Smooth Fitness Blog

Whether purchasing a piece of home fitness equipment or working out at a gym, chances are the question of “elliptical or treadmill?” has crossed your mind at one point or another. Both elliptical trainers and treadmills can be used to burn calories and get into shape, but they are two very different machines. Each offers a unique set of workout functions. Making an informed decision when it comes time to start your routine or purchase a piece of home fitness equipment is very important; therefore, we have outlined some key differences and similarities between elliptical trainers and treadmills.
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Father’s day is just around the corner and with the summer months upon us, we thought it would be a great idea to go over some tips and strategies to insure you and your father have a healthy heart. Heart disease is a leading cause of death, and many adult males suffer from it. The best way to prevent the onset of heart disease is with a healthy diet and exercise routine. By eating the right foods and getting the right amount of exercise, anyone can significantly lower their risk of having heart disease.
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The sun is out and the beautiful summer months are finally here! With Memorial Day weekend as a kickoff to the summer-vacation season it is a great time to get in shape and tone muscle in order to achieve that perfect “beach-body”. Most people think achieving this is difficult, however, with minor changes to exercise routines and diet; you can be well on your way to the beach body you’ve always dreamed about.

The two primary ingredients when starting to work towards a toned body are diet and exercise. Dieting alone may not help you shed pounds efficiently unless it is coupled with healthy amounts of exercise. Shedding weight and slimming down are all about jump-starting the metabolism and burning calories. In order to get you started towards that perfect beach body, we will be outlining some key diet and exercise tips.

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With summer right around the corner the Marathon and Race Circuits have kicked into full effect.  All across america there are tons of Marathons, Half-Marathons and other race events you can participate in.  We decided to do something fun and pull together a listing of Marathon events spanning from Maine to California, Hawaii to Alaska and all the in betweens.  For the laughaul trucker driving from Maine to San Diego California it takes approximately 3,327 Miles.  We have pulled a combination of Marathons across the US that if you were to run all of them you could literally have run across the whole continuous united states.  Through the course of this Trek you would touch 22 states and it would take you 127 days if you were to run continuously 26.2 miles every day of the week.  Starting this weekend May 14th it would take you until Sept 17th to complete the 3,327 miles. In the Average Marathon there is an attendance of 35,000 participants and doing these 127 races that would equate to a total of 116.5 Million Miles run in these races during the course of the summer.  Adding all that up that is enough mileage to run around the Earth 4700 times.  For all of us runners out there image if we were to run a consistent relay race each person taking a 26.2 Mile leg of the race it would take 950 people to run their own Marathon to complete a full rotation around the Earth over the 2 1/2 years. 

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Can exercise really help you sleep better?

Can it cut down or increase dreams and nightmares?

Statistics show that nearly 74% of americans have problems sleeping and the average adult gets less than 7 hours of sleep a night. A full NREM sleep cycle consists of 5 stages spanning a total of about 90 minutes so for an average person to get the recommended 7.5 hours of sleep they will get 5 full sleep cycles. How does this tie back to exercising? There are several factors or inhibitors that happen during the course of a day that can impact your sleep cycles and even the length of sleep you get each night.

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In a recent study it found that almost 25% of the American population has flat feet, and almost 43 Million American’s suffer from foot problems. For most people that have flat feet or (low arches) it’s extremely hard to exercise on a daily basis, and extremely difficult to run for extended periods of time. There are several ways to combat this with the use of orthotics or insoles for your shoes, but does that alleviate all your issues?

In the course of running for 1 hour you put upwards of 1 million pounds of pressure on your heels, ankles and feet. Orthotics alone are not meant to combat the affects that running can have on your feet, and are intended more to alleviate normal pains during walking and normal daily activity. So what can you do to help reduce the pain, but also be able to exercise and stay healthy?

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The biggest loser competitions in the workplace are becoming a big craze with a lot of companies.  Inspired by events like the biggest loser TV Show and the Nike Plus competitions, but which one is best for you and your company? How easy are they to setup and manage? We have some helpful tips on how to create a competition that is both fun and helps you get in shape.  

There is one question you need to ask yourself before starting these competitions. What are you trying to achieve, losing weight or being in better physical condition?  These are two things people tend to lump together but they aren’t interchangeable.  As many of you know, 65% of your body comes from water weight and an average person can fluctuate 5lbs on a daily basis depending on how much water the drink or don’t drink, so simply going on the number of lbs lost can be deceiving.  Most weight loss competitions can focus around fasting or depriving the body of the nutrients it needs and it can destroy muscle and not necessarily help you lose fat.  That is why on the surface these types of weight loss challenges are ineffective at achieving their ultimate goal, to make their employees healthier, happier and give them more energy. 

What Challenge is the Right Challenge?

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Despite all its benefits, running isn’t without risk. Every year, 36 million people in the United States run, and 40% to 50% of them suffer at least one running injury. It’s not uncommon for a runner to trip and fall, sustaining cuts and scrapes, and sometimes even broken bones. And if you don’t wear the right shoes, you can get some pretty nasty blisters. But the more common running injuries are those that come from running itself.

Your body is like any piece of machinery. The more you use it, the more wear and tear it endures, and that wear sometimes manifests as injuries. The more often and the longer distance you run, the higher the probability you’ll suffer a running injury. You also become more susceptible to running injuries as you age. Even kids suffer running injuries at a rate of about 16,000 per year. In addition, it’s not just outdoor runners who get injured. Running on a treadmill requires just as much care and preparation to avoid running injuries.

This diagram shows some of the most common running injuries, how to treat them, and how to avoid them altogether. If you do suffer a running injury, there are alternative exercises you can do with other fitness accessories while you recover. The most important thing to remember is, if your running injury is serious, don’t hesitate to see a doctor. Better to have it treated immediately than have it become a chronic condition that impairs your running forever.

Running Injuries Infographic:

No one likes to do anything without a good reason. Your doctor or your personal trainer, or even your best friend nagging you to exercise may not be enough motivation to do it. Sure, they make some good points, and common sense tells you that exercise is a good thing. But sometimes we need things broken down so we can really understand why something is good for us.

Was it ever enough for your mom to just tell you that broccoli or spinach (or insert your own yucky vegetable here) was good for you and you should eat it? But maybe if she’d told you it would give your body energy so you could stay up later to play, you might have considered eating it without a fight. So if you need a little extra incentive to get onto the elliptical and not just use it as a clothes hanger, these six reasons may help get you going.
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It’s that time of year again. The holidays are over, you’re getting caught up, maybe trying to stick to new year’s resolutions, and then it happens—you get sick. Chances are, there’s already something going around the office, or your kids have brought some sort of virus home from school. Just when you were about to get serious about getting in shape, too! Well, guess now you just have to wait it out, and put off exercising a while longer. Nice try. Get those running shoes on and fire up that treadmill because you may still be able to exercise while you’re sick.

Around this time of year, the most common thing going around is a cold. Just about everywhere you go, everyone’s sniffling and sneezing. Flu season is technically over, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be a straggler or two. Also, those minor illnesses can sometimes lead to more serious issues. Scaling back your exercise regimen may be difficult, especially if you’re in the middle of a program, like training for a marathon. But pushing yourself can make things worse, and possibly cause you to miss the marathon altogether. So let’s take a look at when it’s ok to continue your exercise regimen and when you should take it easy.
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