Why I can't hate The Biggest Loser as much as I'd like to

Once upon a time I wrote a post about all of the reasons why I thought The Biggest Loser was a waste of time to watch. I felt, and still do feel, that the show gives viewers an unrealistic look at weight loss. Who has time to workout 4-6 hours a day much less pay a personal trainer to coach you through the process? Let's do a little math shall we? If we average the time the contestants work out daily that would total 35 hours per week, basically a full time job. Do you know anyone who could work 2 full time jobs, not to mention raise a family, maintain a relationship with a spouse or partner, socialize...? What about the expense of hiring a trainer for five hour sessions? Even an affordable trainer would change roughly $250/day for that kind of commitment.

Okay, unrealistic aspects aside, I will admit (even though it pains me!) The Biggest Loser does have a positive element that I can stand behind.

Getting to the heart of the matter

If you lined up every person who ever applied to be a contestant on TBL and asked them how they got to where they are you would likely hear the same things repeated over and over. Poor lifestyle choices were a family tradition would probably be at the top of the list. But if the contestants were completely honest the #1 answer would no doubt be that unresolved emotional issues have led to using food as a means of comfort. The Biggest Loser addresses this issue with contestants. The trainers encourage the participants to talk openly about what led them to the dark place that brought them to seek help. It's only when a person admits that they have a problem, is willing to honestly work through the issues that led to the problem and agrees that they need to completely revamp their lifestyle choices that permanent change in the form of weight loss and increased fitness can occur.

You can teach a person about healthy food choices and portion control until you're blue in the face but unless a person knows why they made the wrong choices to begin with they're never going to change. One can learn about the importance of strength training, cardiovascular fitness and stretching but that doesn't mean he or she will automatically include movement into their daily lives. What people really need in order to not just lose but maintain weight loss is a healthy level of self-esteem and a desire to take care of their body because they deserve the best. The Biggest Loser encourages contestants to reflect on the painful events in their lives that have reduced their self-esteem and make changes in their attitudes to correct the situation.

While I don't see myself becoming a regular viewer of TBL I do hope that anyone who regularly views the show and relates to the contestants will be moved to meditate on the reasons why they aren't leading the life that they want. If the show can foster change in viewers and result in a person becoming healthy both mentally and physically than perhaps the show should go on.

What are you thoughts about The Biggest Loser? Have you learned anything from watching that has led to positive changes in your life?

12 Months of Motivation for New Year's Resolutioners

Res-o-lu-tion-er (res-oh-loo-shun-ear),
Part of Speech: noun,
Definition: One who comes to a definite or earnest decision about

I don't claim to be psychic but I can predict two things with some certainty. One, come Sunday morning gyms across America will be filled to capacity with "New Years Resolutioners". Two, on or around March 1 finding an empty treadmill at the aforementioned gyms will not be a challenge.

Please don't take my predictions as a sign that I have no confidence in humankind. On the contrary, I believe that most people who make new year's resolutions fully intend to keep them. My prediction is based completely on human nature. We are creatures of habit; habits become second nature and make life easier-but not necessarily better. Resolutions involve change and change is rarely simple for that average person. New Year's Resolutioners need constant sources of motivation and encouragement to make the changes they desire.

If you are one of the millions of people worldwide who have resolved to start and stay on a path that will lead to weight loss, healthy food choices or a higher degree of fitness you need to arm yourself with new and ever changing supply of motivation in order to achieve success throughout 2012. I'd like to share with you a few of my tried and true sources of inspiration.

Let the Music Move You

Music has a powerful ability to get people moving. Upbeat tunes make great company when you're working out. Fast paced music is like your own personal trainer telling you not to slow down. Put together playlists of your favorite songs, the ones that never fail to get you moving and listen to them during your workouts. You may even want to reward yourself with a new song for every every third or forth workout so that you will have something to look forward to. I keep a dedicated Ipod Shuffle filled with only upbeat music for keeping me moving during my cardio workouts.

Read for motivation

Keeping a supply of current health-related reading material on hand is one of my favorite ways to not only stay informed but also to stay focused. By constantly reading about new and different workouts and healthy recipes I can't help but get inspired to try new things. I borrow new books and the latest fitness magazines from my local library on almost a weekly basis. (The public library in our area allows users to request items online and contacts the users when the material is available to be picked up.) Having the books and magazines lying around is a visual reminder to stay on course as well.

Make New Friends But Keep the Old

Friends can feel like enemies when you're trying to make positive lifestyle changes. Generally, when we get together with friends there is food involved. Even those friends who eat healthfully during the week may encourage you to share a fat laden appetizer or pour you a second or third drink without even asking if you'd like one. The worst case scenario is the friend who sabotages your efforts by offering desserts or tempting you to skip the gym.

Rather than dump your friends, get proactive. Instead of socializing over dinner suggest meeting for a cup of coffee or green tea, shopping at a favorite mall or watching a movie.

If suggesting alternate, non-food related activities doesn't work with your friends it may be time to find some new friends. Look for activities in your community where you're likely to meet new people who share your attitude. For instance, you could volunteer to help a local charity organize a 5K walk, run or a biking event. Contact your local YMCA to inquire about fitness related groups that you could join. They may be able to lead you to a group training for an event like a triathlon. A few years ago I volunteered to chair a committee for our local affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure Race for the Cure, a 5K Walk/Run to benefit breast cancer awareness. I continue to volunteer for the organization and have learned a great deal about the cause and met some really wonderful people.

Variety is the Spice of Life

Monotony is a sure way to lose your resolve to change in the new year. Regularly trying new recipes and workouts can keep the momentum going. Try before you buy by borrowing fitness DVD's from the library or check out one of the many fitness websites online to find new exercises or fitness routines. Ebay and stores that sell used dvd's are affordable sources for purchasing the dvd's you want to own. (My son found me a used copy of Zumba for Playstation just this week!) There are countless books, magazines and websites devoted to healthy cooking where you can locate recipes for healthy versions of your favorite meals. Strive to try one new exercise or recipe each week.


By finding ways to keep your resolutions from turning into a cause for dread, strive to make them a source for providing opportunities to try new things that excite and motivate you 12 months out of the year. By January 1 of 2013 you may feel like a new you.

Breaking Up with Your Exercise Routine

A friend once described his roommate and his girlfriend as being in "one of those new relationships", you know when everything is rainbows and sunshine and you can't get enough of each other. Each day you spend together you learn something new about the other person, there's always a fresh experience to share or an anecdote about his or her life that's new to you. Slowly, as all relationships do, things start to change. What was once a relationship filled with excitement has become, dare I say it, b-o-r-i-n-g. You start to wonder if there is something out there that could be better.

Just like relationships our exercise routines can become stale if we do nothing to spice them up. With the new year just days away it's the ideal time to get back those lost feelings of excitement. You might need to take a break from your old fitness routine. With every store imaginable offering deals on workout dvd's and fitness equipment there's no better time than now to explore new forms of exercise. How about trying a new class at the gym? Do you generally work out alone? Maybe a fitness buddy is just what you need? Queens of cardio think about taking a pilates class. You, yes you, guy who never ventures out of the free weight area, when was the last time you tried running a mile?

If you want to look forward to your workouts instead of dreading them, you need to keep things constantly changing. Routines that never vary lead to plateaus, confusing the muscles by consistently changing things up leads to progress and satisfaction. When it comes to fitness, breaking up with your routine can be a good thing.

When was the last time you spiced up your fitness routine?

Reason #1: To be a Good Role Model

We all have our individual reasons for starting or staying on a journey to lead a healthful life. In the coming months I'll be sharing a few of mine.

If you drop in on me on any given Sunday afternoon more often than not you'll find me in the kitchen chopping up veggies and fruit, making salads or hard boiling eggs. Prepping food for the week ahead ensures that I'll be able to get meals on the table even after a busy day. More importantly, my kids always have something nutritious on hand (and won't have to resort to snacking on the chips and Fritos that my husband picks up on his "junk food runs"!) On one such Sunday afternoon my sixteen year-old daughter walked into the kitchen for a drink and said something that made all the afternoons spent prepping worth it: "Mom, you're a good role model."

As any parent of a teenager knows compliments are few and far between so it was a proud moment for me. I'm first to admit that I don't enjoy spending time in the kitchen so it was really nice to know that she appreciated the effort it takes to provide good choices. I've heard complaints from both my daughter and my 21-year-old son over the years about the lack of "good snacks" and soda in our house. My daughter even came home from school one afternoon with hurt feelings after a girl at her lunch table asked her why she didn't, "eat like a normal teenager."

In a society where 30% of our youth are at or near the obese range our family is considered abnormal for sending our kids to school with sandwiches on whole wheat bread with a side of apple slices instead of a bag of Doritos and a can of Red Bull? Seriously? This role model thing is a real challenge.

Comments? Have you or your children ever been questioned or even mildly teased for your food choices?


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Life Doesn't Start on January 1

Last Monday a friend and I took time out of our holiday schedules to have lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant. We both ended up passing on the pasta and ordering a big salad (topped with salmon for me.) The meal was not about the food, it was a chance to catch up and enjoy the time we spent together. It was refreshing to have a meal with someone who has the same philosophy about diet and fitness during the holiday season. None of this, "I'll start January 1st" business for us. Taking a holiday from healthy habits makes no sense to me.

Every time I hear someone say that they're going to "be good" starting on New Year's day I feel compelled to add another reason to my list of why there is no good excuse, not even the holidays, to give up a healthy lifestyle for 4-6 weeks.


Here are a few of my personal reasons for continuing my every day routine:


I don't want to have to buy a new pair of jeans for the wrong reasons.

Adding several pounds and/or decreasing my level of fitness means more work after the "break."

I want to be a good role model to my children

I'm a mediocre cook; it takes no skill to make a salad to bring to a holiday party.

I get out of baking a half dozen varieties of cookies.

Because restaurants, even fast food restaurants, serve salads and chicken breast during the month of December.

It's possible to wake up a little earlier than usual to workout before your day begins

Because there is no law that says you have to accept every holiday invitation you receive.


Skipping a single workout or not accepting an occasional Christmas cookie won't set you back. It is the attitude that the holidays are an excuse to basically neglect yourself that will cause you to have to walk uphill later. Choose what's worth it, forget the rest and you can start the New Year feeling good about your choices.

What motivates you to stay on track during the holidays?

Have Yourself a Healthy Little Christmas

You hear the same story this time every year: The average American puts on 5-7 lbs during the holiday season. It's hard not to what with the trays of Christmas cookies at the office, fried appetizers and egg nog at the neighbor's holiday open house and Grandma's special pecan pie on Christmas Eve. Nothing but junk food every time you turn around. To make matters worse, Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, cookie baking and card writing robs us of precious time. That lack of time can lead to giving up our usual fitness routine. It's no wonder that so many of us start the new year with a few extra pounds. If you don't want to be a statistic this year you have to plan ahead and strategize.

As my gift to you this holiday season I'd like to offer a few suggestions that have worked for me.

It's all about alternatives

When appropriate, bring an alternative dish to parties or events you're attending.

A combination of protein and veggies make a black bean salad a perfect choice for holiday potlucks.

These Bite Sized Greek Salads will be on the buffet at my annual Christmas night celebration.

Have an alternative "treat" to enjoy at the office. Inevitably there will be plates of cookies waved under your nose or tempting you in the break room. For instance, a single candy cane has between 40-60 calories. Stash a few in your desk or throw a few in the break room so you can enjoy something with your co-workers. I like to sip herbal peppermint tea throughout the day. It's got a holiday flavor I love and it helps me avoid the temptation to bite the heads off of a gingerbread man.

Start healthy holiday traditions

One of my favorite parts of the holiday season is seeing all the festive lights. Instead of driving through the city to view them, take a Christmas light walk, it's my favorite way to get in a little extra exercise in the evening. Can't get the family to go? Walk the dog, you'll zap calories and Fido gets his exercise. (Download some Christmas music on your Ipod to make the walk more entertaining.)

Host a party that involves activity. A sledding party or snowball fight can be a great way to have fun and work up a sweat. Check out this post for more ideas for hosting a skating party.


Adding pounds doesn't have to become a tradition during the holiday season. Follow these ideas or create your own solutions and you can start 2012 feeling healthy and strong.

Do you have any solutions for staying on course during the holidays?

Driving Through Mud Puddles Will Sabotage Your Efforts

The gym where I used to work out was located directly beside The-Fast-Food- Establishment-That-Shall-Not-Be-Named. I'd be a wealthy woman if I had a dollar for every time I saw someone walk out of the gym, get in their car and drive straight to the drive through. Maybe they were asking for a big cup of ice water to replenish after all the exertion? I wouldn't bet on it. To use an analogy, eating junk after working out is like washing your car and immediately driving through the biggest mud puddle you can find.

Ask anyone in the fitness industry to analyze diet versus exercise and you will probably hear a statistic stating that fitness is 20% of the equation but that diet makes up the other 80%. You may have heard the quote that great bodies are made in the kitchen, not just the gym. Sad, but true, you can cancel out that 30 minutes of hardcore work on the elliptical with a single bag of fast food. What a waste.

As a very smart man once told me, there's no such thing as junk food, there's only food and junk. What do you want to put in your body after a workout?

Active Television Viewing

In a video entitled 23 and 1/2 hours, Dr. Mike Evans (no relation!) briefly mentions his surprise to learn that the average American views 6 hours of television on a daily basis. 6 hours, that is 1/4 of a day. Add it up, that is 1 and 3/4 days each week that the average person in this country spends in a relatively motionless state. The intelligent answer to changing this is to put down the remote and get your booty moving, but let's get real, that is probably not going to happen. Are you really ready to completely say good-bye to The Real Housewives or the gang from CSI You-Fill-in-the-City? Is there a way to watch television that won't turn your body completely to goo?

There is some hope for the couch potato. Let's call it Active Television Viewing or ATV for short. ATV can take on many forms and provide you with a way to enjoy your favorite shows while not wasting your entire day or adding to the number on your scale. Here are 3 approaches to try:

The Two-for-One Special

Without a doubt, the two-for-one special is your top method for ATV. A favorite among busy parents and people who work 40+ hours a week, this approach combines working out with tv viewing. Keep a basket by the television with exercise bands or stash your dumb bells nearby and you can strengthen and view at the same time. For you cardio enthusiasts, why not DVR your favorite shows and watch them while running on the treadmill-great for forwarding through the commercials.

The Never-Sit-Down Approach

The never-sit-down approach is probably your second best bet. It involves leaving the television on while completing different activities. Basically, the tv is just keeping you company as you go about your daily household activities. This approach allows you to clean the house, pay the bills, chop up lots of veggies for the fixings for your weekly meals and so on. You can burn calories and keep up with the Kardashians.

The Commercial Break Approach

For those days when you want to watch television but have too much to do, like during the holiday season, try this, it's effective for freeing up time and getting you off the couch. This one takes a bit of discipline. To do this, and do it well, you must commit to activity during each commercial break. It can involve running to the laundry room to toss in a batch, heading to your basement to find the hammer you need for a repair, making a pit stop to your bedroom to make the bed or a variety of other simple tasks that get your bum off the chair. Similar to the two-for-one approach, albeit not nearly as effective in its ability to burn calories or sculpt muscles, this approach won't leave you saying, "Why did I just waste two hours watching that mindless Lifetime movie?!!!"

Add to this approach by getting things done while you're watching too. You can clip coupons while you glance up at the screen, wrap up a few holiday gifts or secure a loose button on your favorite winter jacket. The list is endless.

All joking aside, limiting your viewing is your best bet. It may be easier said than done, but staying mindful of and tracking the hours you spend viewing is similar to keeping a log of what you eat. It helps you see where you can make positive changes.

If you can spare about 9 minutes Dr. Evans YouTube video just might enlighten you. I'd love to hear your reaction.

Sweat Equity

"Sweat is fat crying."

Hey all, it's been too long and I've missed all of my fitness blog friends. When I saw the quote above I knew I needed to stop back to my old blog home town and share it along with a few thoughts on the value of sweat.

Sweat, what can I say? It smells bad. Generating it results in the need for a shower. Sometimes it drips in our eyes causing a stinging sensation. Those are a few ways to think about it. But sweat tells us we are working hard enough to see results. Sweat is the first step to achieving the exercise high we all crave. Sweat is like a pat on the back for a job well done.

A fellow parent at my child's school once shared with me her frustration with her lack of success in her pursuit to lose weight. She knew the value of a clean diet and regularly worked out at her gym. Her fitness routine involved several days of strength training using the various machines at the club. Okay, good start, right? But I had to bite my tongue when she added two things: No cardio and light weights only, she didn't like to sweat-ever. While some activity is better than no activity her lack of results was very well linked to her adversity to sweat. It must have been so disappointing for her to be putting in the time but not enjoying any success.

"Don't throw in the towel...use it to wipe the sweat and keep going."

Sweat is the body's natural cooling system. Have you ever noticed that you sweat profusely after a workout? Your body is responding to the heat produced as the blood courses through the body. If sweat doesn't result than the action should most likely not be labeled as a workout. If your workout isn't producing moisture take it up a notch. Instead of a brisk walk, take it to a jog. If resting between sets isn't causing a few drips on the forehead try alternating upper body exercises with lower body ones without breaking. (As a bonus, you'll get both a cardio and a strength workout!) Know what your target heart rate should be and work on getting to the appropriate rate.

Sweat builds beautiful, healthy bodies. Sweat is a good thing, embrace it, strive to produce it. You'll thank yourself afterwards.

Have a great day!

*Quotes via Pinterest