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NordicTrack is a Lifesaver

We received a wonderful letter from one of our valued customers. We truly value each and every one of our customers and want them to get complete satisfaction from their purchases. With this desire to please our customers we also appreciate their feedback.   

Here’s an excerpt from a letter we recently received from our loyal customers, Susie and Todd. 

 “…My wife and I purchased the NordicTrack Viewpoint 3000 treadmill several years ago when we moved into our new house. Intent on getting fit, we used this product off and on for several years.  When we moved back to Pennsylvania, our trusty Viewpoint 3000 made the trek with us.  We set it up in the garage where the entire family could make use of it.  This week, the Viewpoint 3000 may have met its untimely demise, but in doing so, potentially saved us from a catastrophic and fatal accident. 

You see, the Viewpoint 3000 was parked along the outside wall in our garage—the same wall that a van came barreling into after losing control on our neighborhood road.  While the van did penetrate the perimeter of the house, it made contact with the treadmill shooting it halfway across the garage.  I think this helped to slow the van down enough to halt its progression completely through the garage and into the house where my wife, two of my children and I were at the time.  We have not yet been able to determine whether or not the NordicTrack is still functioning, however I don’t think its prognosis is good.  It is covered in debris—wood chunks and drywall dust.  It seemed to get into every nook and cranny of the machine.  Whether or not insurance will replace it, I suppose that waits to be seen.  We’ve told everyone that has come here to look at the damage and see how we feel the NordicTrack saved our lives—in more ways than one.   

I thought I would share this story with you as it may be a tribute to the build quality and strength of the NordicTrack merchandise.  When we look to replace this, we will most definitely be coming back to NordicTrack. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this! 

Sincerely: 

Susie and Todd Miller”

Does your NordicTrack treadmill, elliptical, bike or  classic skier have a story? If so, we’d love to hear it. You can share your story via Facebook or in the comments section below.

New Series: Tasty Tuesdays!

I am proud to introduce our newest blog series, Tasty Tuesdays! Each Tuesday I will post tips and recipes to encourage and teach you to eat healthy. There are many components that make up a healthy life and eating right is one of those. It is incredible what a balanced, healthy diet can do for your mental and physical health.

Today’s recipe is simple, speedy and delicious. I am all about fast, healthy meals. I hope you are too.

Lemon-Thyme Chicken with Sauteed Vegetables

Recipe developed by Anna Berman

Makes: 4 servings

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped garlic, divided

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, divided

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound chicken breast tenders, lightly pounded

4 teaspoons canola oil

1 medium shallot, sliced

1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed

11/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved

2 medium zucchini

1/3 cup crumbled feta

Directions:

1. In a ziplock bag, combine 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 teaspoons garlic, and 2 teaspoons thyme; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Add chicken tenders, seal the bag, and gently turn to coat. Set aside.

2. Heat 2 teaspoons canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot, remaining garlic, edamame, and tomatoes; saute 4 minutes.

3. Use a vegetable peeler to slice zucchini into long ribbons. Add zucchini and remaining lemon juice and thyme to vegetables in skillet; saute 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl, stir in feta, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.

4. Add remaining oil to skillet. Remove chicken from marinade and saute 2 to 3 minutes a side or until cooked through. Serve with vegetables.

Nutrition facts per serving: 327 calories, 28g protein, 16g carbohydrate, 13g fat (3g saturated), 5g fiber

With this new series, we are hoping to get your input. What are some of your favorite healthy recipes? What helps you to maintain a balanced diet?

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How to Recover From a Long-Distance Run

Race season has started! After a long-distance run you need to take the necessary steps to recover and take care of that body. Read on for a few tips:

•Give your bod a break. After being pushed to its limits, your body is in need of some serious rest and relaxation. As soon as you can handle it after your run, try to take an ice bath to help all your sore aches and pains. Getting a massage is a great way to treat your body right too. If you can’t give up running for a few days, when you head out, be sure keep things really easy and light (if you’ve just completed a marathon, you should take a break from running for at least three days to help prevent injury).

•Eat and drink the right things. After a big run or race, it’s crucial to continue with a healthy diet. You need to build your muscles back up with foods that are packed with protein and good, healthy carbs. In addition, as soon as you finish your race — and for a few days after — drink lots of fluids to replenish what you lost during your big race.

•Stretch it out. Having a flexibility routine will aid the recovery of your sore joints and muscles. If you love yoga, no need to run out for a strenuous vinyasa class, but maybe check out some yin or restorative yoga sessions that you normally don’t make it to.

•Sleep it off. If you rest now, you’ll feel better later. Remember: you just ran a huge race! You’re going to experience some serious fatigue after pushing your body’s boundaries. Be sure to take it easy and get lots of rest.

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A Happy Heart Really is a Healthy Heart

A new paper by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) suggests that positive psychological well-being may reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other adverse cardiovascular events.

Many previous studies have shown that negative mental states, like depression, anger and hostility, can be harmful to heart health. But the new report — an analysis of studies from the last 15 years — is the first large, systematic review of data on positive mood and cardiovascular outcomes.

Not suffering from depression is not the same as having a high level of optimism, note the authors of the study, published Tuesday in the journal Psychological Bulletin. “Even if a person doesn’t have depression or anxiety, that only puts them at a neutral point,” says study author Julia Boehm, a research fellow in the department of society, human development and health at HSPH. “That doesn’t mean they have happiness and optimism.”

After reviewing more than 200 studies published in two scientific databases, PubMed and PsycINFO, the authors found that optimism, life satisfaction and happiness were associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease and its progression. “For example, the most optimistic individuals had an approximately 50% reduced risk of experiencing an initial cardiovascular event compared to their less optimistic peers,” Boehm said in a statement.

The association remained true regardless of factors like age, socioeconomic status, smoking and body weight. “Even if a person is overweight, smokes a lot and has high cholesterol, they can still benefit from positive emotions. It is something unique about well-being itself,” says Boehm.

Why exactly positivity may benefit the heart isn’t clear, but the researchers suggest that optimistic people may be more motivated to treat their bodies well. “Having a purpose in life motivates people and gets them thinking about the future and how they can structure their lives. They want to get out and do things. They are not sitting at home watching TV,” says Boehm.

“We found that if you have a positive disposition you’re more likely to exercise, eat well and get enough sleep at night. This can have positive biological effects in terms of inflammation, cholesterol, blood pressure and lipids,” says Boehm. “Engaging in healthier behaviors can lead to healthier bodily functions.”

If further research supports the current findings, the authors hope it will allow for improved heart-disease prevention and treatment methods. “We are finding that bolstering psychological strength might be a useful target for future intervention. We don’t just want to fix what is wrong with someone, but we want to improve their overall well-being.”

“I think we can identify people who are socially isolated and pessimistic and find a role for cognitive therapy,” says Dr. Nieca Goldberg, an American Heart Association spokesperson and director of the Joan H. Tisch Center for Women’s Health at New York University Medical Center. “When dealing with cardiovascular patients, we often see these negative emotions. Stress management and physical activity can help boost moods.”

For now, the authors recommend people “treat” themselves by focusing on the little things in life that are meaningful to them and make them happy.

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Get Ready to Run the Boston Marathon (2013)

It’s a great day today in Boston—20,000+ runners hit the streets in pursuit of the finish line on Boylston Street. Follow along as our team gives live updates and exclusive photos from the race and finish line via Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. If you feel a twinge of jealousy as you see and hear about the 20,000+ runners enjoying the streets of Boston today, take advantage of this year-long training plan to get you on track and ready for the 2013 Boston Marathon! Come on, you can do it—you have 365 days to get ready. Start today.

This is a plan that will be broken up over 12 months and 4 phases. We understand that everyone will be starting this plan at different fitness and health levels. This is a basic plan that will be fit for a novice runner and can be adapted according to your fitness level.

Phase I (three months):

The most important step is to lace up your running shoes and get outside or jump on your treadmill. When you have done this, you can do the rest. At first, walk for 20 to 30 minutes at a fast pace two to three times per week. During the next two to three weeks, you can begin to jog slowly for one to two minutes, and then walk for one to two minutes. Keep alternating jogging and walking for 20 to 30 minutes. After some training sessions you can increase the jogging-walking intervals to 3 minutes each. The next step will be alternating four minutes of jogging and two minutes of faster walking, and then alternating six minutes of jogging and two minutes of fast walking. This is how you build up your endurance until you can, for example, jog for 30 or 40 minutes without stopping. At all times, keep your pace slow enough so that your breathing remains under control.

Phase II (three months):

You should now jog three to four times per week so that your weekly mileage and your endurance gradually build. Alternate between slightly challenging weeks and easier weeks with less mileage. For example, the longest run of a given week should be ten minutes longer than your previous longest run.

If two to three training weeks have gone well, take a recovery week—train just three times, and just run as you feel to keep fit. Occasional easy weeks like this help you to consolidate your recent endurance gains while you rest before starting another block of training.

Typical Week During Phase II

s = slow pace (your normal jogging pace)

m = medium pace (slightly faster than slow pace)

f = fast pace

s-m or m-f = increase your speed during a single training session. Run the first 25% of the distance slower than average. Then slowly increase your pace, and for 50% of the distance, run your average pace. For the last 25% of the distance, run faster than average.

Be very careful not to go too fast when increasing from one speed level to the next.

Phase III (three months):

The main goal of this phase is getting more endurance and speed. As with in phase 2, if two to three training weeks have gone well, take a recovery week—train just three times, and just run as you feel to keep fit.

See the bottom of the schedule for additional explanations of the various workouts in it.

Typical Week During Phase III

Phase IV (three months):

This phase is about continuing to increase the total weekly mileage. For the last ten weeks of specific marathon training, try to follow the day-by-day plan as closely as possible. (You may switch the Friday and Saturday training sessions if you wish.) From the first to the eighth week, gradually increase your speed; do so especially during the Wednesday and Saturday sessions.

The Last Ten Weeks Before a Marathon

Who wants to run the Boston Marathon next year? Here is a link with the top ten Boston qualifiers. Maybe NordicTrack will do another giveaway to help you get entered to run? Stay tuned and get training!

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