Shiloh, IL Fitness Showcase store closing-! Special Prices until June 30!

Come to our Shiloh store, where you will find tons of specials & deals on True, Life, Inspire, Helix, Water Rower, & Cybex fitness equipment! We will be closing the doors at this store on June 30^th, so make sure to come in & take advantage of our special pricing! If you have any questions be sure to call us at 618-206-2399.

Spring in to Fitness With Best Buys From True Fitness at Fitness Showcase

True Fitness products have been recognized by the Treadmill Doctor as the “best buy” & Fitness Showcase is the only True Fitness Dealer in St. Louis & Springfield. We are proud to sell their award winning equipment!

We have deals running on many True Fitness products, such as the True PS 100 treadmill which was the winner in its price range for Best Buy treadmill, as was the ES900 Elliptical! Check out our specials in store or on our website!

Chocolate Chip Cookies with Avocado, No Butter

If you’ve been on Pinterest you’ve probably seen some tantalizing pictures of recipes made with impossibly healthy ingredients. Can it be true? Do those recipes taste as good as they look? Our team wanted to find out, so we tested out a recipe for chocolate chip cookies that has NO BUTTER. The secret ingredient: the buttery and delicious super-food, avocado. A big thanks to Natalie over at Deconstructing the Home for the recipe.

I Instagrammed the entire process and as a notoriously horrible baker, I’m proud to say I only made one mistake. While they didn’t look as beautiful as the one’s from Natalie’s blog, they definitely passed the taste test. 

The recipe calls for ½ cup, or roughly one, avocado. I managed to buy a giant one, so I used about 2/3 and saved the rest for a delicious snack the next day. Isn’t she a beauty? 

Using a hand mixer, I mixed the avocado until it was just slightly lumpy and followed that with the sugar. The recipe calls for Splenda as a sugar free option, but I prefer to choose natural ingredients over processed foods any time I can (even if that means a few more calories.)

Next came the egg and vanilla, which I also mixed until smooth.

I mixed up my remaining dry ingredients (baking soda*, whole wheat flour and salt) in a separate bowl and slowly added to my lovely green mush.

*Welcome to my mistake. It turns out I only had baking powder on hand, not baking soda. These ingredients help the cookies rise, so I took to the internet to find out if I could substitute. The general consensus online was to use about twice the amount of baking powder than the recipe called for in baking soda. Two teaspoons it was. My cookies tasted delicious, but you’ll see very soon that they didn’t come out very pretty. Please be smarter than me and check all your ingredients before beginning. 

A good portion of chocolate chips came next to finish off the recipe! Note: The recipe calls for 1 cup chocolate chips, which made the cookies very yummy, but you can definitely get away with less. I would recommend 2/3 cup to cut the calories a bit, but still get chocolaty goodness in every cookie. 

Onto a lightly greased baking sheet and into the oven for 15 minutes. 

The finished product. Like I said, not the prettiest, but they were still a hit at home and at Life Fitness headquarters.

Have you ever used avocado in an unexpected way? Comment and tell us!

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies with Avocado

Ingredients:
½ Cup avocado (approximately one avocado)
¾ Cup Splenda (or your favorite sweetener)
1 Egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 Cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 Cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or unsweetened to remove all sugar)
½ Cup chopped pecans (optional)
Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 290 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.

2. Remove avocado from skin and place in mixer. Mix on medium until slightly lumpy. Add Splenda and mix on high until smooth. Add egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

3. In small bowl mix together baking soda, flour, and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients. Mix on medium until well combined. Add chocolate chips and pecans and mix till evenly combined.

4. Scoop one tablespoon of dough per cookie and place on cookie sheet one inch apart. If you want flatter cookies you can use the back of a spoon to flatten them out. Bake for 15-18 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.

Dig in!
Makes 24 cookies!

Brought to you by LifeFitness

Corrective Exercise and the Fight Against Inactivity

The technology revolution is not the only force impacting the future of fitness. There is another factor contributing to the changing needs of exercisers: evolution.  Our bodies have been changing since the dawn of human kind. The athletic, hunter-gatherer-nomadic lifestyle has given way over time to a more sedentary and unregulated life for most. A life comprised of largely unilateral movements. The effects of our current day-to-day activity (or lack thereof) have shaped the growing fitness trend known as corrective exercise and postural training.

Corrective exercise techniques can be utilized to help relieve pain and some even claim it can reverse improper posture. 

While corrective exercise is an area of training with many different philosophies, the foundation for these techniques is built around four core methods: massage, stretching, muscle strengthening and deep breathing.

Massage is a treatment meant to relax muscles and restore elasticity to the tissues. Posture-specific massage focuses on small knots and tension points that develop in a muscle when it is overloaded or has suffered trauma, causing joint pain, decreased range of motion, and even chronic stiffness. Combined with corrective exercise, massage techniques, such as foam roller, trigger point therapy and deep tissue work, can release adhesions have been shown to improve posture and enhance mobility .

Stretching is used to impart suppleness to our muscles. Advanced stretching techniques, like Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation, are often performed with the aid of a corrective exercise specialist. Among the most effective methods for postural stretching, the Mézières method combines numerous muscle groups and promotes better total body posture.

Deep breathing exercises, particularly diaphragmatic breaths, can be incorporated into stretching and massage programs to augment their effectiveness. Expanding and contracting your diaphragm facilitates the simple benefit of stretching your chest muscles and some studies have shown even more comp lex effects like alleviating panic disorders and digestive diseases.

Strengthening your muscles can also help improve your posture, especially when you focus on your core. Use equipment designed to intentionally throw off your balance, like a Bosu ball, to tighten up your core, which will strengthen and lengthen your spine.

These core methods just touch the surface of corrective exercise and there is much debate around what methods are effective. We want to hear from you. What are your experiences with corrective exercise?

Brought to you by LifeFitness

Guide to Common Running Injuries

As a runner, I’m not a stranger to some aches, pains and even injuries now and then. If you’re experiencing the same or are a new runner looking for tips, check out this Guide to Common Running Injuries from the team over at Up & Running. The great part is it's interactive.

Brrought to you by LifeFitness

Fit Tip: Working Out While Under the Weather

Flu season is on its way to becoming an epidemic in the U.S. and while a flu shot is preventative, it won’t always help you escape a winter cold.  While your dedication to hit the gym every day is admirable, there are some symptoms of sickness that should make you think twice. Please use common sense.  If your symptoms are severe, skip the exercise and see your doctor.  Otherwise, follow these guidelines to decide when you’d be better off staying at home, getting rest and keeping your germs to yourself.

Do a neck check. You can exercise while sick if your symptoms are all above the neck, like a runny nose, a sore throat, nasal congestion and tearing eyes. Of course, you should always listen to your body and take the intensity of your workout down a bit if your regular pace feels too strenuous.  

If it’s below, don’t go. If you have any symptoms below the neck, such as body aches, chills, coughing, fatigue, stomach problems or diarrhea, it’s advised to take it easy until you're feeling better. And if you're running a fever, no matter where your symptoms are, put off exercising until your temperature returns to normal.

Follow common courtesy. Just as no one likes gym goers who sweat on equipment and don’t clean the machines, you won’t make any friends having a nonstop sneezing or coughing spell. If you suspect you’re contagious, follow common courtesy and stay home. If you do go while under the weather, use hand sanitizer and wipe down all machines after use.

Listen to your body. When suffering from congestion or low energy, exercise often helps you feel better. Know your limits and take the intensity down a notch. A brisk walk can sometimes unclog the sinuses better than an afternoon on the couch. Gentle exercise will rev up circulation and counteract that sluggish, rundown feeling. Exercising while sick is a personal decision and you’re the best judge of what your body can handle.

To avoid getting sick remember to keep up a healthy lifestyle without running yourself down. Take time to relax, get seven hours of sleep, drink plenty of water, eat healthy and wash your hands—a lot.

Brought to you by LifeFitness

Fit Tip: Seven Habits of Highly Fit People

You’ve heard it before: If you want to be successful, study the habits of the experts. To get in shape, pay attention to the routines of highly fit people like personal trainers. Many of their secrets are very straightforward habits that anyone could adapt into their own life. 

1. Live by the 90/10 rule. 90 percent of the time, focus on maintaining healthy habits and allow indulgences only 10 percent of the time. It’s not what you do once in a while that counts; it’s what you do most often.

2. Aim for an hour a day but never miss more than two days in a row of exercise. Follow the two-day rule. Something may come up that makes you miss exercise on a particular day, but don’t let it happen more than two days in a row. Commit to never letting more than two days pass you by without exercise.

3. Find a substitute for weaknesses. With a simple Google search you can find healthier options for the most tempting treat. For example, if you love ice cream, try Greek yogurt with fresh berries and walnuts instead. Or if you love salty chips, try some homemade popcorn for a healthier substitute. It’s okay to enjoy temptations here and there, just not daily.

4. Use monitoring tools. Determine what monitoring tools you want to use to track steps taken, calories burned, heart rate zones and workouts. With all the different high-tech tools available in today’s market, it’s never been easier to keep track, pin-point strengths and weaknesses and monitor progress.

5. Cross train. Unless you are preparing for an upcoming competition or race, train for overall health and include cardio, strength and flexibility in your routine.  Don’t get stuck in a rut of steady state cardio.  Add in intervals, hills and speed to challenge the heart.  Work muscles with functional strength training at least twice a week.  Also consider taking a yoga class or make a habit of stretching.

6. Be prepared.  It takes planning, but travel with healthy snacks and always have water on hand. Set the refrigerator up on Sundays for a week of healthy choices. Extreme hunger is the enemy of making bad choices and overeating so have healthy snacks like nuts, apples, carrots or homemade granola bars at the ready for when hunger strikes. Also, don’t go anywhere without water. You should be drinking it all day long.

7. Check your attitude. If thoughts are positive, actions are more likely to be positive too. Stop negative thoughts in their tracks and focus on small wins and progress. 

 

Via LifeFitness

 

Fit Tip: Track Your Health for Better Results

Documenting diet and exercise can go a long way in helping you stick to a fitness regimen. Whether you use pen and paper or a smartphone, documenting your health and fitness routines is an essential part of getting and staying fit. Use these tips from  to stay on track, even during the holiday season.

Log your exercise. You can use a monthly calendar or go high tech with tools like theLife Fitness LFconnect site. The site and mobile app allow exercisers to create and track their workouts and view progress over time. Remember to record both your cardio and strength training routines for a full picture.

Keep a food journal. You can go online and track what you eat through sites like MyFitnessPal and apps like Lose It!, or keep a notebook and write down what you eat every day. Keeping a food journal makes you more aware of what you are putting in your mouth, because you know you have to write it down later. Use your food journal to see how you are doing. Are you eating five servings of fruits and veggies most days? Are you eating too much at certain times of the day? Understanding your problem areas is essential to improvement. 

Track triggers. Be your own support system. Write down times or days when you have trouble eating healthy and see if you can identify any patterns. When do you stress eat? Keep a log of what triggers you. Eventually you can predict when you might emotionally eat and arm yourself with other choices.

Follow your vitals. Keep a list of health stats from doctor appointments and see if you can improve those as well. Weight is the easiest and most visible, but doesn’t give a full picture of your health. For example, you can take note of your HDL (good) and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, blood pressure and blood glucose to get a better understanding of your health over time.

People who track their diet and fitness have more success than those who don’t. Documenting helps you visualize the change you are creating in your life, so get tracking.

This Fit Tip was brought to you by Life Fitness 

TRUE Fitness and Fitness Showcasae

TRUE Fitness is one of the most respected global fitness companies in the world, delivering unsurpassed quality, durability, and performance since 1981. Over the years, TRUE's innovative and award-winning products have solidified its reputation as an industry leader. TRUE markets premium cardio fitness equipment in more than 70 countries through a worldwide network of more than 500 dealers and distributors.

You can find it in our online store here.

Fit Tip: Winterize Your Workout

It’s easy to see why people enjoy working out alfresco, whether you are challenging your friends to a pick-up game of volleyball at the beach, testing the strength of a carabiner on the side of a cliff, or jogging with your dog. But, there will undoubtedly be at least a few days this winter season when Jack Frost’s arctic temperature or dangerous, icy terrain will force even the most stalwart outdoor exercise enthusiast inside. That’s no reason to hibernate. Beat the winter blues (and blahs) with these brrrrrilliant tips from Life Fitness.

Bring the Outside In:  Many of your outdoor workouts can be tweaked to function inside. Try transitioning from outdoor boot camp to circuit training on the Cable Motion Dual Adjustable Pulley machine. Take advantage of Lifescape interactive courses, which will transport you to exotic locales across the globe and are available on Life Fitness Elevation Series Treadmills, Cross Trainers, and bikes.

Make a “hot” new playlist: Few things can shake up an otherwise dull workout like some new music. Harness the transformative powers of music by stocking your list with tracks that evoke warm weather and summertime celebrations. Need some inspiration? Start with Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer”, Buster Poindexter’s “Hot! Hot! Hot!”, and the ubiquitous summer 2012 anthem, “Call Me Maybe”.

Try a new class: Winter is the perfect opportunity to try out a new class and a new way to work out your body.  Group fitness or small group personal training also helps motivate you to show up for the camaraderie, the fun, and the benefits that accompany working out with a pro.  Plus, you may meet some workout buddies to help you greet the spring thaw.

Get in the zone: If you are used to high intensity, strenuous outdoor workouts, you may think it’s impossible to achieve similar results inside.  Try preprogrammed cardio machine workouts that simulate hills and/or intervals and customize the settings to push you both aerobically and anaerobically.  Don’t forget to use a Heart Rate Monitor; keeping track of your zones will ensure you are working hard enough but not overdoing it. 

This Fit-Tip was brought to you by Life Fitness

10 Ways to Burn 100 Calories

Anything that gets you up and moving is good for your health, so try incorporating some of these 10 ways to burn 100 calories into your daily routine.

1. Vacuuming: 25 minutes
Use good posture and stand tall instead of bent over to engage your tummy muscles. Alternate arms on the push and pulling of the movement. 

Focus: Arms

2. Walking: 15 minutes
Along with the calorie burn, taking a brisk walk 2-3 times a day can also help lower stress levels. Be sure to push off your big toe and take larger strides while swinging your arms.
Focus:  Legs

3. Gardening: 15 minutes
Bending, standing, pulling weeds and digging in the dirt is a great total body workout. Remember to use a knee pad while kneeling and avoid being bent over from the waistline to steer clear of back pain. 
Focus: Total Body

4. Biking (10 mph on a flat surface): 40 minutes
Because you're not bearing weight in your legs, you'll burn less calories riding a bike than walking. However, the time can really fly by on a bike outdoors and you might even use it to head to and from work or the grocery store to incorporate its benefits into your week.
Focus: Lower Body

5. Swimming: 15 minutes
Swimming is great for the joints and can produce great toning effects.  Alternate strokes to change muscles group every five laps. 
Focus: Total Body

6. Stairs: 20 minutes
You'll find that stair climbing can boost your cardiovascular conditioning faster than going out for a run. Remember to use your arms on the hand rails to pull your body up instead of just pushing up from each stair. Going down is more challenging on the joints, so try side stepping. 
Focus: Legs and Hearth

7. Pushing the stroller: 20 minutes
Take the baby out not only for the calorie burn, but for fresh air as well. Focus on lightly holding onto the stroller with a firm grip and standing upright.
Focus: Lower body

8. Dancing: 20 minutes
Dancing has taken center stage with the celebrity competitions and classes like Zumba and Jazzercise, but you don’t have to be at the gym or on a reality show to benefit from dancing. Just put on some music and let your body start moving.
Focus: Total Body

9. Volleyball: 12 minutes
Volleyball is a fun, outdoor activity that can burn calories too. Play in the sand and burn a few extra calories!
Focus: Arms

10. Kissing: 90 minutes
While kissing may improve your love life, it won't burn calories as much as other activities you can do. But it's at least nice to know you can still burn a few while igniting your life.

Focus: Relationship

This fit-tip was brought to you by Life Fitness

TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE

TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE

Most sports fans can rattle off the names and recent successes of their favorite athletes without giving it much thought, so why not use them as fitness inspiration?

If you want to take your workouts up a notch, follow these tips from Life Fitness to train like a pro.

Be committed. Make exercise a part of your everyday life, instead of just temporary activity. Athletes are always thinking about how to improve their performance and stay committed to reaching new goals. Start by being committed enough to work out even on those days even when you don't feel like it.

Do drills. You can improve your fitness with conditioning drills that pro's use:

• Take it to the court and try 20 minutes of hoop shots, inspired by basketball
• Find the punching bag in your gym and do three sets of 30 jabs, inspired by boxing
• Head outdoors and try three sets of 30 quick high knees, inspired by football
• Try out three sets of 15 diagonal lunge hops, inspired by speed skating

Do intervals. Intervals are one of the quickest ways to lose fat and annihilate your competition. In their simplest form, intervals are short bursts of high-intensity exercise separated by periods of lower intensity effort.

Intervals activate the metabolic systems in the body and improve athletic performance while sizzling off body fat.

Regularly update your goals. Set a specific goal and put all of your focus on that one goal until you achieve it; then set a new goal and work toward it. Athletes often push themselves to continually up their game by meeting and setting new goals.

Watch any top athlete compete and you will be inspired by their superb coordination, quick reflexes and sculpted body. Bring out your inner athlete and ramp up your workouts. Game on!

 This Fit Tip was provided by Life Fitness July 16th, 2012

Get Toned Arms by Summer!

Begin with a warm-up of 5–10 minutes of low to medium intensity cardio. Then, kick it up a notch and start the workout with 5 minutes of medium to high intensity cardio. Immediately following the cardio, jump right in to the strength exercises below. Repeat the cardio and strength for a total of 3 times.

Try out this Upper Body Blast to get toned arms by summer!

To keep an elevated heart rate for the entire duration of the workout, rest should be as minimal as possible when transitioning from cardio to strength.

This workout should take roughly 30 minutes, but don’t forget to take the time for the 5 minute cool down at the end.

 Upper Body Blast

Warm Up

5 – 10 minutes of low to medium intensity cardio

Cardio

5 minutes of medium to high intensity cardio

Strength