Motivation for the week - No Excuses

Consider what actions you plan to take this week to improve your health. This season's Biggest Loser is about No Excuses. 

Instead of thinking about reasons why you can't make a change for the better. Think and plan for a small change this week to take you closer to a healthier life. Any change, no matter how small, makes a difference. 

Belated recap from last week's show

Short and Sweet 


Having only an hour show was actually a really good thing for me this past week. Last week and the upcoming two weeks will be extremely busy for me without much chance for TV watching. Management of time will be a premium. I have even seen last week's episode of the Fox series Alcatraz
The Challenge 


A classic obstacle course challenge combined with mental challenge. I love it!  Contestants had to answer nutrition questions to move forward in an obstacle course. Wrong answers sent them through a mud pit. Poor Black team! They answer every question wrong and were incredibly muddy by the end.

Winners of the challenge got exclusive use of the gym for the week.

Drama 


This week's drama centered around Black team's Chris and Red team's Conda.  Chris experienced a major meltdown and was ready to leave the Ranch. Even Santa (her husband Roy) was able to change her mind. I wish I could find the video clip of her talk with Bob. It really touched me. There was blatant honesty about emotional struggles and fears in Chris's life. The paths leading to obesity come in many forms, and I believe that emotional barriers are a major path to obesity as well I think a MAJOR reason for remaining obese.


Conda's continued bad attitude was shut down by Dolvett who kicked her out of the gym. Conda is shaping up to be a brat this season and Dolvett is not gonna take it.

Elimination 

Gail was sent home. Bob had major frustration with her constant complaining and lack of work. Even the loss of weight below 300 lb at the weigh-in wasn't celebrated.

Aqua Team



We'll get to see brother and sister from the Aqua team weigh-in this coming Tuesday for a chance to return to the Ranch. Dolvett paid them a visit this week for a work-out. I like them from the clipis that I've seen, and I hope they will be able to return to the Ranch and benefit from the intense training.

Lauren Lee interviewed by Reality Wanted

Season 13 Contestant Lauren Lee 

I wrote already about Lauren's elimination in Week 3 of the current season. I found this Q&A interview with her courtesy of  Reality Wanted.

Weekend Motivation

Make your weekend meaningful

I wrote earlier this week about getting a jump on the week with motivation to eat healthy or exercise. The weekend can also be a time for motivation.

The extra time you have on the weekends means you can accomplish things that you can't do during the week. Here are some quick ideas for you to think about

• Fix two healthy meals - one for the weekend and one to take you into the early part of the week 
• Exercise longer than usual 
• Head outdoors for a long brisk walk or bike ride 
• Rest and write down your dreams and goals 

Biggest Loser Show Recap for Jan 17th

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.... I HATE TEMPTATION CHALLENGES!

These kinds of challenges totally undermine the journey towards a healthier life and reward bad behavior.

NBC PLEASE...get rid of this kind of Biggest Loser challenge.

Joe Leaves Biggest Loser Ranch 

Now that I'm done ranting about temptation challenges, I have one other mini-rant about the episode. A big deal was made about Joe being the FIRST CONTESTANT EVER to quit the show.




Ummm... what about Rulon Gardner? 

Rulon did definitely leave the show early without being voted off. When asked why he didn't show up for the season finale, he said that he had forfeited eligibility by leaving the show.

The only difference between Joe and Rulon is that Rulon announced his decision in front of everyone rather than leaving as suddenly and quietly as Joe.


 Why does Biggest Loser give Rulon a pass when he was really the first contestant to "quit the show".




Main Challenge and Contestant Weight Loss 

The result of the temptation challenge was that the Black team created head to head competition between one of their members vs one of the Red team members. Cassandra got the choice of teams and stacked the odds way in favor of the Black team. As expected, the Red team lost the weigh-in.

Most of the contestants lost little weight for the Week 3 weigh-in. It seems to me that weight loss has been less this season compared to last season. Perhaps, it is because the contestants are not as obese.

The elimination was a bit of surprise as the contestants chose Lauren to be eliminated. Lauren, herself, seemed to have been surprised.




Drama Teasers for Next Week 

We finished off with drama teasers of the Conda vs Cassandra feud as well as the Bob vs Dolvett feud. Bob vs Dolvett is likely all totally contrived.

Early week motivation

Remember that even small actions can help you in your journey towards better health. 

Small changes that you make early in your week can help carry you along. Consider these small changes:

• Do a brief (20-30 min) workout before breakfast 
• Pack a healthy lunch the night before 

Diet Focus on Last Week's Biggest Loser

Finally got to watch last week's episode, and it didn't disappoint me. I've said before that I don't care for bogus temptation challenges. This week focused on the power of calorie counting and eating healthy.

We got to meet the Biggest Loser dietitian, Rachel Beller. She took contestants to the grocery store for healthy shopping along with practical tips. Her best practical tip was

Eat a snack before shopping to avoid impulse buys at the store
Make a shopping list before going to the store

Rachel also paid a visit to eliminated players, Adrian and Daphne, and gave them tips on achieving their 50 lb weight loss goals.

The Biggest Loser website included some additional tips including this Breakfast Burrito Recipe

Elimination was a lot of drama between Mike and other red team members. Mike shared a lot of his personal struggles. He seems like an overall nice guy who is just rough around the edges.

The Power of Calorie Counting

I have this week's episode still to watch in the DVR. In the meantime, I'd like to change the focus a bit from the prior posts on home workouts.

In my opinion, there is way too much complexity when it comes to approaching weight loss. I think the Biggest Loser really helps to underline the fact that weight loss is about the balance of calories eaten and calories burned. The Biggest Loser takes obese people and places them on a calorie restricted diet. In addition, the weight loss is supercharged by daily calorie burning exercise.

Losing weight by burning calories is a extremely difficult job. Consider this fact...

3500 calories burned are required to lose a pound of weight. 

Truly, few people are able to burn 3500 calories daily on a consistent basis. This fact alone makes it very clear that calorie intake is the dominant factor in either losing or gaining weight.

Calorie counting combined with mindful eating is a powerful weight loss tool. The targets from the USDA for daily calories are shown in the table below:

Counting calories requires focus and practice but can be well worth the effort. Eating 10%- 15%  less than your daily calories will put you on the path for weight loss especially if combined with an exercise program.

Addition of a calorie calculator can help with counting calories. You can work out how many calories you need to perform daily activities or exercises to give you more control and knowledge about how many calories you should include in your diet.

Lastly, mindful eating combined with calorie counting completes the plan. Mindful eating simply means looking at the content of your diet. Eating lower fat foods and avoid high sugar foods are some powerful steps.

Bells & Whistles

Add Dumbbells to your Workout

By Bells, I mean dumbbells, and you'll be whistling a happy tune if you use dumbbells as part of your workout routine. In my mind, dumbbells have two key features that make them an ideal tool in the workout portfolio of both beginner and advanced alike.









Versatility

• The weight range for dumbbells ranges from only a few pounds to over 40 pounds making it easy to find the right weight for a challenge. 

• Dumbbell exercises are available for every muscle group of the body 

Portability

• Light dumbbells are easy to store at home or even carry with you for outdoor workouts 

Here are five interesting dumbbell exercises you will enjoy.

1.  Arm Curl:

a.  Hold a dumbbell in each hand, hands at your sides,  the palms facing each other;
b.  Stand with your feet almost shoulder-width apart;
c.  Tighten your abdominal muscles and inhale;
d.  Rotate one arm so that the palm will be facing up, bend the arm at the elbow, and raise the dumbbell to your shoulder;
e.  Lower the arm to the beginning position and repeat the movement with the other arm;
f.  Repeat.

2.  Bent-Over Rowing:

a.  Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart;
b.  With the palms facing your body, hold a dumbbell in each hand;
c.  Keeping your back straight, bend over forty-five degrees,  keeping the dumbbells at shoulder-width;
d. Tighten your abs, lift the dumbbells straight up, then straight down, keeping control;
e.  Make sure the dumbbells do not go any higher than parallel to your shoulders;
f.  Keep your wrists controlled without any excess motion;
g.  Your legs do not move;
h.  Stay bent at forty-five degrees until you have finished all repetitions.

3.  Lunge

a.  With a dumbbell in each hand and your arms by your side, stand up straight, palms facing your thighs and feet shoulder-width apart;
b.  Lunge forward with one leg, knee bent, and front thigh almost parallel with the floor, and rear leg slightly bent at the knee, your balance on your toes;
c.  Return to your starting position and repeat with the other leg.

4.  Triceps Extension

a.  You can sit or stand to do this exercise.  Keep your back straight and feet firmly on the floor;
b.  Tighten the abdominal muscles, grip the dumbbell firmly with both hands, and raise it above your head;
c.  Flexing your elbows to their full range of motion, lower the dumbbell to the back of your head, using very controlled movements;
d.  Return to your starting position and repeat.

5.  Squat

a.  With a dumbbell in each hand, hang your arms at your sides with your feet hip-width apart;
b.  Tense the muscles of your abs, stand tall, and pull your shoulders back.  Keep your balance firm;
c.  Without leaning your upper body forward, start moving as if you were going to sit down;
d.  As you lower your body, bend at the knees and move your butt backwards;  don't arch your back; only lower until your thighs are parallel with the ground;
e.  Return to your original position and repeat.


Dumbbells are a centerpiece in almost every gym. Also, they are relatively inexpensive to purchase either new or used at sporting goods stores. So, add dumbbells to your workout today.

No Excuses - Start a Workout Program

This season's biggest loser is about no excuses. It is easy to find tons of reasons for delaying changing an unhealthy diet or a workout plan.

However, any effort no matter how small you might believe it is represents a turn in your life path. Commit yourself to even 15-20 minutes per day of a workout. Workouts don't require a gym membership or even time outdoors for a start. An investment in bands, medicine balls, or dumbbells is a start.

I pulled out some medicine balls and just finished 30 minutes workout in the house in my PJs. Below is a video with some good ideas for medicine ball workouts.

As always, please check with your doctor first before making any radical changes in physical activity.

Biggest Loser Season 13 Begins

Bob Harper arrives for BL Season 13

It was  great start for the season. A three part challenge for entry into the Ranch provided excitement as well as disappointment. It is always hard to see shows where someone is eliminated without even having the chance to train on the Ranch.

However, thanks to the usual BL twists Adrian and Daphne, brother and sister, will get the change to return to the Ranch in a month. They seem like nice people, and I wish them success in their efforts.

This season got right down to business with mostly work-out and personal stories. The stories were compelling. How could you not love a self-employed Santa?

Start 2012 with food success

Eating out is a reality in most family's busy lives. However, eating out adds risks including:

• Excess calories 
• Excess fat
• Inadequate vegetable 

Make a resolution to cook at home. Get fresh fruits and vegetables. Involve your children in cooking. 

What are you waiting for? Get started!