Concept2 Forum

The problem: Home exercise equipment collects dust. According to a survey by the Fitness Products Council, 50 million American households own some type of fitness equipment. Trouble is, nearly one-third of it is never used. The Reeveses' home is no exception. After a few months, they were bored silly with the treadmill they bought for their den. Plus, they couldn't hear the TV over its roar....

Fix #1: Invest in a garage weight station

A basic weight bench is one of the smartest fitness investments you can make. It's right there when you need it, and you don't have to make a special trip to visit it. "You can always find cheap weights and benches in the newspaper classifieds," says Staley.

Fix #2: Buy the right aerobic equipment

Instead of a treadmill, Staley recommends the Concept 2 Rower ($850, Concept2.com). "It's quiet, it's lightweight, and it doesn't take up a lot of space," he says. Plus, it's uniquely kid friendly. Concept 2 maintains an impressive web site, where users can engage in virtual competition by comparing activity logs. It's sort of like a video game, except instead of doubling a kid's obesity risk by the hour, the way normal video games do, the rowing machine can eliminate it.