To celebrate finishing two months with the group, I took them out to the football field last Saturday morning for the toughest challenge yet. After everyone finished, I was talking with one of them when he said something that stayed with me. “You’ve got to want it.”
John’s exactly right. Even though he has knee problems and isn’t allowed to run, he’s switching out the jogging for walking and using the exercise bicycle. He wants it.
Especially after a couple months, we’ve really got to want it. Complacency sets in. We get bored and tired of trying. It feels like it’s taking too long. This is a dangerous time, because quitting is just around the corner. But that’s when we need to fight the hardest.
It’s when you have to have a big “have-to,” or a big “got-to.” If you’ve just got-to do it, you’ll find a way. For some, it’s because of the consequences if they don’t. For others, it’s because they’ve caught a vision of what could be, and they really want to get there. When it gets important enough, we’ll do it.
I think the best way to keep things moving is to build it into your daily schedule. At such-and-such time, that’s what you’re going to be doing. No exceptions. It becomes a regular part of your day and it will become part of you.
Once you have it on the schedule, the next best thing you can do is to vary the workouts. Variety is good for overcoming boredom, and it keeps the body guessing. Your body is “fearfully and wonderfully made,” and has been designed to quickly adapt to what you’re doing.
Changing things up will keep you out in front of your body. It will have to keep changing to keep up with the new demands. This will help keep you on track with your goals. That’s why I like to teach people different levels as they progress.
Level I: (Weeks 1-4)
Cardio: Walking
Strength: Nautilus or Maxicam machines
The goal of these workouts is to get you moving and to start using your muscles.
Level II: (Weeks 5-6)
Cardio: Walk/Run
Strength: Dumbbells (DB) and Exercise Balls
The goal of these workouts is to get you moving faster and further, and to replace machines with free weights to work additional stabilizer muscles and your core more.
Level III: (Weeks 7-8)
Cardio: More running intervals and less walking
Strength: Mixing the new exercises with DB and exercise balls together
The goal of these workouts is to work harder, and never stop moving. While one body part is resting, another is working. For examples of this, go to www.tomdolanfitness.com and click on my blog where you’ll find all the past articles.
Level IV: (Weeks 9-12)
Cardio: High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Strength: Combining short cardio intervals with several full body exercises.
The goal of these workouts is to raise the intensity even more. You’ll be taxing all your different recovery mechanisms, and burning even more calories in as little as 20-30 min.
That’s the type of training they did during the Saturday morning. The Level IV workout I chose for them was kind of tough because they did it outside at the track on a hot sunny day. It’s a little easier in the gym and a controlled environment.
In case you’d like to try it, make sure you’ve eaten something an hour before the workout, and have plenty of water on hand. Try to do the entire thing without stopping, except for a quick drink between rounds.
· Run ¼ mile (400 meters)
· Do 25 pushups
· Do 25 body squats
· Do 25 sit-ups
(4 rounds)
Of the 23 people to make the weigh-in, only half stuck around for the challenge. A few had to work, and some others were MIA for other activities. The eleven that made it were: Shawn Bowers, Brittany Cline, Stephanie Crampton, John Crow, Kara Englum, Vince Porter, Bessie Rigdon, John Rigdon, Heather Sutton, Tisha Watters and Margo Yeargon. Great job guys!
This week’s winner was Vince Porter who lost 1.7% of his body weight and another 4.3 lbs. This brings his 8 week total up to 39.0 lbs. He won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Second place was a tie between Brittany Cline (2.6 lbs) and Tisha Watters (3.0 lbs), both losing 1.5% of their body weight. Brittany lost 2.6 lbs and is our leading lady so far, having lost 20.8 lbs in 8 weeks.
That’s it for this week. Now I’ve got to go pick up some brush and move a bunch of dirt and mulch into Kathy’s strawberry patch. Tomorrow I’ve got another 26 mile practice ride planned for the C.A.M.A. bike ride coming up on June 6th. That will be our Biggest Loser Challenge that weekend.
They’ve set up 7, 25, 40 and 70 (expert) mile rides. I’ve decided on the 40 miler, since last week’s 26 mile practice ride took what felt like forever—at least the last six miles. Clearly I’m no expert. If all goes well, I’ll try to do 32-33 miles next weekend, and a couple shorter rides in between to try and get ready. Hope to see you there!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "7' WEEK SEVEN -- A NEW YOU!
Did you see the Biggest Loser finale on TV last week? Aren’t you just amazed at the transformations of all the participants? Not just the winner, or finalists, but all of them. In just five short months, they lost an amazing amount of weight.
Mike, the 18 year old in the finals lost over 200 lbs—and still didn’t win. The two gals beat him with a higher percentage of weight loss. It was just amazing. But at 18 years old, he’s now got a completely different future ahead of him.
And so does Helen the 48 year old winner. To lose 150 lbs must just feel amazing for her. The runner-up, Tara, was a former plus-size model. She won 13 out of the 18 challenges, including a half-marathon and full marathon. The confidence they’ve gained will last them the rest of their lives.
I’m not sure I can even comprehend how that must feel, to drop 150 or 200 lbs. I do know what it feels like to drop 30 lbs. That feels amazing, especially when since I replaced it with 20 pounds of muscle. Imagine how they must feel.
If you want a new lease on life, try getting in shape. Lose that fat you’re carrying around and build some new muscle. It doesn’t mean you won’t have other problems, but you’ll feel better while facing them. You’ll have strength, stamina, and a spring in your step when you head out the door. Feeling better about yourself often produces other dividends, too.
You don’t have to hit it as hard as they did on the show—they worked out 6-8 hours a day. It was their main focus in life for five months. You don’t even have to hit it as hard as our Biggest Losers. Many of them work out twice a day on most days, and the others try to hit it hard at least once every day.
You could start out by making a decision to just start moving every day for at least 20 minutes. Most everyone can walk a mile in 20 minutes. If you just did that, and watched what you ate, you could change your life.
Adding a simple weight lifting routine would make things even better. It takes just 20-30 minutes, three days a week, and will improve your strength, stamina, and muscle tone. It’ll also make you a more efficient fat burner as you gain muscle, and it looks pretty good too.
So instead of a 5 month program to lose the weight, say it takes you 10 months. Or instead of a three month program, it might take you six months. So what if it takes a year, or even 18 months. How long did it take to put the weight on? The time is going to pass, no matter what you do, and each day is going to be better, so just last it out and you’ll get what you want.
If you want to do it quicker, that’s O.K., too. After 6 weeks, our leader is averaging 5.0 lbs a week. Second place was averaging right around 4.0 lbs a week. A couple people averaged 3.0 lbs a week, and several more are averaging 2.0 lbs a week. Most everyone else is losing about a pound a week, and that’s fine.
Personally, I think that when you lose too much too fast, sometimes you’re left with saggy skin, and we saw that on this year’s show with several of the finalists. Skin is elastic and will shrink somewhat as you lose the fat, but building muscle is the real key to filling up that space where the fat used to be.
If you’ve been working at it for awhile, and you’re not losing as fast as you’d like, here are some questions. First, how do you feel? Do you feel better than you used to? Great, so quit complaining and keep going.
Next, how do your clothes fit? People will lose inches, but it hasn’t showed up on the scale yet. But they’re thinner around the waist. You’re thinner, so quit complaining and keep going.
Third, what is your body fat doing? If your weight is staying the same, but your body fat percentage is going down, that means you’re losing fat and building muscle. That’s fine because muscle will help you do more, and burn even more fat in the end. Quit complaining and keep going.
Finally, what does the scale say? If you’re gaining weight, then “Houston, we have a problem.” You’ve got to be looking at how much you’re eating. Put the fork down and step away from the table. If you’re losing weight, then don’t worry if it’s not “enough.” It’s something, so quit complaining and keep going.
In every case, one action is the same. Did you catch that? You are in control of this bus. You’re in the driver’s seat. So get started, quit complaining, and keep going. If you’ll do that, then you’ll be well on your way to a new you.
This week’s winner was Pennie Callaway-Duzan who lost 3.5% of her body weight and 5.4 lbs. She wasn’t really sure why, though, because her work schedule kept her from being quite as active as she’d have like.
I’m not sure why either, but sometimes our body takes awhile to catch up, and you can put in the work one week and see it on the scale the next. We’ll see what happens next week. Pennie won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Second place went to Brittany Cline who lost 2.7% of her body weight and 4.8 lbs. Brittany said she was pretty much running on the treadmill all the time. Third place went to John Crow who lost 2.6% of his body weight and an amazing 6.9 lbs. John said he’d really stepped it up with two workouts a day.
Here’s a full-body workout similar to the new one they learned on Saturday in case you’d like to try it at home. Do the first two exercises back to back three times and then move on to the next pair. Try to keep moving and never stop the entire time you’re working out. Do 3 sets of each pair with 15 repetitions of each exercise.
1. DB Pec Fly’s on Stability Ball 3. Walking Lunges
2. Ball Twists w. Medicine Ball 4. DB Pullovers on Stability Ball
5. DB Deadlift-Curl-Press 7. Double Tricep Kickbacks
6. Pikes on the Stability Ball 8. Knee-In’s on Stability Ball
Start with a pretty easy weight to get warmed up and familiar with the movements. Try to increase the weight in your second and third sets. If you’re not sure how to perform the exercises, make sure you get with a trainer who can show you how to do the movements correctly. Do everything slowly and in control, making sure to keep breathing throughout the exercise.
Mike, the 18 year old in the finals lost over 200 lbs—and still didn’t win. The two gals beat him with a higher percentage of weight loss. It was just amazing. But at 18 years old, he’s now got a completely different future ahead of him.
And so does Helen the 48 year old winner. To lose 150 lbs must just feel amazing for her. The runner-up, Tara, was a former plus-size model. She won 13 out of the 18 challenges, including a half-marathon and full marathon. The confidence they’ve gained will last them the rest of their lives.
I’m not sure I can even comprehend how that must feel, to drop 150 or 200 lbs. I do know what it feels like to drop 30 lbs. That feels amazing, especially when since I replaced it with 20 pounds of muscle. Imagine how they must feel.
If you want a new lease on life, try getting in shape. Lose that fat you’re carrying around and build some new muscle. It doesn’t mean you won’t have other problems, but you’ll feel better while facing them. You’ll have strength, stamina, and a spring in your step when you head out the door. Feeling better about yourself often produces other dividends, too.
You don’t have to hit it as hard as they did on the show—they worked out 6-8 hours a day. It was their main focus in life for five months. You don’t even have to hit it as hard as our Biggest Losers. Many of them work out twice a day on most days, and the others try to hit it hard at least once every day.
You could start out by making a decision to just start moving every day for at least 20 minutes. Most everyone can walk a mile in 20 minutes. If you just did that, and watched what you ate, you could change your life.
Adding a simple weight lifting routine would make things even better. It takes just 20-30 minutes, three days a week, and will improve your strength, stamina, and muscle tone. It’ll also make you a more efficient fat burner as you gain muscle, and it looks pretty good too.
So instead of a 5 month program to lose the weight, say it takes you 10 months. Or instead of a three month program, it might take you six months. So what if it takes a year, or even 18 months. How long did it take to put the weight on? The time is going to pass, no matter what you do, and each day is going to be better, so just last it out and you’ll get what you want.
If you want to do it quicker, that’s O.K., too. After 6 weeks, our leader is averaging 5.0 lbs a week. Second place was averaging right around 4.0 lbs a week. A couple people averaged 3.0 lbs a week, and several more are averaging 2.0 lbs a week. Most everyone else is losing about a pound a week, and that’s fine.
Personally, I think that when you lose too much too fast, sometimes you’re left with saggy skin, and we saw that on this year’s show with several of the finalists. Skin is elastic and will shrink somewhat as you lose the fat, but building muscle is the real key to filling up that space where the fat used to be.
If you’ve been working at it for awhile, and you’re not losing as fast as you’d like, here are some questions. First, how do you feel? Do you feel better than you used to? Great, so quit complaining and keep going.
Next, how do your clothes fit? People will lose inches, but it hasn’t showed up on the scale yet. But they’re thinner around the waist. You’re thinner, so quit complaining and keep going.
Third, what is your body fat doing? If your weight is staying the same, but your body fat percentage is going down, that means you’re losing fat and building muscle. That’s fine because muscle will help you do more, and burn even more fat in the end. Quit complaining and keep going.
Finally, what does the scale say? If you’re gaining weight, then “Houston, we have a problem.” You’ve got to be looking at how much you’re eating. Put the fork down and step away from the table. If you’re losing weight, then don’t worry if it’s not “enough.” It’s something, so quit complaining and keep going.
In every case, one action is the same. Did you catch that? You are in control of this bus. You’re in the driver’s seat. So get started, quit complaining, and keep going. If you’ll do that, then you’ll be well on your way to a new you.
This week’s winner was Pennie Callaway-Duzan who lost 3.5% of her body weight and 5.4 lbs. She wasn’t really sure why, though, because her work schedule kept her from being quite as active as she’d have like.
I’m not sure why either, but sometimes our body takes awhile to catch up, and you can put in the work one week and see it on the scale the next. We’ll see what happens next week. Pennie won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Second place went to Brittany Cline who lost 2.7% of her body weight and 4.8 lbs. Brittany said she was pretty much running on the treadmill all the time. Third place went to John Crow who lost 2.6% of his body weight and an amazing 6.9 lbs. John said he’d really stepped it up with two workouts a day.
Here’s a full-body workout similar to the new one they learned on Saturday in case you’d like to try it at home. Do the first two exercises back to back three times and then move on to the next pair. Try to keep moving and never stop the entire time you’re working out. Do 3 sets of each pair with 15 repetitions of each exercise.
1. DB Pec Fly’s on Stability Ball 3. Walking Lunges
2. Ball Twists w. Medicine Ball 4. DB Pullovers on Stability Ball
5. DB Deadlift-Curl-Press 7. Double Tricep Kickbacks
6. Pikes on the Stability Ball 8. Knee-In’s on Stability Ball
Start with a pretty easy weight to get warmed up and familiar with the movements. Try to increase the weight in your second and third sets. If you’re not sure how to perform the exercises, make sure you get with a trainer who can show you how to do the movements correctly. Do everything slowly and in control, making sure to keep breathing throughout the exercise.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "7' WEEK SIX -- "I JUST FELT LIKE RUNNING"
This week the group’s challenge was to run/walk a 5K over at Sarah Bush Lincoln’s “Races for all Paces.” When they started six weeks ago, they had to do a mile as fast as possible as part of the fitness tests on their first day.
Each week, the goal was to add a little distance to the total, as well as trying to keep doing the mile a little bit quicker. By week four, they’d gone about 2 ½ miles during the Saturday morning workout, so they were all ready to tackle a 5K, which is 3.1 miles.
It also helped that on TV, the Biggest Losers final challenge was to do an entire marathon (26.1 miles). That left no room for any complaining since I was only asking them to do a 5K.
One of the participants was really a “sleeper.” Already running 5 miles a day, this is the gal I’ve written about some time ago. I’d see her out running, while pushing a baby carriage, along with 2 dogs. She’d joined Biggest Losers to support her husband John, and also to lose that “last little bit” after having her most recent little one.
I was running the half-marathon as a personal challenge, and to show the others I was willing to push myself too. My son Chris was running with me as a birthday present—left on his own, he can just blaze through the 13.1 miles—but he was willing to slow it up that day for me.
So it seemed fitting to encourage Bessie to do the half-marathon as well, since she’s an amazing runner anyway. She tore it up, too, finishing a half hour ahead of me (which I fully expected). I’m pretty sure that won’t be her last one.
We started at 7:00 am, and the 5K started at 8:00. I’d told them that they’d still all finish before me, because even if you walk the 5K at a comfortable pace, it takes about 60 minutes. Since they’d be pushing a little bit, many of them finished closer to 35-40 minutes.
On my best day, I’m between 2:10-2:15 for a ½ marathon. This wasn’t that day. The wind was crazy, and I think I was still down a bit from that bug that hit everybody a month or so ago. Still, at 2:23, it was great to see all those Biggest Losers in their white “Races for all Paces” t-shirts standing there cheering and waiting for the old man to finally lumber across the finish line.
I was proud of everyone that went and tried, especially the ones with knee issues. They just go to show that you can do what you want to do. Another couple did the one mile family event with their daughter and baby carriage. They’ve had a difficult week dealing with a death in the family and health issues, but they were still out there doing it.
That’s what I’m talking about. You set a goal. You find a way. You get started, and you keep going, even when things get tough. We used to do this instinctively, but somewhere along the line, something happened. Now, people have a tough time even setting goals.
We’ve gotten lazy somehow. Or maybe, we’ve just lost our belief. We’ve got to get back to the point where striving for something is important. Because when we’re in that place, that’s where we learn who we are and what we’re made of. That’s where we’ll find ourselves—or who we want to be.
It’s where character is made. Even failures are of benefit there. I wasn’t crazy about the 2:23 finish, because I know I can do better. But it is what it is and it was the best I could do that day. At least I was doing something. I was trying—striving—and they were too. That’s why I was so proud of them. That’s why we’ll keep turning up the heat, to show them what they’re made of, and what they can accomplish.
That’s also why their next challenge is to do the 2009 C.A.M.A. Teen “Tour de Park Edgar & Clark 2009 Bike Rally” on June 6th. They’ll have to find a bike and do one of the rides: 7, 25, 40 or 70 miles. Since my cutie-pie did the 7 mile ride last year at the age of seven, they’ve got no excuses.
Hopefully, a lot of them will try the 25 mile ride. I’ll probably end up shooting for the 40 mile ride, but that 70 miler looks pretty intriguing. Now that’s something I’ve never done. If I can find someone to ride with, it might give us both something to strive for.
This week’s winner was Vince Porter, who lost 2.0% of his body weight and 5.1 lbs. Vince has been doing very well so far, losing 30.0 lbs in the first six weeks. That’s five pounds a week! Vince will receive a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Second place was a tie between Penny Spinner and Nicole Richardson. Penny is a dedicated runner who loves a challenge, running two half-marathons back to back two weeks ago. First the Indy Mini on Saturday, and then another in Ohio on Sunday! She lost 1.8% of her body weight and 3.0 lbs, and is down 12.2 lbs in the first six weeks.
Nicole likes bike riding better, and is looking forward to the C.A.M.A. bike rally. She also lost 1.8% of her body weight and 3.0 lbs, and is down a total of 16.8 lbs so far.
Next week we’ll teach the Biggest Losers another free weight routine. Right now, I’ve got to go get a workout in. My wife has weeded all around the garden and there’s a huge pile of mulch waiting with my name on it. It’s all that’s left after our 100-year Oak fell during the storm last summer. In a couple of hours, it’ll be in the garden. Hmm, I wonder if I can beat that 2:23 time.
Each week, the goal was to add a little distance to the total, as well as trying to keep doing the mile a little bit quicker. By week four, they’d gone about 2 ½ miles during the Saturday morning workout, so they were all ready to tackle a 5K, which is 3.1 miles.
It also helped that on TV, the Biggest Losers final challenge was to do an entire marathon (26.1 miles). That left no room for any complaining since I was only asking them to do a 5K.
One of the participants was really a “sleeper.” Already running 5 miles a day, this is the gal I’ve written about some time ago. I’d see her out running, while pushing a baby carriage, along with 2 dogs. She’d joined Biggest Losers to support her husband John, and also to lose that “last little bit” after having her most recent little one.
I was running the half-marathon as a personal challenge, and to show the others I was willing to push myself too. My son Chris was running with me as a birthday present—left on his own, he can just blaze through the 13.1 miles—but he was willing to slow it up that day for me.
So it seemed fitting to encourage Bessie to do the half-marathon as well, since she’s an amazing runner anyway. She tore it up, too, finishing a half hour ahead of me (which I fully expected). I’m pretty sure that won’t be her last one.
We started at 7:00 am, and the 5K started at 8:00. I’d told them that they’d still all finish before me, because even if you walk the 5K at a comfortable pace, it takes about 60 minutes. Since they’d be pushing a little bit, many of them finished closer to 35-40 minutes.
On my best day, I’m between 2:10-2:15 for a ½ marathon. This wasn’t that day. The wind was crazy, and I think I was still down a bit from that bug that hit everybody a month or so ago. Still, at 2:23, it was great to see all those Biggest Losers in their white “Races for all Paces” t-shirts standing there cheering and waiting for the old man to finally lumber across the finish line.
I was proud of everyone that went and tried, especially the ones with knee issues. They just go to show that you can do what you want to do. Another couple did the one mile family event with their daughter and baby carriage. They’ve had a difficult week dealing with a death in the family and health issues, but they were still out there doing it.
That’s what I’m talking about. You set a goal. You find a way. You get started, and you keep going, even when things get tough. We used to do this instinctively, but somewhere along the line, something happened. Now, people have a tough time even setting goals.
We’ve gotten lazy somehow. Or maybe, we’ve just lost our belief. We’ve got to get back to the point where striving for something is important. Because when we’re in that place, that’s where we learn who we are and what we’re made of. That’s where we’ll find ourselves—or who we want to be.
It’s where character is made. Even failures are of benefit there. I wasn’t crazy about the 2:23 finish, because I know I can do better. But it is what it is and it was the best I could do that day. At least I was doing something. I was trying—striving—and they were too. That’s why I was so proud of them. That’s why we’ll keep turning up the heat, to show them what they’re made of, and what they can accomplish.
That’s also why their next challenge is to do the 2009 C.A.M.A. Teen “Tour de Park Edgar & Clark 2009 Bike Rally” on June 6th. They’ll have to find a bike and do one of the rides: 7, 25, 40 or 70 miles. Since my cutie-pie did the 7 mile ride last year at the age of seven, they’ve got no excuses.
Hopefully, a lot of them will try the 25 mile ride. I’ll probably end up shooting for the 40 mile ride, but that 70 miler looks pretty intriguing. Now that’s something I’ve never done. If I can find someone to ride with, it might give us both something to strive for.
This week’s winner was Vince Porter, who lost 2.0% of his body weight and 5.1 lbs. Vince has been doing very well so far, losing 30.0 lbs in the first six weeks. That’s five pounds a week! Vince will receive a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Second place was a tie between Penny Spinner and Nicole Richardson. Penny is a dedicated runner who loves a challenge, running two half-marathons back to back two weeks ago. First the Indy Mini on Saturday, and then another in Ohio on Sunday! She lost 1.8% of her body weight and 3.0 lbs, and is down 12.2 lbs in the first six weeks.
Nicole likes bike riding better, and is looking forward to the C.A.M.A. bike rally. She also lost 1.8% of her body weight and 3.0 lbs, and is down a total of 16.8 lbs so far.
Next week we’ll teach the Biggest Losers another free weight routine. Right now, I’ve got to go get a workout in. My wife has weeded all around the garden and there’s a huge pile of mulch waiting with my name on it. It’s all that’s left after our 100-year Oak fell during the storm last summer. In a couple of hours, it’ll be in the garden. Hmm, I wonder if I can beat that 2:23 time.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "7' WEEK FIVE -- FREE WEIGHTS
This week we introduced them to free weights in the Saturday morning workout. Sometimes people get nervous about using dumbbells and the other equipment, but they don’t need to be. The key is starting out with a weight you can easily handle for 15 repetitions and learning how to do the techniques correctly.
If you do those two things, you’ll be amazed at the differences in your workout. While the machines guide the motion, with free weights, you guide the motion. This alone makes it more interesting—and intense. All of a sudden, new stabilizer muscles have to come into play. Your core is more involved, keeping you in the correct position.
It kind of resembles real life. When something happens and you have to move a certain way to get out of danger, you have to move—right then. When you have to lift something and the angle’s a little awkward, you still have to lift it. Working out with real weights prepares you for those moments. Here’s an example of the workout they did.
· DB Chest Press on the Stability Ball x 3
· AB Crunches x 3 (knees bent, legs up, crossing)
· DB Deadlifts (slightly bent leg) x 3
· DB Lateral Raises x 3
· DB Single Arm Rows (each side) x 3
· Body Squats (with or w/o DB) x 3
· DB Bicep Curls & DB Overhead Tricep Presses x 3
· Side Twists with a Ball x 3
Once you’re comfortable with the motion, the next step is to add a little weight. If you find yourself doing 15 repetitions and it’s still pretty easy, grab the next set of dumbbells. Don’t be afraid to try a heavier weight. Do the motions slow and always in control.
After adding weight, another trick we use is to group things together so you don’t take rest breaks. Do a set of one exercise, followed by another set of a different exercise that works a different muscle group. I call this “active rest.”
While one group of muscles is resting, another is working. This really jacks up the intensity of the workout, helping you burn more calories, and getting a better workout. You’ll be stronger, and have more endurance too.
The winner of Week Five was John Crow who lost 1.9% of his body weight and 5.0 lbs. This means he’s lost 21.4 lbs in the first five weeks. John won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and our friends at State Farm Insurance. Here’s the rest of the top ten this week.
% lbs
John Crow 1.9 5.0
Vince Porter 1.8 4.7
Dawn Hopper 1.6 3.0
Jaymi Warner 1.6 2.6
Lacey Strow 1.5 2.8
Brittany Cline 1.3 2.4
Margo Yeargin 1.1 1.8
Stephanie Crampton 1.0 1.6
Brian Bradley 0.7 1.4
Kara Englum 0.5 0.8
If you do those two things, you’ll be amazed at the differences in your workout. While the machines guide the motion, with free weights, you guide the motion. This alone makes it more interesting—and intense. All of a sudden, new stabilizer muscles have to come into play. Your core is more involved, keeping you in the correct position.
It kind of resembles real life. When something happens and you have to move a certain way to get out of danger, you have to move—right then. When you have to lift something and the angle’s a little awkward, you still have to lift it. Working out with real weights prepares you for those moments. Here’s an example of the workout they did.
· DB Chest Press on the Stability Ball x 3
· AB Crunches x 3 (knees bent, legs up, crossing)
· DB Deadlifts (slightly bent leg) x 3
· DB Lateral Raises x 3
· DB Single Arm Rows (each side) x 3
· Body Squats (with or w/o DB) x 3
· DB Bicep Curls & DB Overhead Tricep Presses x 3
· Side Twists with a Ball x 3
Once you’re comfortable with the motion, the next step is to add a little weight. If you find yourself doing 15 repetitions and it’s still pretty easy, grab the next set of dumbbells. Don’t be afraid to try a heavier weight. Do the motions slow and always in control.
After adding weight, another trick we use is to group things together so you don’t take rest breaks. Do a set of one exercise, followed by another set of a different exercise that works a different muscle group. I call this “active rest.”
While one group of muscles is resting, another is working. This really jacks up the intensity of the workout, helping you burn more calories, and getting a better workout. You’ll be stronger, and have more endurance too.
The winner of Week Five was John Crow who lost 1.9% of his body weight and 5.0 lbs. This means he’s lost 21.4 lbs in the first five weeks. John won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and our friends at State Farm Insurance. Here’s the rest of the top ten this week.
% lbs
John Crow 1.9 5.0
Vince Porter 1.8 4.7
Dawn Hopper 1.6 3.0
Jaymi Warner 1.6 2.6
Lacey Strow 1.5 2.8
Brittany Cline 1.3 2.4
Margo Yeargin 1.1 1.8
Stephanie Crampton 1.0 1.6
Brian Bradley 0.7 1.4
Kara Englum 0.5 0.8
Sunday, May 03, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "7' WEEK FOUR -- TURNING IT UP
This week we turned it up again. The goal is to get them ready for the Sarah Bush Lincoln “Races for all Paces” 5K two weeks from now on Saturday, May 9th. You can Goggle it to get more information.
So, they ran to the park at Main & Central. Then they did a pretty intense sequence of exercises there in the park, including sprints, walking lunges, burpees, crunches, sumo wrestling, pushups, planks, and more. Then they had to run back to the gym.
With all the sprints, they did more than 2 miles. Plus running back home is quite a bit tougher after you’ve done all those other things. The 5K will actually be easier, because they’ll have fresh legs.
The workout was non-stop as they moved from one thing to the other. I call it “active rest.” While one muscle group is resting, we’re working another. This keeps the intensity high, making a strength workout a cardio workout too—burning more calories and getting you leaner and meaner.
Next week we’ll be turning it up again by moving from the machines to free weights. The difference between machines and free weights is very obvious once you try the free weights.
Machines are very good about isolating the target muscles, but that’s also their weakness. Since the motion is so strict, you don’t need your stabilizer muscles to assist and support the motion. That’s where free weights have the advantage.
Machines also often give you a leverage advantage that you just don’t get with free weights. With free weights, you have to do all the work. More work means more calories burned and a better workout.
Finally, machines typically support you with a back pad. This is fine, but it means you don’t need to use your core muscles for support. Free weights have no support and once again, you’re doing all the work—including stabilization, with your core. It also helps prepare you for real life, where often times you need your core for support.
Doing a chest press with two 25lb dumbbells on an exercise ball will feel much more difficult than lifting 100 lbs on a chest press machine, even though it’s less than half the weight. Try it, you’ll see. Next week, I’ll give you the run down on the basic free weight routine they’ll be starting with.
The winner of week four was Shawn Bowers who lost 2.6% of his body weight and an amazing 7.0 lbs. He’s been stepping it up with the Level IV workouts and his running. Shawn won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Second place went to Mary Ann Creech who lost 1.8% of her body weight and 3.2 lbs. Third place went to Linda Kerekguarto who lost 1.6% of her body weight and 3.0 lbs.
Out of the original 39 that started Biggest Loser “7,” we’re down to 32 participants that made the Saturday morning weigh-in. So here are the results for the first four weeks.
The goal is to average at least a pound a week, or 4.0 lbs by now, which is good. Two pounds a week is great, and that would be around 8.0 lbs. Three or more pounds a week is fantastic, and that would be anything around 12.0 lbs or more.
% lbs
1. Nicole Richardson 7.3 13.2
2. Vince Porter 7.1 20.2
3. Doug Sutton 6.6 17.4
4. Penny Spinner 5.7 10.0
5. John Crow 5.7 16.4
6. Shawn Bowers 5.0 14.0
7. Stacey Reed 5.0 10.0
8. Brittany Cline 4.8 9.0
9. Linda Kerekguarto 4.4 8.6
10. Stephanie Crampton 4.2 7.0
11. Jaymi Warner 3.9 6.6
12. Mary Ann Creech 3.7 6.8
13. Bessie Rigdon 3.7 5.2
14. Steve Jones 3.3 8.0
15. Heather Sutton 3.1 7.2
16. Kara Englum 2.9 4.6
17. Shirley Fiscus 2.7 5.2
18. Tisha Watters 2.6 5.4
19. Brian Bradley 2.5 5.2
20. Dawn Hopper 2.5 4.6
21. Pennie Callaway-Duzan 2.1 3.4
22. Christy Neal 2.0 4.8
23. Margo Yeargon 1.9 3.0
24. Mike Elledge 1.7 5.0
25. Lacey Strow 1.6 3.0
26. Kenneth Harp 1.3 4.4
27. Jennifer Reel 1.3 2.6
28. John Rigdon 1.2 2.4
29. Libby Reel 0.1 2.8
30. Tony Peel 0.1 2.4
31. Jeff Reel 0.1 2.6
32. Jennifer Bowers 0.0 0.0
So, they ran to the park at Main & Central. Then they did a pretty intense sequence of exercises there in the park, including sprints, walking lunges, burpees, crunches, sumo wrestling, pushups, planks, and more. Then they had to run back to the gym.
With all the sprints, they did more than 2 miles. Plus running back home is quite a bit tougher after you’ve done all those other things. The 5K will actually be easier, because they’ll have fresh legs.
The workout was non-stop as they moved from one thing to the other. I call it “active rest.” While one muscle group is resting, we’re working another. This keeps the intensity high, making a strength workout a cardio workout too—burning more calories and getting you leaner and meaner.
Next week we’ll be turning it up again by moving from the machines to free weights. The difference between machines and free weights is very obvious once you try the free weights.
Machines are very good about isolating the target muscles, but that’s also their weakness. Since the motion is so strict, you don’t need your stabilizer muscles to assist and support the motion. That’s where free weights have the advantage.
Machines also often give you a leverage advantage that you just don’t get with free weights. With free weights, you have to do all the work. More work means more calories burned and a better workout.
Finally, machines typically support you with a back pad. This is fine, but it means you don’t need to use your core muscles for support. Free weights have no support and once again, you’re doing all the work—including stabilization, with your core. It also helps prepare you for real life, where often times you need your core for support.
Doing a chest press with two 25lb dumbbells on an exercise ball will feel much more difficult than lifting 100 lbs on a chest press machine, even though it’s less than half the weight. Try it, you’ll see. Next week, I’ll give you the run down on the basic free weight routine they’ll be starting with.
The winner of week four was Shawn Bowers who lost 2.6% of his body weight and an amazing 7.0 lbs. He’s been stepping it up with the Level IV workouts and his running. Shawn won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Second place went to Mary Ann Creech who lost 1.8% of her body weight and 3.2 lbs. Third place went to Linda Kerekguarto who lost 1.6% of her body weight and 3.0 lbs.
Out of the original 39 that started Biggest Loser “7,” we’re down to 32 participants that made the Saturday morning weigh-in. So here are the results for the first four weeks.
The goal is to average at least a pound a week, or 4.0 lbs by now, which is good. Two pounds a week is great, and that would be around 8.0 lbs. Three or more pounds a week is fantastic, and that would be anything around 12.0 lbs or more.
% lbs
1. Nicole Richardson 7.3 13.2
2. Vince Porter 7.1 20.2
3. Doug Sutton 6.6 17.4
4. Penny Spinner 5.7 10.0
5. John Crow 5.7 16.4
6. Shawn Bowers 5.0 14.0
7. Stacey Reed 5.0 10.0
8. Brittany Cline 4.8 9.0
9. Linda Kerekguarto 4.4 8.6
10. Stephanie Crampton 4.2 7.0
11. Jaymi Warner 3.9 6.6
12. Mary Ann Creech 3.7 6.8
13. Bessie Rigdon 3.7 5.2
14. Steve Jones 3.3 8.0
15. Heather Sutton 3.1 7.2
16. Kara Englum 2.9 4.6
17. Shirley Fiscus 2.7 5.2
18. Tisha Watters 2.6 5.4
19. Brian Bradley 2.5 5.2
20. Dawn Hopper 2.5 4.6
21. Pennie Callaway-Duzan 2.1 3.4
22. Christy Neal 2.0 4.8
23. Margo Yeargon 1.9 3.0
24. Mike Elledge 1.7 5.0
25. Lacey Strow 1.6 3.0
26. Kenneth Harp 1.3 4.4
27. Jennifer Reel 1.3 2.6
28. John Rigdon 1.2 2.4
29. Libby Reel 0.1 2.8
30. Tony Peel 0.1 2.4
31. Jeff Reel 0.1 2.6
32. Jennifer Bowers 0.0 0.0
Saturday, April 25, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "7' WEEK THREE -- EATING RIGHT
Last week I challenged this group to do the 5K at the “Races for all Paces” at Sarah Bush Lincoln in Charleston on May 9th. I’ll be doing the half-marathon, to make up for missing the Illinois marathon last week. Every one else will do the 5K (3.1 mi).
Since they’ve already done a mile the first night, and 1.8 miles last week, this week the challenge was to do 2 miles. First they walked/ran a mile, and then met back at the gym where they did 5 sets of 5 burpees and 10 sit-ups.
For those of you who’ve never had the privilege of doing a burpee, here’s how it goes. Start standing up. Then drop down onto your hands and kick your feet back behind you into pushup position. Then do a pushup. Then hop your feet back underneath you and stand back up. Once up, jump a few inches up in the air with your hands stretched out over-head. That’s a burpee!
Since the whole body is being used, burpees are very metabolically demanding—meaning they require a lot of oxygen and energy. By the end of the second set, everyone was huffing and puffing, but they all hung in there and completed the 5 sets.
After the burpees and sit-ups, the rest of the challenge was to go back out the door and walk/run another mile. Lacey Strow and Brian Bradley led the pack, running the whole way!
After tracking their calories for a few days, some were surprised to see how little they were actually eating. Most women need somewhere between 1200 and 1350 calories minimum. Then, we try to get them up to 1,500 or 1,650 calories. Guys tend to need around 1,800 calories minimum, and we try to get them to stay between 2,000 and 2,400 calories.
Since they’ve already done a mile the first night, and 1.8 miles last week, this week the challenge was to do 2 miles. First they walked/ran a mile, and then met back at the gym where they did 5 sets of 5 burpees and 10 sit-ups.
For those of you who’ve never had the privilege of doing a burpee, here’s how it goes. Start standing up. Then drop down onto your hands and kick your feet back behind you into pushup position. Then do a pushup. Then hop your feet back underneath you and stand back up. Once up, jump a few inches up in the air with your hands stretched out over-head. That’s a burpee!
Since the whole body is being used, burpees are very metabolically demanding—meaning they require a lot of oxygen and energy. By the end of the second set, everyone was huffing and puffing, but they all hung in there and completed the 5 sets.
After the burpees and sit-ups, the rest of the challenge was to go back out the door and walk/run another mile. Lacey Strow and Brian Bradley led the pack, running the whole way!
After tracking their calories for a few days, some were surprised to see how little they were actually eating. Most women need somewhere between 1200 and 1350 calories minimum. Then, we try to get them up to 1,500 or 1,650 calories. Guys tend to need around 1,800 calories minimum, and we try to get them to stay between 2,000 and 2,400 calories.
We also talked about the quality of foods, starting with fats. Eating low fat dairy products every day, avoid foods cooked in vegetable oil (most fast foods), and take an Omega-3 supplement (fish oil). Then divide your plate into 3 segments: Protein, Starch, and Fruits/Greens:
- Protein is for building muscle and bone and we usually don’t get enough. Sources include Fish, poultry, lean cuts of beef, pork, low fat dairy, some beans, and nuts.
- Starches are complex carbohydrates that take your body longer to break down, so you get longer lasting fuel. We usually overdo these. A good plan is to eat only one per meal. Sources include whole wheat or multigrain breads and cereals, oats, potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole grain pastas, long grain wild rice, corn, and some beans.
- Fruits are for quick energy, lots of vitamins and fiber, and we don’t eat enough of them. Unless you’re diabetic, try to eat 3-4 fruits a day for breakfast and snacks.
- Greens include all vegetables—whether or not they’re actually green—and we definitely don’t eat enough of these. Packed with lots of vitamins and minerals, and fiber, try to eat 3-4 of these a day. Wal-Mart has a big bag of frozen broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Steam em up or lightly sautee them in a little butter. Other days, have a big salad with your supper.
This week’s winner was Nicole Richardson who lost 2.0% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs. She won a $20 gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance. Nicole does a lot of bike riding and won the first week also.
Second place went to a surprised Kara Englum who lost 1.7% of her body weight and 2.6 lbs. Kara was one of those who learned she wasn’t eating enough. She stepped it up from 1,300 calories to 1,650 and lost weight!
Third place went to Vince Porter who lost 1.6% of his body weight and 4.4 lbs. Vince is in the lead overall, having lost 16.8 lbs so far in just three weeks!
Friday, April 17, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "7' WEEK TWO -- GETTING MOVING
This week we turned it up a notch during the Saturday morning workout. We had to because two of our BL7 participants, Shawn and Jennifer, were in Champaign running the 1st ever Illinois Marathon & Half-Marathon. Since they were there, running 13.1 miles, I felt we owed it to them to pick it up a little bit back here at home.
I was supposed to be running the marathon with them, but 3 weeks ago during the last long training run, my old right knee flared up again. Then last week, the dreaded flu and sinusitis combo reared its ugly head and knocked me out for a couple days. Working out over two hours tends to suppress the immune system, so the smart thing to do was take it easy so my system would recover.
I’m not the only one who had to pass on the run. My friend Susan made it all the way through the long run on the marathon training, when her shin splints started kicking in. They got bad enough that hardly any running at all made it worse, to the point where there could be long-term consequences. Though she was smart for not tempting fate, she says she still felt like a loser.
It’s funny how that works. Even though we’ve trained for 16 weeks, and ran around 500 miles to prepare, and we even did the long runs up to 18 miles, we still feel that way, even though we know it’s not true. We need to remember the real benefit is gained from what we’ve done and learned along the way. It would have been nice to be there, though.
But we did have some others go from the center. Josh and Stacey were doing their first half-marathon. Jane was doing her first one in over twenty years. Paul & Penny were doing just another of many races and half-marathons, and Josh Rigdon, who you might remember won BL4, was doing his first ever full marathon.
With all that going on, I pushed the BL7 group pretty hard this morning. After walking at the center for a warm-up, we did an interesting interval workout. We met outside the building and ran or walked down Wood St. to the park at 5-Points (High St).
Once there, we all did 25 jumping-jacks, 15 pushups, 15 sit-ups, and 15 body squats. Then they ran or walked north on High St to the park at Edgar & High St. Once everyone arrived, we did 25 more jumping-jacks, and 15 pushups, sit-ups and body squats.
After that, we took off toward the football field. Once there, we did another set of each of the exercises. Finally, we ran or walked up the big hill and headed back to Wood St and then back to the fitness center where we did the final set of exercises back in the mat room.
The first week, they did 5 sets of 10 each of the pushups, sit-ups, and body squats. This time, they did 60 of each, along with 100 jumping jacks, not to mention the running from point to point in-between.
If I’d have told them what they were going to do before they did it, most of them wouldn’t have believed they could do it. Once they were into it, though, they learned that they could do it. What’s more, their bodies will come back stronger next time and be able to do even more.
It got me thinking, though. The Sarah Bush Lincoln “Races for all Paces” is on Saturday, May 9th. They have a 5K walk/run, 10K relay, and Half-Marathon. I ran it last year after my knee kept me out of the St. Louis Marathon.
I was planning on doing it again this year, since I just had to skip the Illinois Marathon this weekend. While we were working out, it occurred to me that it would be a good challenge for the group in Biggest Losers “7”.
So, we’re going to all meet there that Saturday morning, and instead of our regular workout, they have to do the 5K walk/run, and I’ll do the 13.1 mile run. Some of them will run most or all of it while others will take lots of walk breaks. Some will walk the whole thing. A 5K is 3.1 miles and they’ve all done at least two miles, so the 5K would be only one more mile, and take at the most around one hour.
We’ll spend the next four weeks building up to it. If you’d like to do it with us, you can get information about it by Googling “Races for all Paces.”
This week’s winner was John Crow who lost 2.3% of his body weight and 6.4 lbs. I’m not surprised, because every time I came in the fitness center, there he was, working out. John won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Second place went to Brittany Cline who lost 1.8% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs. Stacey Reed came in third, with 1.6% of her body weight and 3.2 lbs. Here are the rest of the top 10 for this week.
1. John Crow 2.3% 6.4
2. Brittany Cline 1.8% 3.4
3. Stacey Reed 1.6 3.2
4. Mike Elledge 1.5 4.5
5. Stephanie Crampton 1.4 2.4
6. Daniel Pearson 1.4 4.6
7. Heather Sutton 1.4 3.2
8. Shirley Fiscus 1.3 2.6
9. Jerryca Pearson 1.3 3.0
10. Doug Sutton 1.2 3.0
The group also got a homework assignment—a calorie log to start recording what they eat each day. Research shows that people who write down what they eat lost more weight than those who don’t write it down.
It will also let us know if they’re hitting their “minimum” each day—their basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the minimum calories they need to live. Most women don’t hit their minimum, and most guys overeat. This will tell us where everyone is, so we can go from there. Next week, we’ll look at the quality of their foods. See you then!
I was supposed to be running the marathon with them, but 3 weeks ago during the last long training run, my old right knee flared up again. Then last week, the dreaded flu and sinusitis combo reared its ugly head and knocked me out for a couple days. Working out over two hours tends to suppress the immune system, so the smart thing to do was take it easy so my system would recover.
I’m not the only one who had to pass on the run. My friend Susan made it all the way through the long run on the marathon training, when her shin splints started kicking in. They got bad enough that hardly any running at all made it worse, to the point where there could be long-term consequences. Though she was smart for not tempting fate, she says she still felt like a loser.
It’s funny how that works. Even though we’ve trained for 16 weeks, and ran around 500 miles to prepare, and we even did the long runs up to 18 miles, we still feel that way, even though we know it’s not true. We need to remember the real benefit is gained from what we’ve done and learned along the way. It would have been nice to be there, though.
But we did have some others go from the center. Josh and Stacey were doing their first half-marathon. Jane was doing her first one in over twenty years. Paul & Penny were doing just another of many races and half-marathons, and Josh Rigdon, who you might remember won BL4, was doing his first ever full marathon.
With all that going on, I pushed the BL7 group pretty hard this morning. After walking at the center for a warm-up, we did an interesting interval workout. We met outside the building and ran or walked down Wood St. to the park at 5-Points (High St).
Once there, we all did 25 jumping-jacks, 15 pushups, 15 sit-ups, and 15 body squats. Then they ran or walked north on High St to the park at Edgar & High St. Once everyone arrived, we did 25 more jumping-jacks, and 15 pushups, sit-ups and body squats.
After that, we took off toward the football field. Once there, we did another set of each of the exercises. Finally, we ran or walked up the big hill and headed back to Wood St and then back to the fitness center where we did the final set of exercises back in the mat room.
The first week, they did 5 sets of 10 each of the pushups, sit-ups, and body squats. This time, they did 60 of each, along with 100 jumping jacks, not to mention the running from point to point in-between.
If I’d have told them what they were going to do before they did it, most of them wouldn’t have believed they could do it. Once they were into it, though, they learned that they could do it. What’s more, their bodies will come back stronger next time and be able to do even more.
It got me thinking, though. The Sarah Bush Lincoln “Races for all Paces” is on Saturday, May 9th. They have a 5K walk/run, 10K relay, and Half-Marathon. I ran it last year after my knee kept me out of the St. Louis Marathon.
I was planning on doing it again this year, since I just had to skip the Illinois Marathon this weekend. While we were working out, it occurred to me that it would be a good challenge for the group in Biggest Losers “7”.
So, we’re going to all meet there that Saturday morning, and instead of our regular workout, they have to do the 5K walk/run, and I’ll do the 13.1 mile run. Some of them will run most or all of it while others will take lots of walk breaks. Some will walk the whole thing. A 5K is 3.1 miles and they’ve all done at least two miles, so the 5K would be only one more mile, and take at the most around one hour.
We’ll spend the next four weeks building up to it. If you’d like to do it with us, you can get information about it by Googling “Races for all Paces.”
This week’s winner was John Crow who lost 2.3% of his body weight and 6.4 lbs. I’m not surprised, because every time I came in the fitness center, there he was, working out. John won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Second place went to Brittany Cline who lost 1.8% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs. Stacey Reed came in third, with 1.6% of her body weight and 3.2 lbs. Here are the rest of the top 10 for this week.
1. John Crow 2.3% 6.4
2. Brittany Cline 1.8% 3.4
3. Stacey Reed 1.6 3.2
4. Mike Elledge 1.5 4.5
5. Stephanie Crampton 1.4 2.4
6. Daniel Pearson 1.4 4.6
7. Heather Sutton 1.4 3.2
8. Shirley Fiscus 1.3 2.6
9. Jerryca Pearson 1.3 3.0
10. Doug Sutton 1.2 3.0
The group also got a homework assignment—a calorie log to start recording what they eat each day. Research shows that people who write down what they eat lost more weight than those who don’t write it down.
It will also let us know if they’re hitting their “minimum” each day—their basal metabolic rate (BMR), which is the minimum calories they need to live. Most women don’t hit their minimum, and most guys overeat. This will tell us where everyone is, so we can go from there. Next week, we’ll look at the quality of their foods. See you then!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "7' WEEK ONE -- JUST GET STARTED
We hit the ground running this week. Having just finished Biggest Loser “6,” we turned right around and started another. At the end of week one, there are 39 participants. The results so far are pretty promising. Over half the group lost at least 2.0 lbs and 21 people lost more than 3.0 lbs.
As always, the goal in the first week is to just get everyone moving. They’re supposed to walk at least a mile in the morning, and then get another workout in later. Three days a week they’ll hit the machine circuit to build muscle. The other days are cardio days where they do things like walking, jogging, elliptical, bike, and so on.
The morning workout can be as little as 20 minutes, but the “real” workout later in the day should be 30-45 minutes. It has to become a priority, and most people do better by planning out their workout times. If you just wait until you have time, it never happens. Schedule it, and keep your schedule.
Their assignment this week is to figure out their daily “minimum.” This is the minimum number of calories they need to live. They do this by getting their body fat and going on the website www.tomdolanfitness.com and plugging in the numbers.
Most of the women are going to find out that their minimum is more calories then they’ve been eating. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that women never go below 1,200 calories, while guys should never go below 1,800.
For best results, most women will need to be around 1,500-1,800 calories. Men will need to be between 2,000-2,400 calories. That means most women will need to start eating more, but most men will need to cut back a little. 9 out of 10 women don’t eat enough, but most men are over-eaters.
Once they get the amount of food right, they need to break it up into 3 meals and 2-3 healthy snacks. After they’re doing that correctly, it will be time to take a look at the quality of foods they’re eating, but more on that another time.
I like to phase these things in over the first 2-3 weeks, and then start fine-tuning their eating. Meanwhile, they’ll be working to turn things up in the gym too. Each week, they’ll be doing a little bit more—pushing themselves harder and working out longer.
As I mentioned before, quite a few people lost quite a bit of weight. I try not to get too excited about large weight losses in the first week, because sometimes it’s primarily water weight. The real key is if they lose weight the next week.
If they lost weight the first week, but gain weight after that, it’s a pretty good indicator that it wasn’t all fat. But if they lose a lot of weight early and keep losing, that’s the real deal. Like I told them, we’ll find out next week.
The winner this week was Nicole Richardson who lost 4.0% of her body weight and 7.2 lbs. She won a $20 gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance. Here are your top ten.
% lbs
1. Nicole Richardson 4.0 7.2
2. Stacey Reed 3.7 7.4
3. Penny Spinner 3.6 6.2
4. Vince Porter 3.3 9.4
5. Bessie Rigdon 3.3 4.6
6. Steve Jones 3.1 7.6
7. Doug Sutton 3.1 8.0
8. Lacey Strow 3.0 5.6
9. Mary Ann Creech 2.2 4.0
10. Libby Reel 2.1 6.4
Each of our 39 participants has done something special. They all had a desire to do something about their situation, and now they’ve started. That’s the real secret to success. Just get started. If you don’t do that, nothing happens. For them, it’s going to be a matter of learning how to be consistent, even when things get tough and life starts to intrude.
It also comes down to who can stay focused on the goal, which is to feel better and lose the fat. To get there, you’ve got to make it a priority in your life. You’ve also got to have a good game plan. Follow someone that seems to be getting what you want. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel—just do what they’re doing.
So why not shadow this group? Put together a group of people and have them do it with you. Get in a gym and get busy. Do your own 12 week program. Just get started.
As always, the goal in the first week is to just get everyone moving. They’re supposed to walk at least a mile in the morning, and then get another workout in later. Three days a week they’ll hit the machine circuit to build muscle. The other days are cardio days where they do things like walking, jogging, elliptical, bike, and so on.
The morning workout can be as little as 20 minutes, but the “real” workout later in the day should be 30-45 minutes. It has to become a priority, and most people do better by planning out their workout times. If you just wait until you have time, it never happens. Schedule it, and keep your schedule.
Their assignment this week is to figure out their daily “minimum.” This is the minimum number of calories they need to live. They do this by getting their body fat and going on the website www.tomdolanfitness.com and plugging in the numbers.
Most of the women are going to find out that their minimum is more calories then they’ve been eating. The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that women never go below 1,200 calories, while guys should never go below 1,800.
For best results, most women will need to be around 1,500-1,800 calories. Men will need to be between 2,000-2,400 calories. That means most women will need to start eating more, but most men will need to cut back a little. 9 out of 10 women don’t eat enough, but most men are over-eaters.
Once they get the amount of food right, they need to break it up into 3 meals and 2-3 healthy snacks. After they’re doing that correctly, it will be time to take a look at the quality of foods they’re eating, but more on that another time.
I like to phase these things in over the first 2-3 weeks, and then start fine-tuning their eating. Meanwhile, they’ll be working to turn things up in the gym too. Each week, they’ll be doing a little bit more—pushing themselves harder and working out longer.
As I mentioned before, quite a few people lost quite a bit of weight. I try not to get too excited about large weight losses in the first week, because sometimes it’s primarily water weight. The real key is if they lose weight the next week.
If they lost weight the first week, but gain weight after that, it’s a pretty good indicator that it wasn’t all fat. But if they lose a lot of weight early and keep losing, that’s the real deal. Like I told them, we’ll find out next week.
The winner this week was Nicole Richardson who lost 4.0% of her body weight and 7.2 lbs. She won a $20 gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance. Here are your top ten.
% lbs
1. Nicole Richardson 4.0 7.2
2. Stacey Reed 3.7 7.4
3. Penny Spinner 3.6 6.2
4. Vince Porter 3.3 9.4
5. Bessie Rigdon 3.3 4.6
6. Steve Jones 3.1 7.6
7. Doug Sutton 3.1 8.0
8. Lacey Strow 3.0 5.6
9. Mary Ann Creech 2.2 4.0
10. Libby Reel 2.1 6.4
Each of our 39 participants has done something special. They all had a desire to do something about their situation, and now they’ve started. That’s the real secret to success. Just get started. If you don’t do that, nothing happens. For them, it’s going to be a matter of learning how to be consistent, even when things get tough and life starts to intrude.
It also comes down to who can stay focused on the goal, which is to feel better and lose the fat. To get there, you’ve got to make it a priority in your life. You’ve also got to have a good game plan. Follow someone that seems to be getting what you want. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel—just do what they’re doing.
So why not shadow this group? Put together a group of people and have them do it with you. Get in a gym and get busy. Do your own 12 week program. Just get started.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK TWELVE
Once again, another 12 weeks have come and gone, so we’ve got the final results from Biggest Loser “6.” We started with 60 and finished up with 32 people making the final weigh-in. So this group ended up Friday night just like all the others with just a little more than half the people finishing.
The winner of week 12 was Bill Lewis who lost 2.2% of his body weight and another 4.2 lbs. Bill won 6 of the 12 weeks, and received yet another $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance, and another massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place for the week went to Chad Cline who lost 1.2% of his body weight and 2.5 lbs. Third place for the week was a tie between Haley Sanders and John Sanchez, who lost 1.0% of their body weight, with 2.4 lbs for Haley and 2.0 lbs for John.
We also met Saturday for the start of Biggest Loser “7.” It’s a much smaller group this time with only 32 people so far, so it’s not too late for you to join if you come in and register this week. The first workout will be Saturday, April 4th at 10 am. It’s only $50 to participate so don’t let this chance pass you by!
Here are the final results from Biggest Loser “6.” As expected, Bill Lewis was the Biggest Loser by losing 24.1% of his body weight and a whopping 62.0 lbs—a new record! For all his hard work, Bill won a full year’s fitness membership at our 24 hour gym—a $537 value!
The top lady loser was Dawn Hopper who made 7th place overall, losing 12.5% of her body weight and 26.8 lbs. Here are the rest of the results from everyone who made the final weigh-in.
Name % lbs
1. Bill Lewis 24.1 62.0
2. Randy Weir 14.7 35.0
3. Gary Goodman 14.4 31.5
4. Brian Bradley 12.8 30.8
5. John Sanchez 12.7 31.4
6. Chad Cline 12.5 28.8
7. Dawn Hopper 12.5 26.8
8. Brenda Lilley 10.7 19.8
9. Michele Everetts 10.3 24.6
10. Erin Hutchison 8.9 18.2
11. Katy Kennedy 7.8 16.4
12. Carol Cline 7.1 14.3
13. Haley Sanders 6.6 16.2
14. Janet Tyler 6.5 10.6
15. Tony Peel 6.3 18.4
16. Pam Kelly 6.2 15.7
17. Kim Arbuckle 5.8 9.4
18. Bridgett Trover 5.6 10.4
19. Judy Rush 5.6 8.8
20. Penny Duzan 5.3 9.6
21. George Griffin 4.7 10.0
22. Teri Dennis 4.6 9.2
23. Shawn Bowers 4.6 13.4
24. Dale Anderson 4.5 11.1
25. Melissa Bradley 4.4 9.0
26. Margo Yeargin 4.3 7.2
27. Kathy Kennedy 4.0 5.2
28. Shirley Fiscus 3.0 6.0
29. Tracy Rush 1.6 3.6
30. Peter Petrowsky 1.5 3.4
31. Gracie Petrowsky 1.4 2.4
32. Jennifer Bowers 0.0 0.0
The winner of week 12 was Bill Lewis who lost 2.2% of his body weight and another 4.2 lbs. Bill won 6 of the 12 weeks, and received yet another $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance, and another massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place for the week went to Chad Cline who lost 1.2% of his body weight and 2.5 lbs. Third place for the week was a tie between Haley Sanders and John Sanchez, who lost 1.0% of their body weight, with 2.4 lbs for Haley and 2.0 lbs for John.
We also met Saturday for the start of Biggest Loser “7.” It’s a much smaller group this time with only 32 people so far, so it’s not too late for you to join if you come in and register this week. The first workout will be Saturday, April 4th at 10 am. It’s only $50 to participate so don’t let this chance pass you by!
Here are the final results from Biggest Loser “6.” As expected, Bill Lewis was the Biggest Loser by losing 24.1% of his body weight and a whopping 62.0 lbs—a new record! For all his hard work, Bill won a full year’s fitness membership at our 24 hour gym—a $537 value!
The top lady loser was Dawn Hopper who made 7th place overall, losing 12.5% of her body weight and 26.8 lbs. Here are the rest of the results from everyone who made the final weigh-in.
Name % lbs
1. Bill Lewis 24.1 62.0
2. Randy Weir 14.7 35.0
3. Gary Goodman 14.4 31.5
4. Brian Bradley 12.8 30.8
5. John Sanchez 12.7 31.4
6. Chad Cline 12.5 28.8
7. Dawn Hopper 12.5 26.8
8. Brenda Lilley 10.7 19.8
9. Michele Everetts 10.3 24.6
10. Erin Hutchison 8.9 18.2
11. Katy Kennedy 7.8 16.4
12. Carol Cline 7.1 14.3
13. Haley Sanders 6.6 16.2
14. Janet Tyler 6.5 10.6
15. Tony Peel 6.3 18.4
16. Pam Kelly 6.2 15.7
17. Kim Arbuckle 5.8 9.4
18. Bridgett Trover 5.6 10.4
19. Judy Rush 5.6 8.8
20. Penny Duzan 5.3 9.6
21. George Griffin 4.7 10.0
22. Teri Dennis 4.6 9.2
23. Shawn Bowers 4.6 13.4
24. Dale Anderson 4.5 11.1
25. Melissa Bradley 4.4 9.0
26. Margo Yeargin 4.3 7.2
27. Kathy Kennedy 4.0 5.2
28. Shirley Fiscus 3.0 6.0
29. Tracy Rush 1.6 3.6
30. Peter Petrowsky 1.5 3.4
31. Gracie Petrowsky 1.4 2.4
32. Jennifer Bowers 0.0 0.0
Friday, March 27, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK ELEVEN
“It’s all in your head.” Has anyone ever told you that? Whether you were feeling sick, frustrated with something, or even depressed—perhaps you’ve even thought it yourself.
Sometimes it is. There’s quite a bit of evidence suggesting many illnesses have a psychosomatic component. Or at least the cure does. When they treat test groups with actual medicines and placebo’s (fake medicine), a surprising number of people actually improve on the placebo.
It might mean that they were about to get better anyway. But if they really believe the “medicine” is going to help them, sometimes it works. This is called the “placebo effect.” I think it goes deeper than just the mind (which is already pretty deep). I think it gets down to the level of the heart—perhaps our spirit. And it can work for us—or against us.
The bible gets into this. “As a man thinketh, so is he.” In the gospels, Jesus said if we’ve just thought about it in our heart, it’s the same as if we’ve actually done it. We do things that become patterns that can take years to get rid of, if ever.
And the consequences can be devastating. Try to resist that thing. It’s tough. Think about it long enough and you’re probably going to do it, whether it’s cookies, smoking, or even a sexual addiction.
But the concept applies to good things, too. Remember, as you think—so you are. That’s why the bible tells you to “think on these things” and by the “renewing of your mind.” Start thinking differently. You’ve got to quit thinking “you can’t do it, so why bother?” Instead, you need to start getting around people who are doing it, or have done it, so some of that can rub off on your spirit.
That’s why it’s helpful to go to the gym, or join a group like the Biggest Losers. It’s still a struggle—you’re just not struggling alone, and that helps. Lions look for the stray animal that’s grazing away from the herd. They’re easy pickings. Stay with the pack and you’ll find safety and support when the lion comes. You’ll win some battles and at some point you’ll start thinking, “maybe I can.” Then it turns to “I know I can do this.”
Sometimes we need a little more help, too, especially when we’ve got years of programming to undo. Whenever I’ve felt over my head (frequently), I’ve asked God for help and he’s never let me down. Sometimes the answer takes awhile, or isn’t what I expected, but he’s never failed to help me out.
If you’re struggling with something, my best advice is to ask God to help you figure it out. Ask him to help you understand why you do what you do. Often, our problems stem from things that have happened to us long ago, even as children.
Sometimes we need to heal old wounds that we’re really just putting Band-Aids on. Once the real issue is dealt with, things often take care of themselves. It can be a little painful, but it’s worth it, especially if you really want things to change.
That brings up another point. In the end, you’ve got to actually really want to change. Not just lip service, knowing “you need to do it.” Quit kidding yourself. We like doing what we do. If you don’t want to change, you might as well just eat up, light up, drink up, or whatever else, because in the end, you’ll keep sabotaging your efforts. Real change takes guts. It takes a commitment. And it’s going to be painful.
So it’s got to be more painful to not change, then to do all the stuff you’re going to have to do to get there, or you won’t stick it out. Find reasons to change. Big ones—things worth fighting for. This is a big deal. God’s on your side. Start thinking like this, and who can be against you?
First place this week was a tie between Dawn Hopper and Pam Kelly, each losing 1.8% of their body weight. Dawn lost 3.4 lbs and Pam lost 4.2 lbs, winning the $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance and the free massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Third place went to Teri Dennis who lost 1.7% of her body weight and 3.3 lbs. Fourth place went to Judy Rush, losing 1.6% and 2.4 lbs, and fifth place went to Bill Lewis, with 1.3% and 2.6 lbs.
BIGGEST LOSER “7”
Next week we’ll have the final results from Biggest Loser “6.” It’s also time to get signed up for Biggest Loser “7” which starts this Saturday, March 28th at 10:00 am. It’s $50 to participate in the Saturday morning weigh-ins and workouts during the 12 weeks.
You don’t have to be a member at our place, but you really need to be a member somewhere, like the YMCA, Curves or have access to a gym at work. It’s tough for most people to get it done at home, and if you don’t have the right equipment it’s almost impossible. Don’t forget the safety in numbers. Remember the lions?
The deadline to register is this Friday, March 27th. This spring, let’s do this together!
Sometimes it is. There’s quite a bit of evidence suggesting many illnesses have a psychosomatic component. Or at least the cure does. When they treat test groups with actual medicines and placebo’s (fake medicine), a surprising number of people actually improve on the placebo.
It might mean that they were about to get better anyway. But if they really believe the “medicine” is going to help them, sometimes it works. This is called the “placebo effect.” I think it goes deeper than just the mind (which is already pretty deep). I think it gets down to the level of the heart—perhaps our spirit. And it can work for us—or against us.
The bible gets into this. “As a man thinketh, so is he.” In the gospels, Jesus said if we’ve just thought about it in our heart, it’s the same as if we’ve actually done it. We do things that become patterns that can take years to get rid of, if ever.
And the consequences can be devastating. Try to resist that thing. It’s tough. Think about it long enough and you’re probably going to do it, whether it’s cookies, smoking, or even a sexual addiction.
But the concept applies to good things, too. Remember, as you think—so you are. That’s why the bible tells you to “think on these things” and by the “renewing of your mind.” Start thinking differently. You’ve got to quit thinking “you can’t do it, so why bother?” Instead, you need to start getting around people who are doing it, or have done it, so some of that can rub off on your spirit.
That’s why it’s helpful to go to the gym, or join a group like the Biggest Losers. It’s still a struggle—you’re just not struggling alone, and that helps. Lions look for the stray animal that’s grazing away from the herd. They’re easy pickings. Stay with the pack and you’ll find safety and support when the lion comes. You’ll win some battles and at some point you’ll start thinking, “maybe I can.” Then it turns to “I know I can do this.”
Sometimes we need a little more help, too, especially when we’ve got years of programming to undo. Whenever I’ve felt over my head (frequently), I’ve asked God for help and he’s never let me down. Sometimes the answer takes awhile, or isn’t what I expected, but he’s never failed to help me out.
If you’re struggling with something, my best advice is to ask God to help you figure it out. Ask him to help you understand why you do what you do. Often, our problems stem from things that have happened to us long ago, even as children.
Sometimes we need to heal old wounds that we’re really just putting Band-Aids on. Once the real issue is dealt with, things often take care of themselves. It can be a little painful, but it’s worth it, especially if you really want things to change.
That brings up another point. In the end, you’ve got to actually really want to change. Not just lip service, knowing “you need to do it.” Quit kidding yourself. We like doing what we do. If you don’t want to change, you might as well just eat up, light up, drink up, or whatever else, because in the end, you’ll keep sabotaging your efforts. Real change takes guts. It takes a commitment. And it’s going to be painful.
So it’s got to be more painful to not change, then to do all the stuff you’re going to have to do to get there, or you won’t stick it out. Find reasons to change. Big ones—things worth fighting for. This is a big deal. God’s on your side. Start thinking like this, and who can be against you?
First place this week was a tie between Dawn Hopper and Pam Kelly, each losing 1.8% of their body weight. Dawn lost 3.4 lbs and Pam lost 4.2 lbs, winning the $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance and the free massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Third place went to Teri Dennis who lost 1.7% of her body weight and 3.3 lbs. Fourth place went to Judy Rush, losing 1.6% and 2.4 lbs, and fifth place went to Bill Lewis, with 1.3% and 2.6 lbs.
BIGGEST LOSER “7”
Next week we’ll have the final results from Biggest Loser “6.” It’s also time to get signed up for Biggest Loser “7” which starts this Saturday, March 28th at 10:00 am. It’s $50 to participate in the Saturday morning weigh-ins and workouts during the 12 weeks.
You don’t have to be a member at our place, but you really need to be a member somewhere, like the YMCA, Curves or have access to a gym at work. It’s tough for most people to get it done at home, and if you don’t have the right equipment it’s almost impossible. Don’t forget the safety in numbers. Remember the lions?
The deadline to register is this Friday, March 27th. This spring, let’s do this together!
Monday, March 16, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK TEN
This week, twenty people got to experience some basic Kick Boxing for their Friday night workout. They learned how to jab, cross, and throw a left hook, while bobbing and weaving and hitting targets held by their partner. They also learned how to throw a low-line round kick, also called an angle kick to their opponent’s leg.
A great cardio workout, Kick Boxing can become a strength workout too when throwing in other exercises between rounds, like pushups, pull-ups, or body squats. The resistance felt when hitting targets makes it even better. Plus anytime you get to hit things, it’s great for relieving stress! Finally, training like this where you’re actually dodging things and learning how to move and put power on a target is very real and practical.
The group also learned some new Level 3 exercises to start using in their regular routines: EZ Bar Deadlift-Curl-Press; Dumb-bell Clean & Presses; and Kettle Bell Swings. Each exercise uses the entire body, including Pushing, Pulling, and Lower Body muscles. As a result, a very efficient yet complete workout can be built around them.
Basically, you’d pick one of the exercises and do 4-5 sets, with assorted other core exercises thrown in between. Another great alternative is to do a set of the primary exercise and then run ¼ mile on the treadmill at a brisk pace, and so on. Or, you could do a set, and then a round of Kick Boxing on the heavy bag, and so on.
Two weeks to go, and we’re starting to see people wavering in their staying power. Although they lasted much longer this time then ever before, we’re still looking at a significant drop in the number of people making the weigh-in (41 out of the original 60). And only 20 made the workout. It’s too bad, because everyone seemed to have a great time.
My hat’s off to the group that’s left, including those with other commitments Friday night, but who are still involved. And I know some others have had to quit due to some serious health challenges. It can be tough. It’s also springtime.
It’s one thing to start an exercise program. It’s quite another to commit to 12 weeks, including a Friday night weigh-in and workout, which I’ll admit isn’t the most convenient time for most people.
That’s why we’re making a change for Biggest Loser “7,” and moving to Saturday mornings. The first meeting of Biggest Loser “7” will be Saturday, March 28th at 10:00 am. Hopefully, it will be a good idea.
Like when we changed to a 24 hour gym, it made it more convenient for most people and we saw quite an increase in the number of people that could make it into the gym. I’m guessing we’ll be able to have more activities outside on Saturday mornings too, since it will be daytime as well as warming up!
So come up and get registered for Biggest Loser “7.” The cost is $50 to participate in the weekly weigh-in and workout for 12 weeks. You don’t have to have a membership to get involved, but you should have a membership somewhere, like at the YMCA, Curves, or another gym, or enough equipment at home to get your workouts in.
Next week, I’ll talk about some of the other issues involved in losing weight and getting in shape. Things that go deeper than just eating right and exercising smart. For now, this week’s winner was Bill Lewis, back on top for the fifth time out of ten weeks. Bill lost 3.0% of his body weight and 6.0 lbs and won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance. He also won a massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to Janet Tyler who lost 2.4% of her body weight and 3.8 lbs. Third place went to Pam Kelly who lost 1.6% of her body weight and 4.0 lbs. See you in the gym!
A great cardio workout, Kick Boxing can become a strength workout too when throwing in other exercises between rounds, like pushups, pull-ups, or body squats. The resistance felt when hitting targets makes it even better. Plus anytime you get to hit things, it’s great for relieving stress! Finally, training like this where you’re actually dodging things and learning how to move and put power on a target is very real and practical.
The group also learned some new Level 3 exercises to start using in their regular routines: EZ Bar Deadlift-Curl-Press; Dumb-bell Clean & Presses; and Kettle Bell Swings. Each exercise uses the entire body, including Pushing, Pulling, and Lower Body muscles. As a result, a very efficient yet complete workout can be built around them.
Basically, you’d pick one of the exercises and do 4-5 sets, with assorted other core exercises thrown in between. Another great alternative is to do a set of the primary exercise and then run ¼ mile on the treadmill at a brisk pace, and so on. Or, you could do a set, and then a round of Kick Boxing on the heavy bag, and so on.
Two weeks to go, and we’re starting to see people wavering in their staying power. Although they lasted much longer this time then ever before, we’re still looking at a significant drop in the number of people making the weigh-in (41 out of the original 60). And only 20 made the workout. It’s too bad, because everyone seemed to have a great time.
My hat’s off to the group that’s left, including those with other commitments Friday night, but who are still involved. And I know some others have had to quit due to some serious health challenges. It can be tough. It’s also springtime.
It’s one thing to start an exercise program. It’s quite another to commit to 12 weeks, including a Friday night weigh-in and workout, which I’ll admit isn’t the most convenient time for most people.
That’s why we’re making a change for Biggest Loser “7,” and moving to Saturday mornings. The first meeting of Biggest Loser “7” will be Saturday, March 28th at 10:00 am. Hopefully, it will be a good idea.
Like when we changed to a 24 hour gym, it made it more convenient for most people and we saw quite an increase in the number of people that could make it into the gym. I’m guessing we’ll be able to have more activities outside on Saturday mornings too, since it will be daytime as well as warming up!
So come up and get registered for Biggest Loser “7.” The cost is $50 to participate in the weekly weigh-in and workout for 12 weeks. You don’t have to have a membership to get involved, but you should have a membership somewhere, like at the YMCA, Curves, or another gym, or enough equipment at home to get your workouts in.
Next week, I’ll talk about some of the other issues involved in losing weight and getting in shape. Things that go deeper than just eating right and exercising smart. For now, this week’s winner was Bill Lewis, back on top for the fifth time out of ten weeks. Bill lost 3.0% of his body weight and 6.0 lbs and won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance. He also won a massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to Janet Tyler who lost 2.4% of her body weight and 3.8 lbs. Third place went to Pam Kelly who lost 1.6% of her body weight and 4.0 lbs. See you in the gym!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK NINE
In week one, the participants started on the machines to build some base strength and just get moving. After a month, they progressed to free weight exercises with dumbbells and the exercise balls. Working with dumbbells, they used more stabilizer muscles to do the movements, and also their core muscles more.
Last week, after two months of training, it was time for some new exercises. Called compound exercises, these exercises take two or three familiar exercises, and combine them into one movement.
Compound movements require even more core strength to keep the body stabilized. They also demand much more oxygen since more muscles are working at the same time. This is why you might not be breathing hard after a set of bicep curls, or shoulder presses, or even lunges. But if you combine the three into a walking lunge-curl-press, you’ll find yourself winded right away. Or, do a squat and shoulder-press together, and see how quickly you gas.
WALKING LUNGE-CURL-PRESS
Take two dumbbells, and holding one in each hand, do a walking lunge forward until your front leg is bent 90° and your back knee is bent toward the floor with your heel up. Then, keeping your body posture straight, curl the dumbbells up with your biceps, and then turn them around as you shoulder-press them up over head until the sides are touching. Then, slowly lower them, and then un-curl them downward before taking another full walking lunge step. Use your stomach and side muscles to try and keep your upper body completely straight, resisting the side-to-side forces trying to pull you off balance.
THRUSTERS
Take two dumbbells, and holding one in each hand up on your shoulders, place your feet about shoulder width apart. Squat backward while keeping your knees from moving. (Most people make the mistake of letting their knees come forward during the squat which puts too much pressure on the knee joint.) A good way to practice this is simply sitting backward onto a chair and then getting back up. You also want to keep your upper body from bending forward, by keeping your back arched and looking upward. From the squat, use your hips and legs to get back up. You should feel it just as much in your butt and hamstrings as you do in your quads. On the way up, shoulder press the dumbbells overhead, rotating them until the sides are touching. Then lower them as you go back into the squat position.
LEVEL 3 WORKOUTS
Once you have the exercises down, use them as the basis of your workout. That’s what we did Friday night. They did four rounds of Walking Lunge-Curl-Press, combined with a couple exercises on the exercise ball.
We split the group in half, with one group doing the Walking L-C-P up and down the floor one time. Meanwhile, the other half was doing Ab Crunches on the Ball. Then they rotated.
For the second round, group one did another set of Walking L-C-P while group two did Pikes on the ball, where their hands were in a pushup position on the floor and their feet or shins were on the ball. Then, keeping their legs straight, they lifted their buns in the air.
Round three was a third set of Walking L-C-P and a new exercise on the ball where they held a smaller medicine ball and rotated from side to side. By now, things were getting harder.
In round four, both groups did a final set of Walking L-C-P. They also did a fourth exercise on the ball. With their feet or shins on the ball, they pulled their knees in and out while staying in that pushup position.
The whole workout took just under 30 minutes, and everyone was wiped out. They’d used a tremendous amount of energy because so many muscles were working at the same time. Their core was hammered because it had to work hard to maintain their posture.
Even though it was quite a strength workout, it also felt like a cardio workout, and they were all breathing pretty hard at the end of each round. Finally, a lot of calories will be burned long after the workout (called the after-burn effect).
The next workout could be structured a similar way, but using Thrusters and Pull-ups instead. There’s no limit to the amount of variety in workouts this way, and they’ll make you a lean machine, with tremendous endurance and a ripped body if you’re also watching what you eat.
THIS WEEK’S WINNERS
Things slowed down quite a bit weight loss wise this week. Quite a few people broke even or lost just a half a pound or so, but that’s to be expected in week nine. That’s why I like to shake things up and have them do different activities and change up their workouts.
First place went to Judy Rush, who lost 2.2% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs. Judy had to leave, so she’ll get her $20 gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance later, along with a free massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to Jessica Fiscus, who lost 2.0% of her body weight and 3.8 lbs which was the most pounds lost this week. Third place went to Melissa Bradley, who lost 1.7% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs, for a clean sweep by the ladies!
Next week, we’ll talk about some of the other problems facing people struggling with weight loss. Right now, I’ve got to get to the gym!
Last week, after two months of training, it was time for some new exercises. Called compound exercises, these exercises take two or three familiar exercises, and combine them into one movement.
Compound movements require even more core strength to keep the body stabilized. They also demand much more oxygen since more muscles are working at the same time. This is why you might not be breathing hard after a set of bicep curls, or shoulder presses, or even lunges. But if you combine the three into a walking lunge-curl-press, you’ll find yourself winded right away. Or, do a squat and shoulder-press together, and see how quickly you gas.
WALKING LUNGE-CURL-PRESS
Take two dumbbells, and holding one in each hand, do a walking lunge forward until your front leg is bent 90° and your back knee is bent toward the floor with your heel up. Then, keeping your body posture straight, curl the dumbbells up with your biceps, and then turn them around as you shoulder-press them up over head until the sides are touching. Then, slowly lower them, and then un-curl them downward before taking another full walking lunge step. Use your stomach and side muscles to try and keep your upper body completely straight, resisting the side-to-side forces trying to pull you off balance.
THRUSTERS
Take two dumbbells, and holding one in each hand up on your shoulders, place your feet about shoulder width apart. Squat backward while keeping your knees from moving. (Most people make the mistake of letting their knees come forward during the squat which puts too much pressure on the knee joint.) A good way to practice this is simply sitting backward onto a chair and then getting back up. You also want to keep your upper body from bending forward, by keeping your back arched and looking upward. From the squat, use your hips and legs to get back up. You should feel it just as much in your butt and hamstrings as you do in your quads. On the way up, shoulder press the dumbbells overhead, rotating them until the sides are touching. Then lower them as you go back into the squat position.
LEVEL 3 WORKOUTS
Once you have the exercises down, use them as the basis of your workout. That’s what we did Friday night. They did four rounds of Walking Lunge-Curl-Press, combined with a couple exercises on the exercise ball.
We split the group in half, with one group doing the Walking L-C-P up and down the floor one time. Meanwhile, the other half was doing Ab Crunches on the Ball. Then they rotated.
For the second round, group one did another set of Walking L-C-P while group two did Pikes on the ball, where their hands were in a pushup position on the floor and their feet or shins were on the ball. Then, keeping their legs straight, they lifted their buns in the air.
Round three was a third set of Walking L-C-P and a new exercise on the ball where they held a smaller medicine ball and rotated from side to side. By now, things were getting harder.
In round four, both groups did a final set of Walking L-C-P. They also did a fourth exercise on the ball. With their feet or shins on the ball, they pulled their knees in and out while staying in that pushup position.
The whole workout took just under 30 minutes, and everyone was wiped out. They’d used a tremendous amount of energy because so many muscles were working at the same time. Their core was hammered because it had to work hard to maintain their posture.
Even though it was quite a strength workout, it also felt like a cardio workout, and they were all breathing pretty hard at the end of each round. Finally, a lot of calories will be burned long after the workout (called the after-burn effect).
The next workout could be structured a similar way, but using Thrusters and Pull-ups instead. There’s no limit to the amount of variety in workouts this way, and they’ll make you a lean machine, with tremendous endurance and a ripped body if you’re also watching what you eat.
THIS WEEK’S WINNERS
Things slowed down quite a bit weight loss wise this week. Quite a few people broke even or lost just a half a pound or so, but that’s to be expected in week nine. That’s why I like to shake things up and have them do different activities and change up their workouts.
First place went to Judy Rush, who lost 2.2% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs. Judy had to leave, so she’ll get her $20 gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance later, along with a free massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to Jessica Fiscus, who lost 2.0% of her body weight and 3.8 lbs which was the most pounds lost this week. Third place went to Melissa Bradley, who lost 1.7% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs, for a clean sweep by the ladies!
Next week, we’ll talk about some of the other problems facing people struggling with weight loss. Right now, I’ve got to get to the gym!
Saturday, March 07, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK EIGHT
48 people made this week’s weigh-in. I’m pretty sure another four or five are still active, so that puts us at around 52 or 53 out of the original 60. That’s still pretty good for the eighth week. Typically we’d be down a third or even half by now, so something’s different this time. People are sticking it out longer.
One thing that’s helping is that some have hooked up with a buddy. Their buddy calls to make sure they’re going to go workout and then calls to check in afterward. Sometimes they meet at the gym and workout together.
Making changes like eating right and exercising smart is tough for some people. Old habits are hard to break. New ones are tough to make. If you’re not extremely self-motivated, it helps to have someone who can provide that motivation for you. Most people work harder when working out with a partner. It’s a biblical principle. “Two are better than one” and “a cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
If you’re one of the ones that can do it on your own, you have a special gift. You are self motivated. But this gift isn’t just for you alone. I think we’re supposed to share it. You can motivate others too. Everyone needs to be fit and healthy, right?
Let’s say that 50 people finish Biggest Loser “6” and have made real and lasting changes. They know what to do and how to do it. They also decide to help one other person do it too. What if each of those 50 people took one person and mentored them this year? If someone didn’t stick with it, then they found someone else to help. If all 50 did it, by the end of the year, you’d have 100 people.
Next year the first 50 mentor a new group of 50 and the second group mentors 50 more. By the end of the year, that’s 200 people eating right and exercising smart. Then the following year you did it again, and then again. By the 9th year, we’d exceed the population of Paris. By the 12th or 13th year, we’d be reaching the equivalent of bigger cities. By the 22nd year, we’d be reaching billions. Obesity as we know it would be extinct!
I guess that might be a little ambitious, but I’m seeing it every day. People are bringing friends and family members and teaching them what to do and how to do it. It helps them keep coming and gets another group of people started at the same time. What could we really do if more got on board? How about you?
Two people tied for first place this week, both losing 3.1% of their body weight. Heidi Walls lost 4.2 lbs and Randy Weir lost 6.4 lbs. Heidi had to leave, so Randy won the $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance and the 30 minute massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
3rd Place went to Gary Goodman, who lost 2.8% of his body weight and 5.4 lbs. They were followed by Katy Kennedy, Bill Lewis, and Brian Bradley, all losing 4.6 lbs, and Jennifer Bowers, who lost 4.0 lbs.
Here are the results for the first 8 weeks so far. We’d like to see an average of a pound a week. But there are a lot of things that you have to factor in, like fitness levels, medications and medical conditions, injuries and forced time off. Even half a pound a week can be good in those circumstances and sometimes, just staying even is a good thing.
% lbs
1. Bill Lewis 19.5 50.2
2. Gary Goodman 12.6 27.6
3. Randy Weir 11.9 28.2
4. John Sanchez 10.4 25.7
5. Dawn Hopper 10.2 21.8
6. Brian Bradley 9.9 23.8
7. Chad Cline 9.5 21.8
8. Brenda Lilley 7.7 14.2
9. Erika Hollis 7.7 13.4
10. Erin Hutchison 7.6 15.4
11. Michele Everetts 7.3 17.4
12. Katy Kennedy 6.9 14.6
13. Shawn Bowers 6.6 19.4
14. Tony Peel 5.7 16.8
15. Ken McConkey 5.6 20.0
16. Chris Redman 4.9 12.8
17. Carol Cline 4.8 9.8
18. Janet Tyler 4.8 7.8
19. Heidi Walls 4.8 6.8
20. Kim Arbuckle 4.7 7.6
21. Penny Duzan 4.4 8.0
22. Jessica Fiscus 4.3 8.6
23. Haley Sanders 4.3 10.6
24. Angela Griffin 4.2 8.8
25. Echo Johnson 4.2 7.8
26. Kathy Kennedy 4.2 5.4
27. Sue Sheerhan 4.1 8.7
28. Shirley Fiscus 4.0 8.0
29. Bridgett Trover 3.9 7.2
30. Dale Anderson 3.9 9.6
31. Margo Yeargin 3.8 6.4
32. Beth Robertson 3.3 5.6
33. Tracy Rush 3.2 7.4
34. George Griffin 2.7 5.8
35. Jean McConkey 2.7 5.0
36. Teri Dennis 2.6 5.2
37. Tim Meyers 2.2 5.7
38. Chad Robertson 2.1 5.0
39. Cheryl Redman 2.1 4.0
40. Pam Kelly 2.0 5.0
41. Melissa Bradley 1.9 4.0
42. Renee Colvin 1.8 3.4
43. DeeAnn Green 1.6 2.2
44. Pam Waller 1.1 3.0
45. Judy Rush .009 1.4
46. Jennifer Bowers .004 0.8
47. Casey Redman .0 0
48. Mike Givens .0 0
One thing that’s helping is that some have hooked up with a buddy. Their buddy calls to make sure they’re going to go workout and then calls to check in afterward. Sometimes they meet at the gym and workout together.
Making changes like eating right and exercising smart is tough for some people. Old habits are hard to break. New ones are tough to make. If you’re not extremely self-motivated, it helps to have someone who can provide that motivation for you. Most people work harder when working out with a partner. It’s a biblical principle. “Two are better than one” and “a cord of three strands is not easily broken.”
If you’re one of the ones that can do it on your own, you have a special gift. You are self motivated. But this gift isn’t just for you alone. I think we’re supposed to share it. You can motivate others too. Everyone needs to be fit and healthy, right?
Let’s say that 50 people finish Biggest Loser “6” and have made real and lasting changes. They know what to do and how to do it. They also decide to help one other person do it too. What if each of those 50 people took one person and mentored them this year? If someone didn’t stick with it, then they found someone else to help. If all 50 did it, by the end of the year, you’d have 100 people.
Next year the first 50 mentor a new group of 50 and the second group mentors 50 more. By the end of the year, that’s 200 people eating right and exercising smart. Then the following year you did it again, and then again. By the 9th year, we’d exceed the population of Paris. By the 12th or 13th year, we’d be reaching the equivalent of bigger cities. By the 22nd year, we’d be reaching billions. Obesity as we know it would be extinct!
I guess that might be a little ambitious, but I’m seeing it every day. People are bringing friends and family members and teaching them what to do and how to do it. It helps them keep coming and gets another group of people started at the same time. What could we really do if more got on board? How about you?
Two people tied for first place this week, both losing 3.1% of their body weight. Heidi Walls lost 4.2 lbs and Randy Weir lost 6.4 lbs. Heidi had to leave, so Randy won the $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance and the 30 minute massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
3rd Place went to Gary Goodman, who lost 2.8% of his body weight and 5.4 lbs. They were followed by Katy Kennedy, Bill Lewis, and Brian Bradley, all losing 4.6 lbs, and Jennifer Bowers, who lost 4.0 lbs.
Here are the results for the first 8 weeks so far. We’d like to see an average of a pound a week. But there are a lot of things that you have to factor in, like fitness levels, medications and medical conditions, injuries and forced time off. Even half a pound a week can be good in those circumstances and sometimes, just staying even is a good thing.
% lbs
1. Bill Lewis 19.5 50.2
2. Gary Goodman 12.6 27.6
3. Randy Weir 11.9 28.2
4. John Sanchez 10.4 25.7
5. Dawn Hopper 10.2 21.8
6. Brian Bradley 9.9 23.8
7. Chad Cline 9.5 21.8
8. Brenda Lilley 7.7 14.2
9. Erika Hollis 7.7 13.4
10. Erin Hutchison 7.6 15.4
11. Michele Everetts 7.3 17.4
12. Katy Kennedy 6.9 14.6
13. Shawn Bowers 6.6 19.4
14. Tony Peel 5.7 16.8
15. Ken McConkey 5.6 20.0
16. Chris Redman 4.9 12.8
17. Carol Cline 4.8 9.8
18. Janet Tyler 4.8 7.8
19. Heidi Walls 4.8 6.8
20. Kim Arbuckle 4.7 7.6
21. Penny Duzan 4.4 8.0
22. Jessica Fiscus 4.3 8.6
23. Haley Sanders 4.3 10.6
24. Angela Griffin 4.2 8.8
25. Echo Johnson 4.2 7.8
26. Kathy Kennedy 4.2 5.4
27. Sue Sheerhan 4.1 8.7
28. Shirley Fiscus 4.0 8.0
29. Bridgett Trover 3.9 7.2
30. Dale Anderson 3.9 9.6
31. Margo Yeargin 3.8 6.4
32. Beth Robertson 3.3 5.6
33. Tracy Rush 3.2 7.4
34. George Griffin 2.7 5.8
35. Jean McConkey 2.7 5.0
36. Teri Dennis 2.6 5.2
37. Tim Meyers 2.2 5.7
38. Chad Robertson 2.1 5.0
39. Cheryl Redman 2.1 4.0
40. Pam Kelly 2.0 5.0
41. Melissa Bradley 1.9 4.0
42. Renee Colvin 1.8 3.4
43. DeeAnn Green 1.6 2.2
44. Pam Waller 1.1 3.0
45. Judy Rush .009 1.4
46. Jennifer Bowers .004 0.8
47. Casey Redman .0 0
48. Mike Givens .0 0
Saturday, February 28, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK SEVEN
Five people missed the weigh-in this week. Out of the original 60 people, it looks like 56 are still hanging in there. And that’s good because we’re coming down to crunch time.
There’s something about the one and two month barriers. It’s a psychological barrier, but it’s real and almost a tangible thing. That’s why we try to get people to commit mentally to a 12 week program.
Three months is long enough to see significant results AND create new habits that are likely to last. Anything less and I get a little nervous. But even six months or a year doesn’t guarantee long term success.
I know a couple people who’ve lost quite a bit of weight. For some reason, they lost focus and quit working out. They also stopped watching what they ate. Quicker then you’d expect, they put most of the weight back on. Now they’re working hard to lose it all over again.
We’re creatures of habit. Under pressure, we’ll default to what we’ve done the most. Even though we lose the fat, our bodies still have those empty fat cells, just waiting to fill them up again.
Eating right and exercising smart has to become a life-style—something you think about and do daily. If you can do that, you can keep it off forever. But you have to be serious about it and consistent in your approach.
One group that’s serious about it is the guys from the Fire Department. If you see the truck outside, don’t get concerned (unless they’re in full turn-out gear with axes in their hands). What’s going on is that they’ve made fitness a priority for the department.
That makes sense. Think about it. When they’re fighting a fire, they’re wearing gear that weighs around 100 lbs. If they’re going inside, they’re also on an oxygen bottle. Under high stress and exertion, respiration goes way up, and it doesn’t take long to go through their supply. That means they’ll have to turn around, leave and get another one.
If they’re in shape, though, they can last longer on the same amount of oxygen which might just save someone’s life someday. They’ll be able to stay in there longer and keep looking for us. And once they find us, they’ve got to be strong enough to pick us up and get us out—after they’ve already been exerting themselves—under high stress conditions!
Something else I didn’t know was that the majority of firefighters die from heart attacks—during or just after a fire. But if they’re in the gym working on their cardio, they’ll have stronger hearts, and hopefully be able to prevent that from happening to them—after they’ve saved you and me.
Some of the guys are even working out with me and my Level IV groups. That’s some tough training, but it will get them in the best shape of their lives. The goal is to be as lean as we can be, as strong as we can be, and be able to keep going when others would have to stop or slow down.
The workouts were originally designed for mixed martial art (MMA) fighters that have to go full bore for three five-minute rounds. Then cops figured out it prepared them for when they have to go all out in a foot pursuit or to gain control of a goofball resisting arrest, or worse, trying to attack them. I train this way for both of those reasons.
We already talked about the benefits to firefighters, but normal Joes (and Janes) benefit from these workouts too. They get lean and mean, feel great, and everything else becomes easier. If you’re new and just starting out, you simply modify the workout by using lighter weights, less intensity, and taking more rest breaks.
After a 10 minute cardio warm-up, the full body workouts take about 20-30 minutes, three days a week. They’re always different, so you never know what to expect. This keeps it interesting, plus the body responds very well when you keep changing the workouts.
It’s also nice to workout with a group doing the same thing. Everyone’s suffering together, and you all tend to get more out of it. This concept is so important we talked about it with the Biggest Losers, too. Having a buddy helps both of you push yourselves harder.
That brings us to this week’s Biggest Loser. Erika Hollis was back on her game with a weight loss of 4.1% and 6.6 lbs. She’d gained a little weight last week but fixed the problem this week, losing everything she’d put on, plus a little more to boot. Erika won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance, and also a 30 minute massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to DeeAnn Green, who lost 3.0% of her body weight and 4.0 lbs. Third place went to Bill Lewis, who lost 2.3% of his body weight and another 4.8 lbs. Next week, we’ll have the two-month rundown and I’ll post everyone’s weight loss after eight weeks.
There’s something about the one and two month barriers. It’s a psychological barrier, but it’s real and almost a tangible thing. That’s why we try to get people to commit mentally to a 12 week program.
Three months is long enough to see significant results AND create new habits that are likely to last. Anything less and I get a little nervous. But even six months or a year doesn’t guarantee long term success.
I know a couple people who’ve lost quite a bit of weight. For some reason, they lost focus and quit working out. They also stopped watching what they ate. Quicker then you’d expect, they put most of the weight back on. Now they’re working hard to lose it all over again.
We’re creatures of habit. Under pressure, we’ll default to what we’ve done the most. Even though we lose the fat, our bodies still have those empty fat cells, just waiting to fill them up again.
Eating right and exercising smart has to become a life-style—something you think about and do daily. If you can do that, you can keep it off forever. But you have to be serious about it and consistent in your approach.
One group that’s serious about it is the guys from the Fire Department. If you see the truck outside, don’t get concerned (unless they’re in full turn-out gear with axes in their hands). What’s going on is that they’ve made fitness a priority for the department.
That makes sense. Think about it. When they’re fighting a fire, they’re wearing gear that weighs around 100 lbs. If they’re going inside, they’re also on an oxygen bottle. Under high stress and exertion, respiration goes way up, and it doesn’t take long to go through their supply. That means they’ll have to turn around, leave and get another one.
If they’re in shape, though, they can last longer on the same amount of oxygen which might just save someone’s life someday. They’ll be able to stay in there longer and keep looking for us. And once they find us, they’ve got to be strong enough to pick us up and get us out—after they’ve already been exerting themselves—under high stress conditions!
Something else I didn’t know was that the majority of firefighters die from heart attacks—during or just after a fire. But if they’re in the gym working on their cardio, they’ll have stronger hearts, and hopefully be able to prevent that from happening to them—after they’ve saved you and me.
Some of the guys are even working out with me and my Level IV groups. That’s some tough training, but it will get them in the best shape of their lives. The goal is to be as lean as we can be, as strong as we can be, and be able to keep going when others would have to stop or slow down.
The workouts were originally designed for mixed martial art (MMA) fighters that have to go full bore for three five-minute rounds. Then cops figured out it prepared them for when they have to go all out in a foot pursuit or to gain control of a goofball resisting arrest, or worse, trying to attack them. I train this way for both of those reasons.
We already talked about the benefits to firefighters, but normal Joes (and Janes) benefit from these workouts too. They get lean and mean, feel great, and everything else becomes easier. If you’re new and just starting out, you simply modify the workout by using lighter weights, less intensity, and taking more rest breaks.
After a 10 minute cardio warm-up, the full body workouts take about 20-30 minutes, three days a week. They’re always different, so you never know what to expect. This keeps it interesting, plus the body responds very well when you keep changing the workouts.
It’s also nice to workout with a group doing the same thing. Everyone’s suffering together, and you all tend to get more out of it. This concept is so important we talked about it with the Biggest Losers, too. Having a buddy helps both of you push yourselves harder.
That brings us to this week’s Biggest Loser. Erika Hollis was back on her game with a weight loss of 4.1% and 6.6 lbs. She’d gained a little weight last week but fixed the problem this week, losing everything she’d put on, plus a little more to boot. Erika won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance, and also a 30 minute massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to DeeAnn Green, who lost 3.0% of her body weight and 4.0 lbs. Third place went to Bill Lewis, who lost 2.3% of his body weight and another 4.8 lbs. Next week, we’ll have the two-month rundown and I’ll post everyone’s weight loss after eight weeks.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK SIX
Well we’ve made it halfway through the twelve weeks. Although eight people missed the weigh-in on Friday night, I know at least five of them are still with us.
One guy called it in and said “don’t count me out.” Another’s working hard on the high school play. I think two are out of town, and one gal was sick. That makes three I’m not sure about. So far, 59 out of the original 60 have stuck with it. We’ll see next week.
We’ve talked a lot about the different distractions that can sidetrack you when you’re trying to make lifestyle changes like this. In the end, it’s your ability to work around things that will make you successful.
Trips are going to come up, so you need to find a way to work out while you’re on the road. My first choice is always to find a local fitness center. You might have to pay a day rate (usually around $10) but sometimes you can get a free visit.
I like fitness centers, because they’ll have all the stuff I’ll need. If one’s not available, I’ll try the hotel—often they’ll have a small workout room. Usually, it’s just a treadmill and bike, but once in awhile they’ll have some weights, too.
If neither is available, I fall back on my “hotel” workout. I’ll do a set of pushups, body squats, and then sit-ups. Then I’ll take off down the hallway, out the exit door, up the steps, back through that hallway, out that exit door, and down the steps to the original floor.
If I’m feeling especially froggy, I’ll do a couple flights. Sometimes, I’ll be at an Inn where the stairs are on the outside of the building. Then, I’ll run around the top floor, go down the steps, do the next floor, and so on.
Once I’ve made a circuit or two, I’ll go back in the room and do another set of pushups, body squats, and sit-ups and then head back out down the hallway. It doesn’t take too many circuits to get a pretty good workout and 20-30 minutes in. Not bad for being on the road.
A couple years ago, I was with my wife down in Branson, MO for a TV appearance on a small syndicated show. They had me there when my book “Bodies-in-Balance: How to Eat Right and Exercise Smart” first came out.
Branson is very hilly, and they put us in this hotel that was closed for the season. I think they rolled the sidewalks up too. It was a little weird being the only people at the hotel. It was kind of like that Steven King movie where they were at that resort that was closed for the winter. I was half expecting to see “Jack” come through the door with an axe.
Well the hotel was at the upper end of this one monster hill with some other hotels (all closed) at the other end. There was this big half mile dip in the road between them. It was so steep you could feel your ears pop when you drove down it.
So I decided I’d run down the hill and up the other side to those other hotels and then run back. I’m always up for challenges, and was curious to see how many times I could do it.
The first one wasn’t so bad. I was able to keep running, but had to slow way down to make it up the other end. Coming back, it was the same thing. I barely made it back up to our hotel, and by then, I’d only run a little more than a mile.
Being a little dense, I wondered if I could do it again. Of course, going down the hill was pretty easy, but you kind of had to slow yourself down so you wouldn’t pick up too much speed. That’s harder than you’d think, and you really feel it in your legs.
This time I had to walk the last couple hundred feet to get to the top of the hill. By then my legs felt like I’d, well, trudged up a huge hill, and I was pretty winded.
Going back was brutal. I’d way underestimated the effects of running up and down hills that big. That time I made it about halfway back up (about ¼ of a mile) and had to walk the rest of the way.
Normally I’d run 2 miles in 20 minutes or less, but that day, it took me almost a half hour to do the two laps there and back. I got my workout in, but boy were my legs shot!
Closer to home, in the Friday night workout, they learned their second free weight routine. It switches up some of the exercises and they’ll be using it for the next two weeks.
I showed them how to mix the two sets of each exercise with the Ab Routine and core exercises to keep the intensity up. Later, we’ll combine the two workouts. For now, here’s their Free Weight Workout #2:
1. Walking Lunges – Legs, Hips and Core
2. Pec Flys on the Ball – Chest and Arms
3. Bent Leg Deadlifts – Legs, Hips and lower back (this was in workout #1)
4. Pullovers on the Ball – Upper Back, Chest and Arms
5. Shoulder Press – Shoulders and Triceps
6. Bicep Curls – Biceps and Forearms
7. Tricep Kickbacks -- Triceps
8. Ab Routine #1-5: Crunches with Knees Bent; with Legs up in the air; crossing over to one side; crossing to the other side; and Leg Lifts.
Our winner this week was Michele Everetts, who lost 2.3% of her body weight and an amazing 5.0 lbs. She won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance. Michele also won a well-deserved certificate for a massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to Gary Goodman who lost 1.9% of his body weight and 3.7 lbs. Third place went to a surprised Katy Kennedy, who lost 1.7% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs.
One guy called it in and said “don’t count me out.” Another’s working hard on the high school play. I think two are out of town, and one gal was sick. That makes three I’m not sure about. So far, 59 out of the original 60 have stuck with it. We’ll see next week.
We’ve talked a lot about the different distractions that can sidetrack you when you’re trying to make lifestyle changes like this. In the end, it’s your ability to work around things that will make you successful.
Trips are going to come up, so you need to find a way to work out while you’re on the road. My first choice is always to find a local fitness center. You might have to pay a day rate (usually around $10) but sometimes you can get a free visit.
I like fitness centers, because they’ll have all the stuff I’ll need. If one’s not available, I’ll try the hotel—often they’ll have a small workout room. Usually, it’s just a treadmill and bike, but once in awhile they’ll have some weights, too.
If neither is available, I fall back on my “hotel” workout. I’ll do a set of pushups, body squats, and then sit-ups. Then I’ll take off down the hallway, out the exit door, up the steps, back through that hallway, out that exit door, and down the steps to the original floor.
If I’m feeling especially froggy, I’ll do a couple flights. Sometimes, I’ll be at an Inn where the stairs are on the outside of the building. Then, I’ll run around the top floor, go down the steps, do the next floor, and so on.
Once I’ve made a circuit or two, I’ll go back in the room and do another set of pushups, body squats, and sit-ups and then head back out down the hallway. It doesn’t take too many circuits to get a pretty good workout and 20-30 minutes in. Not bad for being on the road.
A couple years ago, I was with my wife down in Branson, MO for a TV appearance on a small syndicated show. They had me there when my book “Bodies-in-Balance: How to Eat Right and Exercise Smart” first came out.
Branson is very hilly, and they put us in this hotel that was closed for the season. I think they rolled the sidewalks up too. It was a little weird being the only people at the hotel. It was kind of like that Steven King movie where they were at that resort that was closed for the winter. I was half expecting to see “Jack” come through the door with an axe.
Well the hotel was at the upper end of this one monster hill with some other hotels (all closed) at the other end. There was this big half mile dip in the road between them. It was so steep you could feel your ears pop when you drove down it.
So I decided I’d run down the hill and up the other side to those other hotels and then run back. I’m always up for challenges, and was curious to see how many times I could do it.
The first one wasn’t so bad. I was able to keep running, but had to slow way down to make it up the other end. Coming back, it was the same thing. I barely made it back up to our hotel, and by then, I’d only run a little more than a mile.
Being a little dense, I wondered if I could do it again. Of course, going down the hill was pretty easy, but you kind of had to slow yourself down so you wouldn’t pick up too much speed. That’s harder than you’d think, and you really feel it in your legs.
This time I had to walk the last couple hundred feet to get to the top of the hill. By then my legs felt like I’d, well, trudged up a huge hill, and I was pretty winded.
Going back was brutal. I’d way underestimated the effects of running up and down hills that big. That time I made it about halfway back up (about ¼ of a mile) and had to walk the rest of the way.
Normally I’d run 2 miles in 20 minutes or less, but that day, it took me almost a half hour to do the two laps there and back. I got my workout in, but boy were my legs shot!
Closer to home, in the Friday night workout, they learned their second free weight routine. It switches up some of the exercises and they’ll be using it for the next two weeks.
I showed them how to mix the two sets of each exercise with the Ab Routine and core exercises to keep the intensity up. Later, we’ll combine the two workouts. For now, here’s their Free Weight Workout #2:
1. Walking Lunges – Legs, Hips and Core
2. Pec Flys on the Ball – Chest and Arms
3. Bent Leg Deadlifts – Legs, Hips and lower back (this was in workout #1)
4. Pullovers on the Ball – Upper Back, Chest and Arms
5. Shoulder Press – Shoulders and Triceps
6. Bicep Curls – Biceps and Forearms
7. Tricep Kickbacks -- Triceps
8. Ab Routine #1-5: Crunches with Knees Bent; with Legs up in the air; crossing over to one side; crossing to the other side; and Leg Lifts.
Our winner this week was Michele Everetts, who lost 2.3% of her body weight and an amazing 5.0 lbs. She won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance. Michele also won a well-deserved certificate for a massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to Gary Goodman who lost 1.9% of his body weight and 3.7 lbs. Third place went to a surprised Katy Kennedy, who lost 1.7% of her body weight and 3.4 lbs.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK FIVE
Week Five has come and gone and I’m still waiting for the other shoe to drop. We started with 60 people and still have 59 people participating.
The usual dropout rate bothered me so much that I made a big deal about it in Week One. We covered all the things that come up, like getting sick, injured, other conflicts, and even disappointment due to failed expectations.
I’ve found that if people make it through week eight, they’ll stick to the end. So we’ve got two to three more critical weeks. If they can focus on the big picture and their long term goals, I think we’re in for a very strong finish.
Focusing on your goals instead of your distractions is always a good strategy. Things are always going to come up. Life will always intrude, no matter what you’re trying to do.
When it does, you’ve got to sit back, and take a deep breath. If you just hang in there, the distractions are going to come and go. The important thing is to remember where you’re going.
It’s like the wagon train that rolled through town back in the frontier days. Everyone would get all excited, and the dogs would yip and yap and run around trying to nip at the wheels. Sooner or later, the dogs would get tired of yapping. You can’t let the little things distract you.
I experience that even now, with real dogs when I’m out running. They defend their territory and make lots of noise, but if you keep on going, sooner or later, they get tired and turn back.
There are several participants that have been sick in the last couple of weeks, but they’ve taken pains to let me know they’re still in the game. This is exactly the attitude that will make them successful.
We have a gal that was also in Biggest Loser “2.” We’d just gotten started when she fell down seriously injuring her wrist. She said that in the emergency room, she was more upset about not being able to workout then the actual injury.
It took her a year to recuperate, and she still doesn’t have full function in her wrist. So instead of doing pushups, she does more body squats. That’s a woman who’s going to get what she wants.
It’s that kind of inner drive I’m talking about. You need to cultivate it and learn how to use it. Figure out what you want and make a decision that nothing’s going to keep you from getting it.
Come up with important reasons why you need to do it. Those reasons have to be strong enough to outweigh the pain you’re going to experience along the way.
If it’s to drop 40 pounds, then you have to make up your mind that that’s what you’re going to do. One way or another you’re going to do it. It’s coming off. Even if it takes a year. Even if you have to slow down for one of life’s distractions, you’re going to do it.
If you get knocked down, you get right back up. You might be a little wiser, a little smarter for the experience, but you get back up. This is the stuff that success is made of.
I tell people the reason they made me a “Master” of martial arts a couple years ago was not because I was the best student or instructor (although I’m no slouch either). It’s because I never quit. I just outlasted everyone. Twenty seven years later, I’m still doing it. Do something long enough and you’ll go a long way.
Sometimes I’ll overhear people talking about someone working out at the gym… “she’s so thin.” Well yeah. She’s walked two miles a day for years, plus weights three times a week. What do you expect?
If you’ve been waiting to get in gear this year, you better quit waiting and make a decision to get going. A twelve of your new year is already gone. Before you know it, it’ll be summer. Then Christmas, and another year will pass you by.
Don’t let this happen to you. Make a decision and take some action. And then take a lesson from our latest group of Biggest Losers, and keep at it.
Our winner this week was Shawn Bowers, who stepped it up big-time to lose 3.0% of his body weight and a crazy 8.1 lbs, knocking Bill out of the top spot. He’d said that someone needed to step up and do it. That someone was him!
Shawn’s preparing for a mini-marathon and ran 8 miles last weekend. He won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from our friends at Terry Elston State Farm Insurance and also a 30 minute massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to Tim Meyers, who finally found his stride this week, losing 2.1% of his body weight and 5.3 lbs. Third place went to Bill Lewis, who still lost 2.0% of his body weight and a respectable 4.4 lbs.
The usual dropout rate bothered me so much that I made a big deal about it in Week One. We covered all the things that come up, like getting sick, injured, other conflicts, and even disappointment due to failed expectations.
I’ve found that if people make it through week eight, they’ll stick to the end. So we’ve got two to three more critical weeks. If they can focus on the big picture and their long term goals, I think we’re in for a very strong finish.
Focusing on your goals instead of your distractions is always a good strategy. Things are always going to come up. Life will always intrude, no matter what you’re trying to do.
When it does, you’ve got to sit back, and take a deep breath. If you just hang in there, the distractions are going to come and go. The important thing is to remember where you’re going.
It’s like the wagon train that rolled through town back in the frontier days. Everyone would get all excited, and the dogs would yip and yap and run around trying to nip at the wheels. Sooner or later, the dogs would get tired of yapping. You can’t let the little things distract you.
I experience that even now, with real dogs when I’m out running. They defend their territory and make lots of noise, but if you keep on going, sooner or later, they get tired and turn back.
There are several participants that have been sick in the last couple of weeks, but they’ve taken pains to let me know they’re still in the game. This is exactly the attitude that will make them successful.
We have a gal that was also in Biggest Loser “2.” We’d just gotten started when she fell down seriously injuring her wrist. She said that in the emergency room, she was more upset about not being able to workout then the actual injury.
It took her a year to recuperate, and she still doesn’t have full function in her wrist. So instead of doing pushups, she does more body squats. That’s a woman who’s going to get what she wants.
It’s that kind of inner drive I’m talking about. You need to cultivate it and learn how to use it. Figure out what you want and make a decision that nothing’s going to keep you from getting it.
Come up with important reasons why you need to do it. Those reasons have to be strong enough to outweigh the pain you’re going to experience along the way.
If it’s to drop 40 pounds, then you have to make up your mind that that’s what you’re going to do. One way or another you’re going to do it. It’s coming off. Even if it takes a year. Even if you have to slow down for one of life’s distractions, you’re going to do it.
If you get knocked down, you get right back up. You might be a little wiser, a little smarter for the experience, but you get back up. This is the stuff that success is made of.
I tell people the reason they made me a “Master” of martial arts a couple years ago was not because I was the best student or instructor (although I’m no slouch either). It’s because I never quit. I just outlasted everyone. Twenty seven years later, I’m still doing it. Do something long enough and you’ll go a long way.
Sometimes I’ll overhear people talking about someone working out at the gym… “she’s so thin.” Well yeah. She’s walked two miles a day for years, plus weights three times a week. What do you expect?
If you’ve been waiting to get in gear this year, you better quit waiting and make a decision to get going. A twelve of your new year is already gone. Before you know it, it’ll be summer. Then Christmas, and another year will pass you by.
Don’t let this happen to you. Make a decision and take some action. And then take a lesson from our latest group of Biggest Losers, and keep at it.
Our winner this week was Shawn Bowers, who stepped it up big-time to lose 3.0% of his body weight and a crazy 8.1 lbs, knocking Bill out of the top spot. He’d said that someone needed to step up and do it. That someone was him!
Shawn’s preparing for a mini-marathon and ran 8 miles last weekend. He won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from our friends at Terry Elston State Farm Insurance and also a 30 minute massage from Bridgett’s Therapeutic Massage.
Second place went to Tim Meyers, who finally found his stride this week, losing 2.1% of his body weight and 5.3 lbs. Third place went to Bill Lewis, who still lost 2.0% of his body weight and a respectable 4.4 lbs.
Friday, February 06, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK FOUR
Well we’ve finished the first month and retention is still at an all time high. Out of the original sixty who started, we were down only one last week. Out of the remaining 59 participants, 54 made the Friday night weigh-in.
Of the five who were missing, two gals were home sick, one guy was working and the other was away at All State for a singing performance. Only one was in question. That means we’re still at 58 or 59 people.
The workout was tough but they were ready for it after a month of training. Promising not to have them do any Burpees, I still found a way to make it tougher. They did 50 Jumping Jacks, followed by a minute of Mountain-Climbers. Then they did both again, and then again. After that, it was Hops, Monkey drills, and Partner drills up and down the floor.
Then they learned a bunch of abs exercises: Crunches with knees bent; Crunches with legs straight up in the air; Crunches crossing to one side and then the other; Leg Raises; the Plank; the Plank from side to side; and finally, the Banana-man Superman combo.
Finally, we finished with 25 body squats. The workout lasted exactly 30 minutes, and a good time was had by all. The goal was to teach them new things they could throw into their regular routines to spice things up.
It also showed them how to workout if they ever had to be away from the gym, traveling for example. Stuff like that is easy to do in a hotel room if you can’t find a fitness center.
I also taught them how to make the transition to free weights. Machines guide the motion, and give leverage advantages. Free weights force you to perform the movements without guidance, activating more stabilizer muscles. They also work your core more.
They learned the first basic free weight routine which does movements previously done on machines with dumbbells and an exercise ball instead. The whole point is to shake things up so their bodies keep responding.
1. Body Squat—replaces the Leg Press and Leg Extension Machines
2. Chest Press on Ball—replaces the Bench Press Machine
3. Dead Lift—replaces the Leg Press, Leg Curl, and Lower Back Machines
4. Single Arm Row—replaces the Seated Row Machine
5. Shoulder Press—replaces the Shoulder Press Machine
6. Overhead Press—replaces the Triceps Machine
7. Single Arm Curl—replaces the Biceps Machine
8. Ab Crunches on Ball—replaces the Ab Machine
9. Ball Twist—a new one that works the oblique muscles (sides)
The routine should be done from start to finish, without stopping. As with the machines, they should do 12-15 repetitions on each exercise. If they couldn’t do that many reps, they should use a slightly lighter weight. If 15 reps were too easy, next time they should go up to the next weight.
The first time, one rotation of each exercise is fine. After that, they should do the routine twice, working up to three times. The goal is to keep moving and never stop. The exercises are arranged in an order to let you do that.
I call it “active-rest.” While one muscle group is resting, the other is working. This keeps you moving, burning more calories in the process. They’ll do this routine for two weeks and then learn another. After that, they’ll start combining the two.
Our week one winner was once again Bill Lewis, for a clean sweep for the first four weeks. He lost 2.9% of his body weight and another 6.4 lbs, for a total of 34.2 lbs in a month.
He joked that we should just take several pictures so we could keep using them every time he wins. I told him I want to see the differences from picture to picture. The others said they were going to start sending him donuts.
Bill had finished in second place in a couple Biggest Losers last year, losing almost 100 lbs. Then he took some time off and skipped a couple. Somewhere along the way he got off track and in his own words, “didn’t exercise and ate what I wanted,” putting over sixty pounds back on.
Our bodies are interesting this way. We can lose the fat, but don’t ever lose the fat cell. The fat is just removed, kind of “shrink wrapping” it down. It’s still there waiting, though, and if you start over eating, or even just quit working out, your body will quickly put it back on.
So for Bill, it’s bitter sweet. He’s losing the weight big-time, but he’s having to do it all again. This means that when you make changes, you need to make them for life. Eating right and exercising smart is a life-long habit.
Bill received a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and our friends at State Farm Insurance. He also received a $20 gift card from our local Subway store.
Second place went to Judy Rush, who lost 2.5% of her body weight and 3.8 lbs. Third place went to a delighted Penny Ogle, who lost 1.7% of her body weight and 4.0 lbs. She actually tied with Dale Anderson, who also lost 1.7% and 4.0 lbs.
Our goal is to lose at least a pound a week, which is good. Two pounds a week is great, and three or more is awesome. Don’t forget that even if you haven’t lost much, you still need to ask yourself how you feel, and how are your clothes fitting.
Those things often precede more substantial weight loss. Often times, weight change lags behind. Personally, I think the biggest accomplishment sometimes is sticking with it even when you don’t have the results you want.
Too often, people quit due to discouragement. That’s like being a mile from your destination and deciding to turn around and go back, because the trip took too long.
Stick with it, and sooner or later, you’ll get what you want. Here are the results from the first month for everyone that made the weigh-in.
Name Age % lbs
1. Bill Lewis 68 13.3 34.2
2. Gary Goodman 62 7.3 16.1
3. Chad Cline 33 6.9 15.8
4. John Sanchez 41 6.7 16.5
5. Roger Hopper 49 6.3 13.8
6. Randy Weir 53 5.9 14.0
7. Dawn Hopper 37 5.8 12.4
8. Judy Rush 52 5.6 8.8
9. Ken McConkey 35 5.4 19.0
10. Erin Hutchison 29 5.2 10.6
11. Michele Everetts 34 5.0 12.0
12. Brian Bradley 42 5.0 12.0
13. Brenda Lilley 64 5.0 9.2
14. Erika Hollis 36 4.6 8.0
15. Tony Peel 49 4.4 13.0
16. Shawn Bowers 35 4.2 12.4
17. Christiana Jones 20 4.0 11.0
18. Shirley Fiscus 50 4.0 8.0
19. Carol Cline 30 3.8 7.8
20. Gracie Petrowsky 57 3.6 6.2
21. Heidi Walls 39 3.5 5.0
22. Chris Redman 48 3.5 9.2
23. Peter Petrowsky 66 3.4 7.6
24. Katy Kennedy 22 3.4 7.2
25. Echo Johnson 22 3.4 7.2
26. Melissa Bradley 30 3.3 6.8
27. Dale Anderson 57 3.3 8.2
28. Tracy Rush 38 3.2 7.4
29. Penny Ogle 55 3.2 7.5
30. William Jones 40 3.1 12.8
31. Dawn Jones 42 2.9 6.8
32. Eve Givens 48 2.9 6.6
33. Bridgett Trover 50 2.7 4.4
34. Janet Tyler 50 2.7 4.4
35. Haley Sanders 27 2.7 6.6
36. Renee Colvin 50 2.4 4.6
37. Cheryl Redman 53 2.4 4.6
38. Jessica Fiscus 22 2.3 4.6
39. Margo Yeargin 50 2.2 3.6
40. Beth Robertson 37 2.0 3.4
41. Penny Duzan 48 2.0 3.6
42. Angela Griffin 42 1.9 4.0
43. Pam Waller 42 1.8 4.8
44. Kathy Kennedy 50 1.7 2.2
45. Kim Arbuckle 39 1.6 2.6
46. Teri Dennis 57 1.5 3.0
47. Sue Sheerhan 45 1.4 3.0
48. George Griffin 47 1.4 3.0
49. Jennifer Bowers 35 1.3 2.6
50. DeeAnn Green 40 1.2 1.6
51. Chad Robertson 36 .06 1.4
52. Pam Kelly 40 .00 0.0
53. Casey Redman 23 -.06 -1.4
54. Tim Meyers 40 -.07 -1.9
Of the five who were missing, two gals were home sick, one guy was working and the other was away at All State for a singing performance. Only one was in question. That means we’re still at 58 or 59 people.
The workout was tough but they were ready for it after a month of training. Promising not to have them do any Burpees, I still found a way to make it tougher. They did 50 Jumping Jacks, followed by a minute of Mountain-Climbers. Then they did both again, and then again. After that, it was Hops, Monkey drills, and Partner drills up and down the floor.
Then they learned a bunch of abs exercises: Crunches with knees bent; Crunches with legs straight up in the air; Crunches crossing to one side and then the other; Leg Raises; the Plank; the Plank from side to side; and finally, the Banana-man Superman combo.
Finally, we finished with 25 body squats. The workout lasted exactly 30 minutes, and a good time was had by all. The goal was to teach them new things they could throw into their regular routines to spice things up.
It also showed them how to workout if they ever had to be away from the gym, traveling for example. Stuff like that is easy to do in a hotel room if you can’t find a fitness center.
I also taught them how to make the transition to free weights. Machines guide the motion, and give leverage advantages. Free weights force you to perform the movements without guidance, activating more stabilizer muscles. They also work your core more.
They learned the first basic free weight routine which does movements previously done on machines with dumbbells and an exercise ball instead. The whole point is to shake things up so their bodies keep responding.
1. Body Squat—replaces the Leg Press and Leg Extension Machines
2. Chest Press on Ball—replaces the Bench Press Machine
3. Dead Lift—replaces the Leg Press, Leg Curl, and Lower Back Machines
4. Single Arm Row—replaces the Seated Row Machine
5. Shoulder Press—replaces the Shoulder Press Machine
6. Overhead Press—replaces the Triceps Machine
7. Single Arm Curl—replaces the Biceps Machine
8. Ab Crunches on Ball—replaces the Ab Machine
9. Ball Twist—a new one that works the oblique muscles (sides)
The routine should be done from start to finish, without stopping. As with the machines, they should do 12-15 repetitions on each exercise. If they couldn’t do that many reps, they should use a slightly lighter weight. If 15 reps were too easy, next time they should go up to the next weight.
The first time, one rotation of each exercise is fine. After that, they should do the routine twice, working up to three times. The goal is to keep moving and never stop. The exercises are arranged in an order to let you do that.
I call it “active-rest.” While one muscle group is resting, the other is working. This keeps you moving, burning more calories in the process. They’ll do this routine for two weeks and then learn another. After that, they’ll start combining the two.
Our week one winner was once again Bill Lewis, for a clean sweep for the first four weeks. He lost 2.9% of his body weight and another 6.4 lbs, for a total of 34.2 lbs in a month.
He joked that we should just take several pictures so we could keep using them every time he wins. I told him I want to see the differences from picture to picture. The others said they were going to start sending him donuts.
Bill had finished in second place in a couple Biggest Losers last year, losing almost 100 lbs. Then he took some time off and skipped a couple. Somewhere along the way he got off track and in his own words, “didn’t exercise and ate what I wanted,” putting over sixty pounds back on.
Our bodies are interesting this way. We can lose the fat, but don’t ever lose the fat cell. The fat is just removed, kind of “shrink wrapping” it down. It’s still there waiting, though, and if you start over eating, or even just quit working out, your body will quickly put it back on.
So for Bill, it’s bitter sweet. He’s losing the weight big-time, but he’s having to do it all again. This means that when you make changes, you need to make them for life. Eating right and exercising smart is a life-long habit.
Bill received a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and our friends at State Farm Insurance. He also received a $20 gift card from our local Subway store.
Second place went to Judy Rush, who lost 2.5% of her body weight and 3.8 lbs. Third place went to a delighted Penny Ogle, who lost 1.7% of her body weight and 4.0 lbs. She actually tied with Dale Anderson, who also lost 1.7% and 4.0 lbs.
Our goal is to lose at least a pound a week, which is good. Two pounds a week is great, and three or more is awesome. Don’t forget that even if you haven’t lost much, you still need to ask yourself how you feel, and how are your clothes fitting.
Those things often precede more substantial weight loss. Often times, weight change lags behind. Personally, I think the biggest accomplishment sometimes is sticking with it even when you don’t have the results you want.
Too often, people quit due to discouragement. That’s like being a mile from your destination and deciding to turn around and go back, because the trip took too long.
Stick with it, and sooner or later, you’ll get what you want. Here are the results from the first month for everyone that made the weigh-in.
Name Age % lbs
1. Bill Lewis 68 13.3 34.2
2. Gary Goodman 62 7.3 16.1
3. Chad Cline 33 6.9 15.8
4. John Sanchez 41 6.7 16.5
5. Roger Hopper 49 6.3 13.8
6. Randy Weir 53 5.9 14.0
7. Dawn Hopper 37 5.8 12.4
8. Judy Rush 52 5.6 8.8
9. Ken McConkey 35 5.4 19.0
10. Erin Hutchison 29 5.2 10.6
11. Michele Everetts 34 5.0 12.0
12. Brian Bradley 42 5.0 12.0
13. Brenda Lilley 64 5.0 9.2
14. Erika Hollis 36 4.6 8.0
15. Tony Peel 49 4.4 13.0
16. Shawn Bowers 35 4.2 12.4
17. Christiana Jones 20 4.0 11.0
18. Shirley Fiscus 50 4.0 8.0
19. Carol Cline 30 3.8 7.8
20. Gracie Petrowsky 57 3.6 6.2
21. Heidi Walls 39 3.5 5.0
22. Chris Redman 48 3.5 9.2
23. Peter Petrowsky 66 3.4 7.6
24. Katy Kennedy 22 3.4 7.2
25. Echo Johnson 22 3.4 7.2
26. Melissa Bradley 30 3.3 6.8
27. Dale Anderson 57 3.3 8.2
28. Tracy Rush 38 3.2 7.4
29. Penny Ogle 55 3.2 7.5
30. William Jones 40 3.1 12.8
31. Dawn Jones 42 2.9 6.8
32. Eve Givens 48 2.9 6.6
33. Bridgett Trover 50 2.7 4.4
34. Janet Tyler 50 2.7 4.4
35. Haley Sanders 27 2.7 6.6
36. Renee Colvin 50 2.4 4.6
37. Cheryl Redman 53 2.4 4.6
38. Jessica Fiscus 22 2.3 4.6
39. Margo Yeargin 50 2.2 3.6
40. Beth Robertson 37 2.0 3.4
41. Penny Duzan 48 2.0 3.6
42. Angela Griffin 42 1.9 4.0
43. Pam Waller 42 1.8 4.8
44. Kathy Kennedy 50 1.7 2.2
45. Kim Arbuckle 39 1.6 2.6
46. Teri Dennis 57 1.5 3.0
47. Sue Sheerhan 45 1.4 3.0
48. George Griffin 47 1.4 3.0
49. Jennifer Bowers 35 1.3 2.6
50. DeeAnn Green 40 1.2 1.6
51. Chad Robertson 36 .06 1.4
52. Pam Kelly 40 .00 0.0
53. Casey Redman 23 -.06 -1.4
54. Tim Meyers 40 -.07 -1.9
Saturday, January 31, 2009
BIGGEST LOSER "6' WEEK THREE
It was another good week for retention for Biggest Loser “6.” The way it works is if someone misses two Friday night’s in a row, we drop them from the rolls. So far, we’ve lost only one!
In six Biggest Losers, this is by far the best start ever. We’re really trying to get people to understand the power of committing to a thing and sticking to it. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily—you have to work for it. It’s the same when losing the fat. You’ve got to eat right and exercise smart.
The workout was tougher this time. After walking for 10-15 minutes as a warm-up, they did five rounds of “grappling” where two people grab each other and try to push and move them around for a minute. After each round, they dropped down and did a minute of partner setups.
Then they were introduced to Burpee’s—a wicked exercise where you drop down, do a push-up, hop back up, and jump up with your toes off the ground. It’s a very demanding exercise because you’re using your entire body.
They did 5 sets of 5 Burpees. By the end of the 12-weeks, they’ll be able to do all 25 Burpees in a row (but it will still be tough). Finally, they walked another 5 minutes as a cool-down.
Their assignment for next week on the machines is to do 2 paired machines back to back, without stopping. For example, doing the Bench Press (pushing) and Seated Row (pulling) back to back, repeating 2 or 3 times before moving on to the next pair.
These are called super-sets, and will really raise the intensity of their workouts. They’ll do this for a week before we introduce free weights at the end of week four.
On the food side of things, by now, most of the participants are aware of their “minimum.” This is the minimum number of calories to live, called basal metabolic rate (BMR). I’ve found that “minimum” seems to help people understand it’s an amount never to go below.
When I meet them, nine out of ten women don’t hit it, and perhaps half of the guys. Some are still having trouble hitting their minimum. Until they do, it will be very difficult to lose weight. At that point, most weight loss is either muscle or water.
When you don’t hit your minimum, somehow, your body thinks it needs to preserve fat. Once you hit it, though, your body will “relax,” and allow you to start using fat for fuel.
For most women, it’s usually between 1,300 and 1,400 calories, and never below 1,200. For guys, it’s usually around 1,800 calories. To feel better and have plenty of energy, most women need to be around 1,650, and guys need to be around 2,400.
Once we got them thinking about the amount of food they needed to eat, we talked about the quality of food. To operate at our best, we need to be eating three healthy meals, and 2-3 healthy snacks.
Every meal should have a source of Protein, Starch, and Fruits or Greens. We tend to eat too little Protein, too much Starch, and almost no Fruits and Greens!
Protein
Sources of Protein include low fat dairy products like skim or 2% milk, low fat yogurt, or low fat cottage cheese. Other sources include fish, poultry (chicken and turkey), lean cuts of beef and pork, nuts, and some beans. You can also eat soy products and protein shakes.
The purpose of protein is building muscle and bone. Make sure you get a full serving of protein at every meal, and try to get at least a half serving of protein in every snack.
Starch
Starches are way misunderstood. Entire diets tell you to avoid these like the plague. One problem though. Starches are your best source of long-lasting energy.
Because they’re a complex carbohydrate, starches take your body longer to break down, giving you a long-lasting source of fuel, which is their main purpose.
Quality starches include whole wheat or multi-grain breads and cereals, oats, potatoes, sweet potatoes, some beans, corn, long grain wild rice, and whole wheat pastas.
In this country, we way over-do starches, but make sure to get one at every meal for long-lasting energy. It will fuel your workouts and the rest of your day, too.
Fruits & Greens
These are pretty simple to figure out. We don’t eat near enough of these, and as a result, miss out on lots of vitamins and minerals, which is their main purpose. They also provide us quick energy, and lots of fiber.
In case you haven’t seen them for awhile, you can find them in the produce section. Spend some time there and fill up your cart—you’ll feel better in just a day or two.
Snacks should be a combination of carbs and protein. The carbs will give you the fuel you need to get through your workouts and to your next meal. The protein will continue helping you build healthy muscle and bone.
A good plan is to shop that way. Ask yourself what your protein will be, what the starch will be, and what fruits or greens you’re going to have with it. Start eating this way, and you’ll feel better within just a couple days.
Finally, we talked a little bit about fats. If you’re eating the way I described, then you just need to eat low-fat foods, avoid foods cooked in vegetable oils, going with stir-fry and olive oil instead. Everyone should also take Omega-3 fish oil capsules every day.
This week’s winner was once again Bill Lewis, who lost another 3.0% of his body weight and 6.8 lbs. Bill won a Wal-Mart gift certificate provided by our friends at Terry Elston’s State Farm Insurance. In just three weeks, Bill has lost 27.8 lbs.
Second place went to Shawn Bowers with an impressive 2.7% of his body weight and 7.5 lbs, and third place went to Ken McConkey who lost 2.3% of his body weight and 7.7 lbs.
In six Biggest Losers, this is by far the best start ever. We’re really trying to get people to understand the power of committing to a thing and sticking to it. Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily—you have to work for it. It’s the same when losing the fat. You’ve got to eat right and exercise smart.
The workout was tougher this time. After walking for 10-15 minutes as a warm-up, they did five rounds of “grappling” where two people grab each other and try to push and move them around for a minute. After each round, they dropped down and did a minute of partner setups.
Then they were introduced to Burpee’s—a wicked exercise where you drop down, do a push-up, hop back up, and jump up with your toes off the ground. It’s a very demanding exercise because you’re using your entire body.
They did 5 sets of 5 Burpees. By the end of the 12-weeks, they’ll be able to do all 25 Burpees in a row (but it will still be tough). Finally, they walked another 5 minutes as a cool-down.
Their assignment for next week on the machines is to do 2 paired machines back to back, without stopping. For example, doing the Bench Press (pushing) and Seated Row (pulling) back to back, repeating 2 or 3 times before moving on to the next pair.
These are called super-sets, and will really raise the intensity of their workouts. They’ll do this for a week before we introduce free weights at the end of week four.
On the food side of things, by now, most of the participants are aware of their “minimum.” This is the minimum number of calories to live, called basal metabolic rate (BMR). I’ve found that “minimum” seems to help people understand it’s an amount never to go below.
When I meet them, nine out of ten women don’t hit it, and perhaps half of the guys. Some are still having trouble hitting their minimum. Until they do, it will be very difficult to lose weight. At that point, most weight loss is either muscle or water.
When you don’t hit your minimum, somehow, your body thinks it needs to preserve fat. Once you hit it, though, your body will “relax,” and allow you to start using fat for fuel.
For most women, it’s usually between 1,300 and 1,400 calories, and never below 1,200. For guys, it’s usually around 1,800 calories. To feel better and have plenty of energy, most women need to be around 1,650, and guys need to be around 2,400.
Once we got them thinking about the amount of food they needed to eat, we talked about the quality of food. To operate at our best, we need to be eating three healthy meals, and 2-3 healthy snacks.
Every meal should have a source of Protein, Starch, and Fruits or Greens. We tend to eat too little Protein, too much Starch, and almost no Fruits and Greens!
Protein
Sources of Protein include low fat dairy products like skim or 2% milk, low fat yogurt, or low fat cottage cheese. Other sources include fish, poultry (chicken and turkey), lean cuts of beef and pork, nuts, and some beans. You can also eat soy products and protein shakes.
The purpose of protein is building muscle and bone. Make sure you get a full serving of protein at every meal, and try to get at least a half serving of protein in every snack.
Starch
Starches are way misunderstood. Entire diets tell you to avoid these like the plague. One problem though. Starches are your best source of long-lasting energy.
Because they’re a complex carbohydrate, starches take your body longer to break down, giving you a long-lasting source of fuel, which is their main purpose.
Quality starches include whole wheat or multi-grain breads and cereals, oats, potatoes, sweet potatoes, some beans, corn, long grain wild rice, and whole wheat pastas.
In this country, we way over-do starches, but make sure to get one at every meal for long-lasting energy. It will fuel your workouts and the rest of your day, too.
Fruits & Greens
These are pretty simple to figure out. We don’t eat near enough of these, and as a result, miss out on lots of vitamins and minerals, which is their main purpose. They also provide us quick energy, and lots of fiber.
In case you haven’t seen them for awhile, you can find them in the produce section. Spend some time there and fill up your cart—you’ll feel better in just a day or two.
Snacks should be a combination of carbs and protein. The carbs will give you the fuel you need to get through your workouts and to your next meal. The protein will continue helping you build healthy muscle and bone.
A good plan is to shop that way. Ask yourself what your protein will be, what the starch will be, and what fruits or greens you’re going to have with it. Start eating this way, and you’ll feel better within just a couple days.
Finally, we talked a little bit about fats. If you’re eating the way I described, then you just need to eat low-fat foods, avoid foods cooked in vegetable oils, going with stir-fry and olive oil instead. Everyone should also take Omega-3 fish oil capsules every day.
This week’s winner was once again Bill Lewis, who lost another 3.0% of his body weight and 6.8 lbs. Bill won a Wal-Mart gift certificate provided by our friends at Terry Elston’s State Farm Insurance. In just three weeks, Bill has lost 27.8 lbs.
Second place went to Shawn Bowers with an impressive 2.7% of his body weight and 7.5 lbs, and third place went to Ken McConkey who lost 2.3% of his body weight and 7.7 lbs.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
JUST GET STARTED--AGAIN!
56 people made the weigh-in Friday night. We had four people missing—at least two couldn’t be there, but are still active. That’s pretty good for week two.
As you know, half the people always seem to find a reason to stop any type of diet or exercise program. So we’ve been spending a lot of time talking about how to keep going, even when things get tough.
The first and most important thing is to just get started. You can think about it, talk about it, but if you don’t actually start, nothing happens. You’ve got to actually do it. Just get started.
Once you’ve done that, the next most important thing is to keep getting started—each and every day. Things are going to come up. Life is going to intrude and knock you back. It’s tough. That’s why you need to keep getting started—again, and then again.
Do that enough times, and pretty soon you’ve got a habit going. Experts say it takes at least 21 times to make a habit. What we tend to forget is that if we stop going 21 times in a row, it’s now a habit to not go.
If you want to get what you want, you need to keep getting started. Make it a habit to get in the gym. When you don’t feel like it, just get started. When one part of your body aches, just get started again and go in and work around it. Do what you can. Keep getting started.
When you absolutely can’t get to the gym, work out at home. Go for a walk or for a jog. If the weather is too cold, do jumping jacks, pushups, sit-ups and body squats in your living room. Do sets of 10 or 20 and see how many rounds you can do.
Get out that old Richard Simmons tape. Actually use that equipment you’ve got down in your basement. Do something. Keep moving. Keep getting started.
When something happens to throw your eating off track, fix it and move on. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Don’t use it as an excuse to just throw all that progress under the bus. Keep getting started with that too.
You know the old saying “slow and steady wins the race.” The turtle kept getting started, one plodding step at a time. It might not have been as fast as the rabbit, but the rabbit got burned out and quit altogether.
I like to do things a little faster sometimes—to get a better workout, and burn more calories—but I’m all over the steady part. It means that you keep moving forward. Keep working toward the goal. Staying focused on what you really want. Having a plan, and working the plan.
They used to say about Texas Rangers: “There’s no stopping a man who knows he’s in the right, and keeps on a-coming.” That’s what we need. That type of commitment. That sense of purpose and destiny in the things we do.
Attach that type of energy and emotion to your program, and you’ll get what you want. Have that working for you, and you’ll keep getting started.
This week, at least 56 out of 60 people kept getting started, and we turned it up in the Friday night workout too. Last week, they did 5 sets of 10 pushups, 10 sit-ups and 10 body squats—for a total of 50 each.
This time around, they did 60 each, but in a different way. The first thing was that instead of sitting waiting for things to get started, I had them get up and start walking or jogging around the room. This will be a staple from now on. There will be no more sitting. They’ll be moving.
Then they did 20 pushups, 20 sit-ups and walking lunges up and down the room. The second time, they did 20 more pushups and sit-ups and walking lunges backward.
Finally, they did their last 20 pushups, sit-ups, and then hopped around the perimeter of the room—probably 40 hops—great exercise!
After that, we did 3 rounds of sumo-wrestling—pushing each other to try to get them off balance. That’s harder than you think! Finally, they “ran the dots” and ended with stretching.
The goal is to keep giving them more and more ideas and things to work into their daily routines. Next week, we’ll turn it up again—but they’ll be ready for it.
The human body is fearfully and wonderfully made—it will respond to the work by getting leaner and stronger, and ready for the next time. That’s perfect, because we’re going to keep getting started.
The winner of Week Two was Bill Lewis, again. Last week he lost 13 pounds. This week, he lost 3.1% of his body weight and 7.4 lbs. Bill won a $20 Wal-Mart gift certificate from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Terry and State Farm also provided pedometers to all the participants. I’m hoping to tell you how many miles everyone is covering before we finish Biggest Loser “6.”
Bill also won a $20 gift card from our local Subway who just came on board as a weekly sponsor, too. My wife and I always have a “Subway night,” and it’s always a good choice for a quick, healthy meal.
Second place went to Dawn Hopper, who lost 2.3% of her body weight and 4.8 lbs. Third place went to Peter Petrowsky, who lost 2.0% of his body weight and 4.4 lbs. Peter (age 66) and Bill (age 68) are going a long way to prove that anyone can do this.
No picture this week—we’ve got to remember to have a camera—but we’ll get one next week for you. I’ll also tell you about the food part of things. Until then, just get started—again. And keep getting started.
As you know, half the people always seem to find a reason to stop any type of diet or exercise program. So we’ve been spending a lot of time talking about how to keep going, even when things get tough.
The first and most important thing is to just get started. You can think about it, talk about it, but if you don’t actually start, nothing happens. You’ve got to actually do it. Just get started.
Once you’ve done that, the next most important thing is to keep getting started—each and every day. Things are going to come up. Life is going to intrude and knock you back. It’s tough. That’s why you need to keep getting started—again, and then again.
Do that enough times, and pretty soon you’ve got a habit going. Experts say it takes at least 21 times to make a habit. What we tend to forget is that if we stop going 21 times in a row, it’s now a habit to not go.
If you want to get what you want, you need to keep getting started. Make it a habit to get in the gym. When you don’t feel like it, just get started. When one part of your body aches, just get started again and go in and work around it. Do what you can. Keep getting started.
When you absolutely can’t get to the gym, work out at home. Go for a walk or for a jog. If the weather is too cold, do jumping jacks, pushups, sit-ups and body squats in your living room. Do sets of 10 or 20 and see how many rounds you can do.
Get out that old Richard Simmons tape. Actually use that equipment you’ve got down in your basement. Do something. Keep moving. Keep getting started.
When something happens to throw your eating off track, fix it and move on. Don’t make a big deal out of it. Don’t use it as an excuse to just throw all that progress under the bus. Keep getting started with that too.
You know the old saying “slow and steady wins the race.” The turtle kept getting started, one plodding step at a time. It might not have been as fast as the rabbit, but the rabbit got burned out and quit altogether.
I like to do things a little faster sometimes—to get a better workout, and burn more calories—but I’m all over the steady part. It means that you keep moving forward. Keep working toward the goal. Staying focused on what you really want. Having a plan, and working the plan.
They used to say about Texas Rangers: “There’s no stopping a man who knows he’s in the right, and keeps on a-coming.” That’s what we need. That type of commitment. That sense of purpose and destiny in the things we do.
Attach that type of energy and emotion to your program, and you’ll get what you want. Have that working for you, and you’ll keep getting started.
This week, at least 56 out of 60 people kept getting started, and we turned it up in the Friday night workout too. Last week, they did 5 sets of 10 pushups, 10 sit-ups and 10 body squats—for a total of 50 each.
This time around, they did 60 each, but in a different way. The first thing was that instead of sitting waiting for things to get started, I had them get up and start walking or jogging around the room. This will be a staple from now on. There will be no more sitting. They’ll be moving.
Then they did 20 pushups, 20 sit-ups and walking lunges up and down the room. The second time, they did 20 more pushups and sit-ups and walking lunges backward.
Finally, they did their last 20 pushups, sit-ups, and then hopped around the perimeter of the room—probably 40 hops—great exercise!
After that, we did 3 rounds of sumo-wrestling—pushing each other to try to get them off balance. That’s harder than you think! Finally, they “ran the dots” and ended with stretching.
The goal is to keep giving them more and more ideas and things to work into their daily routines. Next week, we’ll turn it up again—but they’ll be ready for it.
The human body is fearfully and wonderfully made—it will respond to the work by getting leaner and stronger, and ready for the next time. That’s perfect, because we’re going to keep getting started.
The winner of Week Two was Bill Lewis, again. Last week he lost 13 pounds. This week, he lost 3.1% of his body weight and 7.4 lbs. Bill won a $20 Wal-Mart gift certificate from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance.
Terry and State Farm also provided pedometers to all the participants. I’m hoping to tell you how many miles everyone is covering before we finish Biggest Loser “6.”
Bill also won a $20 gift card from our local Subway who just came on board as a weekly sponsor, too. My wife and I always have a “Subway night,” and it’s always a good choice for a quick, healthy meal.
Second place went to Dawn Hopper, who lost 2.3% of her body weight and 4.8 lbs. Third place went to Peter Petrowsky, who lost 2.0% of his body weight and 4.4 lbs. Peter (age 66) and Bill (age 68) are going a long way to prove that anyone can do this.
No picture this week—we’ve got to remember to have a camera—but we’ll get one next week for you. I’ll also tell you about the food part of things. Until then, just get started—again. And keep getting started.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
FAT IS FAT, WHEREVER YOU FIND IT!
Last year I turned 46. It was quite a surprise because for some reason, I’d spent the entire previous year thinking I was already 46. So I was thinking I was turning 47 until someone set me straight.
It was kind of like having a reverse birthday. I got to be 46 all over again (only this time it was for real). Some people do it on purpose. I wish I were that smart.
It was a tough year in some other ways, because things really tightened up in the economy. Fortunately, we’d already been tightening up in our budget.
The year before, we’d finally decided to quit buying things we couldn’t afford. If we couldn’t pay for it, we couldn’t afford it, so we wouldn’t get it. We’d quit spending, and by the end of last year, finally paid the last of them off, along with the Explorer, and a small business loan.
It wasn’t easy. We’d had to make some tough decisions, putting things off until the timing was better. I slashed payroll and started moping floors and cleaning toilets again.
As it turns out, that’s pretty good for the soul. Keeps you humble. It’s hard to feel like a big shot, when you have to go clean up after someone took a big… um, you know what I mean.
Meanwhile, we started with the smallest bill, and one by one, worked our way through them, getting rid of all those minimum payments. That made even more room in the budget, and finally we were taking big hunks out of the bigger bills.
It took a lot of hard work, but we stayed focused on the goal—to be debt free. We’re not there yet, but things are a lot better. Now it takes about half the money to make budget than it used to take. It’s a lot more fun when you don’t have to rob Peter to pay Paul all the time.
Anyone can do it, too. Just pick up Dave Ramsey’s book “The Total Money Makeover” and start following his baby steps. It will change your life.
I think handling your finances correctly is a lot like getting in shape. Some people are carrying too much fat on their bodies. I was carrying too much fat in our finances—in the form of credit card debts, car payments, and business debt.
Just like being too heavy can cause new problems like diabetes and heart disease, excessive debt put such strain on our finances that we got further and further behind. It almost became terminal.
Clearly, a radical procedure was necessary, so we had what Dave calls a plasectomy—cutting up the cards and mailing them all back. We also had to seriously change our buying habits. If we didn’t need it, we didn’t get it. If we needed it, but didn’t have the cash, we still didn’t get it.
Sometimes we almost feel entitled to things. If we want it, we get it, even if we don’t have the money. It’s the American way. But that’s what’s thrown our country into the recent mortgage crisis. I think it’s why a lot of us our fat, too.
Now, we’re much more cautious about buying “stuff” we don’t really need. My wife and I rediscovered the library. Did you know you can actually check out and read books there that you don’t have to buy?
I also discovered the Goodwill store—my wife was already their best customer. Right now, everything I have on (except my tennis shoes) came from there, including my socks and underwear. Don’t worry, the underwear was brand new—and still in the bag.
We stopped having trash picked up out at the house, and every other day or so, I bring trash in town to my dumpster. Why have two, when we didn’t fill up either one? It saved almost $400 a year.
If you want to call me, you’ll have to call my cell, because we’re saving about $900 a year after dropping our land line phone. I started selling the extra firewood I cut in my spare time and worked weekends as a police officer.
It’s kind of like someone who needs to lose a hundred pounds to be healthy and has lost the first 50. It took a lot of changes. They had to start making better choices about eating right and exercising every day.
Now, they’re feeling better and have a lot more breathing room. They’re not there yet, but they’re well on their way. Now they know how to do it so it’s just a matter of time before they lose the other 50. Same with us.
Some people put the weight back on. I don’t ever want to get back into debt like that. To keep that from happening, I’m going to continue to work the plan. If we want it, we’ll save for it.
We’re going to run lean and mean, because fat is fat, wherever you find it. In my case, it was sloppy, excessive debt. We’ve had to work pretty hard to run that extra weight off. How about you? Is there any fat in your life you need to work off?
Sixty other people thought so as they weighed in for Biggest Loser “6” at the end of Week One. Over half of them lost more than 1% of their body weight, which is an amazing start. The average weight loss was 3.38 pounds!
First place went to the returning Bill Lewis, 68, who lost a crazy 5.6% of his body weight and 13.6 pounds. He’s pretty motivated, because after doing Biggest Loser “3” and “4” with us, he took a hiatus and had quite a set-back.
In his words, he “stopped working out and ate what he wanted.” Now he’s back to fix that, and is off to a very good start. I think he’d tell you that he’s a good example of both what to do, and what not to do. I’m pretty sure that this time, he’ll make it permanent.
Bill won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance. Terry and State Farm also gave all the participants special pedometers to help them with their workouts!
Second place went to Gary Goodman, 66, who lost 3.7% of his body weight and 7.8 pounds. Third place went to the ever-present Ericka Hollis, 36, who’s looking great, and lost another 3.6% of her body weight and 6.0 pounds.
It was kind of like having a reverse birthday. I got to be 46 all over again (only this time it was for real). Some people do it on purpose. I wish I were that smart.
It was a tough year in some other ways, because things really tightened up in the economy. Fortunately, we’d already been tightening up in our budget.
The year before, we’d finally decided to quit buying things we couldn’t afford. If we couldn’t pay for it, we couldn’t afford it, so we wouldn’t get it. We’d quit spending, and by the end of last year, finally paid the last of them off, along with the Explorer, and a small business loan.
It wasn’t easy. We’d had to make some tough decisions, putting things off until the timing was better. I slashed payroll and started moping floors and cleaning toilets again.
As it turns out, that’s pretty good for the soul. Keeps you humble. It’s hard to feel like a big shot, when you have to go clean up after someone took a big… um, you know what I mean.
Meanwhile, we started with the smallest bill, and one by one, worked our way through them, getting rid of all those minimum payments. That made even more room in the budget, and finally we were taking big hunks out of the bigger bills.
It took a lot of hard work, but we stayed focused on the goal—to be debt free. We’re not there yet, but things are a lot better. Now it takes about half the money to make budget than it used to take. It’s a lot more fun when you don’t have to rob Peter to pay Paul all the time.
Anyone can do it, too. Just pick up Dave Ramsey’s book “The Total Money Makeover” and start following his baby steps. It will change your life.
I think handling your finances correctly is a lot like getting in shape. Some people are carrying too much fat on their bodies. I was carrying too much fat in our finances—in the form of credit card debts, car payments, and business debt.
Just like being too heavy can cause new problems like diabetes and heart disease, excessive debt put such strain on our finances that we got further and further behind. It almost became terminal.
Clearly, a radical procedure was necessary, so we had what Dave calls a plasectomy—cutting up the cards and mailing them all back. We also had to seriously change our buying habits. If we didn’t need it, we didn’t get it. If we needed it, but didn’t have the cash, we still didn’t get it.
Sometimes we almost feel entitled to things. If we want it, we get it, even if we don’t have the money. It’s the American way. But that’s what’s thrown our country into the recent mortgage crisis. I think it’s why a lot of us our fat, too.
Now, we’re much more cautious about buying “stuff” we don’t really need. My wife and I rediscovered the library. Did you know you can actually check out and read books there that you don’t have to buy?
I also discovered the Goodwill store—my wife was already their best customer. Right now, everything I have on (except my tennis shoes) came from there, including my socks and underwear. Don’t worry, the underwear was brand new—and still in the bag.
We stopped having trash picked up out at the house, and every other day or so, I bring trash in town to my dumpster. Why have two, when we didn’t fill up either one? It saved almost $400 a year.
If you want to call me, you’ll have to call my cell, because we’re saving about $900 a year after dropping our land line phone. I started selling the extra firewood I cut in my spare time and worked weekends as a police officer.
It’s kind of like someone who needs to lose a hundred pounds to be healthy and has lost the first 50. It took a lot of changes. They had to start making better choices about eating right and exercising every day.
Now, they’re feeling better and have a lot more breathing room. They’re not there yet, but they’re well on their way. Now they know how to do it so it’s just a matter of time before they lose the other 50. Same with us.
Some people put the weight back on. I don’t ever want to get back into debt like that. To keep that from happening, I’m going to continue to work the plan. If we want it, we’ll save for it.
We’re going to run lean and mean, because fat is fat, wherever you find it. In my case, it was sloppy, excessive debt. We’ve had to work pretty hard to run that extra weight off. How about you? Is there any fat in your life you need to work off?
Sixty other people thought so as they weighed in for Biggest Loser “6” at the end of Week One. Over half of them lost more than 1% of their body weight, which is an amazing start. The average weight loss was 3.38 pounds!
First place went to the returning Bill Lewis, 68, who lost a crazy 5.6% of his body weight and 13.6 pounds. He’s pretty motivated, because after doing Biggest Loser “3” and “4” with us, he took a hiatus and had quite a set-back.
In his words, he “stopped working out and ate what he wanted.” Now he’s back to fix that, and is off to a very good start. I think he’d tell you that he’s a good example of both what to do, and what not to do. I’m pretty sure that this time, he’ll make it permanent.
Bill won a $20 Wal-Mart gift card from Terry Elston and State Farm Insurance. Terry and State Farm also gave all the participants special pedometers to help them with their workouts!
Second place went to Gary Goodman, 66, who lost 3.7% of his body weight and 7.8 pounds. Third place went to the ever-present Ericka Hollis, 36, who’s looking great, and lost another 3.6% of her body weight and 6.0 pounds.
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