Smooth Fitness Blog

While dieting is a very rewarding process, it can be a difficult one. Many individuals struggle with staying on track, weight loss plateaus, and resisting temptation. Sometimes it may seem as if you need to make a major dietary change, but in many cases small changes over time almost always lead to healthier and longer lasting results. Overcoming these obstacles and knowing what to change is difficult on your own; therefore, we have come up with some tips to keep your diet simple and easy.

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If the shoe doesn’t fit, don’t wear it. It is that simple. Finding the appropriate athletic gear for running and/or working out can seem a bit daunting, but don’t let it be. Just be realistic about your needs and goals.

When it comes to doing anything with your body, you must take everything into account. We hate to be blunt, but just like getting dressed for work, a hot date or a gym work out, you must take into account how your body will react to the clothes that you wear. Your weight, the way in which you run and where you are extremely important. Whether you are running indoors, on the asphalt or cross country trails the wear and tear on your shoes will be different.

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Willpower can be a limited resource when it comes to diet and exercise. Every person struggles with willpower in some capacity. Temptations are around every corner and the ability to make the right choices directly correlates to the strength of an individual’s willpower. But willpower is not static. With the use of some simple strategies willpower can be improved, strengthened and used to achieve fitness goals and overcome dietary obstacles.
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Checking off things on our bucket list feels great, but running an entire 26.2 miles can be a feat. Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced, keep reading to gain tips on preparing for your goal marathon.

Beginners

• Start out with Walk/Runs. Set a distance and start the workout by walking twice as long as your running sets. Gradually increase the running distance and the ratio of running to walking as you get more comfortable.
• Prior to training for your marathon, you have to be in decent shape. Get comfortable with running at least 25 miles a week for at least 6 months.
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Is getting motivated really that easy?

Why yes it is that easy. Let’s hope that motivates you to keep reading.

Get psyched!
The first step, which may be the hardest, is making the decision to get up and work out. Telling yourself that you will work out creates a positive chain of reactions that will shape the rest of your life. Making the decision to work out will prompt you change other aspects about your life like eating better foods, taking your health seriously and omitting bad habits like smoking cigarettes.

Getting psyched also involves passion. That inner fire to do better for yourself will in turn boost confidence and self worth. Self confidence is key to working out because you need to believe in yourself to challenge yourself. Hey, if you need to look in the mirror and say, “I AM SOMEBODY,” go for it. Whatever you feel you need to do to build that confidence is ok, as long as it doesn’t involve hurting someone else.

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Today we’re on the hunt for good, clean, long lasting energy. In order to have a successful workout on your treadmill or elliptical, meals that are complete with a combination of complex carbohydrates and protein will provide a boost of sustained energy. This combination happens to digest much more slowly and raise blood glucose levels for prolonged periods.

Of course, eating sweets and candy will give you a boost of quick energy, but your body will crash before finish a good warm up. Continue reading to discover foods, which are probably already in your regular diet, that are high in protein and good carbohydrates.

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Now that you’ve ditched your pricey gym membership and invested in some home work out equipment, let’s make sure you get the maximum amount of use out of it. Here are some quick and easy tips that will lengthen the life of your treadmills, ellipticals, exercise bikes and home gyms.

Disinfect
You probably thought that you only needed to wipe down that elliptical after using it at the gym, but that’s not the case. Regularly wiping down your home equipment with a diluted bleach solution or commercial equipment disinfectant will hinder growth and kill any harmful bacteria taking refuge on your handle bars. Of course disease and bacteria will not grow as fast as in a gym, but it’s nice to keep things clean.

Dust Removal
Dust is not your friend. Over time, dust can damage the gears in your machine. Regularly wiping down your machine with a damp cloth and vacuuming under it will prevent dust from accumulating on the surface and on gears. An equipment mat may also help reduce the dust that may become trapped in your equipment as well.
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Cycling bikes used to be more popular with fitness enthusiasts   before the likes of treadmills and ellipticals came along. Did you know exercise machines similar to today’s exercise bike have been around since the 18^th century!? The fact remains, though, that cycling bikes are still a great piece of equipment to have in your home gym.

Cycling bikes, like many things, have changed drastically over the years, and for the better. Cycling bikes, like this one here, are a lot more versatile than you may think,and with a realm of benefits, are the perfect tool for the cyclist in the offseason, or the everyday exerciser.

Aerobic Endurance

We all know cycling has it’s benefit in strengthening our legs, but there is of course an aerobic side of cycling as well. With numerous benefits for your cardiovascular health, starting your own cycling program at home can help strengthen your heart and lung capacity.

Weight Loss

When it comes to cardio equipment and burning calories, cycling bikes may take the cake (which is better than you taking the cake.) Part of the reason is that it can be relatively easy to fall into a rhythm on a cycling bike. The important part is to make sure that rhythm is productive. Many cyclers (the people, not the bikes) follow programs that allow you to burn 500 calories or more in 30-40 minutes.

Muscle Building

We touched on this earlier, and it’s no secret. Cycling is a tried and true way to build muscle strength and stamina. On top of that, one of the best things about cycling (compared to other equipment) is that it is a low-to-non impact exercise. That means less stress on your joints, which will really benefit you in the long run.

Convenience Factor

Of course there are more benefits to owning a cycling bike than just improving your health. We would be remiss if we didn’t mention the fact that cycling bikes are super convenient. The V350 cycling bike, for example, comes with integrated transport wheels, and with it’s compact design, doesn’t take up too much space.

If you were hesitant about buying a spinner because you thought they were dated, you were right. Spinning is a tool that’s been used for centuries. No wonder. At the end of the day, it’s still one of the best (and easiest) ways to get a quality workout.

We’re well into winter now which is, among other things, prime time flu season. The Center for Disease and Control estimates that anywhere between 5% and 20% of US residents get the flu each year, with more than 200,000 people being hospitalized because of it. Fortunately, there are actions you can take prevent the flu.

There’s the obvious answers: wash your hands, cover you mouth when you cough, and get a flu shot. Of course, people involuntarily (or voluntarily) forget to do these things from time to time. Lucky for us, there are even more ways to help prevent the flu. These tips work great even if you ARE part of the 85% who wash their hands (I know only 85%, isn’t that gross!? ) Anyways… (more…)

Fitness Magazine wrote a short article on the fitness blues a few weeks back. In it they touched on a few tips for keeping up your fitness when the weather turns, including doing it for yourself, and staying consistent. While the article focuses on two extreme runners who love running outside (in Alaska) the reality is that many of us hate the cold weather. While we’re still in first month of the year, it’s safe to say there is probably a correlation between cold weather and the downfall of people’s new year’s resolutions. (more…)