Top tip for improving your home workout; Warming Up

January 17th, 2012


Today we wanted to share with you the importance of warming up to ease you into exercise. When you have a treadmill or vibration plate at home it can be really tempting to use them for 10 minutes between feeding the cat, packing the school lunch and running out the door without giving yourself enough time to warm up and cool down. But this can be counter -productive.  Skipping a warm up will mean your body tires more easily in your work out and is the quickest way to a month on the sofa nursing an injury and your home fitness equipment becoming a rather large and expensive clothes hanger.

People who are unfit need to warm up the longest because it’s more of a shock for their muscles. For those new to exercise we suggest slowly warming up your muscles for ten minutes. The fitter you are your body becomes more efficient at responding to exercise so we suggest a three to five minute warm up would be fine for people who exercise regularly.

Warming up increases blood flow to your muscles. The blood delivers vital oxygen and nutrients to keep your muscles working hard when you are exercising so if you are properly warmed up you will be able to exercise for longer. A warm up also, quite literally, warms up your muscles, tendons and ligaments. Tendons connect muscles to bones and ligaments connect bones together. Warmer muscles, tendons and ligaments are more flexible and are therefore less likely to tear.

So just give yourself 3- 15 minutes extra to ease yourself into a workout and your body will reap the rewards.

Motivational Tips

January 12th, 2012
If you are anything like us, you have the dream of trading your post Christmas belly in for a slimmer more attractive model but not quite the will power to make it happen. Well we’ve stumbled across these great motivational tips and really wanted to share them. Just remember it’s never too late to begin and it’s never hopeless, we all just need a little bit of a pep talk now and then to get us started.
This week will focus on getting you started on achieving your goal and each week we will add new motivational tips to keep you focused along the way.
Ready…Set…Go!
Don’t worry you can stay on the sofa for this bit. All you need is a pencil and notepad and an idea of what you want to achieve.
The Goal: You need to come up with a goal that you really, really want to achieve. Not a pipe dream that you would be quite happy to leave under your pillow when you get up in the morning but a solid, important, goal that you feel determined to achieve.  Just pick one goal. Yes we officially give you permission to throw out all the other subsidiary goals like keeping your desk tidy at work. We don’t mind what your boss thinks of you. We are here to make sure you achieve your all consuming, number one, top priority, goal.
Be Specific: Write your goal down in a notepad and think about how you will know if you have achieved it. We at JTX Fitness have a tendency to have vague ambitions that continually change as we get closer to them..a very quick route to feeling very unmotivated.   So if you want to shed a few pounds make sure you are clear how many pounds you want to lose, how much you weigh now and by when.
Make sure your goal is healthy e.g. your target BMI should be between 18.5 and 25 or give yourself adequate time to train for that ultra marathon challenge you have been dreaming about.
Think of a reward: The idea of achieving your number one, top priority, goal should make you feel excited. But along the way you are bound to have a few slumps so we need an additional carrot to keep you going at the half way point. If you have a fitness goal, make sure the reward you chose isn’t counterproductive, like a big slice of chocolate cake. Why not treat yourself to a massage or day at the spa with a friend?
Tell everyone: Well maybe the woman in the queue for the Tesco’s checkout doesn’t need to know your ambition to swim a mile… but make sure you tell your friends and family your goals. Tell them how important they are and how you intend to achieve them. You will need them to give you a good talking to if you fall off the wagon and most importantly not tempt you to go down the pub rather than the gym when you have had such good intentions all day. If she’s willing, get your mum involved, there is nothing like a look from a disappointed parent to focus the mind, no matter how old you are.
Give yourself a daily reminder: Whether that’s a note on the fridge or an alarm on your phone. The quickest way to achieve a goal is by making it part of your life. Try to do something towards your goal for fifteen minutes a day.
Get started: It sounds really simple but getting started is often the hardest thing to do. Start small. Focus on a week at a time and feel good about being a week closer to your ambition than you used to be. Exercise releases endorphins into the body that help fight the winter blues. The more you exercise, the less down in the dumps you will be. Enjoy!

If you are anything like us, you have the dream of trading your post Christmas belly in for a slimmer more attractive model but not quite the will power to make it happen. Well we’ve stumbled across these great motivational tips and really wanted to share them. Just remember it’s never too late to begin and it’s never hopeless, we all just need a little bit of a pep talk now and then to get us started.

This week will focus on getting you started on achieving your goal and each week we will add new motivational tips to keep you focused along the way.

Ready…Set…Go!

Don’t worry you can stay on the sofa for this bit. All you need is a pencil and notepad and an idea of what you want to achieve.

The Goal: You need to come up with a goal that you really, really want to achieve. Not a pipe dream that you would be quite happy to leave under your pillow when you get up in the morning but a solid, important, goal that you feel determined to achieve.  Just pick one goal. Yes we officially give you permission to throw out all the other subsidiary goals like keeping your desk tidy at work. We don’t mind what your boss thinks of you. We are here to make sure you achieve your all consuming, number one, top priority, goal.

Be Specific: Write your goal down in a notepad and think about how you will know if you have achieved it. We at JTX Fitness have a tendency to have vague ambitions that continually change as we get closer to them..a very quick route to feeling very unmotivated.   So if you want to shed a few pounds make sure you are clear how many pounds you want to lose, how much you weigh now and by when.

Keep it healthy : If you want to lose weight your target BMI should be between 18.5 and 25. If you have a fitness goal give yourself adequate time to train for that ultra marathon challenge you have been dreaming about.

Think of a reward: The idea of achieving your number one, top priority, goal should make you feel excited. But along the way you are bound to have a few slumps so you’ll need an additional carrot to keep you going at the half way point. If you have a fitness goal, make sure the reward you chose isn’t counterproductive, like a big slice of chocolate cake. Why not treat yourself to a massage or day at the spa with a friend?

Tell everyone: Well maybe the woman in the queue for the Tesco’s checkout doesn’t need to know your ambition to swim a mile… but make sure you tell your friends and family your goals. Tell them how important they are and how you intend to achieve them. You will need them to give you a good talking to if you fall off the wagon and most importantly not tempt you to go down the pub rather than the gym when you have had such good intentions all day. If she’s willing, get your mum involved, there is nothing like a look from a disappointed parent to focus the mind, no matter how old you are.

Give yourself a daily reminder: Whether that’s a note on the fridge or an alarm on your phone. The quickest way to achieve a goal is by making it part of your life. Try to do something towards your goal for fifteen minutes a day.

Get started: It sounds really simple but getting started is often the hardest thing to do. Start small. Focus on a week at a time and feel good about being a week closer to your ambition than you used to be. Exercise releases endorphins into the body that help fight the winter blues. The more you exercise, the less down in the dumps you will be. Enjoy!

Top 5 UK Marathons

January 11th, 2012

If it was your New Year’s Resolution to run a marathon for the first time, you’ve told all your smirking friends you are doing it, you have spent your Christmas money on a treadmill and you’ve even been out for a January run; do your self a favour and give the extremely hard to get in to London Marathon the cold shoulder. Our list of smaller marathons are, unfortunately, still a gruelling 26 miles and 385 yards long but their locations will help you run with a spring in your step…

  • The Rutland Water Marathon: We just love this marathon which is set in a European Special Protection Area for over 20,000 birds and follows the trails around an a distractingly picturesque reservoir. November 2012.
  • The Duchy Marathon: Take advantage of Cornwall’s stunning sea views in this Redruth marathon with a really friendly atmosphere amongst the runners and hot pasties at the finish. Watch out for the hills though! 4 March 2012
  • The Brighton Marathon: We may be a little biased because we go along to support this marathon every year but we love the huge crowds who turn out to support and the wonderfully flat route along the sea front. 15 April 2012
  • Abingdon Marathon: This is marathon takes in the best of the Oxfordshire countryside whilst running along the Thames. The route is also pretty flat and finishes with a lap around the athletics track. Sunday 21 October 2012
  • The Edinburgh Marathon: With over 16,000 runners taking part, the Edinburgh marathon is fantastic spectacle in the historic streets. You can also enter a relay team with three of your mates, each of you running 6.5 miles – allowing you to achieve your New Years Resolution with a little less sweat . 27 May 2012

Please check all dates with the race organisers. We also recommend you consider our 5 top tips before entering a marathon;

  • Distance from friends and family; you want as many supporters along the route as possible.
  • Breath taking views; we generally find the more distractions on route the better.
  • Route; some routes not only cover the full distance but throw in a few mountains along the way too- cheeky.
  • Distance from your sofa; From our experience you will want to get to your comfy sofa as soon as possible after the event. You will also want to know the route well before the event so don’t give yourself the added hassle of travelling across the country for a look at it.
  • Enough time; We recommend you take at least 5months to train for a marathon (depending on your current fitness). If you enjoy training in the cold and wet, a marathon in spring is absolutely fine. If, like us, you find it easier to motivate yourself in the summer we recommend an autumn marathon.

Competition Winner

January 11th, 2012

Congratulations to Jenny Price for winning the JTX Fitness competition to win a JTX5000 vibration plate. We really hope it gets your 2012 off to a fantastic start. For all those people who didn’t win please do keep an eye on our blog, there are more competitions just round the corner….

Exciting Times at JTX HQ!

December 20th, 2011

Once Christmas has been and gone this year we’ll be moving from our offices in Portslade to a lovely new warehouse and offices in Shoreham Beach.

We’ll be in one place, with an enormous warehouse and nice new offices.

We’ve all loved coming to work in Wellington House, and have made some friends for life; we’re going to miss it a lot. The time has come to move on however, and we’ve outgrown our great little offices.

Our new place has direct sea views, and we imagine we’re going to have trouble keeping out of the blue sea come summertime!

Speaking of which, I think January will see us all putting some serious miles in on the Sprint5, and the fabulous new Sprint7, to work off all that turkey!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year.

The JTX Team

The Benefits of Aero Boxing

November 21st, 2011

Currently, aero boxing has become apparent in the field of fitness and health, predominantly for the reason that more and more sports enthusiasts have been involving themselves in the cardiovascular system of the sport. In a basic sense, the new fitness craze is a type of exercise that combines the techniques of boxing and aerobics in improving the growth of the muscles and keeping the body in shape.

Without a doubt, aero boxing is a challenging and enjoyable physical activity. With its numerous benefits, one will definitely enhance his or her flexibility, and burn as many fat as he or she wants to shed. No matter what an individual’s level of physical fitness is, he or she can still engage in this sport, simply for the reason that aero boxing entails a number of intervals of both aerobic and strength training, which is not a difficult thing for one to do. Furthermore, this is highly essential in helping a person in achieving the weight that he or she desires, and the type of body that he or she wants to have.

With regard to the safety of the activity, one should not have any worries the sport’s exercise routines are all safe and easy to do. Moreover, if you are familiar with shadow boxing, you already have an advantage in this sport. This is, in a great way, similar to shadow boxing, since both sports involve boxing jabs and techniques that do not involve hitting or being hit. When combined with aerobics, shadow boxing instructs one on different types of self-defense moves that could increase his or her cardiovascular capacity, and help him or her lose weight at the same time.

Aside from flexibility and weight loss, aero boxing is also a useful means of increasing one’s body coordination, strength, speed, and stamina. It is also capable of changing one’s muscle tone, and making the body as fit and healthy as possible. With all the benefits of aero boxing, you should not have second thoughts when you get the chance to enroll yourself in a program or take it as a part of your physical education class.

Created by the writing group at Happy Health. Happyhealth.net provides information on med alert reviews and similar wellness products. It is our goal to help customers find information on alert systems and other similar products in this market.

Get Fit and Healthy with a JTX 5000 Vibration Plate

November 13th, 2011

Why You Need to Exercise Daily

October 27th, 2011

Daily exercise is essential for good health. It’s easy to make excuses—today I feel sick, or today I’m so busy—always promising to exercise tomorrow. But the truth is this: our bodies need exercise, and we need exercise every day. Our bodies were created such that we benefit from moving and we atrophy if we spend too much time sitting in front of a computer, sitting in a car, and then sitting on the couch. The following are natural benefits of exercising each day:

Improved Mood

Studies show that just 30 minutes of exercise a day can act like a mild antidepressant. Why is this? Because exercise stimulates the production of dopamine, a “feel-good” chemical that naturally lifts your mood.

Improved Circulation

Wondering why you are having circulation problems? Because you’re not moving enough. You have to get your blood pumping if you want to keep your cardiovascular system functioning optimally.

Improved Heart and Lung Function

Exercise taxes your heart and lungs, which in turn forces them to rebuild muscle stronger and more efficient. If you don’t exercise to the point where your heart and lungs are taxed, you won’t get stronger, but will get weaker, making it harder to take up exercise later.

Improved Flexibility

Stiff muscles, weak core muscles, and poor range of motion are all alleviated by daily exercise, especially if you choose exercise that entails stretching and core exercises. This will help you with your balance, which is increasingly important as you age.

Improved Ability to Handle Stress

Exercise—even mild exercise—is an excellent way to manage stress. When you exercise, your body produces lower levels of cordisol, which is a chemical that is naturally produced when you are stressed out. Cordisol can wreak havoc on your nervous system if produced in high quantities or often enough. By managing your stress through an exercise program, you protect your body from this harmful chemical.

Improved BMI

Daily exercise will help you keep your BMI (body mass index) in check. Not only will you look better and feel better about yourself, but you’ll also be healthier since obesity is linked to a myriad of health complications.

Daily Exercise Solutions

It’s easy to get motivated to go for a bike ride on a perfect 75-degree and sunny day, but what about those days when you feel awful? Or those days when the weather is hideous? The following are good solutions for those “off” days when you just don’t feel motivated:

  • Invest in home exercise equipment so you won’t be limited by weather or travel
  • Invest in home DVDs of exercise you enjoy and find inspiring
  • Meet up with a friend to exercise – you won’t feel so bad or notice the weather as much if you’re talking to a friend
  • Travel to the gym and exercise indoors



Daily Exercise Summary

Whether you choose to walk a couple miles each day or to hop on your home gym equipment, the important thing is you decide to move your body each day. The choice to exercise daily will reap significant rewards. Your body will thank you for it later!

This is a guest post by Erinn Stam who is the Managing Editor for accelerated nursing programs. She attends Wake Technical Community College and is learning about nursing schools in AZ. She lives in Durham, NC with her lovely 4-year-old daughter and exuberant husband.

Keep Your Workout Knee-Friendly

September 13th, 2011

For many people, knee trouble is the first sign that the body isn’t quite as resilient as it once was. Old injuries pop up again and long term problems are not at all uncommon. However, there is a lot that active people can do to take care of their knees.
The most obvious step is to cut high-impact activities like jogging out of your weekly exercise regime. Even the most die-hard runners admit that it’s not easy on the knees, but for most of us there is no need to stopping running altogether. Just switch from road and sidewalk jogging to running on the grass in your local park, and make sure you’ve got a really good pair of shoes.
If you can, get sports footwear fitted by an expert no matter what you’re doing. There is no one perfect pair of shoes for everyone- each of us has different feet, different posture, and a different way of walking and running. The right shoes will not just provide padding to prevent repeated impacts from damaging knee joints. They’ll also keep your feet, ankles, and knees in a harmonious alignment while you work out. That will significantly reduce the chance of both long-term and acute injuries.
Hiking can also be very rough on the knees, but it’s something a lot of active people really enjoy. Again, you don’t necessarily need to stop entirely. In this case the key is to plan the hike carefully so that steep sections are on the way up, not on the way down. Avoid carrying a heavy backpack if at all possible and use trekking poles- they can really ease knee and hip trouble.
Always stretch before exercise, whether it’s running, lifting weights, working out on an exercise machine or playing basketball with the kids. Just a few minutes of gentle lunges and side stretches can prevent sprains, strains, and back injuries, so it’s well worth taking a little extra time, every time.
There are plenty of low-impact exercise options both in the gym and out of it. Take yoga, pilates, and swimming for example. Swimming is one of the very best activities for anyone with joint problems. Your weight is borne by the water, not by your knees, and you can still get a good aerobic workout. For added benefit, pick a swimming pool with a whirlpool or spa area. The gentle massage you get from warm, swirling water has been shown to improve blood flow to the limbs and speed up healing in muscles and joints.

Whatever activities make up your exercise regime, always listen to your knees. If something is causing you pain it’s probably doing damage. Stop, take a rest, and try again later. If there is still discomfort, it might be time to try another activity or take steps to make your workout easier on the knees.

This is a guest post byJess Spate who is a runner with less knee trouble than she had two years ago. She enjoys hiking, camping, surfing, and works for one of the top US outdoor companies. Appalachian Outdoors stock everything an outdoor enthusiast could possibly want, from Life is Good clothing to ice axes for mountaineering.

We’ve Been Busy

August 9th, 2011

We’ve been lucky enough to get some great health and fitness guest posts over the past few months but it has been a while since we posted anything ourselves.

Those of you who are regular visitors to our site won’t have failed to notice we’ve been very busy. Following on from the success we’ve seen from the vibration plates we’ve decided to branch out into other forms of exercise equipment.
We honestly believe in a healthy lifestyle and for those who prefer their exercise a little more energetic we now stock a selection of treadmills and cross trainers alongside our vibration plates. As well as increasing our product range three fold we’ve also been working on some exciting videos to help you get the most from your workout routine and form our machines. All in all it’s been a very busy couple of months at JTX HQ.

The great thing about working out on a cross trainer is that, like the vibration plate it removes almost all impact which in turn will significantly reduce your risk of injury. The cross trainer works by getting your arms and your legs pumping making it a great cardiovascular workout machine and ideal for those looking to lose weight, shape up or even get over an injury.

The treadmill is the single most popular piece of exercise equipment and just like the cross trainer it’s a great cardiovascular machine. Treadmills are softer than running out in the street and therefore offer a softer impact, not to mention you don’t have the danger of trying to avoid either angry pedestrians or drivers if you’re running from the comfort of your own home.

Don’t forget our friendly and fitness fanatical staff are always on hand if you want to chat through which machine would best suit your lifestyle or even if you just want a bit of extra information on any of our machines so get in touch.