(Photo Credit: NBC)

If you've seen the show, you'll understand the inspiration. Through the sweat, the tears and the calories burned, you've seen the transformations on the hit show, Biggest Loser. So, we're bringing the idea of the show into the office here at Bonneville, home of 97.3 KIROFM, 710 ESPN Seattle, 770 KTTH The Truth and MyNorthwest.com. From the upstairs sales floor, to the Garden Level Conference room where you can find our traffic department slaving away, ensuring the commercials you love make it on-air, to the middle floor where the meat of our mission spend their days producing, promoting, programming and on-air talenting- we've all come together to accomplish one goal: LOSE WEIGHT!

Follow the following Bonnevillians on their 6 week weight loss challenge to see who has the highest body fat % change. Winner takes all!

All weights have been done internally, any N/A are being tracked accordingly, but all % Body Fat Changes will be posted.

Name Department Starting Weight in lbs % Change

Jerry Nash- KIRO/KTTH Sales 230
Brian Goldman- ESPN Sales 254
Christie Pederson- Accounting N/A
Lucy Long Legs-Sales 193
Chris Holcomb- KIRO/KTTH Sales 204
Chief Rowboat- Mariners Sales 223
Big Papa- KIRO/KTTH Sales 289
Austrailia- Accounting 154
Jay Shadix- Production 301
Marin Brustuen N/A
Gregg Hersholt- On-Air Talent 215
Alissa Wiley- Sales 144
Cartoon- On-Air Talent 215
MK- Sales N/A
Tina Philbrook- Mariners Sales 135
Stephanie Starr- Promotions N/A
Flab to Fab- Producer N/A
Nemecia Kaloper- ESPN Sales 129
Randy Foley- KIRO/KTTH Sales 211
Desert Rat- Mariners Sales 200
David Boze- On-Air Talent 289
Travis Williams- Traffic 249
Barney Frank- KIRO/KTTH Sales 266
Dave Biehn- ESPN Sales 195

Sweat on!

One would think that flying through the air on a trapeze would be enough out of the ordinary, alternative fitness for one girl in one weekend. Think again, Dear Readers. Perhaps, this is why come Wednesday my entire body is still sore (in a good way). On Saturday, I made the drive from Seattle to Bellevue to Sky High Sports, Seattle's newest trampoline center, for a trampoline boot camp- and boy did I get a workout!

As mentioned in a previous blog, Sky High Sports teamed up with Fly Fitness for this incredible aerobic workout that left me saying, "I thought I was in shape!" Well, that's the beauty of it all. I am actually in shape, but as we all know our bodies adjust to our everyday routines and crave a mix-up, and this boot camp did just that.

We walked into a room with a giant trampoline, all sectioned off for individual spaces. My friends and I took to our spaces, began jumping around, brining back the tricks of the days as kids, jumping on the trampoline at my grandparents house, laughing, joking, and repeating over and over, "I feel like a kid again!" That was, until Traci got the music going and the commands began.

Traci, of Fly Fitness, had us jumping up and down, side to side, back and forth incorporating jumping jacks, squats, lunges all while jumping! She'd have us utilize both the trampoline and the steady balance beam inbetween each trampoline to work on stability training and later would mix in pushups, sit ups, climbers, you name it! I will admit there were moments I thought to myself, "I have HOW much longer of this!?" But, by the end of it, I was literally bouncing off the wall with endorphins and energy! It was an incredible workout.

Fly Sky High Boot Camp has three more session throughout the month of January, this Saturday the 16th, Saturday the 23rd and Saturday the 30th from 9:30-10:30am. Go to the website to register and learn more!

Sweat on!

Oh Seattle, I don't even know where to begin to on introducing to you what I did this weekend. Part of me wants to start with the popular Gen Y acronym, "OMG", part of me wants to come in with discussing the Sex and the City episode where Carrie Bradshaw overcomes her fears on a trapeze and relates it to her everyday life and part of me wants to introduce it by making some sort of connection with being able to fly without the assistance of an airplane.

Since I can't quite decide which I like best, I'm just going to cut to the chase. This weekend, I had the privilege of being invited down to Emerald City Trapeze to try my hand at a Flying Trapeze lesson! Yes, I'm talking about the same kind of stuff you see at Cirque Du Soleil, the same thing some of you may have seen in the Sex and the City episode called, "The Catch", the same acrobatic movements that mesmerize most and terrify some. I did that!

I have to admit, when they invited me to come check them out, I said yes thinking to myself, "Well, this will be fun to blog about. My readers will love this. This is just the kind of thing I'm looking to write about- something active aside from the gym." In all of my blog focus, I sort of forgot that this meant I was going to have to get my booty up on the ladder, up onto a platform, and swing high above the ground (with a net below me mind you) so I could make sure I had all the details ready for you. Needless to say, the minute I walked into the large warehouse, and ropes and nets and two bars dangling from the ceiling, I suddenly wondered what I had gotten myself into for you people!

As the butterflies filled my stomach and thoughts of falling to my death filled my head, I sat in with the other 6 or so flyers that day getting our lesson on the techniques of flying. It only took about 20 minutes or so for them to get through it all before they were harnessing us in and asking who wanted to go first.

I watched the first person climb the ladder, watched the look of terror on her face as she pulled the bar towards her, standing on the small platform with an instructor holding on and strapping her in and then I watched her fly. She flew, she swung, she lifted her legs up onto the bar just as we were trained to do down on the ground. She looked back with grace, she came down like she went up with grace and she back flipped with perfection just as the instructor on the ground, holding the rope that also secured her instructed the whole way through- and then it was my turn.

As they harnessed me to the ladder to ensure I was safe on my way up, I trembled, and as I got to the top on the platform, trying to remember all I was told (although the instructor on top was still telling me what to do), I trembled more asking, "Is it normal to shake this much?" He assured me I was far better than some he had seen. But, then I remembered that the woman who harnessed me in assured me that she harnesses people in so tight she can, "Make an anorexic 12 year old have a muffin top". I laughed, but secretly felt safer by the silly comment. We went through the motions, hooking me in, waiting for the person below with the ropes to be ready for me, pulling the bar in closer, working on my stance and positioning, as I grabbed the bar and waited for my call of, "HEP!" I knew it was all or nothing on that call, so when I heard it, I leaped from the platform and flew through the sky!

While I know I didn't do it quite as gracefully as the woman before me (who was also a first timer), and I had to work on getting things down the first time through with each takeoff, I can't even begin to describe to you the feeling flying through the air and flipping around on a bar, high above the ground gave me. Sure, the platform was terrifying at first and I'm not sure I ever got used to the platform part, however once I was on the bar, above the net, going through the motions, I felt so free, so fierce and so accomplished!

After several flies, they informed us that those of us who had gotten down all the motions in one swing would then perform a, "catch" where another flyer would be on the bar opposite of us, catching us in their hands and swinging us in the air. Terrified? Actually, no; at this point, it became more of an, "I can do this, I want to do this!" So, I went through the motions again, really focusing on what it was I needed to do, and I as I looked back, saw the other flyer with his hands out, I focused on nothing but those hands and in the milliseconds of time I had to think heard nothing except, "grab my hands", and I did! I grabbed those hands, and let out the biggest cheer you'll ever hear. Happy danced my way off of the net, high fived every person in the room and couldn't wipe the smile off of my face all day, in fact as I write this I'm still smiling.

All I can say is you have to try this! If you're afraid of heights, it's the perfect, safest way to deal with them. If you're looking for something active and fun to do to change up your fitness routine, I recommend this. Trust me, it's only the next day and my abs are sore, my lats are sore, shoot there are parts of me I didn't even realize I was using that are sore! Or, if you just want to try something new and fun and feel what it's like to fly through the sky, then give this a shot. I sincerely believe you'll leave wanting more!

Check out the Emerald City Trapeze website for more info on Trapeze Flying as well as some of the other classes they have to offer as well.

Fly on!

THIS Saturday, January 9th form 8am-9am YOU have the chance to participate in the World's largest siumultaneous workout, with all net proceeds going to the American Heart Association

Here's the deal:

Local personal trainer, Mark Haner is hosting the first ever worldwide simultaneous boot camp with 50 other locations from around the world occuring on the same day.

So, on Saturday, head to the Valley View Baptist Church in Everett, donate $20, participate in the boot camp for one hour and leave feeling energized, fit and good about yourself not only for being active, but for doing something for a good cause.

Click here for more information:

Sweat on!

Drum roll....

There's a new food pyramid! I have to admit, I'm borderline embarrassed about how excited I am about this new Food Pyramid. But, it really is fantastic and for once gives a solid representation of what you should be packing your daily meals full of.

Why do I think this Food Pyramid is so much better than the others in the past? Well, first of all it gives a much better representation of what a serving size actually is. How many of you have seen 5-7 servings listed and figured 1 serving meant an entire bowl, or the entire peice of meat? This one gives you an exact amount of just how much you should be consuming.

My other favorite part about this is the unisex figure walking up the stairs which symbolizes activity level. YES! Way to go U.S. Government, you finally figured out that it's not just about food! Exercise is vital for your health! I also love that they admit that you need more than just 20 minutes of exercise if you want to see weight loss and body change results. Time to stop kidding ourselves people- 20 minutes a day is not going to burn 3500 calories which will lose you a pound especially if you were one of very many who were confused about what a serving actually was.

I give this new Food Pyramid 2 thumbs and 2 big toes up!

If you'd like more information of the Food Pyramid and other info the government has compiled on health, check it out at www.MyPyramid.Gov

Sweat On!

I've referred to them in the past as the "magical shoe", the shoe that's said to give your booty a lift, your hammies a tone and your calves some more definition (by 28 and 11%). About a month ago, Reebok was nice enough to send me a sample pair of the new Reebok Easytone. So, for the last month I've been testing them out- whether it be at my LA Fitness stomping grounds, around the streets of Queen Anne or lapping around Greenlake, I've been wearing these bad boys on a near daily basis and I think I'm finally ready for my review!

Here's the quick skinny if you didn't read the original blog post. The shoe is designed with three small balance balls on the sole. This in turn creates a natural instability in the foot which forces your body to stabilize itself. The pads are placed strategically so that with each step you take it works your calves, hamstrings and glutes.

It's obvious to me that Reebok's hope is you'll wear this shoe on a daily basis as you go through your day, whether it be to the grocery store, picking up the kids, or heading to the local yoga joint- essentially running your every day errands while also being a shoe you can workout in. So, I did both. The minute I put the shoe on for the first time, I could instantly feel the instability that they were talking about. However, it wasn't the kind of instability you're probably imagining. It wasn't something that threw me so off balance that I couldn't walk, just the simplest change in my movement and an instant correction by my body. I will say it did take about 2-3 times wearing the shoe before I really adjusted to the way they felt on the bottom. But, they were definitely instantly comfortable around my foot.

I'm someone who does quite a bit of weight lifting mixed with plyometrics and balance training. If you're someone who does a lot of this as well- I definitely recommend this shoe for you. There were some workouts I had stopped doing because the balance just didn't feel hard enough anymore, but after putting this shoe on, it gave me just enough instability to find the old tedious balance training sets to be a bit more challenging than they were in the past.

Here's what I recommend them for from my perspective:
-Balance training
-Basic weight lifting
-Plyometric training
-Walking

Here's where I wasn't too comfortable in the shoe:
-Running
-Elliptical training

When I ran in the shoe, it just didn't feel right to me. I didn't like the way it made my legs feel. I'm not a foot doctor so I don't know whether running in them or not would be conducive to your body, but I personally didn't enjoy running in them. As far as the elliptical was concerned, my only problem with it was that because my foot was in one position for an extended period of time, the balance balls created an uncomfortable pressure on the soles of my feet.

Other than that, I really like the shoe. When walking, I can actually feel the shoe working on my legs. Now, have I seen any kind of significant difference in my legs since using them? The honest answer is no. Do I think that they enhance my workout? Yes. Do I think they enhance my walking? Yeah, I think they might. But, one thing I recommend when walking is really making sure you're keeping straight posture and flexing your pelvic floor. The minute I focused on that, is the minute I could feel the difference with the shoe on. One thing I'll tell you you'll notice for sure is how big of a difference it feels to use your old workout or running shoe after wearing this one for a while. In fact, it made me miss my Easytone.

Reebok Easytones retail around $100.
Here's a link to reviews from others who have tried out the shoe.

Sweat on!

OATMEAL!

I don't know how else to make a blog about oatmeal sound exciting and inviting to read, but since oats are oftentimes considered a "super food", I think they deserve their own blog love.

First things first- if you are one of those who never forgets to eat your oatmeal packs in various flavors- STOP! I know they're tasty, but check out the sugar content! For example, a pack of Apple and Cinnamon has about 12 grams of sugar, whereas plain old oats has about 1. Raisin and spice has 16 grams. If cutting out sugar is important to you (which it should be, sugar intake needs to occur within reason)- then stick to the Plane Jane oats and read ahead on how to rev them up!

Here are some things I've personally been adding to my bowl of super food fiber which takes me no more than 5 minutes to make and leaves me feeling full throughout my morning meetings and routines.

Wheat Germ: Okay, stop freaking out because it says, "germ". When you open the packet, it's nothing more than some milled up wheat, and it hardly has taste, BUT it's PACKED with happy nutrients including:
-B Vitamins
-Folate (especially good for the ladies)
-Fiber (a must)
-Omega 3's (which is linked to lowering cholesterol, elevating your mood, aiding in nervous system functioning and more) -Vitamin E

Milled Flax Seed: Another happy nutrient filled goodie includes:
-Omega 3's
-Anti-Oxidants
-Fiber

Okay, okay, you've added the "good for you's", but what can you do to replace the yummy taste the Apple Cinnamon packs were providing you? Here's a plethora of ideas:

For Substance:

• Vanilla soy milk: adds protein and flavor, and helps you get some soy in your diet.
• Canned pumpkin: (not the kind you use to make pie, just plain old pumpkin). It's low in calories, natural, filled with fiber and protein and has next to no sugar.
  Small chunks of apples or unsweetened apple sauce.
• Any kind of fresh or frozen berry
• Fresh bananas
• Dried Goji berries… another super food.
• Any dried fruit, but go easy.
• Peanut, Almond or Hazelnut Butter (so good, but high in calories and fat, even if it's the good for you fat, so try to stick to no more than one tablespoon or less)
• Chopped nuts

For Additional Flavor:

• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• A drizzle of honey (and I mean a DRIZZLE)
• A teaspoon of Natural Brown Sugar/Raw Sugar… of all the sugars this one is considered the "most natural". It's okay to have a little, which is why I suggest a teaspoon, but keep in minimal.

Eat on!

If you live in the Northwest (which more than likely you do) you need to read this. Vitamin D is most famous for it's connection with bones and teeth because of it's tag team approach with calcium to keep calcium in the body. And while this is of great importance to us, especially as we age, Vitamin D is also being linked to many other important prevention factors as well.

In the last few years, Vitamin D has been linked to preventing Multiple Sclerosis, auto immune diseases, juvenile diabetes and even some cancers. However, without the proper levels in your body, not only are you preventing yourself from strong and healthy bones, but not doing your body any service in preventing anything else that lack of Vitamin D may be causing.

Ready for another scary factoid? Vitamin D deficiency is high in the Northwest, and I mean high! Why you may ask? Well, we live I a certain part of the world where the longitude just doesn't reach the sun closely enough throughout the year to give us that Vitamin D from the sun which our bodies crave and need. Many magazine articles out there will tell you that all you need is 15 minutes in the sun or outside and you'll get your daily dose, but unfortunately that's not that case for us Northwest dwellers the majority of the year. With the exception of the summer months, and unless you're eating foods rich in Vitamin D, chances are you're probably not getting enough.

Now, I'm not a doctor, and since I know that overdoing it on Vitamin D because of it's fat solubility can be dangerous, I don't want to start recommending how much you should be taking. So, what should you be doing? You should get your booty to your local physician and have your blood tested. I know, I know… needles suck, doctor's offices are annoying, but if you give a darn about your body and your health and your longevity, you'll do it. I may not be a doctor, but having a Registered Dietician, graduated from the University of Washington's Nutrition and Dietetics program harping at me on a weekly basis about taking my Vitamin D supplements and eating my Vitamin D rich foods and giving me all the reasons why has given me enough knowledge to feel like I could lead an entire lecture hall!

So, schedule an appointment with your doc, make sure you're taking your multi-vitamin, and if you're not packing your meals full of foods like salmon, eggs, 2% or more milk, on a daily basis or going on trips to sunny places south of us, then add a Vitamin D supplement to your eating routine. I get mine from Trader Joes… stay tuned for even more in the future on this highly important vit!

Sweat on!

Most of us make them, some of us keep them- no I'm not talking about the ornaments you made as a kiddo, I'm talking about New Year's Resolutions. Yeah, you know the little promise we all make to ourselves at the beginning of the year that for whatever reason seems to be the trickiest thing on Earth to stay true to- yeah, uh huh…. Thoooose.

Sometimes it's funny to me that resolutions are made during a season that is dark, semi-gloomy, cold and kind of dead. Why don't resolutions happen at the start of spring when things are new and fresh and vibrant? Who knows, but one thing I do know is millions of people will be making them, and my guess is you're reading this because you're planning on making one too. So, I've taken it upon myself to do some research on the best ways to keep them and also added a bit of my own personal advice that's always worked for me in keeping goals.

First things first, a New Year's Resolution doesn't need to be as dramatic as the way Catholics "give up something" for Lent. Although there does seem to be quite a parallel, don't look at a resolution as a punishment- in my opinion the whole purpose of it is to bring positivity into your life or to strive for something positive that perhaps you were holding back on or allowing things to hold you back from doing it. Make the conscious effort to take a moment to make time, or focus on something that didn't necessarily get enough attention in the past.

Here's my list of ways to keep your resolutions solid and long lasting:
1.) Keep it simple. Don't go crazy with your resolution. You don't want to overwhelm yourself, or you'll instantly feel stressed about it which in turn causes a negative feeling which immediately sets you up for, well failure more or less.
2.) Set goals, but again keep them simple and limit them to no more than 5.
3.) Talk about it, brag about it, chat about it… tell you friends, your family, the guy in the coffee line- the more you discuss it the more likely you are to do it. In my opinion it's kind of like creating a bit of competition with your ego, "Well, I told all of these people I'm going to do it, I can't let myself down now!"
4.) Write about it. Take some time, especially in the beginning to write down a positive thought about your goal. For example, my resolution is to run/jog more. In the past I've always told myself and others that I'm not a runner, but instead I will take the time to write things down like, "I am a runner", "I have the ability to run", etc, etc. You'd be surprised at how well these small and simple repetitive sayings can have on the mind.
5.) Stay positive! If you get off the bandwagon a bit, don't let yourself down. Don't go telling yourself, "Well, I ate cupcakes every day this week, I might as well keep on eating them." No! Stop that thinking immediately. We all make mistakes, just get back on the horse and keep on truckin'.
6.) Steer clear of the, "don'ts" as in: Don't use old resolutions, start fresh. Avoid saying things like, "I will never or I won't", those are negative thoughts/absolutes, they are no good for the purpose intended. Don't procrastinate! Start thinking about it and be ready for it, the longer you wait to start, the harder it will be to actually get it going.
7.) Keep it fun. Uhhh.. this should be pretty much the, "duh" of all of these (although I didn't see this one come up much in my researching). Why WOULDN'T you want to have fun? If you're backing off on something (i.e. coffee, sugar, trans fat, swearing) ,do something fun with it! Have a tea party with your friends to celebrate your ability to overcome your coffee addiction, come up with words that are just as fun as swearing like, "Shut the FRONT door", it feels just as expressive as the F word, but it's not swearing. You getting me on this one?

I'm leaving it at 7, because in my research I also discovered that people only retain up to 7 things at once, so I can't overwhelm you with advice.
So, readers, let's take one of the advices I have listed- talk about it! Leave a comment with your New Years Resolution that way you know that you have me and anyone else who's reading cheering you on!

I wish you all a happy and safe New Year.

(New Years 2007 with my little bro)

Sweat on!

P.S. Here's a funny for you to end 2009 with :)

I don't know about you, but I'm always looking for something to keep my fitness motivation up and running. There's nothing more exciting for me when it comes to fitness than finding something else out there to keep me going besides my normal gym routine (which is why this blog is so great, because I'm on the mission to find alternatives for you). I recently came across a new fitness company in the area that fits the needs of anyone looking for a workout on the fly.

Fly Fitness is an on-the-go workout program that offers personal training, small and large group classes, active parties, fitness field trips and much more! Cool huh?

With New Year resolutions on the horizon, what better way to kick your holiday splurge burn into action than some fun new fitness workouts with Fly Fitness. Here's what they have coming up in January… you'll definitely be seeing me checking these out:

Fly Sky High: Fly Fitness has teamed up with Sky High Sports, the new trampoline fitness center in Bellevue for a Trampoline Boot Camp. I know what you're thinking, "Trampoline Boot Camp, that sounds fun, but I'm not 12". Umm… correction, trampolines are a great way to kick into cardio mode. This class is designed to do a series of cardio activities on the trampoline and then get off the trampolines and incorporate strength training.

When: Every Saturday in January from 9:30-10:30am
Where: Sky High Sports, Bellevue
How much: First class is on January 2nd and it's FREE, every Saturday class after that is only $15!

Now and Zen: Fly Fitness teams up this time (gotta love a team player) with Shakti Yoga to bring you a strength training and yoga infused workshop. They will start with various yoga poses and move into strength training, switching up each concept while keeping poses, postures and workouts that compliment each other.

When: Sunday, January 24th (time TBD)
Where: TBD (check on Shakti and Fly Fitness websites for more)
How much: $20 if purchased before the 15th, $25 after

Coming up: Snow Shoe Fitness Trip… stay tuned for more.

Hope to see you there.

Sweat on!