I’ve had my struggles and triumphs throughout the years, and I am sure that I will continue to experience them. It just comes with the territory.

There are plenty of blogs on here about all the ups and downs I’ve experienced since starting on my journey, as well as blogs by other folks that have become a part of FMU. Feel free to read through them and continue to share your experiences in the comments.

With that, I bid you farewell for now. Thanks for all of the support that you’ve shown over the years. I’ll be back.

I continued my poor eating habits as I grew up. I became a closet eater to cope with stress and issues in my life. By the time I got my first job when I was 15, I not only bought my own clothes with that money, and I would secretly buy my own food. It quickly became a free-for-all with my drug of choice, food. Obviously as time went by, I became more and more obese. By my senior year of high school, my weight was so out of control. I got picked on for being ‘fat’ my entire life. By this time I had resigned to the fact that some people are just predestined to be obese. I thought I was just one of them. And that was how I lived most of my adult life. Eating pretty much what I wanted and that consisted of a lot of fast foods. Every once in a while, I would get upset with how I looked or how heavy I had become and I would go on the latest fad diet, lose 20 lbs only to then quickly gain it back again.

In 2004, my husband and I both became tired of trying to get pregnant and decided to focus on weight loss. In about 6 months on Atkins, my husband lost 100 lbs, and I lost 55. One day I woke up feeling strangely, only to find out a few days later that I was 3 1/2 month pregnant! We were so excited to finally be blessed with a child! But due to my extreme obesity, I had gestational diabetes, and also ended my pregnancy with pre-eclampsia, having the doctors induce labor 2.5 weeks early to prevent me from having a stroke. Cameron quickly became the new love of my life! But when Cameron was only 10 weeks old, we found out he had Congenital Heart Disease and would need open heart surgery to repair his precious little heart. Nothing in the world can prepare you for the thought of losing your 2 1/2 month old child. NOTHING. But Cameron was a little hero, came through the surgery fine and was discharged 3 days earlier than the doctors would have expected. After Cameron’s surgery, came a long recovery to ‘normal’ where he wasn’t allowed out of the house other than doctor’s appointments for the entire first year of his life due to risk of infections. This led to very hard times financially and obviously health wise for Chad and me. We quickly fell back into the easy fast food lifestyle since we had so many added responsibilities, and only one of us could leave the house at a time. We quickly regained all the weight we had lost on Atkins. And that was that, I was 297 lbs again, the obese woman I just knew that I was predestined to be. ***SIGH***

And then one day it happened. I was sitting on the couch watching the Biggest Loser season 3, and crying stuffing my face with donuts and ice cream, asking myself why I couldn’t lose weight when it happened. My then 2 year old son walked out of his bedroom and looked up at me and said, “Mommy, come play with me.” I looked at him and told him, “Mommy is too tired, go watch TV.” Minutes later, a light bulb went off. What the heck was I doing? This child had overcome heart disease, and now I was setting him up by being a bad example on how to get it back again! How could I do that to my son, and myself? He deserved a mom that can play, run, jump and have a good time with him. He deserves everything in life since he was given a second chance at living. I needed a second chance to change my life. In that moment, being overweight and lazy was now unacceptable. I decided it was over, one way or another. I got some courage up, and applied to the Biggest Loser, Season 4. I poured my heart into my video and application, and just knew they would pick me!! People cried watching my video; I just knew I would be cast. But on February 14, 2007 when I had still not heart back from casting and heard they would not be announcing casting until March 5th, I decided I wasn’t waiting anymore. I had waited my entire life to do this. NO MORE WAITING.

I started following Eat Right For your Type, counting my calories to the Biggest Loser range of weight times seven, and joined the local gym. And went, and gave 110% in EVERY workout. I was unstoppable. I lost 133 lbs naturally with hard work, clean eating and exercise from 2/14/07 to 3/29/08! (13.5 months) and in the process, I became a runner! Something I would have never thought I would one day say I love.

One thing you will NEVER hear me say about my journey is that it was easy — It just wasn’t. This was a ton of hard work and dedication. BUT I believe that if I can do it, ANYONE can. You just have to truly believe in yourself, trust in God’s strength and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you have the inner ability to do anything you put your mind to with His help. Everyone is strong enough. I really believe that 110%! I had my weeks where my weight went up, and then came back down. I hit plateaus. I struggled EVERY minute some days with what I was going to eat or whether or not to go work out. But I stayed focused. And determined. I made mistakes. But realized that I am only human, and bound to make a few. I just kept remembering part of my favorite quote, “Life is an ever-changing process, and nothing is final. Therefore, each moment and every day is a chance to begin anew.” And that is exactly what I did.

I went from someone who would get out of breath just going up stairs, to running marathons, half marathons, and triathlons. I am a marathon runner and triathlete. I’m an athlete now. That STILL blows my mind. You can ask anyone that knows me in real life. I’m not extraordinary, I wasn’t lucky, and I was so unhealthy. My friends hoped for the best, but secretly I’m not sure they believed I could do it. I’m not sure even my mom or dad were very confident. This is who we ARE/WERE. BUT I BELIEVED. EVERY SECOND OF EVERYDAY. And that’s what YOU have to do. BELIEVE IN YOU. I knew I had the inner strength to accomplish this. I knew I could be whoever I wanted to be, all I had to do was truly believe in me for the first time in my life. I changed my life, and SO CAN ANYONE.

I was very bothered by his comments so I decided to air this thing out. So let me clear this thing up right now. I never claimed to be a skinny man. I never claimed to be perfect or flawless with no imperfections. No I’m far from perfect. I have many flaws and imperfections. I’ll tell you what I HAVE claimed to be. I have claimed to be a Fat Man, a Fat Man “Unleashed”. And that I will stand by for the rest of my life.

Although I was upset by his comments, I decided to use it as motivation. So Patrick if you’re out there and you’re reading this I’d like to thank you, you are now my new motivation. We made this video to motivate you, but it also motivates me. I see how far I’ve come, but I also see how far I need to go. I’ve won many battles but I’m still fighting the war. This war will never end, but I promise you that I’ll be fighting till death. Death To The Yo-Yo Life!!!!

Frank C. lets you know what he has been up to lately. No he has not stopped his mission of putting a “Death to the Yo-Yo Life!”.

The look on Frank’s face says it all. Frank C. was on a road trip to visit the offices of Bistro MD and Cederquist Medical Wellness Center in Naples, FL. Caroline J. Cederquist, M.D., Founder of BistroMD and Medical Director of the Cederquist Medical Wellness Center schooled Frank on what 5 pounds of fat looked like and what the difference in losing 5 lbs of fat was compared to losing 5 lbs of water weight.

Alycia Kluegl

Perhaps you’d like to be the same size you were years ago, but that may mean dropping more than 40 pounds. Don’t go there — not yet, at least. Set a smaller goal of losing 5% to 10% of your weight, and give yourself plenty of time and some flexibility to reach that goal, keeping in mind that most people take at least half a year to achieve that amount of weight loss.

2. Monitor yourself.

Keeping a food and exercise log can help you gain awareness of your behaviors and track your changes toward specific goals.

3. Support networks work!

Find at least one fitness partner to help motivate you and hold you accountable. In-person groups, like those offered by Weight Watchers, can serve this purpose; so can online support groups.

4. Think outside the box.

Try a new form of exercise. Swim laps at a local pool; go dancing; play Frisbee. Finding a form of exercise that you really enjoy will make it easier to stick to an exercise routine — and incorporating new types of exercise can keep you challenged and less likely to become bored.

5. The importance of sleep.

Research shows inadequate sleep can lead to weight gain. Most people need about eight hours of sleep a night, but there’s a lot of variability — some people need more, some less. You can tell if you’re getting enough sleep if you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go, rather than groggy and grouchy.

6. Eating breakfast matters.

Many people skip breakfast because they’re too rushed or they aren’t hungry. Try getting up 15 minutes earlier (which means going to bed earlier so you don’t sacrifice sleep time) to make time for breakfast.

7. Limit your screen time.

People often complain that they don’t have enough time to exercise or to shop for and prepare healthy meals. But in fact, most people spend many hours watching TV or using their computer for fun. Keep track of your screen time for a week, then try scaling back the number of hours by a quarter or a third, and devote that time to your weight-loss efforts.

For more information on weight loss or healthy living, please go to www.empoweryourbody.com or contact Alycia Kluegl at alycia@empoweryourbody.com.

Thank you. Be well. Alycia

Alex, Episode 2, Photo Courtesy of ABC

Season 1 | Episode 2 | Aired 06/6/11

Meet Alex
Growing up on fast food Alex grew up as a fat kid. Chris faced a sad misfortune when he lost his mother to cancer. Now this 23 year old has more motivation to fulfill his mothers dream of him adapting a healthy lifestyle. Alex has a strong love for baseball, and he hopes to play when he loses the weight. Alex hopes that personal trainer Chris will help him reach this goal.

Alex weighs in at 459 pounds. Seeing his weight Alex realizes that it’s time to change, for good. He goes through a nutrition course and medical exam before his first workout. With his mom in mind Alex fights through his workouts!

His 90 day goal was to lose 100 pounds, he only fell 3 pounds short. But was still rewarded with a chance to meet the Atlanta Braves.

Phase 2: Lose 60 pounds.

Alex seems pretty optimistic about meeting his goal but grows a little annoyed with the process. At his 6 month goal Alex falls far from his 60 pound goal. So Personal Trainer Chris Powell handles that situation by enlisting Alex into 24 hours of Army Boot Camp.

ALEX IS OFFICIALLY IN BEAST MODE.

Phase 3: Weight loss of 77 pounds and reaching his goal! Now off to the Skin Surgeon!

During the final weigh in Alex enters in all his glory with a 216 pound weight loss and a whole lot of bling. He fulfills his goal, his mothers dreams, and starts playing baseball.

In My Opinion
I really liked Alex. He really pushed hard going into phase 3 and I really admired it. I thought he had a huge transformation and was a kind soul. I think this should’ve been the first episode of the series. He looked really great walking into that final weighing in his purple shirt and vest, what a cutie pie.

What did you think of Alex’s episode?

To watch Alex’s episode visit ABC: http://abc.go.com/watch/extreme-makeover-weight-loss-edition/SH55124938/VD55129863/alex

What up world?!?! Long time since I’ve posted a REAL blog. But I have something special for you in this article. I was asked a good question by my uncle Jay, and the question was available for everyone to see on one of my many facebook wall posts. I say it is a good question because I questioned it myself while on the program. Here is the question from my uncle Jay.

“I noticed the site is $180 for meals and snacks for one person for 7 days. Question? Why not just buy the food and cook it?!”

Since I had already asked myself this question beforehand I was prepared for it. I presented my argument to BistroMD prior to this event, and they made sense to me. We then thought it would be a good idea to make a video on the subject. Hence the video you see here was created. However, I would like you to see my written response to uncle Jay prior to the creation of this video.

So here it is…

(Me) “I’m glad you asked that uncle Jay, because I’m working on a comparison, that will show you when you add the time spent cooking, cleaning, going to the grocery store to buy HEALTHY food (not junk), prepare it, and package it for a whole week. Takes a lot of work. As a husband who goes to school, runs two businesses, has two children (one is a new born) I just don’t got the time for all that. Would you??”

(Uncle Jay) “So he says this to the Salvation Army officer – LOL – seriously though – I am counting the time it takes to shop and prepare – and you can make some great dishes in a short amount of time – in some cases – the same time it takes to heat up a dish – I think a salmon dish with an asparagus side would take me 10 minutes or so. I see the appeal with the ease of shopping and cooking with your schedule and I am not hating you for it – but the economics just do not apply to all when you think of $180/week for one person in a household of 4(me, you). Multiply that out for each member (assuming we want all in our households to be eating healthy) and the amount is staggering.”

(My finale response) “I do see your point Jay. But have you ever gone on a diet before man? I mean, 5-6 healthy meals a day?? You named one meal. I eat 35-42 meals a week. Let’s say each meal takes 10 minutes to make, (not likely) that’s over 6 hours of cooking. Actually we have documentation of recent studies which prove it can take an average of 9-16 hours a week for a person to cook the amount of food BistroMD sends one person in one week.

It’s sad to say but nutritional food is very expensive, and when you eat 2300 calories a day (that is my case others do eat less), that is a lot of money. I was on Michael Thurman’s “6 Week Body Makeover.” It is a great weight loss meal plan, a do it yourself type of diet, I lost 30 pounds in 6 weeks! The problem is it was like a full time job for me, and I spent over $125 a week for myself alone. When you add all the extra work I had to do, my time seemed more valuable elsewhere. When I compared the amount of money I make while working, I realised I get paid much more to work then I do at home weighing, seasoning, cooking, and then packaging my meals for the week every week for who knows how long.

See the problem is 6 weeks was not enough for me to reach my goal and I couldn’t continue on with that full time job. So I fell off, and gained 40 lbs back in the next 5 months. I did ask my wife for help, but she is also a full time employee, full time student, full time mother, and doesn’t have time to cook for me or even herself (not to mention I am a terrible cook who burnt a box of mac n cheese lol). So we find ourselves eating out, and spending even more money!

So I realized that I needed my own personal chef, but I couldn’t afford that! But that is exactly what BistroMD is for me, my own personal chef. I also have my own personal dietitian who I speak with on a weekly basis, and email anytime I have a question. I have an online support community, weekly reads to help inform and motivate me, success stories from other dieters, and much more. Now I have the confidence I need to succeed. I don’t worry about cooking, or what I’m going to eat, I just worry about working out, and staying on the plan because I got a long way to go.

You see the reason people live the Yo-Yo life, is because they don’t understand that this is a real big job. It takes months and in most cases years to make a real lasting change. Do you really think you could last an entire year cooking for yourself every week?? And after that year learning how to maintain the new body you have?? Well maybe you can do it, but I’ve been trying it for more than half of my life Jay! I have literally burned over 300lbs of fat off of my body, but have never been over 300lbs or under 200lbs. Why is that? Because I was never able to stick to a plan long enough, and maintain it, so I always went back.

I can’t ever go back again Jay, not anymore! I was meant for more than this! How can I say I am more than a conqueror when I haven’t conquered my own self?! I watched both of my father’s parents die early, my father almost died twice. His brothers almost died at least once, and each one of them, including his three sisters has diabetes and some form of heart disease. But yet I see my mother’s parents outlive them. My mother’s father is 80 years old and still strong.

I have to break the cycle Jay! You have to break the cycle Jay! We can’t pass this down to our kid’s man! This is more than just me this is for my family, my loved ones, and any person who wants this same change! I am on a mission man! My army is www.FatManUnleashed.com and we teamed up with www.BistroMD.com to put a, “Death to the Yo-Yo Life” once and for all! I am never going back to where I was again! Mark my words! This time next year, you won’t even recognize me!

Excuse me for my passion, and many words. I say this with all respect. Much love Uncle Jay.”

This was posted October 15th 2010 on my facebook wall. I’m still praying that my uncle Jay would choose to change his life, and the lives of his wife and children. And I say the same prayer for everyone else who is living the life of obesity. We have to make a change, we are killing ourselves slowly. Lets work together and put a “Death to the Yo-Yo Life.”

According the The Flex Belt website, the device uses muscle stimulation to firm and strengthen the abdominal muscles, and 100 percent of people who have used it correctly, reporter flatter, firmer ad muscles. It is approved by the FDA as a class II medical device that uses Electronic Muscle Stimulation, giving people an average increase in ab strength of 49 percent. My skepticism is slowly fading away.

Apparently, you wear the ab belt and signals are sent to the ab muscles which cause the muscles to contract and relax, reaching all areas of the abs. The thought of my muscles being zapped by some form of stimulation can be a little unnerving, but the website states that it is a pleasant feeling, which resembles a mild “pulsing” that is “apparent.”

Underneath each Flex Belt are gel pads stick to your skin and help conduct the signals that are being sent to your abs through the ab belt. The Flex Belt website says that the success of the Flex Belt relies heavily upon the quality of the gel pads that are being used, and recommends that users of the ab belt replace the gel pads every 20 to 30 uses. I’ve gotta say, that would be a drawback for me. But, if this ab belt truly works, I would not mind shelling out the cash to replace the gel pads if it accelerated or improved my individual results.

The price for the ab belt is just at $200, which again, seems steep, but if the results are real, $200 would not be bad if it saved you from neck-breaking crunches and roller-coaster dieting. The good thing about The Flex Belt is that there is a very user-friendly website that seems to answer all the main questions that consumers have. Included on the site are testimonials, frequently asked questions, numbers and email addresses that let you connect with people who can answer your questions, and even an area where you can buy accessories or more gel pads for your ab belt.

While I generally don’t believe everything I see or fall for the next “gimmick,” I have to admit that the evidence of the success of the Flex Belt is swaying my opinion of this medical toning device. While I do not have an extra $200 laying around at the moment to purchase the Flex Belt, I would love to try one out.

Have you used the Flex Belt or other ab belts and want to share your results with Fat Man Unleashed? Take a moment to fill out the comments section below and let us know! How has the ab belt worked for you or failed you?

Rachel, Episode 1, Photo Courtesy of ABC

Season 1 | Episode 1 | Aired 05/30/2011

Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition introduces us to a new morbidly obese person every week that is selected to endure a 365 day challenge to lose half their weight.

Meet Rachel
In the premiere episode we meet Rachel, a 21 year old Elementary School PE Teacher. Rachel has struggled with her weight her whole life, and is the only overweight person in her family. She’s surprised by Chris (Personal Trainer on the show) when she was chosen, and eager to begin her weight loss. Weighing in at 369 lbs, she is ready to go.

She’s given a 3 Month Goal to loose 80 lbs. If she reaches the goal Chris is sending her to Greece! She can really use that motivation because her family is not giving her the full support she needs.

At Rachel’s 90 day weigh in she reaches her goal! 80 pounds in 90 days. Before her next goal Chris sits down with the family about adopting a healthy lifestyle and then continues to raid their kitchen, throwing everything away.

Her Phase 2 goal was to lose 55 more pounds, she doesn’t make it by 5 pounds, but stays positive. Chris takes Rachel for a hike and just a little bungee jumping. She jumps right into Phase 3.

At 9 months Rachel weighs in at 239 pounds. Rachel decides to get surgery to get rid of some excess skin gained during the weight loss. She continues hard on her diet and when her one year weigh in came around people were shocked when they saw her. Her final weigh in was at 208 with a 161 pound weight loss. She thanks Chris for changing her life and giving her a while new outlook.

In My Opinion
Rachel was great and I thought she made excellent progress. I think that if her family would have supported her more she would have been able to meet her total weight loss goal. She got that surgery and that really improved her overall body image. I thought it was a great way to start off, but they didn’t show her right after surgery. She just went from flabby skin to happy flat stomach, they don’t mention all the pain and agony that surgery actually involves! But good for her. I look forward to watching the next episode.

What did you think of Rachel’s episode?

To watch Rachel’s episode visit ABC: http://abc.go.com/watch/extreme-makeover-weight-loss-edition/SH55124938/VD55128922/rachel

I have too much to do to sleep. Watch the video as I explain to you what I mean. I know I need sleep for my health, but 5 solid hours of sleep is good for me right now.

If you have any suggestions of comments please leave them below. THANKS!

If you want to follow my journey, please subscribe:

I’m on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/fatmanunleashed

What up world!! Just recorded this short film after a really tough resistance workout, which explains why the camera is so shaky. This Monday morning I didn’t want to wake up, the alarm went off at 430am and I hit the snooze. I almost didn’t wake up, but then this thought went through my head, “Is sleep more important then your success?” So at 5am I jumped out of my bed ready to get in the gym and kill it!! I have a plan set forth to reach my success, and I have to stay obedient to the rules and regulations I set forth. To do so I must sacrifice many of my short term pleasures, and this can be painful. But pain brings forth change, so we must invite the pain, and by doing so we will experience ultimate long term pleasure in it’s purest form. So the point of today’s message is to be obedient to your plan, be ready to sacrifice your short term temporary pleasure, invite the pain the comes from your sacrifice, and you will have true pleasure.Thanks for watching, and stay tuned in we have a lot more coming!! We are still on a mission to put a, “Death to the Yo-Yo Life!!”

If you have any suggestions of comments please leave them below. THANKS!

If you want to follow my journey, please subscribe:

I’m on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/fatmanunleashed

The Best Diet Food Delivery website is your one-stop shop for reviewing different diet food delivery services before making your selection. The site offers comprehensive reviews on the leading food delivery services that are available to you. Among the more popular brands are BistroMD, Medifast Diet, Nutrisystem, and Diet to Go. Whether you are looking for user comments or in-depth information on each type of program, Best Diet Food Delivery is the site for you.

The site has a very clean, user friendly layout that allows you to pinpoint exactly what you’re looking for. There are various options you can choose from, including Best Diet Food Delivery Services, Reviews, Tips, Comments, Recent Posts and even General Information.

A great feature of Best Diet Food Delivery is the bar of options across the top, which features the top rated food delivery services. By clicking on an option (which includes Medifast Diet, Nutrisystem, BistroMD, E-Diets, Diet to Go and Zone) you get an all inclusive look at what each diet food delivery service has to offer. Each option gives you a review of what the service offers, success stories, how the program works and a conclusion which will let you decide what program works best for you.

Something that may come in handy for people who are unsure which diet food delivery service to choose is the comments section. A majority of the comments are from users who have tried different services and want to offer their opinions to other users. While there are not a large amount of comments on the site, users who are torn between a few of the products may be able to pull some insight from what comments are available. By navigating to the sidebar and clicking on the comments tab, users can read over different posts that have received comments from diet food delivery service users.

Also located in the sidebar is a feature that provides website visitors with a link to popular posts on Best Diet Food Delivery. Topics include The Easy Way to Lose Weight, How to Have a Nutritionist Plan Your Meals, Keeping a Blog to Help Others, Weight Loss for People Who Can’t Exercise and more. These posts provide visitors with insight to different topics pertaining to diet food delivery services and may help uncertain consumers make a decision that best suits his or her needs.

Another great feature is located at the bottom of each post. Under the text, there is an option that allows you to contact the post’s author. This is a great feature for people who would like a bit more information or could use some advice before taking the next step and purchasing a food delivery plan. Whether you’d like to comment on the post or need clarification about something the author said, this feature allows you to do just that.

Overall, the site is a great place for people who are looking into purchasing a diet food delivery service plan. Whether you are currently using one of the popular brands listed on the site or need some information before you enroll in a service, Best Diet Food Delivery is a great place to do research and get your facts straight.

For more information about how diet food delivery services work or to check out what the site has to offer, visit www.bestdietfooddelivery.com and do some investigating for yourself.

Waddup world!!! Long time since I’ve blogged!! The tax season has me working like a maniac!! But I’m still here fighting the war!!

I am at a comfortable weight now. I weigh 220 pounds and it feels awesome. I remember when I weighed 300 pounds and I just wanted to be less than 250 pounds. Now here I am weighing in at 220.

From now on I will not worry about my weight. I will just focus only on being healthy and active. I figure if I do that there is no way I will gain the weight back, and if I lose some more weight along the way then cool.

But stay tuned because I am not finished with this battle, I am still fighting the war. By this summer I plan to walk shirtless down the beach and I will be proud of my new body!!

So keep watching people, because I ain’t finished. Mark my words, “I will put a Death to the Yo-Yo Life”.

If you have any suggestions of comments please leave them below. THANKS!

If you want to follow my journey, please subscribe:

I’m on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/fatmanunleashed

This is my video for weeks 12 and 13. It was much of the same until I decide to end the negativity. The past few weeks have taken their toll on me and I’m over it. Enough is enough. I’m ready to get back on track.

So I decided that this is it. I will take the steps I took last time to get on track and stay there. A lot of people have been showing me support. I am so grateful for all of the support out there. Nutrisystem is going to continue to support me, Meredith from Nutrisystem has been so helpful. Everyone out there has shown me support.

Now it’s time I show some results!

Thanks for watching!

If you have any suggestions of comments please leave them below. THANKS!

If you want to follow my journey, please subscribe:

I’m on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/fatmanunleashed

Disclaimer: All products have been supplied by Nutrisystem as part of their Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program. Views expressed here are my own. If you are interested in losing weight, visit Nutrisystem or call 888-853-4689.

With lots of great races scheduled nationwide, I went directly to the pros for tips and guidelines on how to stay focused, build stamina and meet (or exceed!) your goals. And since running requires both physical and mental exertion, we’ve got you covered in both categories for each distance.

Good luck and don’t forget to share any of your tips, tricks and words of wisdom with us on how to best reach that finish line!

5K – Physical Preparation

Steve Dunn – Marathon Runner, participant in 100+ races of all distances, and Owner of specialty store Hit the Trails (www.hitthetrails.com).

• For those who are literally just getting off their couches and have never run before, it’s important to slowly transition from walking to jogging to running. Take at least a month to start slow and build your way up to a faster pace.
• Once you have reached a runner’s pace, mix up track runs (short distances such as 200’s and 400’s) along with tempo runs (mile warm up, a few miles at race followed by a cool down).
• Although a 5K is 3.1 miles, try to run 4 or 5 miles to build up your endurance
• On the day of the race, be prepared with a water belt if needed and concentrate on both your pace and breathing. People often get distracted which (unintentionally) shaves minutes off their time because they don’t run as hard when they lose focus.

5K – Mental Preparation

Carrie Chealde, M.A., CC-AASP – Mental Skills Coaching for Athletes (www.carriecheadle.com; www.facebook.com/MentalSkillsTrainingforAthletes).

• Schedule your training in your calendar. Treat it like you would any other important appointment; otherwise, it’s likely to get pushed further and further back in the day until it gets pushed out altogether!
• Find a buddy to get your runs in with. Not only will it make the time pass more quickly, but you’re much less likely to flake on your run when you are meeting up with someone else.
• Athletic Gear – Having the proper attire is essential not only physical reasons, but for mental reasons as well. Having gear that makes you feel athletic will help you feel more inspired to run. When you look the part, you feel the part!

10K – Physical Preparation

Paul Dziewisz is a NASM and CrossFit Level 1 Certified Personal Trainer and owner of Active Personal Fitness in Doylestown, PA (www.ActivePersonalFitness.com).

Distance running is demanding on the body. An emphasis on cross-training improves cardio capacity and helps prevent injury. Plus it eliminates the boredom for running 4 days a week. My approach to training for a 10K places more focus on cross-training to improve your long-distance endurance.

• Progressively build your distance capability with one long run per week starting at 1-2 miles and increasing gradually to 6 miles.
• Supplement the long runs with 3-4 moderate-duration, high-intensity workouts. This will build the endurance and physical strength need to excel and stay free of injury.
• Utilize a circuit training approach, perform total body exercises and eliminate rest time from your workouts.
• Consciously push yourself to perform the workouts with greater intensity each time.

10K – Mental Preparation

Cori Bank, Ph.D. – Sports Psychologist and Ironman Triathlon Finisher. His website offers free monthly videos on exercise tips and peak performance (www.abingtonpsychology.com).

• It’s psychologically beneficial to treat those last two weeks (prior to the race) as if you were running the ‘real thing’. Have a complete checklist and include all aspects – your pre-race meal and drinks, what music you want on your Ipod, your stretches and warm-ups, etc.
• By incorporating all the elements of the big day, you’ll have perfected your physical and mental dress rehearsal and your confidence will be skyrocketing.
• On race day, start towards the back. It’s natural to want to be with the runners at the front of the pack, but it can demoralizing and discouraging to have all of the faster runners pass you. Start a few rows back and soon you’ll be the one passing people as the race goes on.
• Treat the race as you would a huge exam. You wouldn’t study for a major test all at once. To avoid mental fatigue, break the race up into smaller chunks as well. Instead of thinking of it as an intimidating 6.2 miles, visualize it as six one-mile mini events and focus on just one at a time.
• With that said, some people even have a theme per mile (i.e. Mile One = warm up, Mile 2 = stride count, Mile 3 = refueling, and so on.)
• Once you feel in control, you feel empowered. Once you feel empowered, you can reach your potential. Once you reach your potential, you allow yourself to experience an event over again and share it with others!

Half Marathon – Physical Preparation

Jason Fitzgerald is a coach and author of Strength Running, which helps runners transform their training (www.strengthrunning.com).

• Racing a half-marathon relies almost exclusively on your endurance, so prepare with one weekly long run in the 11-13 mile range.
• In addition to your long run, consistently run 3-4 days each week to build that endurance.
• In addition to building your stamina, a gym session twice a week can help prevent injury. Concentrate on multi-joint exercises that train movements (not muscles), such as squats, pull ups, bench press, dead lifts, dips, and lunges.
• Longer runs and more total running will have you performing faster on race day. As a beginner, interval training isn’t necessary yet, but 1-2 minute surges during your easy runs can help you develop more speed without overtaxing you. Take as much jogging recovery in between as you want.

Half Marathon – Mental Preparation

Keri Cawthorne, running coach and owner of Iron Mountain Movement (www.ironmountainmovement.com).

• Long runs are best with company. Run with a local running group, buddy or music, the time will pass much more quickly.
• The week before the race, ignore psychosomatic aches and pains, your body is just telling you it is ready to run.
• If possible, drive the race route before and visualize yourself crossing the finish line.
• Find your mantra, something to keep you calm and focused during the race , whether it’s ‘Just Do it’ or ‘Finish Strong’. For the Vegas Marathon I used ‘Don’t Think, Just Run’!

Full Marathon – Physical Preparation

Tom Holland is an exercise physiologist and sports performance coach. Author of The Marathon Method, The 12-Week Triathlete and Beat the Gym, Tom is a sub-3 hour marathoner and has completed over 50 marathons and 18 Ironman triathlons. (www.teamholland.com).

• Be sure to include at least one day of strength training per week into your program. Two is best.
• 4 Great Weekly Running Workouts: Hills, Endurance, Speed and Tempo runs
• You need one rest day per week. No exercise.
• Core strength is essential to running performance as well as injury prevention.
• Refuel after runs with carbohydrate and some protein, ideally within 30 minutes.
• Practice running negative splits. For example, for a ten-mile run, run five miles out, then come home slightly faster.
• Try to do one cross-training workout per week such as cycling, swimming, or the StairMaster.
• You need “down” weeks during training. For example, in a four week cycle, you may run 25 miles, 30 miles, 35 miles, then on the fourth week, drop down to 20-25 miles or so to recover as well as to prepare for the next block.
• Be sure to taper for at least 2-4 weeks before your race.
• Try to make your training as close to race conditions as possible. What you wear, how you eat and drink, the course – all of these details count.

Full Marathon – Mental Preparation

Andrew Johnston – Author of the February 2011 release, ‘Holistic Strength Training for Triathlon’ (www.amazon.com/Holistic-Strength-Training-Triathlon-Johnston/dp/1456724037/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1298907034&sr=8-1) with proceeds benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Andrew is a former professional cyclist, the first leukemia survivor to qualify for and finish the Hawaii Ironman World Championships, and twice voted One of the Top Trainers in America by Men’s Health.

• The starting line can be the most intimidating part of the race, especially for first timers. You’re surrounded by all of these fit athletes, many of whom look like they’re either out for a morning stroll or fast enough to rip your legs off! Congratulate yourself for being there and remember that towing the line is an accomplishment and a blessing — there are millions who do not have the time, the motivation, or the health to ever even consider participating. Think of the race as a 26.2 mile parade celebrating your vitality and life!
• Write positive affirmations on your forearms. Words like “fast” or “smooth” or “strong” are then literally only an arm’s length away from getting back into your head if a negative thought breaks your concentration.
• Despite any rough patches, keep in mind that everyone is covering the same distance, using the same muscles, breathing the same air, fighting the same elements, and even struggling (at times) with the same thoughts. Focus on the now and not 10 miles up the road. Whatever you’re experiencing at the moment will pass, too — just like the road under your feet.
• Break the marathon up into specific milestones. After the first mile, I tell myself I’m one 1/26th of the way there. At the second mile, I’m 1/13th of the way there. Playing this game helps divide the marathon up into digestible pieces.
• Start slower than you think you should. It’s difficult to keep the ego in check when the gun goes off, but with the marathon, it’s not about who runs the fastest so much as who slows down the least. And catching people at the end is enough motivation to keep a smile on anyone’s face until the finish line.

To be completely honest
that’s all I really need…

Tryna tap into that strength
my Inner chi…

Making my body pull
its last bit of energy…

This training is intense
pain is what I feel…

No pain no gain
goes through my head like a spinning wheel…

My hands are wrapped tense
around this cold solid steel…

Waiting for the day
when my dreams become real…

I gotta keep moving
can’t be anything like before…

So Imma go hard
and strike like a lightening force…

This road is old and lonely
sweat drips with a tightened jaw…

I hold my goals before me
can’t forget what I’m fighting for…

So many obstacles
I’ve had to face and overcome…

But I am more than a conqueror
my dreams I’ll soon become…

I gota make it
one last set and then I’m done…

I’m going for eight missions
complete and then I’ve won…

Nothing is gonna stop
me not a strain or a sore…

Not even the weather
nah let it rain let it pour…

Well I’ve won for today
but tomorrow I go for more…

Because I’ve only won the battle
but I’m still fighting the war…

Well, I’m still LOVING them. I love them so much I wanted to make a nice little acrostic poem about them.

Why I love my Treadall Mats – an Acrostic Poem by Elizabeth Perez

T is for their terrific Texture and how nice they feel under my bare feet

R is for the Really awesome way the Treadall mats have made my home gym look

E is for Every time I see them, I get really happy

A is for the Amazing quality of the Treadall mats

D is for the fact that I Don’t have to sweep my garage every time I want to work out

A is for their Awesome color (but you can pick a different color when you buy yours)

L is for the List of exercises I can now do without hurting my spinal cord and vital joints

L is for the Love I have for Treadall mats

In all seriousness guys, I highly recommend these mats. If you have some spare change floating around and are looking for an update for your gym (residential or commercial), these mats are going to meet and exceed all your needs.

I don’t know… that’s what comes to mind about this past week. I’m not eating well, not exercising, not doing much of anything to take care of myself…

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Disclaimer: All products have been supplied by Nutrisystem as part of their Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program. Views expressed here are my own. If you are interested in losing weight, visit Nutrisystem or call 888-853-4689.

Staying healthy is not all that difficult. Although you still may catch a common cold or come down with the flu, there are a few things you can do on a daily basis to improve your overall health and fight off germs.

Wash your hands

You’ve heard this since you were barely tall enough to stand at the sink and lather up with kid-colored soap and it remains as true today as it was then.

According to an article published by the Mayo Clinic, “frequent hand washing is one of the best ways to avoid getting sick and spreading an illness.” Always wash your hands before and after preparing food, when you touch or play with a pet, after handling garbage and after using the restroom. Try carrying a hand sanitizer in your purse or leaving a bottle in your car for those times when you’re not able to get to a sink.

While your hands won’t ever be germ free, frequently washing your hands will reduce the risk of spreading the germs throughout your body.

Change your Toothbrush

Despite what you may think, dentists don’t tell us to change our toothbrush often just to keep the oral health companies in business. Although some toothbrushes have anti-microbial bristles, the common toothbrush traps bacteria from your mouth and from the air.

According to a study conducted at England’s University of Manchester, “one uncovered toothbrush can harbor more than 100 million bacteria, including E. coli bacteria, which can cause diarrhea, and staphylococci (“Staph”) bacteria that cause skin infections.”
The American Dental Association recommends getting a new toothbrush every three to four months and also replacing your toothbrush after an illness. Frequently replacing your toothbrush will keep germs at bay and keep your mouth cleaner.

Get Plenty of Sleep

If you’ve ever pulled an all-nighter or multiple all-nighters in a row, then you know what going without adequate sleep can do to your body. You just can’t function the next day.

According to the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and WGBH Educational Foundation, “studies of humans and other animals have discovered that sleep plays a critical role in immune function, metabolism, memory, learning, and other vital functions.” There have also been studies that show growth hormones are released while you sleep, causing you to gain more mass during your nighttime slumbers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) associates many illnesses, including diabetes, obesity, depression and heart diseases with sleep deprivation. According to the CDC, the average adult needs roughly seven to nine hours of sleep each night in order to feel well rested and ready to take on the world.

Although following these few guidelines may not keep you from coming down with that bug that’s floating around your office, they may help you maintain a better overall health. Stay connected with Fat Man Unleashed for more tips on how to develop a healthier lifestyle and embrace your inner warrior.

Not a good two weeks…

Ended February on a bad note and began March even worse. I feel like I am out of control… I did not eat my Nutrisystem foods, I did not work out. Ugh.

Thanks for watching!

If you have any suggestions of comments please leave them below. THANKS!

If you want to follow my journey, please subscribe:

I’m on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/fatmanunleashed

Disclaimer: All products have been supplied by Nutrisystem as part of their Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program. Views expressed here are my own. If you are interested in losing weight, visit Nutrisystem or call 888-853-4689.

Hey guys, here’s week 8. Another not so good week, but I have been getting some bodyweight workouts in. I feel like this week is kind of chaotic, but I know I’ll be fine once I get back to my regular routine of things.

This is a long journey and I won’t be letting this week tear down the progress I’ve made thus far. Be strong!

Thanks for watching!

If you have any suggestions of comments please leave them below. THANKS!

If you want to follow my journey, please subscribe:

I’m on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/fatmanunleashed

Disclaimer: All products have been supplied by Nutrisystem as part of their Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program. Views expressed here are my own. If you are interested in losing weight, visit Nutrisystem or call 888-853-4689.

Hey guys, here’s week 7. It wasn’t a great week. I feel like a failure for not working out as much as I normally do and for eating more snacks than I normally do. But I can’t do anything about that. All I can do is move on and not let it erode my progress.

Thanks for watching!

If you have any suggestions of comments please leave them below. THANKS!

If you want to follow my journey, please subscribe:

I’m on Facebook too: http://www.facebook.com/fatmanunleashed

Disclaimer: All products have been supplied by Nutrisystem as part of their Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program. Views expressed here are my own. If you are interested in losing weight, visit Nutrisystem or call 888-853-4689.

“Peace of Mind means a healthy body…” Proverbs 14:30

This passage of the Bible stood out to me today as I studied. Before the science of psychology was a thought, the Bible spoke about how our mind affects our body. If you look at all the studies done you will find how the mind and body affect each other. Doctor’s say that physical exercise releases something called endorphins which act as neurotransmitters through the body increasing energy and giving us a “Natural High”. These endorphins are also known to increase happiness. According to studies at Duke University 60% of a group they studied with depression, whom exercised 30 minutes 3 times a week, overcame their depression without any medication.

On the flip side of that. I know in my experience when I am down in the dumps I don’t feel like exercising. I don’t want to get out and go anywhere. I just want to wallow in my pain. Depression isn’t the only problem either, there are issues with anxiety, emotional blockage and yes even spiritual issues that can hinder our lives from moving forward. All of these issues with the mind affect us physically. Anxiety and depression make our bodies sick, weak and susceptible to disease by weakening our immune system. Spiritual issues left unchecked can cause emotional grief and lead to anxieties.

When our minds are at peace, when we are happier we are healthier. Our immune system gets a boost when we are happy and anxiety free. Understanding how this works, if exercise can increase mental health and peace of mind why do we debate the issue? Exercise not only improves physical health but mental health. Let us break out of the deception of not doing what we don’t feel like but do what we know helps us.

I don’t know if there is scientific evidence to back up this theory of mine, but I’m sure at one point there was a study conducted about this. There are studies done about everything.

Through an unrelated series of events, it has become clear that minding your own business is a healthy habit. I have great personal evidence to back this up. Here goes.

Minding your own business reduces stress in your life. If you spend time meddling in other peoples’ affairs you are bound to hear bits of information that will add stress to your body. You may find out that a colleague of yours, whom you happen to adore, is getting fired. You might be gossiping about someone and they overhear what you have to say. You could think you know what’s going on in a situation but actually have no clue about what is really happening. All of these situations lead to added stress.

Stress is a killer. It raises blood pressure and causes an array of health issues from heart attacks to strokes. This is scientifically proven. Google it.

Another reason why minding your own business is good for your health is that it keeps you focused on your job. If you are so busy wondering what everyone is doing and trying to gossip and meddle in others’ affairs, you are bound to be slacking at work. This could lead to you getting fired which could lead to eating off the dollar menu at McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not a healthy lifestyle. Did you ever see Super Size Me?

If you are a gossiper, like to antagonize people, or find yourself always in the middle of confrontations, then you probably don’t have very many friends. Generally, people don’t like people who are mean and nasty. And the friends you do have are probably not your true friends. Having meaningful and lasting friendships is very important to your health. Friends usually spend a lot of their time laughing, which lowers stress and actually has been proven to help you live longer.

Probably the most obvious reason for why minding your own business is good for your health is that it will keep you from getting punched in the face. I’m not one to pry into the lives of my fellow people, so I can’t speak from personal experience. But I have witnessed first hand many brutal fights in which someone got punched in the nose, eye, groin and even kidney for running their mouth and talking smack. Now, some people don’t hit very hard. It’s just not part of their DNA. But, I know there are plenty of people out there who can pack a Mike-Tyson-sized-wallop on whatever area of the body they choose.

Getting punched is no fun. So mind your own business, do your job, don’t eat McDonalds three times a day and be sure to drink lots of water. You’ll be way ahead of the rest of the world!