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I have always been a big fan of The Biggest Loser because I love seeing the transformation of the contestants. They work hard and make great changes in their lives.

This season however, a couple things are bothering me:

–Is the humiliation really that necessary? Last week Jillian screamed in a contestants face (on day one) and reduced her to a puddle of tears. I’m not expecting hand holding, but yelling in someone’s face, especially on their first day, just isn’t motivating. Had this person not been on the show, they probably never exercise again.

This weeks dose of humiliation was the slip and slide challenge. Most of the contestants already have poor body image, do we need to show them sliding face-first down a water slide in their bathing suits? I felt embarrassed for them, I can only imagine how self conscious they must have felt during this challenge.

–Product placement is a little much. I get it that Subway, Ziploc, and Brita, etc. are sponsors. What I don’t like is the fake way the contestants seem forced to promote them. According to this article though, Jillian acknowledges that the sponsors are necessary as they help fund the show.

Despite these complaints, I’m still a big fan and will continue to watch. I haven’t decided on a favorite to win yet, have you?

I was very excited to learn that the couple voted off last week, (Adam and Stacey), live near me! The Washington Post ran their story and revealed how they exercised SIX to EIGHT hours per day while at the ranch. Yikes!

Despite being voted off, they have continued to change their eating and lifestyle habits. Stacey says:

“We’ve figured out how to balance work, parenting and exercise,” Stacey Capers said. “We are very happy with our results.”

Good for them! If I ever see them around town, I will definitely have to ask them about their experience training with Bob and Jillian.

Is anyone else watching this season? Thoughts?

The Biggest Loser winner will be announced tonight, don’t miss the show!

Leslie over at The Weighting Game interviewed my favorite duo, Ali and Bette-Sue. Please go over here to check it out.

So far, Ali has lost 99 pounds! This is more than any other female Biggest Loser contestant.

The most impressive part is that she did most of that on her own after being sent home early in the game. Her hard work at home paid off and earned her another shot at the game.

She is one of the final four, so be sure to tune in tonight to find out if she wins! I am rooting for her because it would be great to finally see a woman win this contest. How about you, who would you like to see win?

No matter who wins the cash prize, I think it is safe that they are all winners. Just take a look at them on The Biggest Loser’s website–they have truly transformed their bodies in amazing ways!

I’m off to go be active gang, I hope you are too!

Many thanks to all who participated in the Spring into Fitness challenge. I hope everyone got some great workout ideas and challenged your muscles in totally different ways.

The winner is Rachel from Fitness for Mommies!

My oldest picked your name out of his Bob the Builder bucket and is sending you even more ideas with the latest workout DVD from The Biggest Loser. Enjoy your time with Bob!

Just because the spring challenge is over doesn’t mean we get to hang out on the couch today.

Get up and get moving gang and enjoy your energy!
A new move it Monday workout is coming tomorrow….stay tuned!

The Biggest Loser sent the blue team to Las Vegas this week as a reward for winning a challenge. My first thought was “uh oh, no one can go to Vegas and not gain weight!”

How can they resist the buffet line?
How can they resist the constant flow of alcohol?
How can they stick to their fitness regimen without trainer Bob?

I had little faith in the blue team yet not only did they conquer all of the above, they also managed to lose a combined 23 pounds.

How did they do it? They had a plan and they implemented it. Immediately upon arriving, they went to the gym for a workout. Despite staying up late, they woke up early to hit the gym for another workout. (most of them did anyway!)

Since there was no footage of them eating the cartloads of junk food the black team sent to them via room service, we can assume they were able to resist. There were no excuses, despite the fact that they were in a situation where excuses were very handy. Simply put, the blue team stuck to their commitment to health and fitness and it paid off during the weigh-in.

So what did I learn? It is possible to go on vacation, have fun, and still stick to a healthy lifestyle. (The only thing I need now is that plane ticket to Vegas!) Have a plan and stick to it, no matter what distractions are going on in your life right now. No excuses.

On that note, have you been active today?

Did you catch The Biggest Loser this week? Jillian Michaels showed us just how tough the contestants really are. As they were doing wall squats, Jillian was STANDING on their quads and walking from contestant to contestant! If you missed the show, picture that in your mind for just one second.

They are strong enough to support a grown woman on their legs while doing their wall squats! I wish I could find a video clip of it, but I have not had any luck. (If someone is able to find this clip, please send it to me!)

I know there are some people who do not believe in The Biggest Loser but how can you deny the strength and determination that this exercise must take? I was amazed and jealous!

And when is Jillian coming to my house?

It is time for us to be active gang! Find a spot on the wall and make it yours. Slide down the wall into a solid squat, with perfect form. Click here if you need a refresher.

Stay there for as long as you can and then hold it another 10 seconds. (while sitting there, imagine someone walking on your legs!)

Do this today at least 3 times. No excuses!

The Biggest Loser couples is coming down to the wire and only a handful of contestants remain! Any guesses on who will be the winner?

I still love this show, despite all the negative comments about it. Yes, there are aspects of the competition that are controversial, but for the most part it teaches sedentary people how exercise and proper nutrition will help them lose weight. I love it because it gets people EXCITED about exercise!

The episode last night had Bob leading his team through a yoga workout. Bob has the largest men on his team and he commented that they would not be up for his “California craziness” of a yoga class. Not only did his team complete the class, but one of the largest members commented on how much he actually enjoyed it.

And for those of you who doubt the difficulty, let me assure you that yoga is a challenging workout! Just try this series here and tell me you are not sweating by the end! As we grow older, we lose balance and flexibility simply because we do not make the time for them.

So take a few minutes today to do some yoga moves.

No excuses gang, your muscles and your mind deserve this!

Thank you to everyone who is committing to using a reusable water bottle instead of the disposable kind!

If you haven’t already done so, please visit FilterforGood and take the pledge:

Americans send about 38 billion water bottles a year to landfills. Considering the 1.5 million barrels of oil needed to make those bottles, the environmental impact of plastic bottle waste is truly staggering.

That’s why Brita and Nalgene have teamed up to create the FilterForGood pledge. It’s a simple commitment to reduce your personal waste by giving up bottled water, even if it’s just a few days each week. Together, filtered water and a reusable bottle are an ideal solution for going green at home and on the go. It’s an easy change that can make a big difference.

Since there was such a great response to my contest, the wonderful people at Brita and FilterforGood are giving me FOUR bottles and filters to give away! I put all the names in a hat and if you blogged me (thanks!!), you got an extra name in the hat. My two year old son had a great time picking out these winners:

1. Betsy
2. Angie
3. CPA Mom
4. Sarah at In the trenches of Mommyhood

Please keep your eye out on an email from me so you can get your bottles and filters.

I really enjoyed reading your comments about which teams have inspired you. My favorite team is the mother/daughter team of Bette-Sue and Ali. They both seem willing to work extra hard and be successful. (And Bette-Sue’s attitude always cracks me up!)

Thanks again to all that entered!

Have you been active today?

Leticia emailed me recently with a great question:

“Why is it important to keep your heart rate at 60-70% of max heart rate for weight loss purposes? What will happen if you exceed this? I’m seeing the people on Biggest Loser and am having a hard time believing that they are exercising at 60-70% of their max heart rate…and they are losing weight…so why shouldn’t we just exercise at as high an intensity as we can withstand?”

You are correct Leticia, there is no way that the contestants on Biggest Loser are staying below 70% of their max heart rate during their workouts. (at least not the workouts we see snippets of!)

You can see it on their beet red faces, as they sweat profusely, and some of them even throw up. (which is a classic example of someone exercising too hard, too fast and is not somewhere that you want to be!)

For them, it is a competition and they are trying to lose a lot of weight in a relatively short amount of time. There are plenty of debates as to whether their weight loss is healthy or not, so I’ll steer away from that topic. (for now!) But basically when you work out in the high end zones (80% or more) you are burning more overall calories.

This leads me to the ever popular myth of “fat burning zones”. I have met with many clients who tell me they want to stay at the lower heart rate zone because they will “burn more fat”. This is not really true.

Yes, higher intensity exercise uses more glucose and glycogen (the form of energy your body gets from foods) in proportion to fat, but weight loss is more about overall calorie burn. In order to lose one pound of fat, you must burn 3500 calories. Does your body care if you spent 3 hours or 1 hour to burn those calories? Heck no!

Here is an example:

In one hour, you run 6 miles. Let’s say your body burns 35 calories per mile. (just an estimate here!)
Therefore in one hour you will burn 210 calories. (6 X 35=210 calories)

If you were running at just 60% of your max heart rate then you would burn 126 calories. (210 X 60%=126)
If you were running at 75% of your max heart rate then you would burn 158 calories. (210 X 75%=158)

I don’t know about you, but if I have a spare hour to run (or any kind of exercise) then I want to burn as many calories as possible! Yes, I could burn even more calories if I ran at 90% of my max, but it is not something I could sustain for very long, much less an hour. Therefore, my overall calorie burn would be lower because I could only do it for a few minutes before I was exhausted.

Exercising too hard, too fast, and too often is one of the reasons many people quit exercise altogether. They start to think of it as very painful and often times develop an injury. Exercise should be challenging, but still enjoyable. (yes, it can be, I swear!) If you are always pushing yourself to the brink (and throwing up), then of course it isn’t going to be fun.

This is why I really love interval training because it really gives you the best bang for your buck. Not familiar with interval training,? Here is a great explanation from the folks over at Sixwise.com.

So to sum up, if you are looking to lose weight, you should exercise at higher intensities (but not too high!) to boost your calorie burn. On days where you do not have an official workout, just decide to move more. Take an extra walk, take the steps instead of the elevator, etc. Of course the most important thing is to be mindful of what you eat! So, many thanks to Leticia for submitting a great question!

Now, ask yourself right now! Have you been active today?
Get up and get moving and enjoy your energy!
NO EXCUSES!

Did you catch “The Biggest Loser” last night?

I think if I was forced to go into a room and see on big screen TVs just how much sugar I eat in a year (or even a month) it might just help me kick my habit. What do you think, would it help you?

And have you seen the contestants carrying around their fancy water bottles?

Brita and FilterForGood are partnering with “The Biggest Loser” to eliminate bottled water from the ranch in efforts to help contestants reduce their waists and their waste. Bottled water waste has become a very real environmental concern, with more than 38 billion disposable bottles sent to U.S. landfills last year. Trainers and contestants will pledge to use FilterForGood reusable bottles in an effort to take positive steps toward a healthier body and a healthier planet. You can check out the FFG bottles and take a pledge to reduce bottled water waste at FilterForGood.

Now grab yourself a giant glass of water and have a seat because I have a Brita faucet-mount filter and a reusable FilterForGood bottle to giveaway to you!!

There are 2 ways to enter:

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me which team motivates you and why.
2. Blog about this contest on your own blog and provide a link back to this post.

If you do both, you will get 2 entries into the contest. I will pick the winner by putting all the names in a hat and letting my 2 year old pick out the winner! The contest begins now and runs until 1/15/08 at 10pm EST.

Good luck and stay hydrated!

one more question…..have you been active today?

The new season of The Biggest Loser started last night and I just love this show! The enthusiasm of trainers Bob and Jillian is enough to make anyone stand up and scream “I can do it too!”

My favorite line was Jillian saying “you can either puke, cry…or go home!”?

Honestly, I would love for her to be my trainer. I’m one of those people that need that type of punishment/motivation. I need someone in my face telling me that I can push myself further. I don’t necessarily want to exercise until I am sick (although I have done that before) but I do want to be pushed to my absolute limit.
And then I want to be pushed a little further!
So, Jillian Michaels, if you are reading this, will you please come and be my trainer?

And then there is Bob! I was cheering when he worked Betty Sue beyond her limits but then told her that she “impressed the hell out of him”. Betty Sue may have been physically defeated, but Bob made sure she was not emotionally defeated as well.
Bob is amazing! So Bob, if you are reading this, will you come and be my trainer too?

How about you? Which trainer would you choose?

Stay tuned for another contest to go along with this season! Don’t miss a beat, subscribe to my feed now!