esident earns spot as contestant on Oxygen Channel's reality weight loss dance show

Dance Off

Alicia A.S. Duque’s weight has always been her biggest issue, while dance has always been her greatest passion.

She first found out about the show while surfing the Web one day late last year.

“It’s a dream come true,” she said.

So you can imagine how excited she was when she learned she was going to be a contestant on the Oxygen Channel’s new dance weight loss competition series, “Dance Your Ass Off.”

The show, which airs Monday nights at 10, features a talented, full-figured group of contestants competing to lose the most weight while performing in a series of weekly dance competitions. The last one remaining wins $100,000.

After the judges score the routines, the contestants weigh in and find out how much weight they’ve lost that week. Then their dance scores and weight losses are combined for an overall score. The contestant with the lowest scores goes home.

So far, Ms. Duque has made it safely through the first three rounds of the show, which was taped earlier this year. The 23 year old started the show at 257 pounds, and is down 12.6 pounds going into tonight’s episode.

The contestants are paired with professional dance partners who train them for their routines, which range from hip hop, ballroom and pole dancing. From there, they show their stuff to a live studio audience and a panel of judges made up of professional dancers Danny Teeson, Lisa Ann Walter and Mayte Garcia.

Ms. Duque said she’s been getting plenty of feedback since “Dance” started, be it from her family, her parents, Sam and Mary Duque, or old friends who have tracked her down on Facebook.

“The whole bunch of them have been very supportive,” said Ms. Duque. “I’m glad to be where I am.”

“As soon as I saw it, I said, ‘Ah, this is for me.’” Ms. Duque said.

In no time, she put together an audition tape, on which she discussed her love of dance and how her lifelong struggles with her weight prevented her from pursuing it full force.

“I never truly thought I could be a good dancer,” said Ms. Duque, who took jazz, tap and hip hop lessons off and onthroughout her life.

The tape also included her dancing to Beyonce’s “Single Ladies” and doing a Latin dance routine.

Several weeks later, the show’s producers contacted her with the good news.

Ms. Duque isn’t allowed to discuss her ultimate fate on the show, but she could talk about a few things. That meltdown she had in Week 2 was all too real, she’s kept in close touch with her dance partner and she found the judges to be tough but extremely helpful.

“At the end of the day, they pushed me to go harder. So I thanked them,” she said.

All in all, it was an amazing, life changing experience, said Ms. Duque, who recently began teaching fitness classes to children.

“I sit home and watch it now, and it’s amazing to me,” she said. “Going into it, I didn’t know how much I was going to learn about myself. I didn’t know how many issues I had with my weight until I faced them head on. It gave me a whole new outlook.”

“I owe so much to the show,” she continued. “More so than I can mention in words.”

Article brought to you by the people at Celebrity Nipple Slips And Drunk Celebrities entertainment website.

[Via http://tony3162.wordpress.com]

Turbulence Training 5th Transformation Contest – Final Essay and Results

I have written quite a bit on the Turbulence Training forums and in my blog in the last twelve weeks about the changes in all aspects of my life that I am currently experiencing. I hope nobody minds if I include some of what I have written here. It has been a period of much reflection and I have learned a lot about myself in the process.

I am 41 but have been unhappy with my weight for nearly 30 years now. During that time I’ve learned to loathe myself whilst getting progressively fatter and fatter.

At the beginning of this year I made a decision. There is a history of heart disease, obesity, diabetes etc in my family. I was 40 years old, my blood pressure had just jumped into the hypertension range for the first time after being ‘normal’ for years, I was carrying around at least 6 stone (84 pounds) above my ideal weight, and I was a statistic waiting to happen.

I decided to make some changes, but I also made a decision that I would not make myself miserable over a number. My husband loves me and finds me attractive. I would learn to be a little easier on myself. I would not do ANY programme that did not let me lead a normal life. I didn’t want my life, and my practically every waking thought to be about food – did i have enough calories/points left? was it over 3 hours since my last meal? did this food have [insert banned food of choice] in it – was it allowed? was there enough protein in my snack? Did I have my cool box with my 24 meals in it for the day before I left the house in the morning? Had I earned my carbs? Etc Etc.

Instead, I try to eat more nutritious foods on a weekly basis. Increase my portions of fruit and, especially, vegetables. Drink more water. Choose whole grains. Pick lean organic meats and dairy. Avoid processed foods and words I can’t pronounce. I knew that I would lose weight more quickly by following one of the other programmes, but I’ve been there before only to end up back where I started, or worse. I made some good steady progress for the first three months and then I stalled a bit. About that time I got the email about the TT 5th Transformation Contest so I signed up. I registered with Fit Day and began logging what I ate – still not counting calories but being more aware of what I was eating, and I started off doing the TT for Female Strength programme. After four weeks, my push ups had gone from (10, 11, 12) to (23, 22, 20) and I had lost 4.8 pounds and 1.9% body fat. After another four weeks and finishing phase 2 of TT for Female Strength I had lost another 5.2 pounds and inches all over. My favourite trousers are now not only too big on me but such a different shape that they couldn’t even be altered to fit me properly. For my final four weeks I have been doing the TT Fat Loss Fusion Intermediate programme. I have seen gains in both strength and cardiovascular fitness over the last twelve weeks. In particular, my improvement on the treadmill has been mind boggling – I now warm up at the speed I used to do my ‘hard’ intervals at, and am running (as opposed to walking!) harder and further with each workout but recovering faster, and I am doing tougher and tougher workouts but feeling better after them than before. But the true gains have been in my daily life. I see improvements on almost a daily basis: from walking up the stairs without a second thought rather than frantically searching around for the elevator, to dancing at a festival without getting winded, to spending time with my husband being active (for example, we’ve started playing badminton every week), something we couldn’t do before because I wasn’t up to it. What TT has done for me has opened up my world. This week I am trying out martial arts classes in my area with a view to taking that up. Things I would not even have considered for myself before are now a possibility.

I will always have to be ‘careful’ about what I eat, and continue to workout, if I don’t want to revert to the blob I was at the start. But thanks to Turbulence Training I now realise that I can do that without giving up the things that make life worth living. I no longer have good days or bad days as defined by what I put in my mouth. They’re just days. A bad day is when a school collapses in an earthquake and 200 children are killed. My garlic bread consumption is just another day in my ongoing journey to be a better me. I have lost 26 pounds of weight and 4.8% body fat since the beginning of the year. I have eaten out with friends. I have drunk wine. I’ve even had the odd plate of potato wedges with sour cream and sweet chili sauce. No doubt this has affected the rate at which I have lost weight – but I feel that doing it this way will be sustainable. By setting SMART goals and making it about my health rather than the number on the scale, I am seeing changes in my body, my energy levels, and most importantly, my self respect on practically a daily basis.

Having said that, during this contest I have crossed off three long-standing weight goals. I have dropped my first dress size in years, moved under 200 pounds, and lost over 10% of my starting weight. As a result I am now around 20% less likely to die, over 50% less likely to get diabetes, my blood pressure is back down and I have no doubt that my blood lipid profile is also significantly improved. And what is more, I am finally able to look forward to this likely extended life span with joy and anticipation.

For me, this contest was never about winning. I have used the time, and the amazing support on the forum to help change my life, rather than my body – to learn to become the person I want to be. In many ways, I have derived more strength from the support that I have been able to give others than from that I have received, and this has also had a life-changing impact on me: a new job in the weight management team of our local health service and a masters degree on the horizon. As a person who has struggled with weight and fitness for most of my life, I would not have had the confidence, or felt ‘worthy’ enough to stand up and help others in their own quest. I would like to thank Craig for providing the environment to make this possible, and all those of you who post on the forums for allowing me to share in your stories and your lives.

  Start End (12 wks) Change Height 5′4 (1.64m)     Weight 210.6 lbs 197.7lbs –12.9lbs Body Fat 45.4% 43.4% –2% Waist 110cm 106.5 –3.5cm Hips 129cm 125cm –4cm Left thigh 69.5cm 63.5cm –6cm Left knee 48cm 43cm –5cm Left calf 42cm 40cm –2cm Left bicep 41cm 38.5 –2.5cm

[Via http://blubberbegone.wordpress.com]

Health Food Halos

When I was in college, nearly every trip to the library was preceded by a trip to the Benson Candy Bins. The Benson Candy Bins were, as the name would lead to assume, candy bins that were in our student center. For the swipe of a student ID card magically linked to the parent funded food account you could walk out with a bag of candy as big as you pleased.

And believe me, I pleased.

Freshmen year, I had two favorites: candy corn and puppy chow. (Or, as us apparently less politically correct Northerners call it, “White Trash.” This is a combination of chex mix, pretzels, peanuts and raisins with melted white chocolate and confectioner’s sugar holding it all together. YEA.) Somewhere in the midst of studying for my Health and Exercise Science major in my second year, I realized that this was probably not a very good habit to have.

So, I switched to trail mix.

Much healthier right? Right. IF I was hiking on a trail. As it turns out, I was not hiking on a trail, I was sitting. For hours on end. Without moving.

And I wondered why I kept gaining weight.

Trail mix is not a bad food, but it’s certainly not a food that one should be consuming one mindless handful after another on a completely sedentary day, especially under the wrongful assumption that it was good for us. But this is true of so many foods – there are so many foods that masquerade as health foods, either by their reputations or their deceptively catchy food label claims. To be good stewards of our own health, it is extremely crucial that we each become aware of what our energy needs are and what type of energy we are supplying ourselves with. Here’s a hint: if you’re not losing weight, it’s because the supply is outweighing the needs!

No one is going to do this for you – at least not yet. Slowly the trend is shifting towards more honest food labeling (restaurants with calories on menus: KUDOS TO YOU!), and even more slowly food labeling becomes more truthful (trans fats on labels, at last.) It is an individual responsibility (or in some cases, a parental responsibility) to educate yourself on what you’re putting into your body.

The other day, someone asked me to help them figure out the calories of the restaurant meal they had had. I started with the basics: “what was in it?”

“Well, I don’t know,” they replied. “I was hoping you could tell me.”

I found this to be a difficult task, given that I was not present when they consumed this food! Moreover, I found this a disturbing (but all too common) comment: I did not know what I just put in my body.

Learn what your body needs and fuel yourself appropriately. While trail mix or granola might be perfect for those days when you decide to pack up the bags and hike the Appalachian, a bag of popcorn or cup of grapes might be more suited for those long library sessions.

Know what you’re putting into your body. Read labels. Start looking up some of those words you don’t recognize.

It’s YOUR body. If you’re not going to figure out what’s going into it, who will?

[Via http://megcline.com]

Some Of The Essentials To Be Considered For A Good Life

All of us know that we must worship the body we live in, but how many of us actually follow this particular advice. In fact, on the contrary, a majority of us conveniently forget to pay attention to our bodily needs. Erratic lifestyles,All of us know that we must worship the body we live in, but how many of us uneven working hours, alcohol and cigarettes form the core of our life and all this in turn leads to health concerns. In order to prevent ourselves from falling in to the trap of dangerous and painful diseases, it is best that we begin to adopt a healthy lifestyle. We subject our bodies through various unhealthy activities. All our body needs is a healthy diet accompanied by a little bit of exercise everyday. If we can make sure to provide this to our body, then we can expect to lead a very comfortable and long life.

The food we eat serves as fuel to our body. Our body functions with the help of the nutrients that are present in our food. In the absence of these nutrients, the smooth functioning of our body is badly hampered. A healthy diet is the one that has a good blend of all these essential nutrients. With so many people trying to attain weight loss and the growing awareness about health concerns, there are a lot of studies that are being conducted in order to formulate an ideal diet for different kinds of people.

Today, we have access to the best websites, which give us a lot of valuable information about the nutritive content of our food. These sites also assist us with various healthy recipes, which contain all the ingredients that are required by our body. A lot of people think healthy diets are boring and bland. This is why they are attracted towards junk food, which is high on empty calories and only cause harm to our bodies. A good healthy diet is the one that is not only healthy, but also manages to tickle the taste buds of the people. Such recipes are available on hundreds of websites. All it takes is for someone to find a little time and indulge in making these special treats.

The food we eat has a deeper connection than to maintain our body weight and look fit. Our body functions on these foods. This means that if you eat unhealthy food, your body will have problems functioning. Eating a lot of acidic food can lead to acidity. This happens because the amount of acid in our body supercedes that of the alkalis. In such cases, people are advised to drink only alkaline water. Alkaline water is specially formulated water with the goodness of alkalis. Intake of this water helps to repair any kind of acid-alkali imbalance. This water also helps in flushing out the acid waste in our body, this cleaning our digestive system of any toxins.

To be able to carry out other functions of our life effectively, we have no option but to help our body function effectively first. All it takes to keep oneself healthy is a little bit of care and prevention.

[Via http://healthexocia.wordpress.com]

Study on VO2 Max

Recently, researchers from Birmingham University’s Human Performance Laboratory attempted to pinpoint the exercise intensities at which fat metabolism is maximized in a study of 18 male endurance cyclists with a training background of at least three years. The average age of the participants was 28, and their mean VO2max was 58.4 ml.min-1.kg-1.

All the subjects performed a graded exercise test to exhaustion on a cycle ergometer, starting at 95 watts and increasing their work rate by 35 watts every five minutes. Once the respiratory exchange ratio (R) reached 1.0, the work rate was increased by 35 watts every two minutes until exhaustion.

According to this study, fat prefers to release its generous energy stores during fairly leisurely efforts.

Other research has suggested that when you cycle, swim, row or run at a modest intensity of only 50% VO2max (about 65% of your maximal heart rate), fat provides about half of the calories you need to keep pottering along for the first hour or so. If you keep going after that, fat becomes even more generous, chipping in around 70% of total energy after two hours of such light exertion and 80% or more if your work duration exceeds three hours.

The recommended exertion levels – often at around 50-65% of VO2max – are sometimes said to comprise the ‘fat-burning zone’ (FBZ) of possible exercise intensities. As you can see, FBZ is very similar to the Birmingham Fatmax zone; FBZ is slightly lower on the intensity scale but encompasses most of the intensities in Fatmax.

The intensity of FBZ sessions is low, they can be sustained for very long durations; thus, even though the per-minute rate of calorie burning is puny, the total calories burned during single FBZ sessions can be monumental.

While this may not appear to be a strong selling point, it is true that an athlete who could keep exercising for only one hour at an intensity of 75% VO2max might be able to complete a full two-hour workout at the lower intensity of 50% VO2max. In the former case, 660 calories would be burned, but in the latter 880 calories would sail out the window. Seen from this perspective, FBZ training has a certain attraction – for people who have two hours to spare.

For  The research article, you can see the following link :

Fat Burning : train your metabolism to use up those calories

[Via http://nxgnutrition.wordpress.com]

Day 01 - "Where Should I start?"

Today is Sunday 08/16/09 the first days of my 365 adventure “weight loss with God.”  One  might be asking why somebody would come up with this idea and put it in practice… Well, actually I can answer it very quickly and easily; I have tried different diets and tips and so far after all these years nothing has worked  out – I have gained around 60 lbs these past 3 years and I’m a pretty strong candidate for  heart disease, diabetes, and physical pain in the future  if I don’t take a hold of my weight problem right now and start changing my food habits to prevent all these serious and most of the time irreversible diseases to happen – so I came up with this “brilliant” idea….  the answer has to be in God. Malachi 3:10 says, “10Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.  In the Old Testament the tithe was set aside to be used to maintain the temple, the priest, and other such matter, applying this to my life, my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and everything is God’s therefore to work in surrender to God is to give everything I am to him, and with this passage I am challenging God to open the gates of heaven and pour out the blessings of the weight loss in my life. 

 I am not trying to commercialize any type of diet program but there are good ideas outside that I will be using to reeducate myself and utilizing as a food education to myself. I’m currently going to Weight Watchers and I have lost in a couple of months 7.40 lbs.  One can ask can this program be the answer to all my problem? I will say with all assurance NO, I tried before and it didn’t work. Even though one can say this program is successful in itself without people having to challenge God  and turn their weight problem to Him. In knowing myself, I need more than a simple food program to lose and keep the weight off. I have a food problem.  I’m addicted to it! There is a big difference in between liking and enjoying food or being a glutton. I stuff myself with food when I am anxious, sad and stressed, so why not “stuff” myself with God when I’m feeling down? Would be anything healthier than that? I wouldn’t thing so.

In summary, I know I have to clean myself from inside out. Yes, I can lose all the weight just based on our secular diets but I need more, I need this deep, heatlhy connection with God. I want to surrender all I am and I all I have to him. I have to test him and consequently have a more deep knowledge of who God is, why he created me, and what is my purpose in being here in this earth.  Since, I am an image of God everything I do and accomplish needs to be in communion with God and His purpose for me otherwise it loses the meaning in itself.

I’m ready to start this journey not because I want to enjoy the results of a healthier/thinner me but utmost to enjoy a closer and healthier relationship with my Creator. 

So the journey starts……………………..1 of 365

[Via http://365dwlg.wordpress.com]

Hidden Gem: Walmart?!

Before I really get into this post, I should say that before yesterday I had only been to a Walmart once, and that was on Cape Cod, of all places.  Walmart is one of those places that has the same sort of reputation as KMart.  Not to be snooty or anything, but it’s not the typical type of place that I go.

Except that Ish had recently worn this adorable top and when I asked her where she got it, she said Walmart.  I’d read a few other bloggers’ posts about finding inexpensive workout clothes at Walmart, and I figured, why not give it a try?

So after spending most of the afternoon in a very affluent and ritzy little town, we headed to the East Side (why is it that the east side of so many cities is the area that has the most crime, violence, gang-related issues, etc?  I remember talking about this in my teaching credential program way back when).  Anyway, this Walmart wasn’t located in the safest neighborhood, but Ish reassured me that everyone was very friendly and easygoing.

We walked in and I was overwhelmed with the amount of people in the store.  This store is huge, but it seemed to be crawling with people, all looking for the best bang for their buck.  Plus, it was the last weekend before school starts for many people, so I think they were doing some back-to-school shopping, as well.

My main mission was to find workout clothes, but being the avid shopper that I am, I was open to finding other deals and steals, as well. I couldn’t believe the prices!  Even if the clothes don’t last more than a season, these were amazing prices.

The main items I was in search of were workout tops (tanks & t-shirts), workout bras, and socks.  Right away I was drawn to some great hoodie and pants sets that I knew would be so comfy for the coming fall and winter:

Just My Size hoodie for only $15

I also got this in a berry color, along with the matching bottoms, which were also $15.  I whole outfit for $30?  It would’ve been at least $50 at Lane Bryant.  I tried it on and it looked really cute, except for the fact that the pants are about 3-4 inches too long on me, but that’s the way it always goes for me, since I have short legs.  If the pants aren’t cropped, I have problems.  Ish recommended buying some sort of  sewing tape, since I’m not handy with a needle and thread.

I also found the same top that Ish had on that I loved.  The picture from the website doesn’t show the style well, so here’s my picture, instead:

This was only $13

I got it in turquoise and navy blue, as well.  That bit of white that’s peaking out that looks like a tank is actually a little sewn-in piece of fabric.  So cute!  It’s super soft and comfy.  Besides wearing it to workout, I can definitely see myself wearing it for “lounging,” too.

I also found some great workout socks.  Now this may not seem like much to brag about, but I love that Walmart has socks for people with smaller feet.  I can’t seem to find socks in the size 4-9 anywhere else.  They just fit so much better without the extra material to cause blisters.

What I didn’t find in the store:

• sports bras
• tanks
• t-shirts

This seemed really odd to me, but maybe they were just out?  I did look these things up online and found them at great prices, so I’m going to buy them.  The sports bras came in a 3-pack (red, black, and white) for $9.98.  (Sports bras at Target are $16 each).  They also had tanks online for $6 each.  The colors were a bit limited, but I found 3 – in fushia, orange, and turquoise, all of which will go just fine with my black yoga pants that I wear.  The other item that I found online were these adorable Betty Boop pjs:

Only $8

I took a picture of the closeup,just to give you an idea.  These are size XXL, which I probably won’t fit into right now (all of my weight is in my thighs/hips), but they should fit soon enough. I love that they’re capri length, which means they’ll be perfect for my short legs.

While I don’t think I’ll do much shopping at Walmart in general, it was a great place to find some inexpensive plus-sized clothes to wear right now.  Which leads me to a little bit of rant…

Why the heck don’t stores like Target and Kohl’s have more plus-sized workout clothes?  How the heck do  they expect us to fit into their “normal” sizes someday if they don’t offer workout clothes that fit us now?  Ugh!  Places that specialize in high-end activewear like, Lucy and Lululemon are just as culpable.  Would it really kill them to have a few plus-sized items to offer for those times when we want to splurge on fitness clothes?  It just kills me.  I know there are sites like Junonia that specialize in plus-size activewear, but those clothes are so expensive!  It makes me mad that there aren’t more affordable plus-sized active clothes available.  I think someone would make a killing if they opened a store that was geared for women like me who have become active and need clothes.

Where do you guys go to find affordable workout wear?  I’d love to get some new shopping ideas.

[Via http://bellaonthebeach.wordpress.com]