For many people today, getting in shape has become more important than ever. With today's fast paced lifestyles and poor eating habits, much of the population has been found to be overweight. Obesity has been linked to many diseases including heart disease and diabetes so it's more important than ever to get in shape. But what if you don't have a lot of money? Not everyone has a few thousand dollars that they can put into a treadmill, so what's the solution?

A manual treadmill is the perfect solution.

A manual treadmill works without a motor, but instead the user powers the treadmill. Since there's no electric motor, it's inexpensive to purchase and almost never breaks. They can last literally for decades and provide many hours of exercise that can help to control weight and improve the cardiovascular system.

One of the benefits of a manual treadmill instead of a motorized treadmill besides the lack of motor is the size. Since they don't have a motor, they are quite small and thin and usually they can fold away for easy storage. When you are done using it, simply fold it up and store it under a bed or in a closet. You don't need to dedicate a whole room to it and they can be just as effective.

A number of different brands of folding manual treadmills are available including Nordic Trac, Stamina, Edge 500, Phoenix Health and TrimWalk and many brands that are not as well known. You might even notice manual treadmills for sale in your local department store, and for occasional use, these work fine. While you won't get all the bells and whistles that you would get from a large motorized treadmill, you can still get in shape and take off a few pounds with a manual treadmill.