Smooth Fitness Blog

This past October, the Smooth Fitness team came across a blog that had set out on a bold mission to help change the lives of two deserving mothers – Mamavation.com.  The idea was simple: Give two moms the opportunity to change their lives together by entering into a 7-week healthy living boot camp that provides them with the tools and support they need to succeed all while sharing their journey with the Mamavation community.

Alyssa Becthold and Stacie Connerty were selected to be the two moms who would undertake the 7-week journey with the support of Leah Segedie, Mamavation Founder, and a team of experts that included nutritionists, therapists, coaches and thousands of moms from across the globe.  Smooth Fitness was so impressed with the campaign that we decided to partner with Mamavation to help Alyssa and Stacie reach their fitness goals.

Smooth Fitness provided both Alyssa and Stacie with their own Smooth 6.45 treadmill delivered directly to their homes.  We then followed their journey as they began to transform their lives and became an inspiration for thousands of followers.  Together, Alyssa and Stacie combined to lose 41 pounds during the 7-week campaign – and they’re note finished yet.

In addition to continuing their own journey, Alyssa and Stacie will be acting as mentors for the next 2 Mamavation moms.  The search for the next two Mamavation moms will begin shortly after the New Year with the next campaign kicking-off in late January.  Smooth Fitness will once again be partnering with Mamavation and provide units to both moms to help them reach their fitness goals.

Congratulations to Alyssa and Stacie for all their success.  We’re looking forward to the launch of the next campaign that will change the lives of two more moms.

For more information please visit Mamavation.com.

With the cold weather upon us, it is time to put some thought into keeping our families active and fit this winter.  I have included some great winter activities that are both fun and healthy. If you use this information you may find that keeping fit is also a great way to tighten the family bond.  Remember, your children’s life long fitness habits are developed in your home.  Please take this responsibility seriously!

Outdoor activity:Cold weather should not prohibit your enjoyment of the outdoors.  Consider the following exhilarating outdoor activities this winter:

• Skiing and Snowboarding are not only fun, but they also work most of the major muscles in the body.  They are also a great way to challenge your balance and coordination.  If you are new to these activities, I recommend you seek some professional lessons before you begin.
• Hiking is an outdoor activity that almost any one can participate in.  Most family members, both young or old can enjoy a hike together.  This activity is not only great for burning calories, but it also provides invaluable family bonding time.

Indoor Athletic Activities & Indoor Fitness: Indoor sports such as basketball and soccer are tremendous ways to keep moving when the weather prohibits.  Organized sports benefit the participant in many ways.  Along with offering an aerobic workout, they also help to build communication skills, muscle coordination, and muscle strength.

Martial Arts classes provide many benefits to the participants, including a great indoor workout.  One of the most important benefits is the development of long term goal setting.  One of the first lessons taught in martial arts classes is on focus and perseverance.  Each participant begins as a white belt and sets their sights on becoming a black belt.  Without focus and perseverance, this goal would not be met.  These lessons carry over into all aspirations in life, whether they be fitness related or not.

Indoor Fitness Equipment: When you are not able to exercise outside and other athletic activities are not available, indoor fitness equipment is a great way to stay active.  Weight training offers many benefits including increased strength and coordination.  The use of a treadmill or an elliptical machine is a nice way to elevate your heart rate and burn calories.

Indoor Active Video Games: While video games are generally not considered a method of exercise, I  must say there are some games that offer a very challenging workout.  I have experienced games that require dancing, jumping, and even virtual kickboxing.  If you do a little research before you buy a game, you will find that some games offer a great way to keep the family active and bond through fun.  Believe me, there are games that are tough and worthwhile workouts.

I hope that this information proves beneficial in your quest to keep your family fit and unified this winter.  Always try to pick activities that require family participation or family support.  Remember, the family that plays together stays together.

Best of luck and stay warm!

Jim Bompensa has been a health club owner and manager, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and nutrition specialist for the nearly 15 years. He is currently the owner/operator of Body Physics Fitness Center in Haddonfield, NJ. Jim has appeared and contributed on ABC and NBC in Philadelphia, PA as well as Designing Spaces on TLC.

1. Exercise in the morning. The longer you put off your workout, the more likely you are to skip it.  Avoid this common downfall by making your workout your number one priority.  Give yourself enough time in the morning to comfortably fit in your workout.  If necessary, set your alarm early.  Beginning your day with exercise will increase your blood flow, warm up your muscles, rev your metabolism and increase your energy level for the entire day.

2. Eat a great breakfast. Create your daily energy reserve by eating a healthy breakfast.  Begin the day with whole grain high fiber carbohydrates.  Whole grain carbohydrates will help you to feel full longer and act as a fuel resource that provides a steady energy release.

3. Prepare for the day by bringing healthy snacks. Whether you are shopping or going to work, you will inevitably get hungry throughout the day.  Make your choices in the morning when you are not so hungry. Consider bringing sliced apples or a banana to snack on when you are hungry.

4. Stay hydrated. Drinking water throughout the day will help you to feel more full and will keep your body functioning at peak levels.

5. Avoid high calorie “pick me up” energy drinks. There are many temptations for quick energy.  Unfortunately, most of these quick pick me ups are high calorie short term energy sources that will leave you flat. If you prepare your body with a whole grain breakfast, hydrate and keep healthy snacks at hand these options will be less appealing.

6. Eat high protein foods for meals. Higher protein meal choices tend to fill you up and carry less calories than their high fat and highly refined food counterparts.  If you select chicken, fish, or other lean protein sources, you will provide muscle building nutrients to your body while introducing less calories.

7. Avoid heavy snacks. Stay away from snacks and drinks that may carry high amounts of calories.  These include cream based foods, foods that include cheese, items that contain high amounts of sugar, and high fat meats and dips.  Consider steamed veggies, fruits, and lean cuts of meat.

8. Avoid high calorie soda, juice, and alcoholic beverages. Sodas, juices, wine, and mixed drinks may easily carry 200 calories per glass.  If you drink four or five of these per day, you will likely gain a pound in just three days from these drinks alone.  Drink water whenever possible.

9. At social gatherings, position yourself as far from the food table as possible. Avoid making every social situation about the food.  Position yourself on the opposite side of the room so that each serving will require an additional trip to the food table.  Only take small portions each time.  Interact with as many guests as possible.  It is more difficult to eat when you are socializing.  Also if you do not hang at a table you will be less likely to take large portions of food.

10. Add a 10-minute workout before bed if your calorie intake was extra high. On particularly challenging days when you are not able to avoid as many holiday temptations as you would have liked to, consider ending your day with a quick workout.  When your calorie intake is higher than usual, you can negate some of those calories by burning them off before going to sleep.

Follow these holiday fitness tips for a guilt free holiday season!

Jim Bompensa has been a health club owner and manager, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and nutrition specialist for the nearly 15 years. He is currently the owner/operator of Body Physics Fitness Center in Haddonfield, NJ. Jim has appeared and contributed on ABC and NBC in Philadelphia, PA as well as Designing Spaces on TLC.

The holiday season is here!  As many shoppers search their minds for unique gifts, very often the gift of fitness is on the list.  When I give fitness gifts, I focus on gifts that are versatile and will be utilized.  Refer to the list below for some great fitness gift ideas that will be useful to anyone on your list.  The list groups the gifts according to price and includes an explanation of their benefit and versatility.

Fitness Gifts under $20
Dumb Bell: An exercise dumb bell is one of the most versatile pieces of exercise equipment.  It can benefit any person who is looking to tone problem areas or can be used to increase the intensity of aerobic routines.

Resistance Bands: Resistance bands can be used to add intensity to any strength exercise.  They make fitness accessible anywhere because they are easy to transport.  These useful fitness tools can also be used to increase the intensity of aerobic routines.

Fitness Gifts under $50
Beginner Weight Set: Beginner weight sets generally consist of adjustable dumb bells.  They offer varying resistance levels so they are an effective tool for any fitness enthusiast.

Exercise Stability Ball: Exercise stability balls are a very popular exercise tool.  They can be used for many purposes.  Some uses include increasing the difficulty level of abdominal workouts and providing an unstable surface to incorporate more core muscles when performing dumb bell exercises.  They also add to the selection of lower body exercises for any fitness routine.

Fitness Gifts under $100
Bosu Balance Trainer: Bosu balance trainers provide all of the benefits of exercise stability balls and more.  Because they are flat on one side, they offer the benefit of allowing the user to stand on the rounded side and create an unbalanced surface.  This added feature makes for more effective balance training and offers many more exercise variations.

Barbell Set: Barbell sets generally consist of a long bar and a set of various weight plates.  This bar can be combined with the weight plates to create numerous resistance levels.  This exercise tool is extremely versatile and can be utilized to work any muscle group desired.

Fitness Gifts over $100
Weight Bench and Barbells: This gift will provide all of the benefits associated with purchasing a barbell set alone, but will also provide more exercise variations.

Elliptical Machine: Elliptical training machines are some of the most popular pieces of fitness equipment.  They provide the benefit of aerobic exercise coupled with exercise motions that tone all major muscle groups.  The low impact motion allows for intense exercise without joint impact.

Treadmill: Treadmills have always been extremely popular gifts for runners in your household.  Treadmills are very effective for aerobic fitness training as well as weight bearing exercise.

For tips on selecting the right elliptical training machine or treadmill, please take a look at our treadmill buying guide and elliptical buying guide.

Good luck with your holiday shopping and I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season.

Jim Bompensa has been a health club owner and manager, personal trainer, group fitness instructor, and nutrition specialist for the nearly 15 years. He is currently the owner/operator of Body Physics Fitness Center in Haddonfield, NJ. Jim has appeared and contributed on ABC and NBC in Philadelphia, PA as well as Designing Spaces on TLC.