Smooth Fitness Blog

When it comes time for Mother’s Day, coming up with new ways to express your love and appreciation can be tough. While mom is sure to love the sentimental card and bouquet of flowers, why not switch it up this year with a gift that keeps on giving?

At Smooth Fitness, we suggest nixing the Mother’s Day clichés and opting instead to give the gift of health this Sunday. Wherever your own mom lands on the fitness spectrum, she deserves a present that celebrates her life while keeping her happy and healthy at the same time. From cardio machines to fitness accessories, we are sure to have something that will fit your mom’s unique fitness needs here at your #1 internet retailer of home fitness equipment.

For the beginner: If your mom is a fitness newbie, she’ll want to start off easy. An elliptical machine is a great way for anyone to ease into regular cardio workouts, thanks to their low-impact nature and multiple program settings that can be customized depending on fitness level. Check out our Elliptical Trainer Buying Guide to determine which of our Smooth ellipticals might be best for your mom.

You might also want to consider purchasing a heart rate monitor alongside any fitness equipment you buy for a mom who’s just getting started on her personal fitness journey. Using a heart rate monitor will allow her to regulate her performance to ensure she’s pacing herself appropriately, as well as track her progress as she becomes more accustomed to working out on a regular basis.

For the busy bee: Many of our moms have full-time jobs, or their hands are full carting the kids to and from school and soccer practice, paying the bills, volunteering, trying to find time for a personal life, or more likely, a combination of all that and more. For the mom who is constantly on the go, you need a gift that fits easily and conveniently in between the responsibilities of raising a family and the obligations of building a successful career.

Our collection of exercise bikes, including the all-new Smooth Fitness SitNCycle, offers the perfect solution: a cardio workout in a hands-free package that allows your mom to answer her emails, make a phone call, check her kid’s homework, or even catch up on some unheard-of leisurely reading all while staying in shape.

For the fitness junkie: If your mom’s already big into fitness, your task might be a little more difficult. Chances are she’s already found the best treadmill or elliptical for her and is fully equipped with all the fitness accessories she uses on a regular basis. But when it comes to health, there’s always room for improvement!

Since she’s been working out regularly for a while, your mom might need an upgrade to her “best treadmill” without even realizing it. Smooth treadmills come in all shapes and sizes, but an advanced runner needs an advanced machine, so check out the selection to see if your mom could use a sturdier belt or larger variety of programs. And to remind her to take care of herself after a hard workout, throw in a foam roller or exercise mat to help relieve any sore or stiff muscles.

This Mother’s Day, ditch the flowers and baked goods for a gift that will really show your mom how much you care. No matter how you choose to celebrate, the team here at Smooth Fitness wishes all our readers and clients a very happy and healthy Mother’s Day!

Getting stuffed on Turkey day is easy as most of the foods found on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner table are very high in sugars, fats, and carbohydrates. While eating healthy on Turkey day seems impossible, there are some alternatives. These options offer the same great Thanksgiving tastes, but with a few adjustments can allow for a much healthier late November feast.
(more…)

Halloween is a spectacular holiday, but it is full of dense, sugary, creations designed to make you want more. It is ok to step outside your normal health guidelines on this holiday, however it is important to not take your exceptions too far. Staying on track for Halloween will help you stay on track for the rest of the holiday season as well. It is very hard for parents and adults to resist the delicious treats and even harder to limit how much candy your children will eat. We hope to provide you with some helpful tips on how to keep Halloween healthy and fun for everyone.

(more…)

Whether working out from home or exercising at a gym, a multitude of fitness equipment options exist. The elliptical trainer has become one of the most popular forms of exercise for a number of reasons. Elliptical trainers offer a low impact exercise, safe range of motion, and are affordable if you choose to get one for your home. Ellipticals are very versatile machines and enable users to exercise a wide variety of muscles groups. We hope to shed some light on what these groups are and why ellipticals are a great way to tap into these parts of the body.
(more…)

Independence Day is here once again. The weather is beautiful and the summer is off to a fantastic start. There is no better time for getting into shape and staying active! We have outlined some great Fourth of July 10ks, 5ks, marathons, and more. Bring the whole family out for a day of fun or get involved in an exciting solo race event. There is something for everyone this Fourth of July weekend!

(more…)

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.
(more…)

When you’re making your holiday gift list, you might consider giving a treadmill, or some other piece of exercise equipment to the fitness fanatic in your life. But then you may second guess yourself. Is that really a good gift? What if it’s sort of like giving a woman an iron or a vacuum cleaner? Buying a treadmill is a bigger undertaking than just buying someone a book or perfume, so you want to make sure you get it right. Just how do you choose a treadmill for someone? Don’t worry. There are simple ways to answer those questions, and to select the best treadmill so the entire gift-giving experience is a success all the way around.

(more…)

Obesity will soon surpass cigarette smoke as a leading cause of death in the United States, where 30 percent of adults are currently obese. The only answers to this are to eat less junk food, eat more healthy food, and get regular exercise. But as Thanksgiving approaches, it can be very easy to overeat. You shouldn’t deny yourself any holiday treats. That can just set you up for a binge later when you give in to the temptation. The key is to control your portions. A typical Thanksgiving dinner comprised of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, and other traditional foods, and then finished off with a slice of pumpkin pie can add up to more than 1,600 calories. That’s an entire day’s allowance for many people, and it would take more than three hours on a treadmill to burn it all off!

This diagram shows the recommended serving sizes of the most common Thanksgiving foods, average Thanksgiving dinner calories, and the amount of time it would take to counteract them on a treadmill or elliptical trainer. The fact is, most people will eat much more than these standard servings. How much of these Thanksgiving foods do you usually eat?

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.

(more…)

It is holiday time and the average holiday weight gain is claimed to be 5 pounds or more between Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

Is there anything that can be done to prevent holiday weight gain?

The most important thing to avoid holiday weight gain is educating yourself. You must know the impact of the foods you are eating. It is very dangerous to haphazardly eat anything in front of you and if you do, you should expect to gain weight. On the other hand, if you go into the holiday season armed with the knowledge of how many calories are in some of the most popular holiday foods as well as how long it will take to burn off those calories you can work to avoid gaining weight over the winter holidays.

(more…)