Im not angry. Im a trainer no mo’. And the “fit” piece is debatable…

Though Im doing this today. I promise…

…but Im hanging with my friend ANGRY TRAINER today.

Click on my tattoo (and check out HIS ink!) to join me.

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Q+A: Newest Biggest Loser Trainer Anna Kournikova

Anna Kournikova, who has been a guest on the Ranch in the past, joins The Biggest Loser as  a full-time trainer this season, bring her own sort of fire and intensity and a whole new energy. Kournikova has had a tennis racket in her hands since the age of five, and, as the daughter of two athletes, grew up training hard, pounding backhands in her native Moscow, and made a splash on the international tennis circuit while still in her teens.

I met with Anna at the start of season 12 to discuss The Biggest Loser approach to food and nutrition and had the chance to ask her a little a bit about her career and what she would do to motivate the contestants this season.

What’s the greatest adversity you’ve faced and how did you overcome it?
Anna: Having significant injuries as a professional athlete and finding creative ways to still workout and train.

What do you think you can do to inspire others?
Anna: The most important thing I can do to inspire others is to tell them to dream big! Growing up in the Soviet Union I was a small girl with very modest means but I had big dreams of becoming a professional tennis player. I can personally tell everyone that with a lot of hard work and dedication you can achieve things that you never thought were possible.

What would most surprise people about you?
Anna: I am a huge adrenaline junky and love to try all sorts of cool and exciting action sports.

How would you describe your tennis playing style, and, how if at all, do you think this relates to your approach to life?
Anna: I have always loved to be creative on the court, and sometimes it worked to my advantage and sometimes it didn’t. I was never a “play it safe” athlete; I always loved to take some risks. I think I approach life this way, too.

I am, overall, pretty regimented, which is a given having been a professional athlete, but I love to mix it up a bit and have some fun. I am a Gemini so it’s in my blood!

What is your favorite recovery food, following an intense workout?
Anna: All the carb choices like bananas, oranges, or whole wheat pasta if I need more fuel to keep going.

What’s your food weakness or indulgence?
Anna: I love a juicy cheeseburger with sweet potato fries

What is one meal or snack you love that feels indulgent, but isn’t?
Anna: Guacamole and whole wheat tortilla chips -- of course, in moderation!

What do you listen to when working out?
Anna: Anything and everything that keeps me moving and motivated!

What’s the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
Anna: Trust your gut, and know who you are as a person. You really have to know who you are and you have to be a complete person before you can give to others.

View the original article here

Cheryl Chats With Biggest Loser Trainer Dolvett Quince

The charismatic trainer Dolvett Quince joins The Biggest Loser this season, bringing years of expertise in, in his words, "body sculpting." He keeps his clientele in shape and works with some to transform their bodies (one client lost 325 pounds) as founder of Atlanta, GA-based Body Sculptor fitness studios. In preparation for this season of BL, I had the chance to chat with Dolvett about fitness, training Atlanta's celebs (Justin Beiber even brought him on tour), and his advice for the rest of us.

Cheryl: What is the number one mistake people make when starting a training program?
Dolvett: Getting started without stretching.

Cheryl: What do you say to someone who thinks they are too out of shape to start exercising?
Dolvett: How much more out of shape are you gonna get before you get started?

Cheryl: You own your own successful fitness studios and have trained everyone from Justin Beiber to Janet Jackson. Of your accomplishments as a trainer, which are you most proud of?
Dolvett: I'd have to say making it here on Biggest Loser, I can affect more people, and help change lives.

Cheryl: Any of your celeb training clients ever give you a hard time about working out?
Dolvett: Always. No one really loves working out until the compliments come in, so the hard work pays off.

Cheryl: Do you ever get starstruck?
Dolvett: Sure, Im a fan like anyone else, I admire anyone who is great at what they do...it motivates me.

Cheryl: What do you love to eat following an intense workout?
Dolvett: Chicken and spinach salad! Mmmmmmm yum!

Cheryl: What's your food weakness or favorite indulgence?
Dolvett: I love, love sweets … lemon cake!

Cheryl: Is there anything that most people (even your friends!) don't know about you?
Dolvett: I don't take myself too seriously, so I've always had a dream of doing standup comedy, or singing the national anthem before a game!!

View the original article here

The winner of my My Fitness Trainer workout cards:

Nancy of this comment: I would bring you to soccer games (not mine the boys’) and use you in the bleachers

Mel of this comment: I would bring you to my office and get a group of us to do you instead of taking coffee breaks.

Evelyn of this comment: The bathroom.  I’d hide from the twins and exercise with you. LOL

Email me your mailing address (MizFit08 at yahoo dot com) and your treats shall be on their way!

View the original article here

Exercise Explorer Professional - Powerful Exercise and Workout Management Software for Personal Trainers, Fitness Professionals or Anyone Administering Exercise Programs - 1 Trainer & 25 Clients Version

EXERCISE EXPLORER PROFESSIONAL is a powerful exercise management tool. Designed to be easy-to-use, it creates exercise routines quickly, prints workout & exercise cards, tracks exercise performance & performs fitness evaluations. Complete personalized reporting capabilities, an anatomical muscle reference, videos & pictures of every exercise are just a few of the features that will help you provide a professional image to your clients. There is a Trainer Edition & Club Edition. Each Edition has several versions to match your client base or club configuration. Upgrades to any professional version with more clients or more trainers are available for simply the price difference between the versions. The software will support you as you grow. WORKOUTS: Generating workouts is made simple by using a wizard to go step by step through the process. Workouts are adjusted automatically to a client's fitness level & ability, with flexible scheduling & equipment choices. Additional exercises may be added to the 379 exercises in the system & all printed reports & cards may be personalized with custom text & logos. Workouts may target any combination of body regions or activities. This targeting is made possible by a relational database that has detailed analyses of all the exercises & over 100 activities ranging from archery to water skiing. TRACKING & REPORTS: Producing a personalized, comprehensive report is as easy as selecting the start & end dates. Reports use charts & tables to show performance improvement, workout statistics, calories used, & measurement changes. Notes & comments may be added to provide even more information. CLIENT MANAGEMENT: Client personal information, fitness level, exercise goals, measurements to track & a comment log are saved. REFERENCES & RESOURCES: Exercise Explorer provides many additional features, such as adding custom logos to reports & cards, printing detailed anatomical muscle drawings, & adding exercises & equipment into the system.

Price: $179.95

Click here to buy from Amazon

Meet Brett - new Biggest Loser trainer

A 15-year veteran of the health and wellness industry, fitness instructor and nationally-recognized personal trainer Brett Hoebel has helped shape-up some of Hollywood’s finest, including Victoria Secret supermodels, A-list actors, fashion designers and music icons. He was co-star of a reality fitness show on cable called “Fit Family,” and has made numerous appearances on talk shows like “The View,” “The Today Show” and “Good Morning America.” He has served as a contributing fitness expert for many publications, including Vogue, The New York Times, Elle, InStyle, Shape and Self. Brett is also certified in corrective holistic exercise kinesiology, kettle bell instruction, Olympic lifting and lifestyle coaching, Hatha Yoga instruction and prenatal and postpartum conditioning.

Recently I asked Brett a few questions about his background and motivations.

What led you to become a personal trainer?

After graduating pre-med from college, I became a lab-technician doing biomedical research while taking my MCATs and applying to medical school. On the small salary I was earning, I couldn’t afford a gym membership and decided to apply for a job as assistant boxing instructor at New York Sports Clubs in Manhattan, where I was living. I quickly found that teaching boxing -- and eventually kickboxing -- classes was the one thing I truly enjoyed and looked forward to every day. It was while I was working as a boxing/kickboxing instructor that I realized I could combine my medical background with my love of fitness and health. In the locker room one day, I ran into a group of trainers who were studying for an exam. They were stumped on a physics problem, which I helped them solve. Turns out, they were studying for their personal training certification. That changed my view of what a personal trainer was, i.e., a super buff guy who just counted reps. I was intrigued with the science aspect of personal training so, after switching from medicine to finance, I finally chose fitness as my full-time career and have never turned back.

What’s your training philosophy?

I have what I call a “walk your talk” philosophy. I use an integrative approach for living a mindful, healthy life, which comes not only from my background in different Eastern and Western disciplines, like martial arts and biomedical science, but also from my experience growing up as an over-weight teenager. Being in the health and fitness industry is not a job; it’s a privilege and a way of life. It’s not a part-time thing; it’s about making sure you walk your talk. The health revolution needs leaders, so lead by example and embody the values that people will be inspired by. It’s about mental strength -- that’s what it takes to endure the physical, mental and emotional challenges you will face getting in-shape and staying in-shape. It’s about discipline -- living a healthy lifestyle is done one day at a time. It’s about trust -- you have to build it -- and respect -- you have to earn it. Once you do, you can transform someone’s body and their life. It’s about love and tough love -- when someone gives their best effort, show them some love, but when someone wants to give-up, you have to be tough and motivate them not to quit. And it’s absolutely about going there -- once you push to your limits, you won’t settle for less.

How do you keep up with the trends in the fitness industry?

I had two colleagues who pointed me in the right direction for higher learning in both personal training and group fitness, Joe Dowdell and Stacey Krauss. They introduced me to several of my fitness mentors as well as many informative conferences and seminars I’ve attended over the years. I always say, “You have to invest in your knowledge and your future.” I have spent a lot of time and money on my education over the past 15 years, learning from some of the best in the industry. I believe higher education in the health and fitness industry is a must because there is no guesswork with science -- physics, anatomy, kinesiology and biomechanics -- you either know it or you don’t. Sir Isaac Newton, the father of physics, said, “If I’ve seen far, it’s because I stood on the shoulders of giants.” That’s exactly how I feel about my mentors and my contribution to this field.

What’s your greatest strength...what’s your greatest weakness?
My greatest strength is being able to admit when I’m wrong and putting my ego aside to ask for help or advice.
My greatest weakness is probably not having enough patience for some things...this Jedi is still learning.

What’s your biggest struggle with motivation?
Always finding the balance between personal life, fitness life and business -- too much of one or the other has hindered my motivation in all of them.

Have you ever been overweight?
Yes, as a teenager from sixth grade to freshman year in high school. It was probably the most difficult time of my life. I changed my mindset, my emotional foundation, and became determined to make varsity teams in football, wresting and lacrosse. I weighed in at 170 pounds for football my freshman year, and then wrestled at 120 pounds my sophomore year. I lost 50 pounds that year through blood, sweat and tears.

How do you deal with failure and disappointment?
I try to learn from them. Rather than taking failure or disappointment personally, I try to look at what positive can be gained from the situation or outcome.

What’s your biggest goal/wish for the Biggest Loser contestants?
That they “walk their talk” and inspire others to do the same. If they do this, they will keep themselves accountable and not gain the weight back.

Anything else people should know about you?
I was adopted as an infant and feel it was the luckiest thing ever. My adoptive family and family I’ve met on my birth mother’s side are the most AMAZING people ever. Everything happens for a reason!

View the original article here

Meet Cara - New Trainer at the Ranch

A two-time Golden Gloves winner once ranked No. 2 in the nation by USA Boxing, Cara Castronuova is a certified trainer whose passion for her sport and being fit began early in her childhood. She and trainer Brett Hoebel join the Biggest Loser family this, our 11th, season.

Recently I asked Cara a few questions about her background and motivations.

What is your training/exercise philosophy?

My philosophy is to train hard and push yourself mentally and physically - and to know no limitations. Limitation is a word I have deleted from my vocabulary.

What led you to become a personal trainer?
My passion to help fight obesity.

How do you keep yourself up to date with the latest/greatest advances, techniques, research and trends in the fitness industry?
I love to take classes, work and collaborate with other trainers, and try new things out so I constantly evolve and get better.

What’s your greatest strength? What’s your greatest weakness?
My greatest strength is my mental fortitude and perseverance.  My greatest weakness is New York pizza.

What’s your biggest struggle with motivation?
To truly help a person, they have to first want to help themselves. You can't force them to want to get better. It's a hard pill to swallow as a fitness trainer when you have the true desire to help a person but they don't have the same desire for themselves.

Have you ever been overweight?
No - but I work hard day in and day out to maintain a healthy weight by working out, eating healthy food and taking care of my body.

How do you deal with failure/disappointment?
Adversity and failure are like medicine to my soul - they make me stronger and drive me to fight harder.

What’s your biggest goal/wish for the contestants?
I want them to leave the Ranch and live amazing, healthy lives - and to never forget how strong they are. If they get knocked down, I hope they've learned to get right back up and fight even harder - no matter what.

Anything else you'd like people to know about you?
I do one hundred push-ups every day.

Learn more about Cara here

View the original article here

Exercise Explorer Professional - Powerful Exercise and Workout Management Software for Personal Trainers, Fitness Professionals or Anyone Administering Exercise Programs - 1 Trainer & 25 Clients Version

EXERCISE EXPLORER PROFESSIONAL is a powerful exercise management tool. Designed to be easy-to-use, it creates exercise routines quickly, prints workout & exercise cards, tracks exercise performance & performs fitness evaluations. Complete personalized reporting capabilities, an anatomical muscle reference, videos & pictures of every exercise are just a few of the features that will help you provide a professional image to your clients. There is a Trainer Edition & Club Edition. Each Edition has several versions to match your client base or club configuration. Upgrades to any professional version with more clients or more trainers are available for simply the price difference between the versions. The software will support you as you grow. WORKOUTS: Generating workouts is made simple by using a wizard to go step by step through the process. Workouts are adjusted automatically to a client's fitness level & ability, with flexible scheduling & equipment choices. Additional exercises may be added to the 379 exercises in the system & all printed reports & cards may be personalized with custom text & logos. Workouts may target any combination of body regions or activities. This targeting is made possible by a relational database that has detailed analyses of all the exercises & over 100 activities ranging from archery to water skiing. TRACKING & REPORTS: Producing a personalized, comprehensive report is as easy as selecting the start & end dates. Reports use charts & tables to show performance improvement, workout statistics, calories used, & measurement changes. Notes & comments may be added to provide even more information. CLIENT MANAGEMENT: Client personal information, fitness level, exercise goals, measurements to track & a comment log are saved. REFERENCES & RESOURCES: Exercise Explorer provides many additional features, such as adding custom logos to reports & cards, printing detailed anatomical muscle drawings, & adding exercises & equipment into the system.

Price: $179.95

Click here to buy from Amazon

Exercise Explorer Professional - Powerful Exercise and Workout Management Software for Personal Trainers, Fitness Professionals or Anyone Administering Exercise Programs - 1 Trainer & 25 Clients Version

EXERCISE EXPLORER PROFESSIONAL is a powerful exercise management tool. Designed to be easy-to-use, it creates exercise routines quickly, prints workout & exercise cards, tracks exercise performance & performs fitness evaluations. Complete personalized reporting capabilities, an anatomical muscle reference, videos & pictures of every exercise are just a few of the features that will help you provide a professional image to your clients. There is a Trainer Edition & Club Edition. Each Edition has several versions to match your client base or club configuration. Upgrades to any professional version with more clients or more trainers are available for simply the price difference between the versions. The software will support you as you grow. WORKOUTS: Generating workouts is made simple by using a wizard to go step by step through the process. Workouts are adjusted automatically to a client's fitness level & ability, with flexible scheduling & equipment choices. Additional exercises may be added to the 379 exercises in the system & all printed reports & cards may be personalized with custom text & logos. Workouts may target any combination of body regions or activities. This targeting is made possible by a relational database that has detailed analyses of all the exercises & over 100 activities ranging from archery to water skiing. TRACKING & REPORTS: Producing a personalized, comprehensive report is as easy as selecting the start & end dates. Reports use charts & tables to show performance improvement, workout statistics, calories used, & measurement changes. Notes & comments may be added to provide even more information. CLIENT MANAGEMENT: Client personal information, fitness level, exercise goals, measurements to track & a comment log are saved. REFERENCES & RESOURCES: Exercise Explorer provides many additional features, such as adding custom logos to reports & cards, printing detailed anatomical muscle drawings, & adding exercises & equipment into the system.

Price: $179.95

Click here to buy from Amazon

Personal Trainer: Walking

Personal Trainer: Walking for Nintendo DS...A new entry in the Personal Trainer series is Personal Trainer: Walking, which launches May 25. Personal Trainer: Walking tracks users' progress and makes going for a walk a little more fun. It comes with two pedometers that users can wirelessly connect to their Nintendo DS system when they return home.

Price: $49.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

Personal Trainer: Walking

Personal Trainer: Walking for Nintendo DS...A new entry in the Personal Trainer series is Personal Trainer: Walking, which launches May 25. Personal Trainer: Walking tracks users' progress and makes going for a walk a little more fun. It comes with two pedometers that users can wirelessly connect to their Nintendo DS system when they return home.

Price: $49.99

Click here to buy from Amazon

Personal Trainer: Walking

Personal Trainer: Walking for Nintendo DS...A new entry in the Personal Trainer series is Personal Trainer: Walking, which launches May 25. Personal Trainer: Walking tracks users' progress and makes going for a walk a little more fun. It comes with two pedometers that users can wirelessly connect to their Nintendo DS system when they return home.

Price: $49.99

Click here to buy from Amazon