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Stephanie Snipes is a senior content producer at Oprah.com who's trading in butter and cream for broccoli and carrots. Follow along as she eats and exercises her way to better health - and a weight loss goal of 100 pounds!
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The Danger of Television
October 02, 2009 12:51 PM
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For years people have labeled television an evil contraption. It has nicknames like the "boob tube" and "idiot box." It creates time vortexes that make even the most devoted forget family obligations and homework assignments. Accessories like TV trays and remote controls contribute to the obesity crisis in America. And yet, I have always defended television. I love its welcoming glow, the clicking noise when you switch it on, the personalities that bring hours of joy and entertainment. Never in my wildest imagination did I think my devotion would waver. Sadly, I can now acknowledge that television has a dark side. And that dark side is called: The Biggest Loser.
Technically speaking, I enjoy the show. I started watching this season because I thought it would be good inspiration. The problem is my trainer Aaron also gets inspired. For example, in this week's episode Jillian gave a competitor the choice to do kettlebells (already my friend) or the "sledgehammer" (never heard of it). When he chose the "sledgehammer" Jillian actually called the guy an idiot. A sure sign he was in trouble.
The task was to swing a sledgehammer over his head and hit a tractor tire as hard as he could, then repeat, and repeat, and repeat. Even I know sledgehammers are freaking heavy. I felt bad for the guy. But, I never expected I would suffer the same fate. While Aaron hasn't found a tractor tire for the gym (he's looking, trust me) he was able to recreate this unique experience by stacking up 20 mats to replicate the tire and using a weighted exercise bar as a sledgehammer. It was hard exercise...but oddly therapeutic. I will now watch The Biggest Loser with a new appreciations -- while trying to determine which insane things I'm going to have to do myself. You know, it kinda takes the fun out of watching other people suffer when you know you'll have a similar fate. |
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