Fitness
Elliptical vs Treadmill
Walk into almost any gym or specialty fitness retailer and you will be confronted with row after row of treadmills and ellipticals. Although these machines are both classified as “cardiovascular equipment,” both have individual qualities that will suit some exercisers better than others. There’s a lot to consider when you’re faced with an “elliptical vs treadmill” scenario. […]
Nutrition
What To Eat Before A 5K Race
A 5K race (3.1 miles) is a great distance for beginning racers, as well as for more experienced runners looking to warm-up for the season. To give yourself every pre-race advantage, it’s important to consider what you put into your body. As you’ve heard countless times before, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. […]
Fitness
Interval workout basics
Interval training is one of the most effective ways to get fitter and burn more calories. The concept is simple and works for any piece of home fitness equipment. Constantly varying the intensity and anticipating your next recovery or push makes these workouts fly by. Increasing post workout demands for recovery, burns calories even after […]
Fitness
Ask an expert: How often should I replace my running shoes?
I’m a relatively new runner (I only run about 10 miles per week). How often should I be changing out my running shoes? -Jared Welcome to the wonderful world of running! Ten miles per week is a great running regimen and at that rate, the average running shoe will last about 40-50 weeks or close […]
Fitness
Get More From Your Heart Rate Monitor
After running shoes and an MP3 player, a heart rate monitor is usually the first piece of equipment runners add to their workouts. If you aren’t using one now, you’ve most likely at least played with them in the past, calculating whether you’re working too hard or not hard enough, estimating your total calories burned, […]
Fitness
Choosing the right fitness equipment
Choosing the right piece of home fitness equipment—whether that’s a treadmill, elliptical, or exercise bike—depends on what you wish to accomplish from your home training sessions. As you set up your training plan, here are a few things you might want to consider: Treadmill: Providing a natural workout (as simple as heading out for a walk!), […]
Fitness
Ask an expert: Healthy roadtrip snacks
I’m going to be traveling a lot with the family this summer. What are some healthy foods and snacks I can pack during our family road trips? – Jennifer Whether it’s an afternoon at the beach or the All-American Road Trip, there’s nothing better than hitting the road for some summertime fun. While enjoying the local […]
Fitness
Ask an expert: Best running surfaces
I typically run on the sidewalks around my neighborhood – is this bad for my joints? Is there any benefit to switching it up and running on different surfaces like the road, grass, loose gravel, etc.? -Sarah Running on a variety of surfaces is a great way to mix up your routine, boost your motivation and […]
Wellness
Exercising safely in the heat
The summer season comes with longer days and more frequent outdoor exercise activity which means whether you’re riding your bike with the family or training for a half marathon, it is wise to understand how the heat and humidity affects your body. Let’s take a look at the signs and symptoms of heat illness and […]
Fitness
Ask an expert: Workout nutrition
It never fails, halfway through my workout I end up lacking energy. I know I should have protein immediately following my workouts, but do you have any advice on what I should be doing and eating before my workouts to sustain my energy? –Alec Your awareness during your workouts is a great first step in […]
Fitness
Rest stop fitness: Easy workouts while traveling
Travel is a mainstay in my personal and professional life so if I want to practice what I preach, I have to find creative ways to get in exercise when I’m on the road. I’ll admit, at first, it seemed overwhelming because I wasn’t able to duplicate my home routine. The secret to my on […]
Fitness
The Importance of Rest and Active Recovery Days
When you’re committed to your training program, taking a rest or active recovery day can be even harder than sticking to your workouts. Figuring that more is better, many of us churn out workout after daily workout, only to be sidelined with an injury or mental fatigue that won’t let us make it off the couch. […]
Fitness
Ask an expert: Best morning and evening exercises
Are there any good exercises to do right before bed to wind down the day or right when I get out of bed in the morning to get my day started? –Samantha When thinking about exercise before bedtime and as you start your day, it’s wise to focus on the purpose and how it will affect […]
Fitness
From zero to running
Whether you’re new to the running scene or recently fell off the wagon, training to run can be easier than you may think. Sure, if you go at it the way I did when I didn’t know any better (too far, too fast) it won’t be easy, but if you ignore what your head is […]
Fitness
New Year's Resolutions That Stick
While New Year’s resolutions frequently get a bad rap, forming one (or more) is a great way to start making healthy changes or to keep things moving in the right direction. Statistics citing that nearly half of all resolutions fail within six months are frequently thrown around to demonstrate the hopelessness of such a venture, […]
Fitness
Healthy Holiday Tips That Won't Leave You Feeling Deprived
Finding balance between your commitment to staying fit and well, reality, is tough and it only gets tougher in the holiday season. Close quarters and cold weather challenge our immune systems and unrestricted family time presents its own challenges to our mental health, not to mention the dinner table and the threat it poses to […]
Fitness
Keep Moving through the Holidays
From full schedules to abundant tables, the holidays make it more important than ever to make the time to take care of yourself and your body. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to fit in your workout when the days grow short and the weather turns cold. With your investment in home fitness equipment, you already know […]
Fitness
Strength training for the endurance athlete
Runners run, cyclists cycle and swimmers swim. For the most part that’s just how it is: endurance athletes sticking close to their sport of choice, with very few venturing into the forbidden realm of strength training. In fact, if you talk to many athletes and avid exercisers, the two forms of training appear to be […]
Nutrition
Should you go gluten-free?
The health food industry seems to operate in waves. Every so often a different food or substance is vilified. Suddenly, it becomes a badge of honor for foods to be labeled as free of it. Once it was fat, then carbs became the target. Right now, gluten seems to be the thing to avoid. A […]
Fitness
Have they found the perfect interval formula?
In the fitness world, buzzwords come and go almost monthly. One that seems to have some real staying power, though, is high intensity interval training, or HIIT. Although it’s not really a new idea, HIIT has really gained ground in the past few years with the rise of standardized forms like Tabata and the Little […]
Wellness
How exercise adds up
You’ve probably heard the American Heart Association’s recommendations countless times: Maintain a moderate intensity for 30 minutes, 5 days per week. For years, this has been the standard amount of exercise promised to help keep your heart healthy and your weight down. And at first, 30 minutes every day of the week may sound easy […]
Wellness
The many factors that affect caloric expenditure
It’s practically impossible to talk about exercise without the topic of “calories” somehow coming up. Whether you’re trying to lose weight by burning off excess calories or just trying to fuel your activity by making sure you eat enough, being able to accurately track your caloric expenditure can be a powerful tool. Frustratingly, though, there […]
Fitness
The Skinny on BMI
BMI, or Body Mass Index, is once again receiving some attention questioning its usefulness as an indicator of health. A recent article in Time magazine points out what athletes have known for years, that if you work out regularly, it’s easy to tip the scales into the overweight category according to BMI, even for very […]
Wellness
Supplement reviews: Garcina cambogia
Losing weight is hard. It’s no wonder, then, that people are constantly searching for a new food, workout or supplement that can give some real, practical assistance when it comes to dropping a few pounds. When a supplement does show some promise, it’s not unusual for it to skyrocket in popularity, especially when it receives […]
Fitness
Exercise and Stress Levels
Behavioral Scientists and Medical Doctors seem to disagree on many issues. However, there is one subject they are in agreement over: Exercise can help reduce stress and anxiety. According to many experts, stress is one of the major contributing factors to how one ages, and ultimately one’s lifespan. The good news is that exercise can […]
Fitness
Fitness Equipment Safety Tips
Vision Fitness is a company that strives to make products that are safe to use. See below for a list of guidelines that can help you use your cardio equipment safely. Remember you can always refer to your Owner’s Manual for specifications. Treadmills Safety Key – The safety key is a red (or rarely black) […]
Wellness
Are you at the mercy of your genes?
We are, in many ways, subject to the genes we were born with. In the fitness world especially we tend to think of our genetics as limiting factors, either for the good or bad. When we struggle with specific trouble spots, we blame genetics. Conversely, when someone has little-to-no difficulty gaining muscle or excels at […]
Fitness
Fitness Nutrition: Eating Right for Your Best Workout
It’s no secret that what you eat highly affects the quality of your home workouts. Without the right fuel, you lose performance and motivation, making you sluggish. Need help planning your nutrition strategy? Here are a few common nutritional challenges and a little advice on how to make them work for you. Challenge 1: You’re […]
Fitness
Marathon training with hormonal imbalances
Ask Coach Jenny Q: I just finished my fifth marathon last Sunday and my time was horrible. I’m a 41-year old female with a career and two beautiful active boys. I had breast cancer almost fifteen years ago and had chemotherapy and a mastectomy. I am very active competing in triathlons and running events. I […]
Nutrition
The fat-free fallacy
Imagine yourself in this familiar situation: You’re at the store considering two similar foods options. They’re roughly the same product, except one boasts “no fat” and maybe even “high fiber.” You’re trying to eat healthy so you opt for the second choice, avoiding the fat. Sometimes these products are even labeled as the “smart” or […]
Fitness
Fitness Equipment Power Requirements and Electrical Guidelines
When you are thinking about purchasing fitness equipment, you should also think about the location you’ll put it in as well as power requirements. As always, you can check your owner’s manual for specific requirements. Please note that, like a refrigerator and other large electrical appliances, treadmills, large ellipticals and suspension trainers are electrical devices […]
Fitness
Color, muddy, obstacle and more: The themed race trend
Running a race used to be a straightforward endeavor. You trained, set a goal, showed up to the event, put on your running shoes, and ran as fast as you could to reach the finish line to meet your goal. But nowadays a new crop of races is taking the running industry by storm: themed […]
Fitness
Why Running is Good for Your Health
The jury still seems to be out on whether running is really good for you, but I’m here to make the case that it is. With a well-balanced workout plan, running can provide tremendous health and emotional benefits for years (and years) to come. Improve Cardio Health Running is a fantastic way to improve your […]
Wellness
Finding silver linings in life and appreciating what we have
Recently, Linda, a woman in my water exercise class for cancer patients, told me that she was scheduled for a major surgery. To stave off her fear and in anticipation of the unknown, she made a list of everything she is grateful for and all that is good in her life. That is something, I […]
Fitness
Overtraining Symptoms, Causes and Recovery
Have you ever set a goal, created what seemed like a great plan and then proceeded not only to follow that plan but to do even more? Chances are you were highly motivated and wanted to cross the finish line in the least amount of time possible. Suddenly, you hit a road block, you burned […]
Fitness
Fitness Equipment and Location, Location, Location!
I’m sure we are all somewhat familiar with that chant. They say it’s all about the location! When it comes to fitness equipment, location is also very important. Not necessarily which room will the equipment look best in, but which room is best for the product itself. Put it in a place that you like […]
Nutrition
Could intermittent fasting work for you?
How often do you eat? If you’re like most fitness enthusiasts, you probably go beyond the three traditional meals and have five or even six small meals every day. And for years, this has been the prevailing wisdom. The driving force behind this approach is the idea that doing so will boost your metabolism and […]
Fitness
Tips for a Safe and Fun 4th of July
Independence Day is easily one of the best holidays of the year. The 4th of July means honoring the founding of our country (awesome), no presents to buy (sweet), summer weather (finally) and food and drinks galore (YUM!). However, just as with the winter holidays, it can be too easy to over indulge and find […]
Fitness
Interval Training on Elegant and Touch Treadmill Consoles
Looking to improve your race times, increase your running speeds, burn more calories in less time or simply break up the monotony of your regular or steady pace treadmill workouts? Try the Interval program on a Vision Fitness treadmill equipped with the Elegant or Touch console. The treadmill Interval program included on these consoles is […]
Wellness
The perks of workout buddies
It wasn’t until she was 60 that Ginny Hlavenka, of Holmdel, NJ, got in shape. “I never thought exercise was for me. I found it boring and could never stick with it for more than a few weeks at a time.” Until her friend invited her to tag along at a water aerobics class. “The […]