You've seen The Biggest Loser contestants go from couch potatoes to marathon runners in a matter of months. But do you have to be so drastic to transform your life with exercise? Is it possible without the Commando, Shannan and Michelle on your shoulder? And can you do it safely on the outside?
Use the online diary and you'll see that every type of activity burns calories, while weight-bearing exercises, such as brisk walking and running, strengthen your bones too.
There's no doubt that exercise will help you get in shape quicker, but many people get truly hooked when they experience the effects on happiness and wellbeing.
Working out releases of mood-lifting chemicals called endorphins, which studies have shown can even help beat depression. Regular exercise boosts energy levels, cuts stress, increases the efficiency of your heart and lungs and lowers blood pressure. And, it can even help you sleep more soundly!
Whether you hit the forums or get onto Facebook, if you meet other members you'll soon realise that getting fit on the outside is well within your reach, even if you've never exercised before. You don't need to run 42km for a real-life revolution. Just take is slowly and built your fitness gradually.
Get going
Before she embarked upon her Club Second Chance Challenge last year, Tanya Gathercole avoided exercise at all costs. But Tanya was determined to change her life when she joined The Biggest Loser Club and so she factored exercise into her routine – and she still does.
“At the beginning, the most important advice is to get moving – do something. Once you start, you’ll not only start to look better, you’ll feel better too,” Tanya said.
“I began with walking everyday for at least 30 minutes. Now, I run for an hour and I really enjoy it. In fact, after a long day in the office where it can sometimes get a little stressful, a good work out always makes me feel better and it clears my mind.”
Tanya has lost 44kg so far and she’s still going strong.
Sydney-based fitness trainer Roza Bacelas advises members to build their fitness gradually. "Walking is a great way to start your exercise routine," she said. "Once you can walk easily for half an hour every day, move onto the next stage, which might be a short burst of faster walking or even running. Then, gradually, increase the intensity and the length of your workouts to grow your fitness.”
Give yourself time
Fiona Fisher lost an incredible 40kg with The Club. She did everything possible to avoid exercise at first but once she started to eat more healthily and be more active, she found that she began to really love it.
“I used to run and I watched some of the contestants on The Biggest Loser sprinting on the treadmill during a workout session. Some of them reached 15km/h and I decided to make that my aim,” she said.
“I built up to it, and now I can sprint at 14km/h and I'm still going strong. Running is an important part of my life now and I run for around 10km, three times a week. I include two weights sessions and an hour with my personal trainer too.”
Choose what you love
Being in her late fifties, Mary Craven feared that it may be too late to lose weight and kick a lifetime of unhealthy habits. But, you should see her now! She has dropped more than 50kg and exercises regularly.
“Exercise used to be my worst enemy,” she said. “How can you exercise with any degree of comfort and without feeling embarrassed about disrobing in public when you are morbidly obese?”
Mary always enjoyed swimming so she decided to give it a go. Once in the water, she describes the weightlessness and the feeling of the water as “sheer joy”.
Once she was used to eating healthier, she focused on her exercise regime. Mary began swimming laps with a mixture of flipper work and stroke work. After a few weeks, she added some gym work with a personal trainer and continues with all of these activities regularly.
The most important factor for Mary was overcoming the embarrassment of being on display.
“I forced myself to keep focused on what I was doing and not look around to see if anyone was actually watching me in my swimmers,” she explained.
“Once I started to exercise, I felt so much better physically and mentally and I wasn’t the slightest bit concerned. I just did my thing as everyone else did. Let's face it, there are very few perfect bodies out there anyway, and I can outswim a lot of them!”
Go it alone
Like Mary, 22-year-old Amanda Russelhuber was embarrassed about her size and this made her reluctant to exercise. But, she had an ingenious plan to overcome her awkwardness... She began running at her local soccer fields in the evenings when she was sure that no one would be around.
By combining smarter eating choices with this convenient – and free – form of aerobic exercise, Amanda lost a fantastic 22.3kg.
Get a buddy
Take a look at The Perthites (a group of Clubbies on the forums, based in Perth) and you may be forgiven for thinking that joining The Biggest Loser Club is the first step to becoming a runner. But, whatever exercise challenge you choose, having a workout buddy will really help you get started and stick to your workout dates.
Perthite Jodie Knight developed a special friendship with Perth-based Alison Lawton, first via the forums and then during group exercise sessions. Soon after, the friends often began working out as a duo.
“We encouraged each other, we made sure each of us stayed on track with the program and we would offer support every day,” Jodie said. “Plus, the healthy competition made us both crank up the pressure a bit!