Is the Biggest Loser setting you up to fail?

I attempted to watch my first ever full episode of the Biggest Loser last night. I tuned in to see if I could pick up some motivational tips for our upcoming 2013 90-Day Ultimate Body Challenge and because I saw a lot of buzz about it amongst friends and clients on Facebook. Of course, I knew the concept of the show, but have never seen a full episode, and I still haven't since I fell asleep after the first hour last night.  (Don't they know about how sleep affects weight loss?)

I was amazed at what they had those people doing. 5 mph on the treadmill at 440 lbs! That's crazy! And the puke buckets? What?! My pastor would call that "insanitation" (insanely nasty).

I know the results of these types of shows are amazing with hundreds of pounds lost and lives changed forever! But I started thinking this morning, after reading some negative comments on how unrealistic the show is for the average person in the battle against obesity... "does this show give people unrealistic expectations of themselves?"

I don't think a "realistic" person is going to watch the show and expect that they can do the same thing on their own.  I do think the show can be a great educational and motivational tool for people struggling with weight loss.

Here's what you need to know:

• You can get fast results with consistent effort and the right program. 
• You'll do better with a "team" and a consistent accountability group.
• The more you know about the "why's" of weight loss, the more successful you're going to be.
• Encouraging someone else will get you through the roughest parts.
• I would probably punch Jillian Michaels in the face! (My opinion may change but as of right now, she's just mean!)

What do you think of the Biggest Loser?  Love it?  Hate it?  How about Jillian?  Does she motivate you or make you mad?  Please add your comments below.

Muffin tops, bra bulge, bat wings...

... no more!

This was a fun and fit weekend for me. Friday night Jason and I went for a short run, maybe a mile. Now when I say run, I mean I ran some of the way and walked really fast the rest of the way, alternating between the two. It got dark before we were out of energy, so we finally connected the Wii Fit I got for Christmas.

I spent over an hour on the Wii Fit, while Jason mostly watched and laughed. It was a lot of fun. While my weight and BMI are "ideal", my original Wii Fit age was in the 50's! This goes to prove even more so that being a size 4 doesn't make you fit or in shape!

While it was not as intense of a workout as I might like, I added some exercises from a recent boot camp training we did with the Biggest Loser group and felt like I had a fair workout. We played it with our daughters and grandson on Saturday and it was fun for the whole family!

I ran about 3 miles Saturday with Jason and our youngest daughter, again that's walking and running, out of 40 minutes, I actually ran 14. I have no way to judge whether that's good or bad, but something is always better than nothing, right? Right!

My overall fitness goals are to do the Princess Half Marathon with a group of friends next year at Disney and to have no jiggling parts!

So, back to the title! I found this video this morning and thought I'd share it with you since we are fast approaching swimsuit season! If you look around, you can see that most of us suffer from one if not all of these - muffin tops, bra bulge, bat wings - for me its the bat wings, but they will be gone before long! Take some notes from this video and especially notice that she says 5-10 minutes each morning can make a difference! But remember, exercise is like pretty much everything else in life, you only get out of it what you put into it!!