As a Mum of 4 children life can be hectic to say the least, once you factor in a few school runs, laundry, housework and running a blog, going to the gym falls right down to the bottom of the list. To be honest by the time I do have time to think about going near a gym I then think about having to leave the house, jump on the bus, get changed and then finally be able to work out. It just all sounds like to much work!!
Hire Fitness started back in 2001 in Berkshire, when Paul’s (Managing Director)Wife wanted to return to shape after pregnancy and realised that the cost of purchasing a high quality piece of fitness equipment was unaffordable. He researched the market and was surprised to learn that nobody was hiring good quality gym equipment anywhere in the UK or Ireland. He decided to fill the gap and Hire Fitness was born and the first branch opened in Windsor as a pilot franchise office. After the success of the pilot Hire Fitness quickly grew and now the whole of the UK and Ireland are covered by the Hire Fitness Sales Offices, they are now the largest company in the world hiring quality gym fitness
The range they offer includes Treadmills, Exercise Bikes, Elliptical Cross Trainers, Rowing Machines, Vibrations Plates and Strength Equipment. All available on a minimum of a 4 weeks period, the longer you hire it for the less it costs. You have to pay a £35 delivery charge unless your hiring for 36 or 52 weeks in which case the delivery charge is waived. You initially pay for the first 4 weeks rental and the delivery charge (if applicable), subsequent charges are every 4 weeks. If you are renting for 36 or 53 weeks there is also the option to swap your equipment, which I think is an amazing option to have.
I was loaned a fab
ulous Elliptical Cross Trainer to try out for 6 weeks, the cross trainer was delivered and installed in a room of my choice. I was shown how to work the electronic screen and left with the hand book incase I needed to refer to it.
The cross trainer was really good quality and was also fully adjustable. You could change the depth of the stride which is handy as I’m only 5ft and Dave is 6ft so we can both use it. This was really easy to do by twisting the knob on the stepper and it adjusts the height which adjusts the depth of stride. There are some fab programmes, from hill climbing, fat burning and gentle walk. The digital display shows you how many calories you have burnt,how long you have been working out for and the distance you have been which is really motivating. I loved the pulse recovery mode on the display, its perfect for someone like me who isn’t particularly fit and allows you to take break, catch your breath for 60 seconds and restart, you can use this mode whilst doing any of the fitness programmes. My favourite programme was number 4 the fat burning programme, it starts gently and you slowly climb a hill, hit the peak, level out and descend the hill. At the beginning of the trial I could only manage a third of the programme before having to take a break and catch my breath. By the end of my trial I could manage well over half of the
programme, so my fitness level has definitely improved lots.
I love the service Hire Fitness offer and the fact that if you take a long term agreement out you have the option to change your equipment when ever you feel like. At a cost of £13 per week it does cost more than attending a gym. But you are getting the convieneance of working out at home, so for me its more than worth it.
To find out more check out the Hire Fitness Website, Follow them on Facebook or Twitter.