If you're like me, you dove into the story in the Anchorage Daily News regarding our local celebrity Kai Zwierstra. She did Alaska proud when she appeared two years ago on the “reality” show The Biggest Loser.

For those of you who aren't familiar, Kai dropped 118 pounds on the show. She came very close to being the first female to win the contest. Whoo-hoo…Alaska girls kick a**!

Well, 2 years after the cameras are gone and Kai has left “the ranch,” it's not all roses and sunshine.

Here's the reality that “reality TV” doesn't address.

Dropping literally hundreds of pounds in a few months is not safe, not healthy and sets contestants up for failure when they return home.Exercising every waking minute of every day is not possible in real life.Exercising until you puke is not healthy and certainly does not make you want to come back for more.Trainers making diet recommendations based on product endorsements are at a minimum unethical and worst case, dangerous!The Biggest Loser is a GAME! It is not a lifestyle choice.Lifestyle changes do not happen on television, they cannot be thrust upon you. They must evolve. They are conscious, daily choices that you gradually work into your life until they become your new habits.

What does work? Here are 5 simple steps that can help ensure you are successful in hitting your health and fitness goals and that you can maintain them for life:

Define your goals…what do you want to achieve? WHY do you want to achieve these goals and on a scale of 1-10, how committed are you to achieving these goals? Establish your base…Where are you today? Take some baseline measurements so you can track your progress. Make a plan. Be sure that your plan includes the following components: nutrition, resistance training, cardio, and flexibility. Get yourself a coach to help you with this. He/she should be able to provide knowledge, support and accountability to help you reach your goals. Take action. Implement your plan. The best plan in the world won't help you at all unless you put it into action. Assess your success. Every 4 weeks or so, track your progress, what's working, what's not, what can you change, where can you get help?

Most of all, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it. Lifestyle change is a process and frankly, it never ends. There is no finish line. It's simply how you choose to live your life. If you have bigger issues that surround food, find a competent counselor to help you to address these issues.

Remember, it's not about getting into shape; it's about getting into life! And the better you feel, the more you will get out of life!

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Ginny Grupp holds a Master of Science in exercise science and health promotion. She is an ACE-certified personal trainer and NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist. She promotes healthy lifestyles through her personal training and fitness education company www.AlaskaFit.com.

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