Whenever you venture into a healthy lifestyle journey, it’s important to establish what will feel like you’re winning. Being really specific and clear on what you would like to do when you get healthy will inspire you along the way when you feel like giving up.
Some questions to consider as you look ahead include:
How do you want to live your life?
What kind of new activities will you get involved in?
Will you present yourself differently? A new look perhaps?
Will you make a career change?
Spend more time with your family? Make a family of your own?
Picturing yourself in the life that you dream of is important and acknowledging all the steps you are taking to make it a reality is priceless. (more…)
This weekend is all about Run Disney. I am in Disneyland and ready to conquer my 8th half marathon of the year. Disneyland is so magical because you are surrounded by people who BELIEVE. Believe in what, you say? It depends, and is different for each and every person you come in contact with. What is the common denominator is that this is a place where dreams come true.
I love doing Run Disney for a couple of reasons. One reason is because there is a standard of excellence that is unprecedented when the Disney brand is attached to it. If you have ever been to one of the Disney parks you know exactly what I’m talking about. For the most part you won’t ever see a piece of trash on the ground, everyone goes out of their way to help you with anything you might need, and if you are dressed as a princess then you are addressed as such. Every “t” is crossed and every “i” is dotted. From the firework start to the many Disney royalty and characters throughout the coursesencouraging you and taking pictures with you, to the AMAZING medals draped around your neck as you cross the finish line, it truly is a magical experience.
When I was on the Biggest Loser I spent hours on different machines and the only thing that got me through it was planning on how I was going to live my life differently and with purpose. It was inspiring to have the blood flow through my limbs and I wanted to make sure that I was going to be a part of something bigger than myself.
As amazing as the Biggest Loser was it was very “me” focused and that can become a negative unless you have a cause. Every day was spent focusing on what I ate, how I moved and trying to navigate how I felt, I just couldn’t do it unless I let myself dream about how me taking this time to find my way back to my true self would mean something to more than just me. I needed to know that my life meant something and that’s what allowed me to completely dedicate myself to changing what needed to be changed and rebuilding what worked.
It’s so important to constantly reevaluate why we are making the choices that we make. This week on Live Big With Ali Vincent, my mom and I find ourselves back where it all started and stood in line for the Biggest Loser. Although the experience didn’t quite go as planned, I did find new motivation in Arizona to continue on this journey of the rest of my life, being healthy.
People often ask me how to find motivation. If you are truly struggling with staying motivated I think it’s of value to step back and take a look at the definition of the word.
Motivation
1. giving of reason to act
2. Enthusiasm
3. Reason
4. forces determining behavior
When you look simply at the definition it might become clear why you are struggling to keep it in your day to day. When we first start out on new journeys we are really clear on why we decided to act. (more…)
Make sure to stop and smell the roses and play with the kids.
I think that all too often so many of us get so wrapped up in what we are doing and creating that we forget what’s right in front of us. It’s so important to remember to make sure that we are not so focused on making a living that we forget to make a life. I need this reminder so often that I have a plaque that says it on my entertainment center at home. It’s great to be focused, as long as that focus is also directed to finding balance.
Fromtraveling around the country and hearing thousands of stories about people’s set backs and successes the common denominator between the two was finding that balance. (more…)
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Chinese philosopher Laozi
When I was eliminated from the Biggest Loser, I started working out at home with a friend of mine who was a firefighter, JoEllen. The first night I met her at the gym she gave me a necklace that had this simple, yet powerful truth written on it. I continued to wear it and think about it throughout my journey.
This saying runs through my mind every time I start a new adventure and question my abilities. However, it makes me wonder, how is this truth that was first voiced in BC time so relevant today? I feel like they must have been referring to the actual journey instead of the philosophical journey of life. Then I think there is NO way they could be referring to the physical journey because then it would not be relevant today. (more…)
This season on Live Big With Ali Vincent, airing Saturdays at 5:30 p/4:30 c, it’s all about surprises but also with every surprise destination it seems as if my mom, Bette-Sue and I are in competition. Don’t get me wrong, I like a little healthy competition every now and then but I don’t always like making everything about winning because when winning is involved, that means losing is involved.
With that same thought process sometimes competition is exactly what’s needed to give me that extra little push to keep me on track. I operate well in competitive situations when physical challenges are involved, if it’s not direct. What do I mean by this? I mean that I don’t particularly like head-to-head games because I don’t like the feeling that arises within me on trying to “beat” the competition. I don’t like the feeling of beating someone else in order to win.
So when I say I operate well in competitive situations I mean, I like competition that involves everyone doing his or her best. Is there still someone that wins and someone that loses? YES. However for me it feels different and I actually end up doing better if I know others are striving for the same goal. It gives me the drive when I don’t feel like waking up or putting in the extra effort when I know everyone is going to have his or her results looked at the same time.
When I was younger I was very good at my sport and often won my bracket. I also on several occasions would over hear the other girls talking about “beating” me at all cost, I felt separate and I hated it. However somehow these experiences led me to live my life, as an adult who did not participate in activities I didn’t know I could win. It got to the point that I just quit participating period. This didn’t serve me or allow me to create the life I wanted to live.
In my life it has proved very beneficial to understand this about myself. It has allowed me to understand why I let myself hold back or participate in head to head competitions. This knowledge allows me to just put those feelings aside and choose consciously, to allow it to beFUN and keep sensitive feelings aside.
Tune in this week to see how competition sometimes comes between my mom and me and sometimes brings us closer. Maybe you will start thinking about how you respond to competitive situations and I hope that if you it holds you back in any way, you stop, evaluate and find a way to still participate!
A 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run. These are the daunting distances that make up a full Ironman triathlon. Many superior athletes don’t even take a second look at these races because they’re simply so demanding. The training, the discipline, and the excruciating race are all just too much for most to handle. However, a new unlikely trend seems to be taking place within the Ironman. The least likely of competitors are throwing their hat in the ring and chasing that fateful moment when the announcer says, “You are an Ironman!”.
This surprising group is comprised of Biggest Loser contestants. People who entered a television reality show morbidly obese and then moved on to complete what is possibly the toughest physical feat on the planet – these elite individuals are hardly losers.
There have been five Biggest Loser contestants who have completed an Ironman, and they are Tara Costa (BL7), Hollie Self (BL4), Jay Kruger (BL5), Ali Vincent (BL5), and Matt Hoover (BL2). One theme seems to be shared among them all – finding out just how far they could push themselves drove them to take on their biggest challenge yet.
“…being on the Biggest Loser, you quickly learn that you can do so much more than what you think is possible if you just try,” said Tara Costa, a finalist in season 7.
All of the finishers say something to the effect that being on the show showed them that they were much more capable than they previously thought and once they were off the show, they needed another huge challenge to keep proving that to themselves. (more…)
Since it’s so beautiful in most of the country during this time of year, everyone wants to be outside enjoying the sun and weather. This leads to so much opportunity to get those calories burned without having to hit the gym. However, if you live in places like Arizona, where I grew up, it’s almost too hot to be outside unless you take the right precautions. WATER, WATER, WATER and a few salty snacks will save you!
About a week or so ago I ran one of the half marathons that I have on my calendar, to achieve my goal this year and run 13, 13.1 races in 2024. While I was excited to run with my friend and for the adventure we had in store, I found myself paying a huge price for not taking in to account the weather! I knew it would be warm, but I didn’t realize that I would be running directly in the sun and my body started cramping from dehydration; I was miserable until the sun started to set. By that time it was too late and I had to just barrel through while intaking what I could in water and electrolyte drinks to try and get some hydration back. I actually wasn’t able to fully recover until I snacked on some saltines as well.
A few quick tips to have you ready for a safe hike: (more…)
This week started out with a bang! I found myself on the red carpet promoting and celebrating the premiere of the third season of my show, Live Big With Ali Vincent on the Live Well network. I never imagined that my quest to find balance through health and fitness would guide me in this direction, but boy am I grateful. The premiere party was attended by celebrities and powers that be in the industry, however it felt more like a party for my Biggest Loser friends and Live Big guests.
We had low calorie Vita Frute cocktails by Veev and the Executive Chef Marius Blin of the Sofitel Los Angeles prepared AMAZING appetizers from the restaurant’s D’Lite menu. Everyone loved that they could enjoy the evening without worrying about breaking the calorie bank. Immediately after the party I was off on a plane to start the promotional tour leading up to the premiere the very next morning.
I find that during exciting times in life it’s really easy to get tempted and distracted from what then might seem like less exciting mundane routines. Live Big With Ali Vincent this season is all about being prepared for the unknown, being challenged by experiencing whatever life throws your way and finding healthy weights to navigate along the way. (more…)
Physical challenges can define us or be what motivates us to get out of bed. One of the best pieces of advice I can share with people starting out on a new relationship with their bodies is sign up for a race of some kind. It is important to do things we wouldn’t in moments of weakness.
Last week on Live Big With Ali Vincent, airing Saturdays at 5:30p/4:30c, I took you with me as I challenged myself to the hardest physical event I’ve ever attempted, the Ironman Triathlon. I chose to do it in Cozumel, Mexico because I thought, ‘well, if I die during this quest, at least I will die in paradise.’ Obviously I didn’t die, but I did feel reborn.
I got to see myself realize that to feel doesn’t always have to be bigger or more challenging and how waking up each morning more connected than the day before is what Living Big is all about for me! (more…)
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