FitSugar

How Fast Am I Moving on the Treadmill?

Jenny Sugar — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:07:07 PST

If frigidly chilly weather has made it unbearable to walk or run outside, you've probably moved your workouts indoors to the trusty treadmill. Although I prefer the fresh air and excitement of exercising in my neighborhood or on woodsy trails, I do love that a treadmill keeps track of my speed and how long I've been working out.

However, the treadmill readout can be a little confusing, especially since some machines display your speed in miles per hour and some show it in minutes per mile. If you're curious to know how fast you're moving on the treadmill both per hour and per mile, then check out this handy chart. It also lists your speed and how many calories you burn at each rate.

Continue reading to see the treadmill conversion chart.

Treadmill Tips, Workouts, and Tricks For All Fitness Levels

FitSugar — Mon, 23 May 2011 03:52:35 PDT

If you're stuck indoors, treadmills are an excellent way to get in some cardio time - minus wet weather or pollen counts. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced treadmill user, here is everything you need to know to get the most out of this favorite cardio machine.

Treadmill Workout Routines: These four different treadmill workouts: beginner, intermediate intervals, running hills, and sprint intervals, can be downloaded to accompany you to the gym!
How to Burn More Calories: From competing against friends to increasing the speed, here are some ways to make that treadmill work extra hard for you!
The Forty Minute Walking/Running Workout: Perfect for beginners, this workout helps your body ease into it while also adjusting to the physical demands of running.
Increase the Incline Like Jennifer Aniston: Cranking the incline helps you burn more calories than if you keep the machine set to a zero grade. You can also use the incline button to take yourself for a hilly hike with this walking workout.

Keep reading for more tips.

What's Your Average Treadmill Speed?

Susi May — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 00:30:30 PST

It's nearing the end of a long Winter, and chances are high that you've been logging some indoor miles on the treadmill. Lately, I've been rocking a negative split run on the machine. This keeps me upping the speed of the treadmill as my workout moves along, but my average speed is 6.3 miles per hour. I know for some that this might feel like a snail's pace, but for others a wee bit fast - to each her own speed. When you're on the treadmill what's your average pace? Feel free to check this speed conversion chart if you need a little guidance.

Flashback Friday: Sandra Crashes Keanu's Speed Interview

PopSugarTV — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:00:00 PST

Check out Oscar award-winning actress Sandra Bullock on the brink of her breakout in 1994. She gives costar Keanu Reeves a huge hug right in the middle of his interview to promote Speed!

Treadmill Tip: Adjust the Grade

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:00:51 PST

To keep things exciting on a treadmill, you have to mix it up, and one way to do so is to play with the incline. For folks with troublesome ankles and knees, going faster can make cranky joints even crankier. By adjusting the grade you can increase the difficulty of your workout without compromising the joints of your lower legs. If you walk on a treadmill, use that incline button to take yourself for a hilly hike with this walking workout.

On last week's episode of The Biggest Loser, trainer Bob Harper also reminded us all that increasing the incline means you burn more calories in less time, and who doesn't want to be more efficient in their workout? It's not only efficient, but turning up the grade also means you work more of your muscles and in a greater range of motion. Try cranking the incline on your next treadmill walk up to 10 - just to see how it feels.

Caffeine Makes You Speedy, Literally

FitSugar — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:30:00 PDT

I couldn't live without my post-run morning cup of joe, but as it turns out I might want to have some of that joe before hitting the pavement. After being tested for over 30 years by sports physiologist, it is now unequivocally known that caffeine can make you faster. It improves performance in almost every type of exercise from running to rowing, from swimming to cycling. Caffeine helps not only in short speedy sprints, but also helps increase endurance and strength.

Researchers believe caffeine's effect is three-fold. First, it has been shown that caffeine helps the body burn fat as fuel, instead of just glycogen. Muscles have glycogen fuel stores that usually last for about 30 minutes or 300 calories worth of exercise, so in using some fat as fuel the muscles gain increases in endurance. Caffeine also releases calcium stored in the muscles helping athletes go farther and faster. The third reason involves caffeine's effect on the mind and how it perceives exhaustion.

To learn how to find the appropriate caffeine dose, just

read more. Between one to five milligrams of caffeine per kilo of body weight can help to improve your performance by up to five percent. However, nine mg per kilo of caffeine can actually decrease your performance, so don't go overboard. The good news for all us coffee addicts, caffeine can still make you speedy even if you're a regular coffee drinker. I ask you, do you drink caffeine before your workout? Source

The Results Are In: Recast Speed

BuzzSugar — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 14:30:12 PDT

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar T-shirt!

I'm glad so many of you were as into recasting Speed as I am - it's a fun action movie to think about updating.

A lot of you, like Baluk, thought of Shia Lebeouf to play Officer Jack Traven, which is a good thought as the young actor is making a name for himself in these kinds of fast-paced action roles. And it's hard to argue with CYL's suggestion for the intense Christian Bale to play the lead, too.

As for the spunky Annie, luckiedog came up with Renee Zellweger who probably could have done a good job making that role her own. I liked RosieButterface's idea for Liv Tyler to play Annie too.

In the end I went with the Jack I liked best, as well as a great suggestion for Lt. McMahon: congrats to lilprisci!

To see who lilprisci chose, along with a new cast photo,

read more. lilprisci's cast list: Officer Jack Traven -Ryan Reynolds Howard Payne -Terence Stamp Annie Porter - Rachel McAdams Det. Harry Temple - Ryan Gosling Lt. "Mac" McMahon - Don Cheadle

Recast Speed and Win a Prize!

BuzzSugar — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 11:30:26 PDT

Every other Wednesday on BuzzSugar, I post a Recast challenge, where I ask you to choose new actors for a classic TV show or movie. The reader who submits the best cast wins a BuzzSugar t-shirt!

I'm excited about this week's recast challenge because 1994's Speed is one of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures. I don't know what it is but if I'm channel surfing and I come across Speed, I have to watch it. That opening elevator scene still makes my heart pound! There are many characters that make up the passengers on the bus, so let's stick to the basics on this recast.

Who would you cast as one of the LAPD's explosives experts, Jack Traven (originally played by a very fit Keanu Reeves), and his veteran partner Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels)? What about the evil Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) who made famous the line, "Pop quiz, hot shot. There's a bomb on a bus. Once the bus goes 50 miles an hour, the bomb is armed. If it drops below 50, it blows up. What do you do? What do you do?!"

But it's not all dudes. We need to recast the tough and outspoken bus passenger Annie Porter, a role that helped launch Sandra Bullock to stardom. Finally, let's recast the police boss-man Lt. "Mac" McMahon (Joe Morton).

Leave your entry in the comment section below, and I'll pick one winner to feature Tuesday, October 28, complete with a "new" cast photo. To see a list of characters to recast and a photo of the BuzzSugar t-shirt,

read more. Characters to recast: Officer Jack Traven (Keanu Reeves) Howard Payne (Dennis Hopper) Annie Porter (Sandra Bullock) Det. Harry Temple (Jeff Daniels) Lt. "Mac" McMahon (Joe Morton) The BuzzSugar t-shirt Source

Need For Speed? Relax When You Want to Run

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:30:00 PDT

The more I race, the faster I want to go. My competitive spirit gives me that "need for speed." A recent article in the New York Times detailed one often forgotten element of moving quickly - relaxing. It seems counterintuitive, but tension makes you tight and that tightness interferes with your groove and slows you down. You need to learn how to get in that relaxed state while working hard and find the illusive state of being in the zone. You know, when running hard actually feels good.

According to the article, one way to loosen up while on the move is to relax your face starting with your eyes. Tense wide-opened eyes indicate a tense face and jaw, which translates into a tense upper body. A tense upper body is hard to move and can interfere with finding your rhythm. This reminds me of something that I always tell my Pilates clients: relax your face while you're working out because the tension interferes with correct and efficient muscle patterns. Good to know that this trick can help me run faster, too.

So next time you're out for a run or working out, try running "sleepy eyed" and see if that helps relax the rest of your body enough to help you move a little more quickly.

Source

A Need for Speed

FitSugar — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 05:30:00 PDT

Running for me is the simplest exercise to fit into my schedule, and now that I have a few races under my belt I want a little more out of running. I want to run faster. One thing I know about my relationship with running, is that change takes time and it is best to have a plan. So instead of just hitting the pavement harder and hoping to go faster, here's a simple drill I am going to try.

Designed by running guru Jeff Galloway, a man dedicated to bringing running to the masses, this exercise is considered a cadence drill.

Here's how it works:

After warming up, jog or run a 30-second interval and count the number of times your left foot touches the ground.
Recover for one to two minutes with walking or jogging.
Speed up again and count the times your left touches the ground in 30 seconds but try to increase the number from your previous interval by 1 or 2.
Repeat this sequence several times and keep upping the number. You can do this drill at a track or on the road – it's pretty versatile.

I certainly hope counting my steps while watching my stopwatch isn't harder than walking and chewing gum. I do think I am up for the challenge, are you? After all this is considered a gentle speed drill.

Source