Favorites Week

I loved Biggest Loser last night and one hour of it was just perfect on Mitch’s birthday, which we had a great day celebrating.  Being favorites week, it was great to see Ali and Sam (OMG, Sam) in the gym training the remaining 7 contestants.  A 5k followed by circuits, a vigorous yet doable workout.  I liked it.  I loved that he then taught them about the glory of hummus, one of my favorite foods in the world.  While he suggested it as the condiment, then adding your protein of choice and veggies on a wrap, hummus IS my protein of choice, though I am thinking adding some cubed tofu to my wraps is probably a good idea.  I need to revisit making tofu (something I used to do much more before Gardein products came to the market) and keeping it cooked in the fridge and adding to wraps and salads.

At the challenge, which is at a racetrack (weird to me because of the book I just finished…see below), we get to see alumni Tara Costa, where she once won the car pulling challenge.  Race car driver Clint Bowyer is also there and tells them that they will all be competing in the car pull, including Tara.  Besides bragging rights, the winner will get to be Clint’s guest at the Richmond International Raceway, $5,000 and their face on the Wheaties box!  Tara wins, which I only liked because it would have otherwise been Rulon and I did NOT want the obvious choice, to win.  Tara will donate her $5,000 to her organization, Inspire Change.

At the last chance workout the trainers lean to what they feel most comfortable with.  Cara says “box.”  Brett says lets do  Capoeira — enough with the same Capoeira step, PLEASE!  Surely he knows other gym workouts, no?

The final weigh in goes quickly with only 7!  Rulon shocks us with the announcement he is leaving the show for personal reasons.  I have very mixed emotions about this.  For one, I will NEVER fault a person for knowing when to put their families first.  If he was leaving because he was in need of being a unit with his wife and kids, then I applaud him for the decision.  If, on the other hand, he just can’t see the commitment through, then it makes me upset that the Olympic champ couldn’t or wouldn’t go the distance.  Since I am not in his head, I have no right to judge, so I wish him well and am NOT sorry he wont be in the final 4!

Let me just say it right now.  I picked Olivia the first night, and Olivia is my girl.  I only wish her AND Hannah could win together.  Have a tie in the end and be forced to both be this season’s Biggest Losers.  I love them both.  If I have to choose one, I am choosing Olivia.  I love her spirit, her personality, her smile and her positivity!  All that said, I was elated to see Olivia lose 6 pounds and Hannah 5!   Those woman started out slow, but boy are they going steady.  At 162 and 156 pounds, I don’t know if they can beat Jay who still can lose a lot more, currently weighing 265.  I really don’t want Jay to win.   Kaylee gained 2 pounds and was easily voted off when she fell below with Irene.  My pick for final 4:  Olivia, Hannah, Irene and Austin, meaning Jay would be the last to be eliminated.

We see Kaylee now.  I think she looked prettier in a pony-tail at the ranch.  At 165 she says she was struggling with weight loss because she had actually hit her goal weight.  Really?  I don’t know how tall she is.  Erica?  Did you have a chance to look up heights this season?  She is now dating Vance (don’t remember him) from the white team.  She seems very happy.

Next week.  Finally.  I wait all season for it.  Makeover week!!!  Look out Austin.  Can’t wait to see the girls dolled up.  Funny thing is I HATE THE CLOTHES Tim Gunn picks for them.  Hate them.  Always think they could look so much better, but again, they aren’t asking me.  Doesn’t matter, I still love the idea of them sitting in hair and makeup and feeling like…well, appropriate for this week, ROYALTY!  They are the kings and queens in my book.

We then watched most of The Voice, which we both thought was really disappointing, after all the hype it has been getting.  Disappointing and confusing.

Erica was kind enough to send me the TV schedule for the rest of the season and it looks like this:

5/3 – 8-9p (1 hour only)

5/10 – 9-11p (2 hrs)

5/17 – 9-11p (2 hrs)

5/24 – 9-11p (2 hrs season finale)

Will probably return the week of 9/19.

Thanks, Erica.  Thanks everyone for stopping in.  When I wake up in the morning and I find mail or a comment like the one I did from Lynne, in North Carolina, I am humbled and reminded that even if I say ONE thing on here that resonates with a reader, helps facilitate some change or adds in any way to the peace/fitness/health or happiness of someone’s life, my time is well spent.  Thanks Carol for sending the petition against the dog fighting app by Google.  I love the geniuses at Google, but I really love dogs.   If you are interested in reading the whole article, email me and I will send it to you, but if you love dogs and are against dog fighting, you can simply sign this:  contact Google right now and ask the company to remove the Dog Wars app immediately.

Fredda, I finished The Art of Racing in the Rain with many tears at the end.   If you love animals the way we do, you may really enjoy this book.  I warn you that it will make you cry and even though it is fiction, you will want to believe everything that the main character, Enzo the dog, (a bigredretriever) says.  Very interesting reading a book from an animal’s point of view.

**I will be at TFC for morning aerobics class, then after training a client I will be at Bally for SilverSneakers and senior fitness.  I know many are going to see Water for Elephants instead of class, today.  ENJOY the movie and each other.  Stay tuned for any updates.  Know that one week from Monday, May 9th,  we relocate to Tamarac Fitness Center for 11:30 M/W/F classes.  Additional classes to be added as needed.