Biggest Loser 12 - Which Time Slot Do You Prefer?

You know that commerical, "What would you do for a Klondike Bar"? Well, Biggest Loser turned that thought completely on its head. We saw their version last night - "What would you do for your favorite gym time slot" (which doesn't have quite the same ring to it) as the teams were faced with piles of donuts. It was actually more like "How many donuts would you eat for your time slot, where you'll have to work extra hard to burn them all off?"

Most of the contestants didn't eat any, but John from the Black team ate the most...37. Quite ironic that at the weigh-in his team needed to lose more than 37 pounds to be safe. They didn't make it, but the Blue team saved their butts. Maybe they'll send them a dozen donuts as a thank you gift.

This poses a question that I would like to ask you. Which time slot would you prefer? Early morning, midday, or late at night?

Ideally, I like to work out in the early evening. I am not a morning person (though I'm trying to be!) and I seem to be at my best at this time. If I only had those 3 choices, I would want the midday slot. My second choice would be the early one. (Even if I had to deal with Bizarro Bob's wake up call!) The late night slot would be bad for me because I would be too wound up to get to sleep afterward.

So which time do you like to workout...and what would YOU do to keep that time slot? I don't mean shoving donuts into your mouth in a challenge, but rather how would you personally make sure that you worked out at that time?

We all have to schedule our exercise time just like any other appointment. We already schedule meetings, church, kids activities, etc. Exercise is just as important as all of those. And once you write it down in your calendar, you must keep that appointment - just like you would never skip a meeting. Stick to whatever time is best for you and be consistent.

Now, if an emergency comes up and you can't keep to your schedule, by all means get some type of workout in wherever you can. Things do happen...but have a back-up plan in case you can't execute Plan A. Being consistent will give you the results you want, and your body will learn to crave workouts.

So here's to your favorite gym time...WITHOUT the donuts!

Biggest Loser...Losing Big While Working (At Home)

*photo courtesy of NBC.

Once again, last night's Biggest Loser was an awesome lesson for all of us. This week there was a lot less backstabbing and game playing, and the focus was on the bonds of family members and friendships forged that will last a lifetime. It was also all about helping others in need, and learning how to handle the weight loss journey when you have a full time job.

At the first challenge, Alison informed the remaining contestants that they would have to go to work for the week. The gym would open early in the morning, and close at 7:30 PM each day. Everyone would have to learn how to deal with fitting in workouts around the work and gym schedule, and plan their food choices for eating on the job. Every day, they all had to get up and take a bus to the Food Bank, where they performed various jobs...making thank you phone calls, taking inventory, loading and unloading food, and giving out the food to those in great need. At the end of the day, they took the bus back to the ranch. Some worked out before work, and everybody exercised after work, learning to deal with the feelings of work stress and fatigue and still do what was needed in order to keep losing the weight. They had to plan healthy lunches too...one day Sam forgot to bring the lunch he packed and had to figure out what to eat. He refused to eat the junk in the vending machine, so he and Stephanie wound up spending their lunch hour at the Subway near the Food Bank.

Since everyone still put up pretty good numbers at the weigh-in, they proved that it can be done at home when you have work responsibilites. Granted, they still had Bob and Jillian to push them during their gym time, but the weight will still come off if you do the right things.

Now, I want to talk about a specific work situation, which is my reality. I work from home. Being a freelance writer means that I do business from my home computer most of the time, and don't have to worry about getting dressed up or putting on a uniform to go to work. I could write in my pajamas if I wanted to...and believe me, there have been days when I've done just that. I have found, however, that you need to organize your time each day, just as if you commuted to a job and had to fit in all of your daily tasks.

Schedule your day. Write everything down, and even keep a daily planner if it helps. I decide exactly when I will write, edit, network, etc. I plan when I will exercise and work that into each day. I take healthy meal breaks. Sure, there are days when plans get interrupted, but that happens to everyone...no matter what his or her work situation. If you make a plan, you are more likely to stick to it. If you just leave each day to happen as it may, you will find that certain things don't get accomplished, and time will slip away from you. I love the freedom of working from home, as many others do, but we have to make sure that we don't over do the "freedom" part. We still have to discipline ourselves to get our work done, and make sure we get our workouts in.

Organization is the key, whether you drive to a job each day or work from your home office. Make the commitment to get it done. You have to plan to succeed, and you will!