When SunShine and I first arrived on The Biggest Loser Ranch to begin our transformation, I’d watched enough of the show to know there would be a challenge to do right away. I really wanted to get off to a strong start.
As we arrived in our limos, the show’s host Allison Sweeney was waiting and told us to follow her to the gym. Our first challenge was behind a curtain in front of us. I was really hoping it would require upper body strength – I knew I could be successful there. But the curtain opened and instead, it was my Achilles heel.
There were 22 exercise bikes in front of us. Between SunShine and myself, we had to ride a complete marathon on the bikes – 26.2 miles! The two teams that came in last would be sent home. It is physically impossible for me to pedal a normal bike because of my knee issues.
So of course, we finished in the bottom two and were sent home for 30 days, but luckily with a chance to return. If SunShine and I combined, lost more weight than the other team that was sent home, we could come back to The Ranch.
One month later we returned victorious! But the true challenge had just begun. We worked out 6-8 hours every day. I started my workouts in the pool and experienced some good weight loss. It was enough to keep me on the ranch in the beginning, but I needed to excel higher.
The more I lost, the harder it became to keep up the momentum. Bob Harper, my trainer at that time, knew I needed to do more so he introduced me to the NuStep recumbent cross trainer.
I was hooked! If I wasn’t in the pool, I was on the NuStep T5XR. Bob worked me out on the recumbent stepper with circuits to raise my cardio. While losing weight I was also able to wake up and build up muscles that had been dormant for years.
The other contestants were shocked when I stopped the swimming routine to use the NuStep as my sole piece of exercise equipment and continued my excellent weight loss.
The NuStep is a total body workout. The smooth, natural stepping motion is easy on joints (unlike treadmills) and it has a really comfortable swivel seat.
It also has easy arm adjustments, contact heart rate handles (Bob could always monitor my heart rate easily), and a low step through design that can handle up to 600 pounds. It just worked for me when nothing else would.
The changes in my life that occurred through my weight loss with NuStep were outstanding. The first time I was able to walk up the stairs “normally” or bend over and tie my own shoes were totally unforgettable milestones.
Even mentally it gave me the confidence to face and conquer a lot of things I wasn’t able to do previously.
I am thankful to have the NuStep as a big part of my transformation. Today I have the ALL NEW T4r at home and everyday it’s a race to beat my wife to the NuStep, who gets her daily workout in on the machine as well. (Luckily, SunShine is a night owl so she usually uses it later in evening.)
Make sure to check back next week when SunShine will share some of her favorite weight loss tips, some life advice and maybe even a few secrets from the ranch.
