Incline to 40 Percent on the NordicTrack Incline Trainer

I've been shopping for an at-home cardio machine. After this reality check about how often I'll actually use it -- twice a week tops -- a used machine is best. But if I could buy new, I'd take a close look at the new NordicTrack Incline Trainer.

Here's why: I haven't been able to jog since last June, my ruptured achilles healed well, but a slight gait imbalance has triggered pelvic floor problems when I regularly run. They say one key to healthy aging is an optimistic willingness to ever-accommodate, and it's true. Not being able to run is no big deal, I can still rock climb, hike, ski and summit mountains -- my primary loves. But when I'm not in the Great Outdoors, I've turned to incline intervals on a treadmill. Pop that treadmill up to a 10-15 percent incline at a 3.5 mph walking clip and my heart rate soars. No pounding running required.

That's Fit readers' favorite Biggest Loser trainer, Jillian Michaels, swears by incline training. She cites one study which showed walking two miles per hour at a 40 percent incline burns fives times the calories than walking on flat ground. The NordicTrack Incline Trainer offers single percentage and larger five percent incline adjustments, and features iFit Workout Cards which automatically adjust the speed/incline across 24 workouts per card while broadcasting Jillian Michaels' motivational voice throughout. Oh, I really, really want Jillian pushing me along at home on a zero impact incline workout. Introductory price -- $1,599. Check out NordicTrack in the gallery below.