Excited for this opportunity!

Posted on February 16, 2012 | Comments Off

From Katie:  I am so excited about the opportunity I have been given by the Daily Herald, Push Fitness, and all the other sponsors. I know that these next 11 weeks will not come easy, and that my family will also have to make a lot of sacrifices, but I am hoping in the long run it will all be worth it.

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Boot Camp!

Posted on February 16, 2012 | 1 Comment

From Karen: One thing Cathy forgot to add was the Eagle! The Flying Bird! There was one in the fitness studio… Yes that is correct at Push Fitness there was a soaring Eagle! Do we not have a photo to share our Bird??? Check and see!

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Boot Camp is a Knockout

Posted on February 11, 2012 | 1 Comment

From Cathi: Well, we had our first Boot Camp this morning at 7 a.m., or the Crack ‘o Dawn as I like to call it. Though I’ve been terrified about it for weeks, boy oh boy, was it fun!

Punching things was the order of the day. What’s not to love?

I’d never strapped on a pair of boxing gloves before, which was probably evident by the fact I had a heck of a time un-strapping them after every rotation of activities. I’m sure there’s a secret to using Velcro when you’ve only got one opposable thing and a big stuffed, blob of fingers, but I haven’t figured it out.

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Fittest Loser – Week One

Posted on February 11, 2012 | Comments Off

From Brian: Been given a great opportunity by Push Fitness, the Daily Herald and supporting sponsors to do what should have been done for some time now. Get back in shape, re-tool my diet and change my lifestyle. Everyone has been supportive and welcoming. My fellow competitors are great as well. Looking forward to the next 11 weeks.

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Journey of a lifetime!

Posted on February 11, 2012 | 2 Comments

From Karen:  The next 12 weeks will be a journey to test me to the fullest!  With the help of my wonderful trainer Tony and hard work I will be creating a “new me” .  Join me and the other contestants to follow us through our transformations!

Thank you Push Fitness you are all great. Thank you Dick Pond for the best shoes in the entire world. And thank you Daily Herald for giving me this chance.

Contestant: Karen ..aka “Special K”

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Chocolate for breakfast? Oh, yeah!

Posted on February 10, 2012 | Comments Off

A new study shows chocolate for breakast may help you keep the weight off.

From Eileen:  Be still my heart! A new study by Tel Aviv University researchers shows that eating sweets after breakfast may help you lose weight in the long run.

The study included 200 non-diabetic patients who were considered obese by clinical definition. Each was randomly assigned to a group who either consumed a 300-calorie breakfast or a 600-calorie breakfast, which always included some sort of sweet treat.

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Fittest Loser goes viral!

Posted on February 3, 2012 | 1 Comment

Fittest Loser contestant Michael White (left) and WGN radio host John Williams.

From Eileen: While we aren’t ready to announce our contestants for the Daily Herald/Push Fitness Fittest Loser 2012 competion, we will let you know about one of the chosen six. 

Michael White of West Dundee has been selected and shared the news on the John Williams show on WGN radio (720 am) this week. Michael met John at a WGN Christmas Party event in December and the two hit it off.  Michael will be sharing his progress with John on Radio 720 WGN as the weeks go by.

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Fittest Loser v.4 starts soon

Posted on February 2, 2012 | Comments Off

From Eileen: We are getting ready to launch the Fittest Loser 2012 and it’s going to be bigger and better than ever.

This year, we have expanded the field from five to six contestants, who will be unveiled in the Daily Herald Health and Fitness section on Feb. 20.

Stay tuned! They are a great bunch and we know they will do us proud.

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Is it time to start planning your next vacation?

Posted on September 20, 2011 | Comments Off

From Joe: That looks like an odd question to find at TheFittestLoser. But I recently encountered some information about vacation planning that made me wonder if thinking and planning about vacations might be similar to thinking and planning other journeys – real and metaphorical – we take in life. In a recent “how to” article giving tips for planning vacations, Michelle Higgins summarizes what scientists have found about how your happiness is affected by vacation trips. It turns out that your anticipation of the vacation plays an extremely important role in the effect your vacation will have on your overall happiness. In many cases, the anticipation and planning of the vacation will create more happiness than the vacation itself! Hence, Ms. Higgins advises us to relish the anticipation of the event:

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One more thing to exercise … your willpower

Posted on September 7, 2011 | Comments Off

  From Eileen: The hardest part of any diet and/or exercise program is … staying on the diet and/or exercise program.

 We get tired. We get tempted. We give in. We give up. It happens to us all.

 And then we berate ourselves for our lack of willpower.  A new book called, appropriately enough, “Willpower” by Roy F. Baumeister and John Tierney, examines the mysteries and vagaries of self control. The authors compare willpower to a muscle that needs to be built up.

 In a review in the New York Times, noted author Steven Pinker writes:

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