Last week marked the return of “The Biggest Loser” to TV for their fourth season. The first show featured winners and runners-up from the first three seasons to answer the question many of us have wondered: “Have they kept the weight off?”
For the most part, they had. While some had put back on twenty or even forty pounds, it was a drop in the bucket compared to the hundred or more pounds they’d lost. So yes, I guess they were still successful.
Only a few were in the fighting trim like they were when they finished the show, and I guess that’s to be expected. The show is a competition (for money), and people probably work a little harder for money (more on that later).
Turning The Corner
Posted: September 07, 2007
The long hot summer’s coming to a close, and like clockwork, I’ve seen quite a few people back in the gym, picking up where they left off at the start of the summer. Much of their time has been spent taking care of kids, driving back and forth to practices and attending games.
Now that the kids are back in school, they’ve got time to get back at it. Several told me they just couldn’t take it anymore, and had to make a change. Some said “it was just time.”
One said that his heart would race just going up the stairs and he was tired of feeling that way. With a family history of heart disease and diabetes, he felt he couldn’t wait any longer. It was this, or a heart attack. He’s probably right.
The 300 Workout (part 2)
Posted: August 14, 2007
Last time, I told you about the latest thing to come along in exercise and fitness: “The 300 Workout.” If you’ll recall, after four months of training and filming, the actors and stuntmen from the movie “300” participated in a fitness test made especially for them:
I had another interesting experience this week. My son and I have been working out together for a year and a half, and we’re always looking for the latest ideas. If there’s a way to challenge ourselves in the weight room, on the mat, or out on the road, we’ve probably tried it.
He’d recently seen the movie “300” with his wife and was telling me about the workout routine the actors used to prepare for the film. Since they were portraying Spartan warriors defending Greece against an overwhelming Persian force, they had to look and act the part.
Featured in a recent issue of Men’s Health Magazine, the “300 Workout” was a specialized fitness test created by the actor’s fitness trainer. A difficult routine by any standards, it assesses overall muscular endurance and conditioning—critical things needed in any good Spartan warrior!
Time Passes Either Way
Posted: July 18, 2007
I’ve been thinking a lot about fitness for the past few years. Trying to understand why some people can do it and others can’t. Some keep at it until they cross the finish line, and others never seem to get out of the starting blocks.
Sure, for some, it’s easy. They were fit when they were younger, stayed active, and never really got out of shape. But these are the exceptions. For most of us, if we were active, somewhere along the line, things changed, and we quit moving.
Like the high school athletes that didn’t get a scholarship, and so they quit playing in college. Then they got a job, got married with children, and had even less time on their hands.