The Biggest Loser is a popular reality television show in
which America watches as morbidly obese contestants transform their mind and
body to healthier individuals. The show
is now in its fourteenth season.
Throughout the seasons there have been nearly 200 contestants. Each contestant has a story as to how they
ended up being morbidly obese. Most of
these individuals lack self-confidence, motivation, and emotional strength to
make a lifestyle change on their own.
That’s where the show’s trainers come into play. The show has had several trainers throughout
the years but the two most famous trainers are Bob Harper and Jillian
Michaels. Both of the trainers are great
at what they do and have a real passion for health and fitness.
One of the popular beliefs when it comes to trying to get
into good physical shape is that losing weight is difficult. It is.
Because of this many people make excuses as to why it’s unobtainable for
them to reach their ideal weight. Often
times excuses are made such as: I’m too busy to workout, eating healthy is too
expensive, or I’m too overweight to exercise.
This is where the trainers excel in motivating the contestants. They refuse to accept the excuses that the
contestants have made and will continue to try to make while on this
journey. Jillian has a very “in your
face” approach to motivate the contestants.
She finds this very helpful in breaking down the walls that the
contestants have put up. The contestants
often times bring a lot of emotional baggage with them. Without understanding what got them to the
state that they are in, they can’t make a complete transformation to a
healthier lifestyle. Bob Harper is an
icon for the show. He takes a softer
approach than Jillian when it comes to finding out the background of his
contestants. He often uses more
spiritual exercises like Yoga. Both of
these trainers are good at transforming the contestants into living a healthy
lifestyle. Despite their differences in
approach, Bob and Jillian show the contestants that change isn't easy and they
can look back on this process and know that they never want to have to go
through it again. This provides
motivation in itself to the contestants to continue this healthy lifestyle when
they return to their normal lives.
One common myth in which The Biggest Loser helps to prove
wrong is that weight loss can’t be maintained.
Again, the contestants on The Biggest Loser are morbidly obese and have
tried to lose weight on their own. They've tried fad diets, limited exercise, and have made plenty of
excuses as to why they can’t change. The
Biggest Loser show has proven that contestants can lose the weight and keep it
off. There are several success stories of
contestants that lost significant amounts of weight while on the show. The contestants are able to do this by
learning how to eat healthier overall and not just by eliminating one or two
food groups. They’re also shown how to
properly exercise and how you can make it practical even when living a busy
lifestyle. During the journey the
contestants gain self-confidence and stop making excuses because they start to
believe that they can achieve their goals.
Fortunately, I have not had to personally deal with
obesity. With that being said, I still
find The Biggest Loser, the trainers, and contestants to be great motivators to
strive to become healthier. The show is
well established and has proven to be effective. I have learned that to become healthier and
maintain that status you must make good choices every day. Initially it is tough, just like the
contestants find out in their first month or two on the show but it does get
easier with time. One lesson that I've learned is to always believe that change is possible and you can always learn
and make yourself better.
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