I can’t believe it, it feels as if summer is almost over, which means NYC and Malibu Nautica Triathlons are right around the corner. It’s still never ceases to amaze me how time flies by. I’ve been in California filming my new TV show for the Live Well Network and have let the excitement and filming schedule affect my training. I know that an excuse is just that and training can be done regardless of the circumstances but I’ll tell you what I feel more exhausted after a day of filming with guests on my show than I did after a 12 hour day of training on The Biggest Loser ranch. The energy that I give and that is taken from guest often drains me completely and regardless of how early I try to go to bed the excitement of the journeys ahead of them keeps me up till all hours. I suppose I should perhaps start drinking some type of tea before bed and see if that helps.

The best part of my new show is realizing that I have started to get in a rut and I need to live bigger, go for more, and give more. I realized that I thrive when I know that my effort is making a difference, what ever that difference might be. I suppose the simplest of them would be staying consistent in training so that I don’t have to continually jump over the road blocks of starting a training program and letting my body build and be rewarded by it’s commitment. I am like everyone else though and I believe if I ever truly get it I probably won’t be here anymore!

In the meantime however I realized that not only is the summer almost over, that 2011 is almost over too. Particularly since 2012 brings a whole new concern of mine…… IronMan! I know, I know I’m suppose to live in the moment but I need to explain to you why it is that I MUST do the IronMan in 2012.

I first fell in love with the triathlon as the result  of an experience I had at an event I was at called “Do Something Healthy” shortly after I won. I was at the event as their keynote speaker but as I sat in the audience waiting to go on stage the emcee was showing a documentary he had been working on. He had recently completed the Kona triathlon and documented his experience.

As I sat there and watched the way he was able to capture such raw emotion and articulate the process, I knew that I had to experience it for myself. I had been at the time in such a surreal time of my life and processing every new moment took all that I had. I could not believe the life I was living and creating and had the honor of experiencing. I was being flown all over the country to be on one television show or another meeting people that I only knew from watching myself on tv and having them share with me how they watched my journey and cheered me on. I was on the cover of numerous magazines and in many different shoots. I had been interviewed on countless radio shows. My life was anything but typical from the life I left when I went to the Biggest Loser. At the time I was so connected to the entire experience but I also wondered what might happen when I felt less connected and as time went by, would I be able to continue to draw from an experience which was bound to be years away before I even realized it?

I knew as I sat there watching that although I will never be able to experience the trials and triumphs from the time in my life when I was on the Biggest Loser ever again. I might be able to experience a different journey in the same way, I felt as if he was taking the words right out of my mouth as he explained his journey during the Iron Man. I knew I had to do it.

In the time following and since when I would do different interviews I would recall this experience and of course they would ask when I was planning on doing an Iron Man, in a panic the first time the question was asked I said in 2012 if I’m not pregnant. Back in 2008/2009 that seemed so far away, I had no idea where exactly my life was heading and I thought for sure I would be pregnant. Well as it turns out 2012 wasn’t so far away after all and I am not about to go get pregnant because I’m scared of the commitment training for Iron Man takes.

The truth is I want to do an Iron Man more now then the day I sat in that audience watching the documentary on it. The truth is also that I am just as scared as I was when I first stood in line on August 11, 2007 for the Biggest Loser. I need to make sure that I am consistent so that I can continue to live the life I dream of, that means fueling my body to have energy, resting appropriately, and be open to support that this new journey is going to need. What big things to you want to do that you are scared of? Are you fueling your body? Resting? Accepting support? I hope so because I know you’ll need it just like me

xo,
Ali

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I can’t believe it’s already June! First of all it still feels like winter most days in Spokane, WA. I was looking forward to summers that weren’t so hot but give me a break I’ve never turned on my heater in the month of June in my life. From what I can tell I moved to Washington just in time for a record breaking winter and now a record breaking summer if you want to call it summer.

I guess the good news is I have had the opportunity to see plenty of warmer days with all of my traveling. I recently went to the Biggest Loser campus to check out the new digs as well as interview all the contestant for the upcoming season 12. Every season they redo the set/house we live in during our journeys on campus. In the past the have made changes but as far as the kitchen they just changed the color of the tiles through stick on tiles. This season however the kitchen GORGEOUS! They redid the entire thing the range and ovens our in the middle of the dining area, they have a huge cutting board counter top as well as tons of beautiful spices on display, I can’t wait for you guys to see it.

The ranch was amazing as usual and the contestants couldn’t be better. Of course I am not able to share what I know about the contestants yet but I can share about the trainers since we all know who they are going to be this season.

I must admit when I first heard that Anna Kournikova was going to be a trainer I was like WHAT?! She’s a tennis player and known for her PDA with her then boyfriend and now husband Enrique Iglesias, what does she know about training people? However after I met her and was able to ask her a few questions she quickly won me over and I have a feeling she is going to do the same with the millions of Biggest Loser fans. She is 100% committed to make sure that the contestants of season 12 change their lifestyles into healthy ones so that they can continue to live them. What I love most about her is that she is overly into admitting that she doesn’t have all the answers and actively into using all her resources to get them.

Then you have Dolvett Quince who is just yummy in so many ways, not as yummy however as the brand NEW barely on the shelves DESIGNER WHEY bars! I mean for crying out loud I feel as if I’m eating a Reese’s Sticks but it’s the peanut butter protein bar with 10g protein for only 160 calories. I think that my prayers have been answered. Now back to Dolvett he is a season trainer that has been helping the people of Atlanta get their groove back for years and although I may not be as impressed as thirteen year old girls he was Justin Bieber’s trainer

And then of course the main man on campus Mr. Harper and he is better than ever!

I can’t wait for all of you to meet the new season of the Biggest Loser and go out right now to try the new protein bars ….you are going to die with how good they are!

Until next time,

Ali xo

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Who’s making your decisions?

Have you ever felt out of control? Lately I tell you I feel like I’m not getting it all together as if I can’t get anything right. I was talking to a friend and we were talking about the different pressures we put on ourselves that are often unattainable and then we never get a chance to celebrate or be done or take a break. Lately I have felt as if a teenager has been making my decision’s and trust me when I say I wasn’t the most pleasant teenager. I was that “WHATEVER” teenager and that is how I’ve been feeling lately and honestly it’s not ok, not anymore.

I realized that at different points in my life when I have felt uncomfortable or alone or scared or nervous or sad or out of control or even just bored I have let that teenager inside me that wanted to be noticed make decisions for me or shall I say sabotage me. Well there is nothing I can do about my past but I can stop the cycle and do something different. I refuse to let my insecurities sabotage me.

I have been at this point in my life many times before and I’m sure I’ll be here many times again I just hope that each time I catch myself a little faster than the time before and as long as I do that I will continue to win. As I continued the conversation with my friend and tried to pinpoint why I might be sabotaging myself, I realized that I need some new goals, I need to break it done to basics!

I need to rest my weekly plans and get focused on some specific goals that I am achieving each and every week so I can feel proud of my accomplishments. I realized that a lot of my “whatever’s” as of lately is because I haven’t been feeling the greatest about my self, about my body. I have been feeling weak, out of control and soft. I realized that I was experiencing what probably many others are feeling at this time of year…. I’m dreading swimsuit season!!!! I don’t feel as strong as I have in recent years years so I took a look at that and to tell you the truth there were some obvious voids in my routine that will help me feel better with just the simplest of tweaks.

So my swimsuit ready routine is going to be focusing on building more muscle, I want to hit it hard and really start to see all the definition that I love again. When I am able to see the definition in my body I truly feel BEAUTIFUL, with that having my definition which is strength and confidence. There are some transitions in my life right now and I want to feel prepared to address them head on. Hit me up on the Biggest Loser Protein  FaceBook page and tell me what kind of strength training programs and ideas you have as well as any new shake recipes for summer protein shakes! I’m trying CrossFit and just bought the TRX system so I’ll let you know how it’s going.

Till next time,

Ali xo

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Wow what an amazing weekend I had in LA at the Biggest Loser casting call. Each time I go to one I am reminded of how I felt when I got up around 3:30AM on August 11, 2007. You see that was the morning of the casting call I went to in Mesa, AZ to try out for the Biggest Loser. I remember being so tired, nervous and excited all at the same time. Casting call started at 10 am but they were allowing people to start lining up at 5am. My mom and I had planned to be there before anyone, we wanted to be the first in line. I remember pulling into the parking lot and seeing others pull in too, I knew they were there for the call based on their size, I immediately wanted to run to get there first. As it turned out we ended up being 11th in line.

During the next 5 hours as we waited for the process to begin my mom got to everyone in line whether they wanted to meet her or not She would tease and say it’s August 11th and we are 11th in line, you might as well go home they are going to choose us. As silly as that was that really was where it all began for us. People started showing up more and more closer to 10 am when the call was suppose to start. The casting people started getting there and setting up around 9 am. By that time my mom and I had found out from the others in line that we needed pictures to attach with our applications, we had no idea. So mom ran (well not literally) to the store to purchase a Polaroid camera and grab us something to eat. On one level we were so ready and the other so unprepared, we had no idea what we were doing or what we were getting in to.

It all started getting really real as the casting people started shifting us inside the Mesa Art Center where the casting was taking place. They had a camera crew going through and interviewing different people in line. Some of the other people in line had been through the casting process before and had almost like little skits prepared, lots had matching shirts and there was mom and I essentially clueless. I remember feeling already defeated a bit when the camera crew walked right pass us to talk to the sisters behind us to interview them. My defenses and insecurities immediately came up, I felt like crying. Why did they want to talk to them? What was better about them than mom and I? Is it because we didn’t have matching shirts? So much was going through my head, I couldn’t believe I was standing in a line for a TV show called the Biggest LOSER! I promised myself that no matter what happened I was going to do something once and for all about my weight. I was tired of feeling bad about myself and how I was showing up in life.

Now we all know that I did in fact make it on to season 5 of the Biggest Loser where I became the first female ever to win the show. What you might not know is that over 200,000 people each season try out to be on the show and approximately only 20 lucky individuals get chosen. As grateful as I am that I had the opportunity to be on the show REALITY is everyday of the rest of my life. So please let today be the first day you choose you and take back the power in your life. If the Biggest Loser inspires you then this season win with them from home. Get to know your resources! Go online to find workout classes, groups, routines. Talk to your doctor or nutritionist about what you should be eating and what supplements might be good for you. And when you are at the health food store or vitamin shop and you are confused what protein you should get, look for my face

This is an interview I did with Adam from Season 10 of the Biggest Loser and some footage from the casting call where I handed out Biggest Loser Protein Bars and 2Go packs, I hope you enjoy it!

Until next time xo,
Ali

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A New Year, A New YOU! That is definitely the buzz phrase that everyone is shouting, however I’m not quite sure how I feel about it.

Hear me out.

Every year we get all geared up to change things once the clock strikes midnight (or for some of us until we actually wake on Jan. 1st ) It also seems that every year we hear everyone going strong for the 1st month or so and some, a little longer. And then things start going back to the way they were or even beyond how they started out that first day of the year. Every year I wonder why this same cycle seems to happen to so many year after year. This reminds of the definition of Insanity: doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result or outcome.

I believe that people as a whole want to continuously be more and do more towards their goals. I know I do, but does that mean that I have to be a NEW me? As if the OLD me can’t or isn’t good enough? BOGUS!!!!

Sure maybe I can work on my attitude towards things, but that is something I am continuously working on. It didn’t change with the ringing in of the New Year and it won’t change with next year. It’s the same ME, new GOALS!

I think that in the past I bought into the idea of “New Year, New ME”, and that is where it went wrong. Every year that I attempted to change who I was in order to attain a goal I really wanted to accomplish, it never seemed to actually happen. It has only been in these past few years that I have really started to attain the new goals I set for myself. I realized a few years back that I’d spent enough years feeling sorry for myself, looking for something or someone other than myself to create the life I wanted to live. When, in reality, I was always my own answer to attaining my goals, and I was not only enough but more than enough. I just needed to be willing to tell the truth, good or bad.

So here’s to honestly challenging ourselves through the New Year. Remember to set goals for all aspects of your life: Physical, Mental, Emotional, and Spiritual.

Physical- Is maybe the easiest goal to set and one of the hardest to follow through with because often we try to set a goal that has specific guidelines. An example could be “I’m going to wake up every morning at 5am and go to the gym” or “I’m going to cut out all sugar from my diet”. What works better for me is be specific and challenging, yet measurable and attainable. This year I have committed to doing the three Nautica Triathlons, so my goal is to improve my time with each event.

Mental- Is a goal that is usually related to either school or work or learning. I have the worst habit of starting a million books and finishing none of them. This year I am going to read 12 books and finish them all. I am also going to create and find a way to have an idea I have available for sale by the end of the year. I would tell you more but I can’t yet

Emotional- Is when you want to think of relationship goals. This year I want to work on the relationships in my life. I have written down a list of people that are very important to me and I want to make sure each one of them knows how much I value and love them.

Spiritual- This is where you can set goals that involve you being a part of something greater than yourself. This year I am going to get the Believe It, Be It Foundation set up, and enroll key people to be a part of the board. By the year end, we will have our board of directors in place and our first project under way.

When setting goals I think of a tool I learned years ago called SMART goal setting.

S – SPECIFIC…. PAINT THE PICTURE, WHAT ARE THE DETAILS?
M – MEASURABLE…. HOW WILL YOU KNOW WHEN YOU WIN?
A – ATTAINABLE…. HAS TO BE REALISTIC FOR TIME FRAME.
R – RISKY…. BE SCARED, CHALLENGE YOURSELF.
T – TIMELY…. WHEN WILL YOU HAVE IT DONE?

GOOD LUCK, you have all you need within you!

xo- Ali

Note: Ali Vincent is compensated for her blogs and product testimonials.

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The Holiday season is amongst us and with it comes many temptations.  Temptations are only an issue if we neglect to pin point what they might be and then find ourselves indulging in them without making a game plan to set ourselves up to win.  Winning for me during the holidays is to be able to enjoy the festivities with family and friends without letting them counter act my personal goals.  My current health goals are exactly that, to stay healthy.  Each holiday season it is said that many Americans gain on average 7 to 10 pounds.  In my world that would be devastating for me and as a result I would be very unhappy, which is the exact opposite of what the  holiday season is all about.

The following is my 12 days of Christmas, 12 tips I think about constantly to aid me in staying true to myself and personal goals:

1. Always bring a healthy dish to share at any party you might be invited to so that you can enjoy myself without overindulging.

2. Get moving everyday, if you know that you have a party to go to do something extra that day physically so that you counter act the calories before you partake, that makes 2 physical activities that day.

3. Make sure that you get at least 3 extra servings of protein a day!

4. Make sure that 4 times a week you do additional core strengthening to help you keep strong and balanced this season, it could be planks before you get into bed.

5. Every morning before you start your day give yourself 5 minutes just for you to do nothing!  Sit with yourself.

6. Pick 6 nights where you crank up your ipod and have a dance party at your house in your living room, bathroom, bedroom your choice but get your heart rate up and have fun!

7.  Give yourself the gift of sleep, 7 hours a day.

8. Always make sure you are drinking your water, 8 glasses a day!

9. When you brush your teeth take those 2 minutes to do 9 sets of leg lifts.

10. When you are doing your cardio every 10 minutes mix in a power burst, could be squat jumps, mountain climber, or burpees

11. Every week prepare 11 easy-to-grab snacks to have in your fridge. I like cut up carrots, celery, hummus, quinoa & black beans, fruit salad, chicken breast, what ever your heart desires.

12.  Think of 12 things every night that you are thankful for!

Enjoy trying my 12 tips or come up with twelve of your own and share them with me. After all this is the season of sharing!

Happy Holidays!

Ali xo

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Come race day, I am always so moved by the pure energy of every one preparing themselves for the race the morning has is store.  Whether it is the celebration of a fight won by decorating your self and friends in pink tutus or humbly putting on a shirt that is in remembrance of a loved one who would only be there in spirit or if it is a personal milestone that got you up to join thousands of people you do not know to be a part of something bigger than yourself, there are few things in life that come close to the feeling.

I want to thank all of you who joined the Designer Whey team, together we made a difference and I reminded myself of that several times throughout the 5K.  I guess it doesn’t matter how many races I do my stuff always comes up and I often feel the urge to quit.  Because of you and all those who didn’t get the choice to race that I made it through it, hill and all!  A friend of mine told me there would be a hill and I thought she was pulling my leg until right at the end of my 3rd mile I saw it.  I honestly knew it was coming, I had felt the gradual downgrade pretty consistently since I passed the 1st mile marker.  I have never claimed to be the smartest cat in town but I do know that all the goes down must come back up!  I think that is why I love different types of races whether it’s a 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon, triathlon or century ride my physical and mental limits are constantly tested and pushed.  I am grateful that since the Biggest Loser I now know that my body will never hold me back again but honestly my mind sometimes takes some persuasion.  Because of that I am always trying to set myself up to win through training and educating myself on how to fuel my body to have the long lasting energy I need to live the life I love.  One of my ‘new’ go to items in my arsenal is the Biggest Loser ALL Natural protein bars.  We were giving tons of them away at the end of the race, I hope you grabbed a few for yourself

I hope to see all of you some day at one race or another you can always check my calendar at www.alivincent.com to see some of the up coming events that I will be participating in.  If you feel like giving yourself the gift of sunshine this season I will be running in the Run, Walk, Roll Race in Tempe to support Arizona Disabled Sports Jan. 8th or if your feeling really crazy I’m doing the 1/2 marathon in Phoenix part of the Rock n’ Roll marathon series.  With the Holidays upon us if might be just what is needed to keep you on track, sign up for your next race.  I find that if I run for a cause like breast cancer or to support different organizations I believe in, it makes it easier to get up each morning to train when I don’t feel like doing anything except hitting snooze.

Once again thank you to all that joined me in San Diego for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure…… WHEY TO GO!!!!!!!

Until next time,

Ali xo

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Is summer really over?  Wow does time fly by!  This summer I traveled across the country meeting many of you along the way and we talked about different ways to stay fit.  One thing that I have realized about myself during these past few years is that in order for me to stay fit and excited about getting up every day I have to have different events that I train for.

I started right after the Biggest Loser with my first 5k in Phoenix, AZ for Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  I thought it was perfect!  After making the connection and being empowered by my team color ‘PINK’ on the Biggest Loser. There couldn’t have been a better fit for my first race to be one that supported other women fighting for their lives and strength.  Day in and day out when I didn’t feel like getting up I thought about all those other women out there in ‘PINK’ who were fighting so many bigger battles than me and it gave me strength to carry on.

I find when I put myself in that frame of mind and kind of narrow in on what feels so hard and impossible for me, it brings it back to reality and I am able to break my obstacle back down one step at a time.  There are so many things in my life and this world that I have no control over and there is nothing I can do about it, so it is important for me to focus on that which I can, in this moment.

I remember being scared to death the morning of the 5K.  What if I couldn’t do it?  What if I was the last one to cross the line?  What if I trip?

After I started none of those thoughts mattered, I was completed moved by running after the survivors of breast cancer in their honored ‘PINK’ t-shirts and amongst family and friends.  It was that day that I realized that this will be how I stay healthy the rest of my life.  I made the commitment to myself to pick 3 races a year to train for, for me and for all those who can’t.

This year one of those races is the San Diego Susan G. Komen Race  for the Cure on Nov. 7, 2010, I decided to go back to my roots!  However, this time I’m going to be the Captain!  I know I’ll give you a minute to catch your breath and settle back down.

Start lacing up those walking /running shoes, because we are getting ready to TRAIN!  You are going to join my team, aren’t you?  Follow this link http://www.komensandiego.org/ to sign up to be on Team Designer Whey.  I can’t WAIT let’s see how many people we can get to be on our team.

Until next time,

Ali xo

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Travelling the country speaking to people about regaining control of their lives through controlling the only thing we have control over is what has become my mission. I realized through my experience that I can create anything I want in my life by taking the little steps that in turn make the big difference. The best way I am able to judge my progress and stay in the moment is by staying on top of my diet and exercise, which allows me the energy to stay active and feel GREAT about myself. I may not be able to control many things in life but myself I can control.

Travelling adds lots of unexpected turns in the road that I don’t always plan for and the key is to have a plan. Some of the ways that I stay prepared for the unexpected is make sure that I always have my go to items in my carry on baggage. You never know when weather is going to come in play and change the course of your day. I travel with a jump rope, workout clothes, my laptop, lots of snacks, and my Protein 2Go packs. The jump rope allows me to have an opportunity to do cardio wherever I might be as well as jumping jacks, step ups, mountain climbers, and burp-pees. I love having my laptop so that I can pull up a workout no matter where I am through many online services like exercisetv.com.

If my travel plans go as expected then that is a bonus and I always stay in hotels with a gym. Most hotels these days have gyms so check them out ahead of time, to inspect what you expect…not all hotel gyms are created equally . Make sure you pack enough 2Go packs so that you are able to get your protein needs met before and after workouts.

My snacks allow me to have the fuel I need regardless of my options. When I leave home I always have popcorn, chicken breast, hard boiled eggs (which I always warn the person sitting on the airplane next to me about), fruit, almonds, and my 2Go Packs. As soon as I pass through security I go immediately and buy bottled water for the flight.

Ali "On The Road"; GNC Show, June 2010

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It’s funny because believe it or not most people are more accommodating then you think.  Pretty much everywhere you go you can get what you want as long as you ask nicely!  Most hotels offer small refrigerators and allow access to a microwave.  Find out from the front desk where the closest grocery store is, often they even have a shuttle service or it is within walking distance.  Go grab what it is you feel like eating and just make sure you also grab Ziplock steamer bags, they allow you to cook healthy fresh foods in a microwave.  You can make any vegetable, chicken or fish with these.  Also grab a small container of fat-free milk and lots of fruit.

When you get back to the hotel see if you are able to get the kitchen or bar to mix up your protein shakes for you, this is an easy way for them to make you a regular customer.  If they do not have a blender just make sure that you packed your blender bottle and you are all set.  Blender bottles can be found at almost any health food or vitamin store, just ask the person behind the counter and they will point you in the right direction.  If you take the time for these few extra steps there really are no excuses no matter how often you travel to eat healthy.

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