FFF Diva Article Research: "No More Exercise Excuses!"

No More Exercise Excuses!
Busting 5 Common Workout Excuses
-- By Leanne Beattie, Health and Fitness Writer
We begin a new fitness routine with the best of intentions—telling ourselves that we’ll hit the gym three times a week—but actually accomplishing what we set out to do can be harder than expected. Combining a busy work week with other obligations and a list of errands can be a recipe for fitness failure. Exercise has to be pushed to the bottom of the list since there are only so many hours in the day, right?

Wrong.

Everyone has the same 24 hours to work with every day. It’s how you decide to spend and prioritize your time that’s the real issue. It’s easy to make excuses and kid yourself about why you’re not reaching your fitness goals, but until you take responsibility for your actions (or lack thereof) you will remain in front of the television for one more evening, all the while moaning about how you can’t fit into your favorite clothes any longer.

"But I’m tired," you tell yourself. "I’ve had a long day and I deserve to sit back and relax. I’ll just take it easy tonight and I promise to work out tomorrow." Then tomorrow comes and you’ve got to work late and you’re out of milk so you have to go buy groceries and before you know it, another day has passed and still no exercise. Why is it that you can hold down a job, make it to class, run a household and put everyone else’s needs ahead of your own, while you disappoint yourself every time you miss your own appointment with the treadmill?

Of course there are legitimate reasons to not exercise. But unless you’ve just given birth or had surgery, most of these reasons aren’t reasons at all—they’re excuses. If you’ve been allowing these excuses to keep you from the gym, it’s time to refocus.

Exercise Excuse # 1: I’m too tired.
It takes energy to produce energy, so while you may be tired now, even a short 10-minute walk will get your blood pumping and will boost your energy levels for up to two hours after. And regular exercise helps improve the quality of your sleep, meaning more energy throughout the day. Some research suggests working out can help regulate your sleep cycles, so you’ll fall asleep easier, sleep more soundly and wake up more rested. A morning workout—not a cup of coffee—could be just the ticket you need to feel more awake and energized all day long!

Exercise Excuse # 2: I don’t have time.
Eliminate 30 minutes of television viewing each night and exercise for half an hour instead. Unlike couch time, this method will strengthen muscles, burn fat, lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Record your favorite shows and watch them while lifting weights or running on the treadmill to multitask. Get up an hour earlier in the morning and go for a walk before you start your day or bring along your sneakers and go for a walk during your lunch break. There are many little time stealers in your day, from surfing the Internet to watching reruns to accepting calls from people you don’t really want to talk to. Getting rid of these distractions can add hours of free time each day—time that can be spent improving your health.

Exercise Excuse # 3: I can’t afford a gym membership or equipment.
While going to the gym is a great way to get in shape, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a good workout. Either sign up for the bare bones membership package (are you really going to use all the perks the gym offers anyway?) or exercise at home for free with help from SparkPeople’s exercise demos, workouts, videos and other fitness resources. Push-ups, lunges, crunches and aerobics can all be done in the privacy of your own home and cost no money at all. Don’t forget to borrow some fitness DVDs from your local library to ensure you don’t get bored with your routine. Exercising at home also eliminates another avoidance excuse—the weather. Your home treadmill is available rain or shine, 365 days a year.

Exercise Excuse # 4: I’m embarrassed by my appearance.
It’s tough to the gym if you don’t feel good about your appearance. A well-fitting pair of yoga pants and a new T-shirt go a long way towards making you feel better about your body. Baggy, oversized shirts and track pants may be comfortable, but they make you look bigger, so find some fitness clothes shaped to play up your best assets. If you are afraid of being the biggest person in the exercise class, sign up for a class specifically designed for overweight individuals or a beginner’s class where there will be others just starting out, too. And remember: Everyone at the gym has the same goal in mind and everyone had to start somewhere. You may feel self-conscious, but chances are that no one is really paying attention to you and if they are, they’re probably silently cheering you on for working toward your goals!

Exercise Excuse # 5: I’m too depressed.
A Harvard University study found that after 12 weeks of weight training, nearly 90% of seriously depressed seniors no longer met the criteria for clinical depression. And just 20 minutes of aerobic exercise boosts the levels of your brain’s feel-good chemicals, making you happier and more invigorated. So exercising will actually improve your mood, even if you feel like biting someone’s head off before you begin. Many bad moods are the result of stress and exercise is a proven way to relax and lower the amount of cortisol (which is produced in response to stress) in your system. High cortisol levels have been linked to the accumulation of harmful abdominal fat.


We are all busy and have lives outside of the gym, but we all need regular exercise to help us stay healthy, lose weight and cope with the stresses of everyday life. By making excuses to avoid exercise, all we’re really doing is telling ourselves that our physical and mental health is not important and doing the dishes, driving the kids to their activities or watching mindless television is a more worthy endeavor. And nothing could be further from the truth.



No More Exercise Excuses!
Busting 5 Common Workout Excuses
-- By Leanne Beattie, Health and Fitness Writer
We begin a new fitness routine with the best of intentions—telling ourselves that we’ll hit the gym three times a week—but actually accomplishing what we set out to do can be harder than expected. Combining a busy work week with other obligations and a list of errands can be a recipe for fitness failure. Exercise has to be pushed to the bottom of the list since there are only so many hours in the day, right?

Wrong.

Everyone has the same 24 hours to work with every day. It’s how you decide to spend and prioritize your time that’s the real issue. It’s easy to make excuses and kid yourself about why you’re not reaching your fitness goals, but until you take responsibility for your actions (or lack thereof) you will remain in front of the television for one more evening, all the while moaning about how you can’t fit into your favorite clothes any longer.

"But I’m tired," you tell yourself. "I’ve had a long day and I deserve to sit back and relax. I’ll just take it easy tonight and I promise to work out tomorrow." Then tomorrow comes and you’ve got to work late and you’re out of milk so you have to go buy groceries and before you know it, another day has passed and still no exercise. Why is it that you can hold down a job, make it to class, run a household and put everyone else’s needs ahead of your own, while you disappoint yourself every time you miss your own appointment with the treadmill?

Of course there are legitimate reasons to not exercise. But unless you’ve just given birth or had surgery, most of these reasons aren’t reasons at all—they’re excuses. If you’ve been allowing these excuses to keep you from the gym, it’s time to refocus.

Exercise Excuse # 1: I’m too tired.
It takes energy to produce energy, so while you may be tired now, even a short 10-minute walk will get your blood pumping and will boost your energy levels for up to two hours after. And regular exercise helps improve the quality of your sleep, meaning more energy throughout the day. Some research suggests working out can help regulate your sleep cycles, so you’ll fall asleep easier, sleep more soundly and wake up more rested. A morning workout—not a cup of coffee—could be just the ticket you need to feel more awake and energized all day long!

Exercise Excuse # 2: I don’t have time.
Eliminate 30 minutes of television viewing each night and exercise for half an hour instead. Unlike couch time, this method will strengthen muscles, burn fat, lower your cholesterol and reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease. Record your favorite shows and watch them while lifting weights or running on the treadmill to multitask. Get up an hour earlier in the morning and go for a walk before you start your day or bring along your sneakers and go for a walk during your lunch break. There are many little time stealers in your day, from surfing the Internet to watching reruns to accepting calls from people you don’t really want to talk to. Getting rid of these distractions can add hours of free time each day—time that can be spent improving your health.

Exercise Excuse # 3: I can’t afford a gym membership or equipment.
While going to the gym is a great way to get in shape, you don’t need to spend a lot of money to get a good workout. Either sign up for the bare bones membership package (are you really going to use all the perks the gym offers anyway?) or exercise at home for free with help from SparkPeople’s exercise demos, workouts, videos and other fitness resources. Push-ups, lunges, crunches and aerobics can all be done in the privacy of your own home and cost no money at all. Don’t forget to borrow some fitness DVDs from your local library to ensure you don’t get bored with your routine. Exercising at home also eliminates another avoidance excuse—the weather. Your home treadmill is available rain or shine, 365 days a year.

Exercise Excuse # 4: I’m embarrassed by my appearance.
It’s tough to the gym if you don’t feel good about your appearance. A well-fitting pair of yoga pants and a new T-shirt go a long way towards making you feel better about your body. Baggy, oversized shirts and track pants may be comfortable, but they make you look bigger, so find some fitness clothes shaped to play up your best assets. If you are afraid of being the biggest person in the exercise class, sign up for a class specifically designed for overweight individuals or a beginner’s class where there will be others just starting out, too. And remember: Everyone at the gym has the same goal in mind and everyone had to start somewhere. You may feel self-conscious, but chances are that no one is really paying attention to you and if they are, they’re probably silently cheering you on for working toward your goals!

Exercise Excuse # 5: I’m too depressed.
A Harvard University study found that after 12 weeks of weight training, nearly 90% of seriously depressed seniors no longer met the criteria for clinical depression. And just 20 minutes of aerobic exercise boosts the levels of your brain’s feel-good chemicals, making you happier and more invigorated. So exercising will actually improve your mood, even if you feel like biting someone’s head off before you begin. Many bad moods are the result of stress and exercise is a proven way to relax and lower the amount of cortisol (which is produced in response to stress) in your system. High cortisol levels have been linked to the accumulation of harmful abdominal fat.


We are all busy and have lives outside of the gym, but we all need regular exercise to help us stay healthy, lose weight and cope with the stresses of everyday life. By making excuses to avoid exercise, all we’re really doing is telling ourselves that our physical and mental health is not important and doing the dishes, driving the kids to their activities or watching mindless television is a more worthy endeavor. And nothing could be further from the truth.

FFF Diva Article Research: "Phys Ed: Your Brain on Exercise"

July 7, 2010, 12:01 am

Phys Ed: Your Brain on Exercise
By GRETCHEN REYNOLDS
NEW YORK TIMES

Jim Wehtje/Getty ImagesWhat goes on inside your brain when you exercise? That question has preoccupied a growing number of scientists in recent years, as well as many of us who exercise. In the late 1990s, Dr. Fred Gage and his colleagues at the Laboratory of Genetics at the Salk Institute in San Diego elegantly proved that human and animal brains produce new brain cells (a process called neurogenesis) and that exercise increases neurogenesis. The brains of mice and rats that were allowed to run on wheels pulsed with vigorous, newly born neurons, and those animals then breezed through mazes and other tests of rodent I.Q., showing that neurogenesis improves thinking.

But how, exactly, exercise affects the staggeringly intricate workings of the brain at a cellular level has remained largely mysterious. A number of new studies, though, including work published this month by Mr. Gage and his colleagues, have begun to tease out the specific mechanisms and, in the process, raised new questions about just how exercise remolds the brain.

Some of the most reverberant recent studies were performed at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. There, scientists have been manipulating the levels of bone-morphogenetic protein or BMP in the brains of laboratory mice. BMP, which is found in tissues throughout the body, affects cellular development in various ways, some of them deleterious. In the brain, BMP has been found to contribute to the control of stem cell divisions. Your brain, you will be pleased to learn, is packed with adult stem cells, which, given the right impetus, divide and differentiate into either additional stem cells or baby neurons. As we age, these stem cells tend to become less responsive. They don’t divide as readily and can slump into a kind of cellular sleep. It’s BMP that acts as the soporific, says Dr. Jack Kessler, the chairman of neurology at Northwestern and senior author of many of the recent studies. The more active BMP and its various signals are in your brain, the more inactive your stem cells become and the less neurogenesis you undergo. Your brain grows slower, less nimble, older.

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But exercise countermands some of the numbing effects of BMP, Dr. Kessler says. In work at his lab, mice given access to running wheels had about 50 percent less BMP-related brain activity within a week. They also showed a notable increase in Noggin, a beautifully named brain protein that acts as a BMP antagonist. The more Noggin in your brain, the less BMP activity exists and the more stem cell divisions and neurogenesis you experience. Mice at Northwestern whose brains were infused directly with large doses of Noggin became, Dr. Kessler says, “little mouse geniuses, if there is such a thing.” They aced the mazes and other tests.

Whether exercise directly reduces BMP activity or increases production of Noggin isn’t yet known and may not matter. The results speak for themselves. “If ever exercise enthusiasts wanted a rationale for what they’re doing, this should be it,” Dr. Kessler says. Exercise, he says, through a complex interplay with Noggin and BMP, helps to ensure that neuronal stem cells stay lively and new brain cells are born.

But there are caveats and questions remaining, as the newest experiment from Dr. Gage’s lab makes clear. In that study, published in the most recent issue of Cell Stem Cell, BMP signaling was found to be playing a surprising, protective role for the brain’s stem cells. For the experiment, stem cells from mouse brains were transferred to petri dishes and infused with large doses of Noggin, hindering BMP activity. Without BMP signals to inhibit them, the stem cells began dividing rapidly, producing hordes of new neurons. But over time, they seemed unable to stop, dividing and dividing again until they effectively wore themselves out. The same reaction occurred within the brains of living (unexercised) mice given large doses of Noggin. Neurogenesis ramped way up, then, after several weeks, sputtered and slowed. The “pool of active stem cells was depleted,” a news release accompanying the study reported. An overabundance of Noggin seemed to cause stem cells to wear themselves out, threatening their ability to make additional neurons in the future.

This finding raises the obvious and disturbing question: can you overdose on Noggin by, for instance, running for hours, amping up your production of the protein throughout? The answer, Dr. Gage says, is, almost certainly, no. “Many people have been looking into” that issue, he says. But so far, “there has not been any instance of a negative effect from voluntary running” on the brain health of mice. Instead, he says, it seems that the effects of exercise are constrained and soon plateau, causing enough change in the activity of Noggin and BMP to shake slumbering adult stem cells awake, but not enough to goose them into exhausting themselves.

Still, if there’s not yet any discernible ceiling on brain-healthy exercise, there is a floor. You have to do something. Walk, jog, swim, pedal — the exact amount or intensity of the exercise required has not been determined, although it appears that the minimum is blessedly low. In mice, Mr. Gage says, “even a fairly short period” of exercise “and a short distance seems to produce results.”

FFF Diva Article Research: "Your Guide to Tune Up in Front of the TV"

Your Guide to Tune Up in Front of the TV

By Karen Asp
Prevention
Channel surfing burns few--if any--calories, yet the average American woman watches nearly 5 hours of TV daily, reports Nielsen Media Research. And the risk of packing on pounds rises by 23 percent with every 2-hour increase in daily viewing, according to a Harvard study of more than 50,000 women.

But you can stay slim while you watch your favorite shows with this TV-friendly circuit designed by Cindy Whitmarsh, star of the exercise video 10 Minute Solution: Target Toning for Beginners. The half-hour workout alternates between moderate cardio moves during the show and high-intensity cardio bursts and multimuscle strength exercises during commercials. To get started, you'll need 3- to 5-pound dumbbells, a sturdy chair, and a mat. Breaks can vary, so you may need to adjust the times slightly. Repeat the circuit if you're watching an hour-long show.


Set 1

Showtime Cardio
March (not shown): Lift knees to a comfortable height and march in place. Continue until commercial break.

Commercial Break #1
1. Quick feet (not shown): Spread feet wider than hip-width and take quick running steps for 30 seconds, barely lifting feet off floor and keeping hands in front.



2. Lunges with curls: Stand with feet together, holding a dumbbell in each hand, palms forward. Step right foot forward about 2 feet. Bend right knee and lower left one straight down toward floor. (Keep right knee over ankle; if it's not, take a bigger step.) As you lower, bend elbows and raise weights toward chest, keeping elbows next to body. Press into right foot and stand back up, bringing feet together and lowering weights. Alternate legs for 2 minutes, taking breaks as needed.


Set 2

Showtime Cardio
March with a kick (not shown): March in place, right, left, right. Next, kick to the front with left leg. March another three beats (left, right, left) and then kick with right leg. Kick at a comfortable height so you don't hunch over. Continue, alternating left and right kicks between marches.


Commercial Break #2



1. High knees:Jog in place, lifting knees as high as you can for 30 seconds.





2. Push-ups with a row: Holding a dumbbell in each hand, kneel with weights on floor and body extended to form a straight line from head to knees. (a) Bend elbows to sides and slowly lower body as close to floor as possible. Keep abs tight. (b) Hold for a second, push back up to starting position, and do a row with right arm, squeezing shoulder blades, bending elbow, and lifting dumbbell toward chest. Hold for a second, then slowly lower weight. Do another push-up followed by a row with left arm. Alternate arm rows for 90 seconds, taking breaks as needed.


Set 3

Showtime Cardio
Step touch (not shown): Step right foot to side about 2 feet and tap left foot next to right. Then step left foot out about 2 feet and tap right foot next to left. Continue stepping side to side.


Commercial Break #3



1. Jumping jacks: Stand with feet together, arms at sides. Hop feet apart, raising arms overhead. Then hop feet together, returning arms to sides. Continue for 30 seconds.



2. Wall squats with side raises: Hold a dumbbell in each hand, press back against wall, point toes forward, and slide down wall until legs form 90-degree angles, with knees directly over ankles. (Scoot feet farther away from wall, if needed.) Bend arms at 90-degree angles so dumbbells are about waist height in front. Slowly lift arms out to sides until dumbbells are at shoulder height. Hold for a second, then slowly lower. Repeat for 45 seconds.



3. Wall squats with shoulder presses: Maintaining the wall squat (you can stand if this is too hard), position dumbbells slightly above shoulder height with palms facing forward and elbows out to sides. Slowly press dumbbells overhead until arms are almost straight. Hold for a second, then slowly lower. Repeat for 45 seconds.


Set 4

Showtime Cardio
Kickbacks (not shown):Step right foot to side about 2 feet and kick left foot up behind you toward butt. Then lower left foot out to side and kick right foot up behind you. Let arms swing forward and back as you alternate sides.


Commercial Break #4



1. Ski jumps: Jump from side to side, as if you were hopping over a line. Keep feet together, and bend knees when you land. Jump for 30 seconds.



2. Triceps dips:Place hands on sides of a sturdy chair, feet flat on floor, and bend knees 90 degrees. Bending elbows behind you, slowly lower body until arms form 90-degree angles. Hold for a second, then press back up. Repeat for 45 seconds.



3. Dumbbell twists:Sit with legs bent and feet off floor. Hold a dumbbell in front of chest. Rotate torso (and dumbbell) slowly from side to side for 45 seconds. (If this is too challenging, keep feet flat on floor with knees bent.)

FFF Diva Operation Boot Camp Reflection: Special Christmas Message & Homework from Trainer Ronny

Hey Guys~

I just wanted to thank you all for a GREAT time in Boot Camp this year. All the hard work, sweat, laughs, and yelling that we all went through with all the "great" weather was awesome. I know you guys thought it was all over after that awesome Graduation Party, but WAIT - THERE'S MORE!!

Attached is the 12 Days of Christmas Homework. On day 1, you do 1 round of the exercises prescribed... on day 2, you do 2 rounds, on day 3, 3 rounds... so on and so forth. open the file up and check it out, please let me know if you have any questions on it. It IS in your guys' best interest to DO the homework!! It will be good...

NAME:
12 DAYS OF Holiday Homework
12 ROUNDS/20 SECONDS EACH EXERCISE	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12
PUSH-UPS
SQUATS
BURPEES
L SIT-UPS (6 TO 90 DEGREES)
11 ROUNDS/20 SECONDS EACH EXERCISE	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11
SQUAT JUMPS
TRICEP DIPS (USING A CHAIR)
V-SIT-UPS
10 ROUNDS/30 SECONDS EACH EXERCISE	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10
WIND SPRINTS
REVERSE LUNGES
PLANK
SIT -UPS
9 ROUNDS/1:00 MINUTES EACH EXERCISE	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
JUMPING JACKS
JUMP ROPE
8 ROUNDS/ OUTSIDE	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
1 LAP AROUND A TRACK or 1/4 mile loop
2 SET STAIRS
7 ROUNDS/ 10 REPS EACH EXERCISE	1	2	3	4	5	6	7
SIDE to SIDE LUNGES
FIRE HYDRANTS
PUSH-UPS
TRICEP DIPS
BICYCLES
MOUNTAIN CLIMBERS
BURPEES
6 ROUNDS/ 1 MINUTES EACH EXERCISE	1	2	3	4	5	6
PLANK
ROW BOAT TOUCHES SIDE TO SIDE
5 ROUNDS/ 25 REPS EACH EXERCISE	1	2	3	4	5
PUSH-UPS
SIT-UPS
LUNGES (25 EACH LEG)
4 ROUNDS/ 2 MINUTES EACH EXERCISE	1	2	3	4
SPRINT 200m WALKING LUNGE BACK
TOE TAPS (CURB KICKES)
3 ROUNDS/ 2 MINUTES EACH EXERCISE	1	2	3
STEP UPS ON HIGH CURB OR STEP
1 MIN MT. JACKS, 1 MIN SQUAT JACKS
FIRE HYDRANT (KICK UP, HEEL FLEXED)
2 ROUNDS/ 25 REPS EACH EXERCISE	1	2
PUSH-UP w/ RIGHT AND LEFT ARM RAISE
Alternating Lunge Jumps
SQUAT
1 ROUND!!/ OUTSIDE	1
SKIPPING 200M
WALKING REVERSE LUNGES 200m (back)
PUSH-UPS ( 20 reps)

Also, if you haven't done so already - a little reminisce of the graduation party, I put a video up on my facebook. Check it out... :)

GREAT JOB GREG!!! :P

Hope all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Be Safe, Be Healthy, Be HAPPY

Committed to your health

~Ronny

UPDATE: The Biggest Loser Audition Call Back

My sister Leilani and I did VERY well with our Biggest Loser show call back audition. Unfortunately that is all I can share back.

We want to thank all of our friends and family who wrote letters of support. We collected more than 30 letters and emails from our loved ones! Made a world of difference bringing in a stack of physical and visual support!!!

However, we are not letting The Biggest Loser show be our end all be all solution to weight loss. For example, earlier this week I ran and did core exercises in my 6AM cardio boot camp. And on another day this week I ran 4 miles during boot camp at Hellyer Park in 46 minutes with the support and encouragement of my fellow campers and staff at Operation Boot Camp. Previous record: 3 miles in 45 minutes. I averaged a 9 minute 30 second run today. This marks one step closer to my 1/2 marathon! Need to still run my 3 miles today to prepare for the 1/2 marathon in fall.

Leilani and I are motivated to lose weight even without the show and have taken strides to do so already (i.e. run 1/2 marathon in Fall), however we feel if we were on NBC's show "The Biggest Loser" we would have that extra kick in the bottom to STOP making excuses and make our health a priority above anything else. With or without the show you will see a positive change.

With all the love in the world,
Maureen and Leilani De Nieva : )

In order to realize your goal, sometimes you need to hit a ROCK BOTTOM

HOW IT STARTED: Growing up my siblings and I were always the heavier kids in the family. Being Filipina-American was difficult because there was always pressure to lose weight. However, my siblings and I turned to food and our outgoing personalities to take us far. When I first started college I was 196 lbs and a size 18. At the end of my freshman year I had gained 47 lbs, which was due to a lot of heavy drinking, late night food runs, and lack of exercise. For the first time in my life I was over 200 lbs. However, I didn’t let my heavy weight get to me because I was popular at school and always had a boyfriend who loved me no matter what size I was.

ROCK BOTTOM: During the first couple of months of my senior year in college I wasn’t sleeping very well. In fact I was sleeping all day, only waking up to go to class and to eat. Being lethargic all the time didn’t cause me worry because I was the typical college student who slept and ate late to study and party. I didn’t worry until I fell asleep at the wheel while driving home from school and almost got into a car accident on the freeway. December 2006 I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. My doctors told me that the reason why I couldn’t breathe at night and was sleepy all that time was because of my severe obesity. I was shocked. I was given a C-PAP machine that I had to use every night to breathe. As a college student and a young woman trying to compete in the dating world a C-PAP machine was not sexy at all.

BREAKTHROUGH MOMENT: I just graduated from college May 2007. In the mail I was sent a photo proof of me receiving my diploma. I couldn’t believe my eyes at how much weight I had gained. I was so startled that I was searching the house of photos of me from the last four years for comparison. During four years away at college I had gained 124 lbs, which placed me at a final weight at 320lbs and size 28. I always was the confident, fun, fat girl, but I knew it was time to be selfish for once and focus on myself and my health.

HOW I LOST IT: The next day I signed up for a gym membership and was offered the opportunity to get a personal trainer. In the past I was intimidated by personal trainers, however I knew since I haven’t been at the gym for a very long time I needed all the help and motivation I could get. My help and motivation was my personal trainer Ronny. He didn’t treat me like a fat girl who needed to lose weight, but as a human being who wanted to create a new lifestyle change. I started training with Ronny in June 2007. Since then I have lost more than 60 lbs and can fit into size 18 jeans. I haven’t been able to fit into size 18 jeans since I was a freshman in college, five years ago! I can climb up stairs with ease, I don’t need a seat belt extender when I fly in an airplane, and I can finally ride a roller coaster ride with the harness down comfortably. At 22 years old I always had to assess my chair to see if I could even fit every time I sat down. Now at 23 years old all of those days are gone and I am happy to report that I no longer need to use my C-PAP machine at night when I sleep. My quality of life has significantly improved and it’s because of the constant support I received from Ronny. There were many times I wanted to give up and throw in the towel, but Ronny was there to light a fire underneath me to strive for more.

Originally Written: March 2008