There is only word to describe how the Couples are feeling after last night’s episode: SORE!
And it’s not just their bodies that have been pushed to the limits; pride was really on the line last night.
I’ll never forget my first training session: I was so scared I could barely breathe! Everything hurt, every muscle ached and that was even before the session began! You see, some of those male contestants this year are actually quite fit (I’m thinking of the brothers Nathan and Andrew, and team mates Sean and Ben), but me, I hadn’t exercised since I was 16!
I didn’t realise this till after the fact, but that first training session is as much psychological as it is physical. Shannan and Michelle want to see what your body can do, but they’re also testing your mettle.
When Sharif expressed his self doubt and said, “I just don’t think I can do it,” I was reminded of myself over 12 months ago. In my first training session, my mind just kept saying, “There’s no way you can do this.” My heart wanted to continue, but my head just wanted to give up…
But, as all of the Couples demonstrated, you pick yourself up and keep going, and afterwards you’re rewarded with a very satisfying sense of achievement.
“Dig deep,” is how Michelle described it. And, truly, that’s what you’ve got to do on this journey. You’ve got to dig deep with your food plan, with your motivation levels, with exercise – you’ve just got to keep going when you’re tempted to give up.
The journey doesn’t always get easier, but as Michelle explained, you get tougher! The Couples are likely to find their next training session even worse because now they know what to expect. But they also go into it with a sense of achievement having survived the beach.
Another fantastic quote from Michelle last night was, “Girlfriend, you bought the ticket!” She was using tough love to bring Holly back from the brink of giving up, and it worked. I know you’re all probably thinking Holly is a bit of a problem child, but I could empathise as I, too, was singled out in my first training session for individual physical torture!
While it was good to see Holly push herself out of her comfort zone, I’ve decided “You bought the ticket,” is my motto for the week! It’s pretty easy to talk the talk with health and fitness. Those of us who have sat on our gym memberships or Club memberships and haven’t really participated have bought the ticket – now it’s time to use it!
I wanted to do a few quick shout-outs to a couple of contestants who I thought were really ‘using their tickets’ last night:
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Bob, who’s a champion for acknowledging that his pride was one of the sorest things after the session;
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Amanda, for being the biggest and toughest girl on the beach;
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Tania – to be carrying so much excess weight and lift sandbags like that is very impressive!
I also think as a team the Couples made the right decision by choosing eggs in the Warehouse. It will be interesting to see what creative solutions they come up with. Of course, there are some great egg recipes in The Biggest Loser Club menu plans along with some delicious meals in the Recipes section. I recommend the egg white omelette and the roast vegetable frittata!
On tonight’s episode the Couples are in for their first-ever Temptation where they’ll truly start to ‘play the game’. Be sure to tune in at 7PM on TEN and check your inbox tomorrow morning for my updates.
Episode 3 highlights
If you missed last night's episode, you can catch up at The Biggest Loser TV show website.
Below I've posted my favourite segment from the first training session. It includes: "You bought the ticket" where Michelle serves Holly with some tough love (it's about 2 minutes into the video); "You get tougher" where Michelle encourages Tania about the journey ahead (about 6 minutes in); and "I need this" where Amanda shares her history of addiction with Shannan (at the 7 minute mark).