Please watch this!

I just saw this 90 minute movie called Hungry For Change that is all about living a life you love in a body you love right now.  Very Sati Life!

I was moved by how our bodies want to return themselves to a state of perfect health and happiness but are unable to because of the things that we put into our mouths and on our skin.  It made me think.  What am I doing to myself that is hurting me?  What am I doing to myself to show my body that it is a temple?

Watch it and tell me what you think!

Want to be a jump rope?

What does a jump rope see when it goes around you?  Check it out, courtesy of Buzz Feed.

It's Not Me, It's You: Why I am Breaking up With "The Biggest Loser"

I have been thinking about breaking up with The Biggest Loser since last season.  I have been blogging about the show since the beginning of my blog's life in 2009 and I thought it was a cornerstone of my blog.  The show drives a lot of traffic and I have made so many great friends and connections through the live tweeting every Tuesday night that I was having a hard time coming to this decision.

How did I choose to break up with something that has been such a big part of my week for the past 4 years?

The very first season of The Biggest Loser I didn't watch.  I watched it later in reruns, but I would not watch the show.  Why?  I was a former fat person and I thought that the show was going to trivialize the condition and make fun of the people participating.  I gave the show a chance in the second season, and I was hooked.  I found it inspiring and I dreamed of becoming a personal trainer like Bob or Jillian.  I longed to worked with people who wanted to make a change in their lives and I wanted to help them get there.

I watched every single season and was moved and excited to see the transformations.  Yes, the trivial game play also made the show more fun to watch, but overall the show produced people like Ali and Tara and Sam and Abby and Hannah- there are many others but you know I can't sit here and list names all day!- that made me excited to share the message of the show.

Then something changed.  The in show plugs got pluggier, the contestants got cattier, and the heart and soul of the show started to fade.  It turned into The Biggest Loser Inc., churning out season after season of people who have become faceless and nameless.  I think season 11 was the last season I enjoyed.  I have started to dread writing my weekly recaps, and although I love my Twitter friends, I have also started to dread watching the show.

I also don't like the products being hocked in the name of The Biggest Loser.  Weight loss pills and shakes, instant meals, body shapewear, and Subway sandwiches (Which are not a truly healthy option in my opinion. I mean, compared to other fast foods?  Maybe.) have become the main stars of the show.  The show is a money making machine, selling whey protein and scales and Jenni O Turkey to people who hope to get the same results as the people on the show.

Also, I think it is sad that so many contestants have reverted back to their old habits after the dust settles.  The real change didn't happen within.  It's sad to see that this express pass to happiness and wellness didn't really happen and now onto the next season two weeks later.

So, I have made a decision.  I will still live Tweet with my friends (for the rest of this season, anyway), but I am no longer going to write about the show.  It is filled with a negativity that I am trying to cleanse my life of and I no longer choose to participate in.  The show, in my opinion, has turned into what I feared in the beginning- a show that trivializes the obese and the journey it takes to get there.

Please read the recaps on @theblblog.  Jen spends a lot of time and energy writing about the show and she could use your love!  She has a great relationship with many former contestants and is fun to read.

So, The Biggest Loser.  It's not me, it's you.  Maybe we should start seeing other people?

Fideo Friday #6

Watch my video about hitting the wall and crying over spilled soup.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sunday Funday!

Who doesn't love a dancing dog?

Fideo Friday!

Today I talk about the satiLife Warrior Challenge and leading a Zumba class!!!

Tanya Beardsley from Zumba Fitness in Shape Interview

Tanya ws my instructor for my Zumba cert and she is ridiculously inspiring!  Watch her interview to learn what I am talking about. . .

The Biggest Loser- #BL13- week 5- "Haters make you thrive."

OH MY GOD.  Gail is gone and so is my joy.

This episode of The Biggest Loser was SO NEGATIVE I almost didn't want to write about it.  I am in the middle of practicing daily meditation to make myself a better more positive person through intenSati Warrior Training (www.satilife.com) and it is hard to watch and write about a show that has taken a nasty turn.  And not a fun game play kind of turn where people drink water and throw weigh ins like the good ol' days.  There is a level of cattiness this season that is unparalleled to any other season.  Red team's Conda is the Queen of Mean and her minions are surprisingly obedient.  I guess Kim is the muscle?

Here we go.

• Aqua team comes back to the ranch!  Sister Daphne pulls 26 pounds and Brother Adrian pulls 34 pounds!  They have earned their place as serious competitors on the show.  They also earn immunity for the week.
• Unfortunately, the only people that are excited are Bob and Dolvett.  The Red team is especially nasty.  Surprising!
• Red and Black teams all say that the Aqua team needs to prove their worth.  Adrian and Daphne kill it in every single challenge they are given.  Yes, Daphne "mysteriously" disappeared during homework workouts (which may just have been editing- what if she was just going to the bathroom?), but these people EARNED their right to be on the show by losing over 50 pounds per the rules.
• Kim didn't even think it was fair that they were given a second chance.  She was on the other team that ALMOST didn't make it on the ranch.  What if the shoe was on the other foot?  I'll bet she wouldn't be so snide if she was the one trying to get back on the ranch.
• Dialogue of the night:  Adrian: "It's not easy to get here."  Conda:  "It's not easy to stay here."  Unless you start crying and make everyone feel sorry for you.
• At the Challenge, Conda asks if it is "drowning our new teammates".
• Daphne looks like she might want to take down Conda.  Reminds me of when that other guy called Conda's brother Tank at the weigh in and Conda got all territorial.  Now that Conda is making fun of Daphne's brother, I guess we'll see how Conda likes it.
• Best story of the night was Adrian talking about how he got to the ranch after his pregnant wife lost their daughter at 6 months.  I am normally not a crier, but I did tear up at his story and determination to get his life back on track.
• The Red team wins the challenge and the ability to sit one member of their team and one member of the Black team out at the weigh in.  They choose Nancy from the Red team and Megan from the Black team.  How does it all weigh out?

Nancy:  From 200 to 196- 4 lbs lost

Megan:  From 238 to 229- 9 lbs lost

Daphne:  From 245 to 244- 1 lb lost

Chism:  From 320 to 318- 2 lbs lost

Emily:  From 235 to 230- 5 lbs lost

Chris:  From 215 to 211- 4 lbs lost

Cassandra:  From 206 to 200- 6 lbs lost

Jeremy:  From 347 to 338- 9 lbs lost  Total:  27 lbs lost, BW 1.72%

Adrian:  From 336 to 334- 2 lbs lost

Kim:  From 220 to 215- 5 lbs lost

Kimmy:  From 197 to 193- 4 lbs lost

Roy:  From 272 to 268- 4 lbs lost

Mark:  From 255 to 251- 4 lbs lost

Buddy:  From 353 to 345- 8 lbs lost

Conda:  From 265 to 263- 2 lbs lost  Total:  29 lbs lost, BW 1.53%

The Red team loses, but instead of sending home Conda, they send home Nancy.  And Mark accuses Adrian and is sister of throwing the weigh in even though his son Chism ALSO lost 2 pounds.  And Conda.  Blurgh.

Nancy is rapping at home about her huge family and is down to 178.  If she wins the at home prize she'll buy a motorcycle and travel across the country.  I smell a spin off, NBC!

Next episode:  More Adrian/Conda Drama fo' yo' mamma. 

Even Dogs Need to Work OUT!

The Biggest Loser- #BL13- ONE HOUR LOSER!

Due to the President's address, The Biggest Loser only ran for one hour as it does every so often.  I feel this just proves that the show really could be one hour, even with in show plugs!  But NBC must make a fortune in advertising from this program- how many other reality shows are two hours?  Besides The Bachelor?

Because it was only one hour, there wasn't even time to mess around with the theme song- so let's get on with it!

• The show opens with the "Gym versus No Gym" concept and challenge.  The winners get to use the gym, the losers get to work out outside.
• The Black Team must have REALLY wanted to work out without the gym because they got EVERY QUESTION WRONG in the challenge.  I have to say that the questions were challenging.  I always thought that carrots would have more vitamin C than cauliflower or that chicken had more muscle building protein than fish.  I would have spent my time knee deep in mud pits just like the Black team.
• Red Team wins the challenge, causing Santa Roy and Chris to get into an argument.  Which causes Chris to lock herself in the bathroom and threaten to quit.  What is wrong with these people!?!
• Bob comes in to talk to Chris and tells her to SUCK IT UP.  Let down your walls, stop being afraid, and realize you are on NBC's top rated show and you can't hide in the toilet.
• We are treated to a "24"-style montage between gym and no gymers.  Unfortunately the weather looked unseasonably cold for Southern California and the Black team looks REALLY cold.
• Chairs, canned goods, and sweatshirts make suitable replacements for gym equipment.
• This week it is Conda vs Dolvett and Gail vs Bob.  Gail vs Bob is way more fun.  Gail skipping and crying is one of my favorite images of all time.

WEIGH IN!  Who "can" win?  See how I did that?

Emily:  From 244 to 235- 9 lbs lost

Chism:  From 332 to 320- 12 lbs lost

Cassandra:  From 212 to 206- 6 lbs lost

Jeremy:  From 358 to 347- 11 lbs lost

Gail:  From 302 to 297- 5 lbs lost

Chris:  From 222 to 215- 7 lbs lost

Megan:  From 240 to 238- 2 lbs lost  TOTAL:  52 lbs lost, 2.72% BW

Buddy:  From  363 to 353- 10 lbs lost

Roy:  From 278 to 272- 6 lbs lost

Kimmy:  From 203 to 197- 6 lbs lost

Mark:  From 266 to 255- 11 lbs lost

Kim:  From 230 to 220- 10 lbs lost

Nancy:  From 205 to 200- 5 lbs lost

Conda:  From 275 to 265- 10 lbs lost  TOTAL:  58 lbs lost, 3.19% BW

So the moral of the story is you CAN lose weight without the gym.  But you won't win The Biggest Loser.

Gail is sent home, and I am really sad because it should have been Megan.  I need entertainment and Gail is SO ENTERTAINING!!!!  Oh well.

Gail is looking sassy and slim having lost 56 pounds total.  All she wants is for Bob to tell her she did it.  Hopefully we will see that at the finale!?!

NEXT EPISODE:  Will the Aqua team and the Ascot make it back on to the ranch!?

Fideo Friday! #4

The Biggest Loser- #BL13- week 3- FACE OFF WEEK

Don't you wish it was this kind of Face Off?

This week of No Excuses is "I have no time to be healthy". I don't know why this was the theme because all it tied into was one super lame Subway plug.  Subway is my healthy option when I don't have time to make a good choice?  FAIL.  Yes, it is healthier than eating a pepperoni pizza, I guess.  I thought we would have had some good recipe segments, maybe Curtis Stone would stop by?  But instead it is Face Off week where the red team and the black team face off against each other as individuals.

• Chinese food is the temptation challenge.  It was really not tempting- it was all brown and fried!  YUCK.
• Cassandra from the black team decides to eat and wins control of the game- all for the low cost of 60 calories from 2 fortune cookies.  She also earns a 2 pound advantage.
• Cassandra was smart to eat:  If no one had eaten, each team would immediately go against their loved one on the opposite team.  NBC is not messing around- we need some drama!
• Kimmy is a Chinese food alcoholic.
• Turbo Tax is a new sponsor!  I don't know what paying your taxes and losing weight have in common except that they both suck.
• Conda says Cassandra eating a fortune cookie is a sigh of weakness- what a bitch!
• Right after the challenge black team Joe decides he misses his family and leaves.  He gets quite the earful from Bob who calls and bitches him out.  
• Because Joe left, the black team loses the point for that weigh in putting them in the hole.  The black team is ANGRY.
• Bob says that Joe is the first contestant to ever quit The Biggest Loser, but didn't Rulon quit?  Or was he asked to leave?
• Gail vs Bob in the workouts is HILARIOUS.  His imitation of her crying is spot on- but some how over the course of the episode they become friends.  I smell a spin off!
• Per Cassandra, fat people can't get into publishing.
• Santa Roy rides his row machine like a sleigh!
• Conda and Cassandra face off in a Bosu squat thrust challenge.  Cassandra wins and Conda accuses her of cheating.  They face off again and Cassandra beats her again.  FACE OFF.
• After competing in a water themed challenge, the red team wins video chat with their families- very sweet.  Even I was moved, and you know how jaded I get.
• Nancy sat out of the challenge AGAIN but got to talk to her family.  LAME.
• Bob goes to visit the Aqua team and Adrian's ascot makes it's second national appearance!
• At the weigh in, Ali's lipstick matched her burgundy velour suit.  Eek.

WEIGH IN and FACE OFF!

Emily vs Roy:  6 lbs vs 9 lbs- point to Red

Jeremy vs Lauren:  11 lbs vs 3 lbs- point to Black

Joe vs Nancy:  0 vs 2 lbs- point to Red

Chism vs Kim:  9 lbs vs 6 lbs- point to Black

Mark vs Chris:  8 lbs vs 4 lbs- point to Red

Megan vs Buddy:  8 lbs vs 9 lbs- point to Black

Gail vs Kimmy:  6 lbs vs 3 lbs- point to Black

Cassandra vs Conda:  8 lbs vs 3 lbs- point to Black

Conda gets schooled!  And she gets schooled by Dolvett who tells her she isn't doing all of her homework.  Which makes next episode look especially tasty!  The Black team wins the weigh in, forcing the Red team back into the elimination room.  So Nancy or Conda are going home, right?  No.  It's Lauren, Gail's daughter.  Kimmy's vote was the one that sent her home and she was competing against Gail.  OUCH.  I guess Kimmy gets the last laugh.

Lauren goes home and has lost 53 pounds and has learned to embrace her inner athlete.

Next week:  Conda vs DOLVETT.  Should be amazing.

Fideo Friday!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQQ2TZBNzmc&sns=emhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQQ2TZBNzmc&sns=em


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Zumba DVD Review and Giveaway!

I was contacted by Shine from Yahoo, a website that "covers family, health, fashion, beauty, finance, career, food, relationships and much more", to review Zumba's Total Body Transformation System for their at home fitness segment on their Get It Guide.  How did they know that I am Zumba obsessed?  And that I love at home workout DVD's?  I'm as happy as a little girl!










I have only taken Zumba in person and was wondering how it would translate to an at home experience.  For those of you not in the loop, Zumba is a dance fitness class that uses international rhythms and non verbal cuing (no talking, more dancing!) to get your body to move and shake until you are all hot and sweaty.  I was skeptical before my first class.  I enjoyed dance but how would I fare with the sexy samba or sizzling hip hop?  After the class I fell in love and have been preaching the gospel of Zumba for over a year and just recently became a Zumba instructor.  I adore my instructors and classmates:  How could these DVDs be a similar experience?




The Zumba system comes with two one-pound toning sticks (they shake like maracas!) and six workouts:  Zumba Fitness Basics, Zumba Fitness 20-minute Express, Zumba Fitness Cardio Party, Zumba Fitness Sculpt and Tone, Flat Abs, and Zumba Fitness Live!  The exclamation point is theirs, but I was very enthusiastic with the amount of product that came in the box.  That is A LOT of Zumba!



The workouts are primarily hosted by the feisty Tanya Beardsley (my teacher at my training) and Beto Perez, creator of Zumba.  Zumba Fitness Basics introduces you to the steps and rhythms that will be used in the series, and once you have the moves you can pick your poison with the other workouts.  I liked the Cardio Party the best because it was the longest and had the most dancing.  The only thing jarring was the talking!  In class the instructor rarely speaks; instead, they lead by hand gestures and demonstrating the moves.  On the DVDs there is a lot of chatter.  It's not bad if you've never done Zumba before, but if you've taken a live class it kind of takes you out of the moment.  I love the feeling of losing myself with the music and I can't when I am listening to instruction.



I did enjoy the Sculpt and Tone DVD, but only for the toning sticks.  One pound weights are not challenging, but they do add a fun musical twist as you move around.  I loved the fact that the "sculpting" moves were set in time to the music like a body pump class.  I do wish they were heavier!  Unless you have zero experience with weight training you will soon outgrow the toning sticks.



Overall, I think this is a fun system that will get you results if you also watch your eating and you are consistent.  I think the DVDs are a great introduction to Zumba and when you feel comfortable, you should log on to Zumba.com (it's all over the box, the DVDs, and in the workouts) and find a live class where you can experience what it is all about!  It is way more fun than your workout has ever been!



Want to try it out for yourself?  Shine is providing me with one Zumba system to give away!  Simply leave me a comment below or tweet to me at my Twitter handle @fosterfitness and let me know why you want to try Zumba!  I'll choose the winner soon and Shine will send you your own kit to start your Zumba transformation!

The Biggest Loser- #BL13- It's Just Gail!

The lovable scamp from The Biggest Loser:  GAIL!

Ah, the dreaded week 2 on The Biggest Loser!  Everyone knows that on the second week of the show it is notoriously hard to lose weight after the first week's big numbers.  Everyone knows EXCEPT Kim and Kimmy from the red team who gamble in a challenge that the red team will lose a total of 94 pounds at the weigh in.  That's a little over 10 pounds per team member.  Hardly anyone lost 10 pounds last week!

Aye aye aye.  The highlights!

• The new nutritionist says a turkey sandwich has less calories than sushi and is more nutritious.  But a turkey sandwich is NOT sushi.
• Mike not only sees sushi as a take home snack but also puts liquor in the shopping cart and chews tobacco.  The target has been set on your back, sir.
• Jeremy's new nickname is Alfredo J!  Better than the old one:  Senior Pepperoni Nipples.
• Gail is SUPER good at puzzles. (she's not super good at puzzles).
• Can no one remember where they were standing in the photo puzzle?  It must have JUST been taken like five seconds ago.
• Gail's idea of reality is a lot different than everyone else's reality.
• When the nutritionist goes to visit the Aqua team, I thought they were married.  Turns out they are brother and sister!  Wow.
• Aqua Adrian totally rocked an ascot on national television.
• The nutritionist's fave adjective is great!  Mine?  Awesome.  Or gorgeous.
• Dolvett and Bob are getting real catty with each other.  Dolvett tags the gym with spray paint and "steals" Bob's workouts.  Bob rolled is eyes a whole lot this episode.  Bob leaves the gym to escape the "toxic environment".  Get these guys a tampon and some chocolate!
• Quote of the night by Gail: "Come on Bob.  I cant sit on this- it's too small!"
• Mike further insures that he is being eliminated by opening up about his problems with half brother Joe, alcohol, and tobacco.  Not looking so good.

WEIGH IN!  Will the red team reach 94 pounds?

Kim:  From 239 to 236- 3 lbs lost

Kimmy:  From 210 to 206- 4 lbs lost

Roy:  From 292 to 287- 5 lbs lost

Lauren:  From 237 to 233- 4 lbs lost

Nancy:  5 lbs lost (fast forward- apparently these people aren't important.)

Conda:  7 lbs lost

Mike:  7 lbs lost

Mark:  8 lbs lost

Buddy:  9 lbs lost  TOTAL:  52 lbs, 2.09% BW

Wee woo.  Black team earns a 5 pound advantage and the red team didn't make their mark.  Looks like Kim may be going home, right?

Gail:  From 313 to 308- 5 lbs lost

Megan:  From 252 to 248- 4 lbs lost

Cassandra:  From 225 to 220- 5 lbs lost

Emily:  From 254 to 250- 4 lbs lost

Chris:  From 232 to 226- 6 lbs lost

Joe:  From 342 to 334- 8 lbs lost

Jeremy:  From 376 to 369- 7 lbs lost

Chism:  From 349 to 341- 8 lbs lost  (+5lbs) TOTAL:  52, 2.22% BW

If the red team had gambled correctly, they would have won!  CRAZY.  Chris has immunity and gives it to Santa Roy.  Mark has the highest percentage of weight loss so he is immune.  Who's going home on the red team?

Mike.  What?  Why not Kim or Kimmy?  If eye rolling and smirking burned calories Conda would be the thinnest person on the planet.  She was pissed that Mike called Alfredo J "tank" during the first weigh in and bitches and complains until Mike is sent home.  Because Mike needs less assistance, not more.

When we see him at home he has lost some, and promises to be Alec Baldwin and tobacco free by the finale.  Let's see!

Come live tweet with us during the show Tuesdays!!!