need more movement

Lately, I've been feeling a bit lethargic, and I know that I need to get out more often. It's difficult when the weather is so warm, though. I know of several neighbors who manage to get out for early morning walks, but I am in no way a morning person so that is not an option.

I did move a bunch of free weights with me the last time we relocated, but I sold off the weight bench. It's funny because we paid for movers to move all of our belongings, and if was going to keep anything from the weight set, I should have kept the weight bench and ditched the weights. After all, the moving companies charge more for weight than they do for actual volume.

So I've been looking for a new weight bench, and I'm quickly discovering that it is akin to looking for a new printer. It's almost cheaper to buy a new set (or a new printer that comes with new ink) than to buy just the bench (or just ink refills). I checked out WalMart and they've got a decent bench for about $55. I was hoping to pay close to $35 for a real basic bench, though. What can I say? I'm cheap. I don't have any sports equipment stores near my home, so my other option is to check out exercise equipment that is for sale online.

There are a few stores like the one I linked to above (Everything Fitness) that fortunately offer free shipping on orders over $19, which is promising. Of course, when you start shopping for these types of things online you are sometimes overwhelmed by the choices. I really just wanted a basic bench with a leg lift and rests for a dumb-bell. A comfy adjustable back support would be nice, as well.

There are some products that are more expensive, and I can't really see why. I always thought that when it came to weight benches, you would pay more for the larger more complicated systems, but I am guessing that brand names must come into play to a certain extent, too. For example, if you take a look at the BodyCraft F602 at the above linked site, this is a high end bench, but it doesn't look like it comes with anything to rest your bench press bar on.

Has anyone had any experience with those flexi-weight systems? You know the ones with rubber stretching apparatus instead of actual weights? Those look neat, but I was always afraid that they might "snap" in the middle of a bench press and I'd go flying across the room somehow.