You can find all of these machines in somewhere like your Argos Catalogue, with on-line ordering available as most are very substantial in size and weight. Prices reflect quality and features - the more that you pay the more that you will be able to do and the longer they will last. You want a fairly substantial bed (the bit that your actually run or walk on) from a treadmill. A bike needs to be able to cater for all shapes and size and to offer a good riding position. You really want something that has a motor (for a treadmill) or requires electrics to operate programming - options for workout levels and displays. Without buttons to press, your new piece of aerobic exercise machinery will need much more of your attention and therefore be much less inspirational.

If you can, try out a machine before you buy it. It is possible to buy commercial quality machinery, including reconditioned second hand runners (there is a warehouse near Shipston on Stour in South Warwickshire). Find a machine you like in a Health Club and you should be able to get something similar direct from the manufacturer. LifeFitness, Physique and of course Concept II all supply to the general public.

Concept II produce the most popular rowers, the machines used by Olympians. They are a challenge, a very effective one. You may though want machinery which has less chrome and gym connotations - hard for treadmills, steppers, bikes and ski trainers - but a certainty if you want a rower.

The WaterRower came onto the market just a few years ago . Its wooden construction made it stand out from all its competitors but it was is silent operation and build quality which really caught the attention of the home fitness market. Its looks are noted, praised, even to the point of the WaterRower being a bit of a style icon. With an ease of storage (but you don t actually have to or want to put it away - it can stand upright against a wall), it fulfils one requirement for home use. The (true) wooden looks are a second reason why the WaterRower is a perfect home purchase, looks which hide an engineering and crafted build - and the Water Rower is designed for a lifetime of use.

Whatever aerobic machine you are considering, remember that it could well be noisy to use, and it needs to be able to cater for your improving fitness levels and the possibility that it will inspire others in your home to take up getting fitter. Treadmills need motors (to drive them), steppers and rowers and bikes all make noise (its part of why gyms play background music). You need to remember that running on a machine is very different to running on the roads, and on a stationary bike you use less muscles groups because you don t have to balance on the bike and the way you pull on the handlebars is very different. There is a distinct difference between the way a fan resistance rower (a Concept II) works and that of say the WaterRower, which through its unique system means you are actually rowing through water (we will be reviewing the WaterRower and other specialist aerobic machinery in the next few weeks in our Club and Kit Review ).

Boxercise was the aerobics class around the Millennium, popular especially with women. There is a a new organisation which promotes opportunities for people who take up boxing not just for its beneficial training (for fitness) - people can actually take to the ring (their motto is the new golf because of the popularity of boxing amongst executives). That is for just a very few people but last year the reason which Ernie Els missed the Player Championship was an injury was miss cue on a punch bag. All of this sounds like lots of reasons why to avoid the sport - if properly done and with good technique it is a very positive way of training which produces incredible fitness results and is enjoyed by a rapidly growing number of people. From simple pad work (gloves £15-30 - pads roughly the same sort of cost), through to working with a punch bag (£30 for the simplest through to £200 for one which has its own stand), its a choice of PT s and all types of gym, including the larger centres.

It doesn t matter what age you are, weights can be fantastic for your fitness, and for your golf. Once more, you need to know exactly what you are doing, and for anything from £10-£100 (more if you want one of those very posh chromed sets with a stand) you can have fitness kit which is very portable (like boxing stuff) and effective. If you feel you are losing your strength and don t like the mix of aerobic and strength work that boxing offers, then weight lifting can rejuvenate you life.

What else can you use at home? For just a couple of pounds, you can by some hand / wrist weights and do some simple but very effective strengthening exercises. Your physio may well point you towards this sort of training if you have had knee problems. Add to this all sorts of workouts that can be done with things like Dynabands and other elastic cable systems which just fix over door frames.

If you want to workout at home, there are plenty of options, many very affordable, or if you want machinery, you can buy things like mulit-gyms and as outlined above, you will have a big choice of aerobic machinery. Its linking good advice to programmes that are interesting that will be a key factor in how much benefit you actually get from working out - notably for your golf. See Part II of this series for help on finding good professional advice. Whatever you do, you can make your golf game better by embracing fitness into your lifestyle - and still enjoy the refreshments in the clubhouse post play. The choice is yours!