

For now, I will share just one more thing to do with a treadmill.

KISS IT.

Back in the day when I went to a real gym to workout, I liked to walk/run on their treadmills.

The only problem was:  so did everyone else, and the availability was a problem.  OPEN treadmills were few and far between at certain times of the day (the time I always happened to be at the gym!)  So, my strategy was to bide my time on the nearby stationary bikes while keeping an eye on the row of treadmills....

THEN, as soon as someone got off, I'd jump off the bike and sprint over to the treadmill to get on it.  And, I had to move fast because sometimes, other gym-goers were lurking in other corners, ready to pounce on an open treadmill, as well.

So, ONE DAY, when I saw a treadmill become open, I rushed over to it....yes! I was the first one there!  And, I hurriedly stepped right on....

And just as quickly, my feet flipped out from underneath me, and my face ended up just inches from the MOVING BELT.  And then I may or may not have let out a little scream!  Just a little one.....that everyone within 50 yards of me heard!

Did you get the picture from my description?  Here, does this help?

Apparently, the previous user had NOT turned the treadmill off, and I, in my haste to secure a rare open treadmill, stepped right on without bothering to check if the belt was still running.  WHO LEAVES THE TREADMILL GOING WHEN THEY'RE DONE WITH IT, ANYWAY?!?

Everyone else was much amused....at my expense.

BUT!  I DID finish my workout, I'm proud to say!

 

Good thing, because the rest of my pride was surely GONE!