Oh. My. God. People. Want to get your butt kicked in an exciting new way? How about trying 30/60/90, the invention of fitness pro Kristi Molinaro? Yup, that should do the trick. I did the class this morning at Equinox and thought I was going to die in the best way possible.
Kristi is fabulous, fit and strong with an amazing smokey voice and cheerful smile. The smiles soon faded when the core section of the class started and my abs started to yell at me. And then it was all business all the time the next hour of the class when we picked up the weights and started doing crazy plyometrics.
30/60/90 is like the name says: 30 second, 60 second, and 90 second intervals of super intense, athletic moves. In this clip from NY1, Kristi explains that her program is similar to HIIT training, or high intensity interval training. There are plenty of modifications, however, so I never felt like I couldn't participate. The guy in front of me was doing every advanced modification available-- so nice to know that there is room to grow.
Another cool thing: The class changes monthly, so you'll never get bored. And if you get bored doing this workout, you may not be human.
30/60/90 is taught at Equinox gyms here in the New York area. For a schedule, go to http://www.equinox.com/.
According to NBC, makeover week on The Biggest Loser is "America's favorite week". Personally, I love the finale, but it is always nice to see the players get dolled up and reveal themselves to their families. This makeover week was tied in with Warriors in Pink, a Ford initiative to raise money for breast cancer research. A noble cause, but maybe pink wasn't the BEST choice of color for all the makeovers. Good cause= weird fashion show.
The remaining contestants headed to Ken Paves salon (Jessica Simpson's hair stylist and BFF) for some shaving, plucking, and hair cutting. "I'm gonna look hot. Wicked hot," promises Brandon, who sort of ruined it for himself by shaving his head during the Marines episode. After the makeovers, everyone heads to a photo shoot for People Magazine, then a Warriors in Pink fashion show.
PROS: The ladies have great hair, Patrick looks very handsome, and Mark channels his inner Mike from last season.
CONS: Everyone's outfits and the lack of goatees on Frado and Mark. The styling on the outfits was really not cute. Who found those ridiculous hats? And the train on Elizabeth?
The evening wear portion was more what I am used to, and everyone glowed seeing their friends and family. Very sweet.
But then it is time for the Warriors in Pink challenge, where the contestants must run up and down stairs in downtown Los Angeles or take the tram that runs next to the steep stairway. Each trip up the stairs would earn them 5 points, the tram would earn them 1 point. The player to reach 100 points would win a Ford (surprise) Edge. Ada and Brendan seem to be the clear winners, but they hold back and let Patrick take the car since he is unemployed and has two small children. Paying it forward!
On the wee woo side, Elizabeth doesn't even finish the challenge, and talks about it the next day to Bob and Jillian. At the Last Chance Workout, Elizabeth once again has to recreate a challenge she didn't finish and walk on the stair machine. Somehow she finishes it, no problems, and everyone must stop and celebrate another Elizabeth victory.
Is she going to win this whole season? They are REALLY focusing on her. Blurgh.
After the workout it is on to the weigh in. Will the contestants have spent enough time on working out and not walking the cat walk? Frado, Brendan, and Patrick know that their alliance is going to keep them safe no matter what the weigh in. . .or will it?
Mark: From 309 lbs to 299 lbs- 10 lbs lost- 3.24% BW
Patrick: From 301 lbs to 291 lbs- 10 lbs lost- 3.32% BW
Ada: From 190 lbs to 185 lbs- 5 lbs lost- 2.63% BW
Brendan: From 272 lbs to 265 lbs- 7 lbs lost- 2.57% BW
Elizabeth: From 201 lbs to 196 lbs- 5 lbs lost- 2.24% BW
YELLOW LINE
Frado: From 267 lbs to 263 lbs- 4 lbs lost- 1.5% BW
Lisa: From 228 lbs to 228 lbs- 0 lbs lost- 0% BW
The Blob has an important decision to make: Get rid of one of the biggest game players and threats or get rid of a place holder. The game players finally decide not to stab someone in the back and send Lisa home. I guess she finally got her wish!
At home Lisa is paying it forward to a woman she met at the step challenge on the first episode and is planning to be a personal trainer. And it looks like things with her daughter are starting to be rosier as well.
Next episode promises that karma is a bitch! What will it be what will it be!?!?
The Where are They Now? episode was nice to watch. A lot of the contestants are staying active, paying it forward, getting married, starting new business ventures. The Biggest Loser has churned out a lot of feel good ambassadors that are trying to turn the obesity epidemic around in the country.
The only part of the episode that bothered me was the reunion of all the winners for a "Thanksgiving" meal. This part of the show was advertised as the winners coming back "to help one of their own". At first I thought it might be Erik Chopin, but no, he was in the preview. Maybe Matt Hoover? Nope. It was season one winner Ryan Benson, who basically fell off the face of the planet after his season's finale. He has gained back almost all of his weight minus 10 pounds and needs to talk it out with all the successful winners.
Here's my issue. Danny, Ali, and Helen still look really great, but Mike, Matt, Bill, Erik, and Matt have all gained weight back. But nobody is intervening with them. I mean, yes, they did a whole special on Erik and he's lost a lot of his weight again, but what about Matt? He is twice the size he was when he won.
I feel a lot of the former contestants, unless they are in the fitness industry, have a hard time keeping the weight off. Is it because it is too hard to maintain the Biggest Loser program in the real world? Is it too impossible to maintain the winning weight? When you are in the contest, nothing can get in your way, but when the show is over. . .well, we saw what happened to Erik.
This is an interesting dilemma. I have made fitness my life, but even I have a daily battle with the bulge. If I was in the public eye, like Ali or Helen, would that add more stress or pressure? When the world looks to you to be an acolyte of health and wellness, how much weight can you gain and still be one?
I appreciate that the Biggest Loser is increasing awareness of the obesity epidemic. I am worried that the expectations set forth are too unrealistic for the average person, especially if even a person on the ranch can't maintain that level of weight loss. And I don't understand why the show pretends that others are not in the same boat as the "fallen" contestants. We aren't blind or stupid, NBC!
Thursday is Thanksgiving and many people worry (and rightly so) about what traditional choices will be the more healthy choices. Here is a helpful video from CBS News that tells calorie content on your favorite treats. Will you be able to tell what to eat and what to leave on the buffet?
Whoa Nelly, it's been a looooooonnnnnnnnggggg week. Training at the new job while working my final weeks at the old job? Good thing it's Sunday Funday.
Before I start my recap, I wanted to bring to light some thoughts I gathered from my tweet up this past Saturday and from reading the twitter feed about this season's The Biggest Loser. The overwhelming majority of viewers, myself included, are really sour on the game play. The older seasons of BL had some game play but the majority of the show was focused on the individuals and their weight loss journey. Season 10 has become all about alliances and drama and back stabbing and tears of sadness. If I wanted to watch a soap opera, I would watch a soap opera. I miss the happy theme song, the team spirit, the camaraderie. This season is cold and indifferent. It is all about the money, not the life style.
The reason I bring this up because the bulk of this week's episode had a lot of the elements of the OLD Biggest Loser: Warm feelings and genuine emotion! Sure, there was still some crappy game play but if anyone from NBC was reading the twitter feed from this week they will know that the way the show is headed is not the way the viewers want the show to be.
Pay it forward, NBC! Please bring back the nice Biggest Loser!
*sigh*
After a quick recap of everyone's names (again) and Patrick's betrayal against Jesse, Ali announces that everyone will be competing as singles! We are nearing the end of the season already: Only eight contestants remain and next week is already makeover week. Crazy pants.
Bob and Jillian enter the gym and find that Jesse and Aaron are gone and that Team Lisa and Elizabeth are STILL HERE. BOB IS PISSED. He asks Brandon why he voted for Aaron and Brandon states he won't ever vote for Elizabeth. GRRR. Bob wishes that the guy alliance would just be honest and say the reason they are eliminating the tougher competitors is because they want the money. The smaller female contestants will just be easy pickins'. And then they will take over the world!!!
In the mean time, Bob takes Brendan and punishes him and then moves onto Patrick. Bob quizzes him about his vote and Patrick whines about putting himself first before friendship. Bob calls him out, saying he wants these guys to compete against the toughest competitors and win! Winning against a small dainty female is not the way to win this thing.
AND THAT'S ANOTHER THING! This season is so misogynistic it is unreal. The women are called girls, they are shown as weak pawns for the guys to just dominate and eliminate. As a woman it is really insulting to watch. If I have to see another episode where the women get bitched at for being weak I am going to punch a hole in the wall! Okay, I'm not that angry but I could do it. Because I am TOUGH. Just like a dude. I will mess you up!
*sigh*
After the workout, Bob and Jillian reveal to the Losers that they have videos from home. Except Ada. OUCH. The videos are sweet, and I was most impressed with Mark's cousin who has lost 65 pounds on her own at home because she is inspired by his being on the show. The best moment was when the Losers got together and made Ada a special video telling her that she was great. Classic Loser. Love it.
TRAINER TIP: Walk to the grocery store and use reusable shopping bags. Plausible for some if you live close to a grocery store and you haven't purchased lead-filled shopping bags from China. Try doing at least one if at all possible- be green! And if you live in Oklahoma, let your family and friends know that you did not lose your driver's license if they catch you walking.
In the next work out, Bob and Jillian focus on Elizabeth being weak (grr) and make her recreate her 500 steps that she passed out on the first episode. During this clip I was reminded that Jillian was the one who saved Elizabeth and brought her to the ranch. So now we know who to thank. . . Elizabeth passes the test, everyone feels good about themselves, and then it is time for the Challenge.
Again, mention of standing on your own two feet-- or one, ha ha-- as Ali explains the Challenge: Balancing over a pool on moving posts. Sounds easy, but apparently balance training hasn't been a focus on the ranch. Frado and Brendan and Patrick are quickly eliminated, yay, but a guy wins anyway. At least it was Mark. He's likable enough. He wins himself a one pound advantage at the weigh in.
After a lengthy Subway plug where the Losers create their own sandwiches, it is already time for the last chance workout where Elizabeth is ONCE AGAIN the focus and I started to notice that Jessica is doing an awful lot of pining over Jesse. Like she couldn't workout most of the week because she missed him a lot. Like she mentions it five times during the course of the show.
Is there a love connection being pushed on us here? I guess we'll find out at the finale.
WEIGH IN! Guys weigh in first. Really? *sigh*
Mark: From 317 lbs to 309 lbs- 8 lbs lost PLUS 1 pound advantage- 2.84% BW
Patrick: From 311 lbs to 301 lbs- 10 lbs lost- 3.22% BW
Frado: From 276 lbs to 267 lbs- 9 lbs lost- 3.26% BW
Brendan: From 280 lbs to 272 lbs- 8 lbs lost- 2.86% BW
Elizabeth: From 205 lbs to 201 lbs- 4 lbs lost- 1.95% BW
Jessica: From 228 lbs to 227 lbs- 1 lb lost- .44% BW
Lisa: From 234 lbs to 228 lbs- 6 lbs lost- 2.56% BW
Ada: From 198 lbs to 190 lbs- 8 lbs lost- 4.04% BW
Jessica and Elizabeth are once again below the yellow line, and it got me thinking. Jessica was so upset- do you think that maybe she threw the weigh in? I mean, she didn't seem surprised and she seem totally cool when they voted her off. Jesse, she may be coming over!
Fun Fact: Jessica's mom is named Taffy.
Next week: Loser Makeovers (that's what the TV said) and Reunion show! Just in time for Turkey Day.
Want to know what Shay has to say? Click below! Thanks to Diets in Review!
Living in the city and being a blogger are the coolest some days! When I woke up this morning, did I know I was going to see NFL super cutie Mark Sanchez? Well, I did at a Ubisoft press event for the new XBox 360 game Your Shape Fitness Evolved.
"Whoa. This game is only for 'real athletes', right?" you may be asking yourself. Certainly, Mark Sanchez is a top athlete, but Your Shape Fitness Evolved is for everybody at ANY level. If you are a fan of Men's Health or Women's Health magazines, you can do these exercises.
Will this game make me look like these folks? Fingers crossed!
I was walked through the game features by lovely spokeswoman Laurel House (check out her website chicknotesguide.com) who explained all the many features of the game.
Unlike the Wii (which I love too), there is no remote to hold. The Kinect (which is $150 and hooked up to your XBox 360) scans your body with 1 million dots that track your every move. You actually are YOU and not a Mii and it looks like you! The controls are on the screen and you press the buttons using the projected you. It is SO freakin' Mission Impossible I was geeking out.
The Kinect! So shiny. . .
Laurel demonstrated a hula hoop game and a boxing work out for me, but the game also features Men's Health and Women's Health work outs, yoga, and mini games that you can play with your friends in person or online!
That's Kinect Laurel with her hula hoop. . .
as she hoops she gets more balls. . .
until it's a crazy ball tornado!
This is real life Laurel with her invisible hula hoop.
Laurel also told me that the game works like a personal trainer, saving your progress and making the exercises progressively more challenging. She also said there are some big time celebrity trainers that will be featured in future installments that can be downloaded right onto the XBox 360 so you will always have plenty of options to challenge yourself. Then she ran off to get her picture taken with Mark Sanchez. I don't blame her.
What I liked about it: You can use your real hand weights and there are no worries about hitting your TV with a wild Wii remote! Also the game corrects your form as you play so you know you are doing the workouts correctly.
I was given a complimentary copy of the game to try, so now I'll HAVE to get a Kinect to go with my XBox so I can have a well rounded workout game platform. Although I don't want this to replace gyms and trainers (I would be out of a job!) I think this game is a great option for adults and kids that gets you off the couch and up and sweating. Bring it, Santa!
I wanted to share my good news with you all! For those of you not in the loop, I became ACE certified to personal train in April and have been searching for the perfect gym job ever since. I have felt like Goldilocks: Some gyms were too big, some gyms were too small, some gyms didn't want to give me the time of day. I get it, I am the new kid on the block!
Thankfully, I didn't give up (even though some days I really considered throwing in the towel) and got a job that is JUST RIGHT! I start personal training at Equinox gym in Greenwich Village! I begin training this week and couldn't be more happy.
A quick shout out to Jess at Fit Chick in the City for being my mentor and helping me revamp my resume and helping put my career goals in perspective! And another shout out to my bf who has helped me every single step of the way, from going over flash cards for my ACE exam to giving me lots of encouragement and plenty of pep talks.
If you live in the city and are an Equinox member, come by and see me! And if you want me to train you, well, heck. Let's do this thing.
I love Mystery Science Theatre 3000. This clip popped into my head this morning when I woke up. Let's celebrate the spirit of music that is inside all of us! That creepy Peter Pan-like spirit of music. . .
I'm always interested in the articles on the Yahoo homepage, particularly ones about what to do or not to do in job interviews. As I read this article, number six popped out at me:
"6. Being overweight can work against you. Even though overweight individuals can be fast on their feet and slim people can be lazy, an interviewer might assume an obese job candidate won’t be able to keep up at a “high-performance” company. Cohen gives the example of a manufacturing company that prided itself on efficiency and speed. Every prospective employee was taken on a walking tour of the large plant before being hired. If the prospect couldn’t keep up with the owner’s fast pace on the facility tour, he or she wouldn’t be hired. If you’re worried your size may be working against you, Cohen suggests emphasizing how adept and resourceful you are."
I wish that we lived in a world where your talent and skills were enough to get you hired. I know I have lost out on auditions because I wasn't the "right size". In fact, my most recent job search into personal training made me very body conscious-- what if I wasn't thin enough to be a trainer?
Just because someone is thin does not make them the right candidate for the job.
There are enough challenges in this world without having to worry if the skill set you have isn't enough to compensate for your outward appearance. Although I am not enthusiastic about the "fat acceptance" movement (that fat is healthy, no matter what), I am hopeful that by eating more mindfully and exercising you can boost confidence and stamina in everything you do. If you feel good inside, it shows on your outsides. And then that plant manager can go suck it because you CAN keep up!
Oh, Biggest Loser! So many twists and turns this week and NOW a live reveal of the eliminated players? I am more shiny than Bob's gold chains!
After a quick recap of the ten remaining players to reacquaint us with their names (it comes in handy later), it is time for Ali to lay it on us: The rules have changed. Again. There is no more Black versus Blue. Everyone is back to their original colors. . .but they are not competing as singles. They will be paired up. . .but it will be only one person's choice. And there is a DOUBLE ELIMINATION this week.
OMG.
Everyone talks about who they would like to be paired up with and the unanimous decision is not Lisa. She waffles more than a Waffle House. This week she is back to 60/40- 60% wants to be on the ranch, 40% wants to go home.
Then it is on to the workout, where Bob and Jillian are filled in about the game, yell at the players about last week's abysmal weigh in, and promise to give them a hurting like they have never experienced before. Bob wants to work with "Brendan, Ada, and. . .that one." Patrick. Eight weeks in. His name is Patrick. Jillian takes everyone else to the Spin Bikes for a motivational talk: "You're never going to win!" Jesse is feeling reinvigorated after his one pound weight gain, Ada is hating on the ladies and wants to be paired with a guy, and Elizabeth has the perfect solution to all of her problems: "I actually want Lisa to be on my team!"
Sigh. The Losers than head for a casual meal at a local restaurant (they wore their dress t-shirts) where they meet Ali to learn the rules of their latest temptation challenge. Whoever eats the most calories at dinner will get to chose the teams for this leg of the game. Brendan wants this more than anything, even more than his hot new bald head, and goes to work on a fatty appetizer, entree, and desert totaling 3,500 calories-- one pound of food! He wins the temptation and chooses the following pairs: Aaron and Jesse Mark and Frado Lisa and Elizabeth Brendan and Patrick Jessica and Ada
Ada is pissed-- she wanted to be paired with a guy and can't believe that Aaron, who hasn't sold his soul to the Blob, is getting his first choice and Ada isn't. In fact, Brendan has paired all the women up together and all the men are paired up. A nice simple package. Brendan's plan is working perfectly: To get all the weak ladies eliminated so the real competition can begin.
Not all of the ladies are taking this news laying down. Elizabeth and Lisa are ready to rock it, and Lisa suggests she cooks all of the food for them. Elizabeth will be her new pet project and she is more than happy to let Lisa take care of her. Jessica and Ada start out shakily, mostly because Ada is so hurt that the guys in her alliance betrayed her. "All this drama and craziness is not healthy!" Jessica says.
Bob comes into the gym to talk to the teams about the temptation challenge and ends up laying into Lisa who ate the dessert at the temptation challenge just to eat it, not to play the game. Then he lays into Brendan for not putting any girls and guys together, leading to this BS Brandon quote of the week: "I did the temptation for me for once in my life." Then in the cut away interview he reveals all he cares about is himself, Frado, and Patrick. Hmmmmm. Everyone is worried that it's going to be a female team leaving the game this week, so Jillian and Bob spend extra mind bullet time working on the girls.
Challenge! Ali announces the teams must stack a 5 foot high wall of sugar cubes one tiny cube at a time. This may be this most Sisyphean task the Losers have had to complete to date! Jessica and Ada beat all the others, winning a one week stay at the Biggest Loser Resort. I would want a trip that is not Loser related, but that is just me.
After a plug by Extra Sugar Free Gum's new spokesperson Patrick (teaching the ladies how to take in less calories), it is time for the Last Chance Workout featuring Bob's Boob Tunnel of Torture and then the WEIGH IN.
The weigh in is awfully rocky, and the recipients of most of the drama are Lisa with her 60/40 principle and Elizabeth and her inability to take care of herself. But enough of the drama. Who is going home this week?
Patrick: 330 lbs to 311 lbs- 19 lbs lost
Brendan: 298 lbs to 280 lbs- 18 lbs lost Total Loss: 37 lbs BW: 5.89%
Mark: 329 lbs to 317 lbs- 12 lbs lost
Frado: 294 lbs to 276 lbs- 18 lbs lost Total Loss: 30 lbs BW: 4.82%
Jessica: 240 lbs to 228 lbs- 12 lbs lost
Ada: 204 lbs to 198 lbs- 6 lbs lost Total Loss: 18 lbs BW: 4.05%
YELLOW LINE
Lisa: 242 lbs to 234 lbs- 8 lbs lost
Elizabeth: 213 lbs to 205 lbs- 8 lbs lost Total Loss: 16 lbs BW: 3.52%
Jesse: 296 lbs to 280 lbs- 16 lbs lost
Aaron: 384 lbs to 380 lbs- 4 lbs lost Total Loss: 20 lbs BW: 2.94%
At the live reveal we see a very svelte Aaron and Jesse, but we are not told how much weight they have lost since leaving the ranch. Looking forward to getting some more concrete information at the finale!
Next week promises to be a tear jerker with plenty of videos from home. Get your Kleenex and your pack of gum.
Want to know what Shay has to say? Click on the video below, courtesy of Diets in Review!
My mom and dad have driven up from the great state of Oklahoma for a visit! YAY! I am taking a MUCH needed break from all my bloggerly duties to spend time with my fam. See you all tomorrow for Biggest Loser tweeting!!!!
The NYC Marathon is this Sunday, and the health and bloggy community is all a buzz with this exciting annual event. So how did this marathon become the big deal that it is? Learn more with a really cool documentary that will be airing on PBS in New York tomorrow (November 6th) at 2:30 pm entitled "Run For Your Life".
They had me at the 70's porn wacka wacka music.
For those of you running this weekend, good luck and God bless! May all your goo taste amazing and give you the strength that you need to power through.
For the rest of us, here is something a little more Casual Friday:
Due to election day, The Biggest Loser was only a one hour show this week. People said it couldn't be done. How will we fit the drama, the game play, the plugs into a neat one hour package?
Well, it worked. They did, and I am JUST SAYING it might not be a bad idea to give us all a break on occasion. My butt gets awfully numb after tweeting for two hours. Not to mention I rewatch the episode the next day for this blog--I could be finished in record time!
We are half way through the season (what?) and Ali rolls out the latest twist: Marine Corps Boot Camp training at Camp Pendleton! The Marines immediately load the Losers into military vehicles and drive overnight to base camp. When they get off, they have three minutes to get into their color coded camo gear and hop onto a huge chopper. All the guys are totally geeking out, especially Frado who was in the Marine Corps, but none of the ladies are sharing their enthusiasm. SPOILER ALERT: This is a totally wee woo lady week. No power stories of redemption here. Maybe if this was a two hour episode. . .
After the chopper lands, the Losers must put on their heavy packs and head up a steep hill to the barracks. Anna and Elizabeth are struggling, having trouble breathing, and every interview with Anna shows tears in her eyes and a flagging mental attitude. Once at the barracks, the Losers make their beds and get some sleep for the week ahead.
Starting at 5 am, the Marines wake up the teams and start them on a montage that involves furious pt, lots of dirt, and limited bathroom breaks. The Losers are concerned about the mess hall fare- waffles and sausage are NOT on program-- and are hoping that the bad food will be counteracted by all the hard training they are putting out there.
Then it is time to meet Ali, complete in sequin studded military gear, to learn about this week's challenge. The teams must work together to get through a three mile obstacle course wearing weighted packs. The first team to make it through will win phone calls home. At the start of the race, the Black team makes a pivotal mistake-- they take extra weight out of the women's packs (weak girls again) and put it in the guys packs. The Blue team uses this time to get ahead and stay ahead. During the race, Elizabeth passes out, losing the race for the Black team. She is still determined to finish, but I feel all this breathing stuff isn't in her head like Jillian suggested a few weeks ago. I mean, she has some real problems here.
The Blue team wins and gets to have tearful phone calls to home. No one shares their prize like the Black team so generously did two weeks ago. My fave moment was Aaron talking on the phone to that cutie patootie little boy of his.
Then Bob and Jillian join the teams for a last chance workout where we discover that Brendan shaved his head and beard, revealing his likeness to Uncle Fester. Or a snow man. There is plenty of punishment in the gym, but the Losers seem to have built some character after this Marine exercise. Will that extra character add pounds on the scale? Onto the quickest weigh in in Biggest Loser history!
Mark: From 336 lbs to 329 lbs- 7 lbs lost Jessica: From 244 lbs to 2450 lbs- 4 lbs lost Lisa: From 244 lbs to 242 lbs- 2 lbs lost Jesse: From 296 lbs to 297 lbs- 1 lb gained Aaron: From 398 lbs to 384 lbs- 14 lbs lost = 26 Total lbs lost - 1.71% BW
"I'm at a loss," says Jesse. Um. No. You are at a gain. Aaron saves it by losing more weight than the entire team combined.
Ada: From 211 lbs to 204 lbs- 7 lbs lost
Patrick: From 337 lbs to 330 lbs- 7 lbs lost
Brendan: From 302 lbs to 298 lbs- 4 lbs lost
Anna: From 283 lbs to 281 lbs- 2 lbs lost
Elizabeth: From 213 lbs to 214 lbs- 1 lb gained
Frado: From 294 lbs to 298 lbs- 4 lbs gained = 15 Total lbs lost - .91% BW
WHAT?!? Frado apologized BEFORE he even weighs in that he "thinks" he gained six pounds. Ali is dumbfounded, and doesn't seem to believe him when he says immediately after that it wasn't game play. SURE. Right. And how could Elizabeth gain weight? Was it all the air she sucked in?
Ada is safe from elimination, and the Black team wastes no time eliminating Anna from the team even though she lost weight and didn't lose the challenge for them. I knew that Elizabeth was in with Frado and Brendan, but what kind of creepy weirdness is going on here? And why doesn't anyone use this opportunity to get rid of Frado? This show is getting on my nerves.
Anna reveals that she has gone from 330 pounds to 250 pounds, and is paying it forward to the people she works with by encouraging them to be more active.
Next week looks like more game play and thrown weigh ins. Remember when it used to happen like once a season? Now it is every week. BORING.
Here is Shay's two cents on this week's episode, courtesy of Diets in Review!
YES. I am hoping this encourages McDonald's to lower sodium and fat content across the board, not just in children's foods, and I am hoping this trend spreads throughout the country if McDonald's doesn't comply. Although McDonald's does offer healthier options with the Happy Meal, like apple slices and milk, the number one choice is still fries and a soda. Visit any McDonald's and you will see childhood obesity in full affect.
My hope is this story will shed some light for parents who thought that a Happy Meal was a good choice. By teaching parents and their children about what is good to put in your body and what is not good for your body, we can start to turn the obesity epidemic around.
It is a victory for the Food Revolution. It is a victory for kids and for their parents!
I am guessing that not everyone is going to be staying in a hotel with a gym over the holidays. And I am also quite certain that Grandma's house doesn't have a fully operational workout space. The Ab Roller she bought at Big Lots five years ago does not count!!!! Give your thanks this holiday season for Cathe Friedrich'sTravel Fit DVD: 51 minutes of working out that requires no more room than a yoga mat and no more equipment than a resistance band!
Cathe's workouts are usually known for being tough (crazy plyometrics!) and using a lot of equipment (a barbell, free weights, step bench, stability ball, etc.) so I was concerned: How was I going to get a tough workout with just a resistance band? My fears were quickly assuaged. Cathe carefully cues you through some creative band choreography that will make your shoulders and triceps sing! In between the resistance exercises are quick cardio bursts like squat jumps and skaters that keep your heart pumping, and all is finished with a tough ab section that will keep you taut and hide that pumpkin pie belly.
Cathe is an amazing instructor that balances positivity and tough love with excellent cuing and technique. The band is used in more creative ways than I have ever seen! All moves are given safer modifications so you can adjust the workout based on how hard you feel like working. Not everyone likes to workout while they travel, but with Travel Fit, there's no excuses!
Equipment: resistance band, yoga mat
Fitness level: beginner to advanced; can modify strength of resistance band to make easier or more challenging
Fun level: On a funness scale of 1-10 (10 being the most fun EVER), I give this a 7!
In January of 2010 I participated in the IntenSati Warrior Challenge (check out my blog posts from January to read about the challenge) with my hero Patricia Moreno. I received the following e-mail this morning, and after reading it I had the intention that I set for myself ACTUALLY come true. That's how I know that the IntenSati Method really works. I will reveal my intention soon. . .but for now, please read this letter. Inspire yourself!
My hero Patricia Moreno!
"It's still 2010, with just two more months before 2011. I think it's a perfect time to stop and look back at the intention you set for the beginning of the year. The theme for 2010 is "if not now, when?" You still have plenty of time to end this year on fire! Time is passing and it will not wait, so go back and look at what you declared was so important to you. What have you accomplished and what have you given up on? Can you handle the truth that there is no one stopping you but you? Are you willing to call up something greater within you right now, drop the excuses and the complaints, and go for it in the next two months?
I am right now living in the bliss of having one of my biggest dreams come true. After more than 2 years of recommitting over and over, and not taking no for an answer, I am so grateful I did not give up. I am so grateful for all the love, support and encouragement from loved ones and friends. I am grateful for all those who succeeded before me to show me that it was possible, and were the springboard for my faith.
I want to be your encouraging friend, part of your support group, and your springboard to a higher level of faith and courage to hold on to your dream and desire to live life according to what you really want. I want to encourage you with all my heart not to lose faith. I want to encourage you to take a good look at yourself to see if you are living from fear... Fear that it won't happen, fear that you might get hurt, and fear that you simply are not good enough. And if you are living from fear, I encourage you to do the work right now to change it! Right now, today, drop every excuse, stop blaming outside circumstances, and call up in yourself the courage to achieve what you have not achieved before. Call up in yourself, right now, the willingness to do your absolute best and to simply not settle for less.
When you find that level of passion and enthusiasm for life, you also find within yourself latent powers that will be ignited once you make a firm commitment and say "I will not stop until I succeed!" Have you said that yet? Have you looked around to see that there are others who have succeeded in making even the most challenging of dreams a reality?
If one person can do it, so can you, and if no one has succeeded before, then you be the one! Be the one to lead, inspire, and break free! Be the one who will stand for it being a reality in your life regardless of what others say. Be the master of your own fate by aligning yourself with the greatest power in the world - the power of love! Nothing is impossible with love! Nothing!
Think about a time when you made a firm decision that you will succeed, and think about who you became in that instant. When a mother lifts a car to save her child, when someone trapped in life-threatening situations survives, when people survive life-threatening illness above all odds. Think of great spiritual teachers, leaders, inventors. These people are not "special" or "lucky;" they are like you and me, and we all have the same access to the very energy that creates worlds!
In order for your grandest dream to become a reality you will have to admit you love yourself enough to go for it. You will have to admit you are capable with the power of love. You will have to admit that the only thing in the way of you fulfilling your dream is you. That longing to be more is the sacred calling of your soul, and denying that calling, denying your talent, your gift, your self is causing you more pain because every time you proclaim you are not enough, you are not worthy, you are not loved, you deny yourself access to the love that is your power to achieve what you were born to achieve! So set yourself free! You were born to fly! Let go and let the good that is your birthright in. Make yourself available for more than you have ever had before!
Yes it may be challenging, you may fail a few more times, but by simply doing the best you can do now you will train your mind to be about something greater, something you have never before achieved. You will have to train your mind to believe, declare, and see what you have not allowed yourself to see before. Choose to break precedent and lead with your heart and a powerful mind. 2010: if not now, seriously, when?
"Words without experience are just words." -Dalai Lama
Don't just say it or think about it do it today! Life is passing and it will not wait!
With great love and respect to you, my friends! I believe in YOU!"
- Patricia
I had always been interested in working out and being fit, but never could stick with it. I rode bikes and did martial arts and dance as a kid, but always opted for the more creative choices when I got older, instead of the active choices. NO organized sports for this kid!
I was the newspaper editor and drama queen in high school, and my love of the arts took me to college as a Musical Theatre Major, and that led me to living in New York City. All the while, I was the chubby one, the funny best friend and side kick. I wanted to lose weight, but never really knew what to do about it.
After September 11, I moved back to my home state of Oklahoma to help take care of my older sister who was suffering from kidney failure. The defeat I felt in moving home only added to my weight problems. My sister had me weigh myself at her doctor appointment one day, and I weighed over 200 pounds. I refused to believe it, and blamed the fact that I was wearing clothes for the extra 50 pounds.
Then everything changed: my sister passed away in September of 2002. I was lost and confused, and was medicating myself with food and drinks. One morning in November of 2002, I woke up and was tired of feeling bad. I needed to change. I started my fitness journey that morning by putting on an old pair of sneakers and I never looked back.
I have lost over 60 pounds on my own through diet and exercise. No fancy tricks, but lots of sweat and hard work. I am amazed when people can change their lives by doing the same thing. I'm an ACE certified personal trainer, personal trainer at Equinox Sports Club West LA, licensed Zumba instructor, and intenSati leader (with more to come!!!), and am happy for the chance to touch people with my enthusiasm for fitness everyday.
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