This month, we are saluting the winner of the Biggest Loser Challenge II. I do apologize in the delay in posting the results. Congratulations goes out to Tommy Romano! In preparation for his upcoming wedding, he kicked into high gear to become the winner of he Biggest Loser Challenge II. Tommy lost over 11lbs, over 4 inches, and an outstanding 6.5% bodyfat. Congratulations goes out to Tommy and all those who entered the competition. Good job everyone and keep up the good work.

There is a new addition to the team at Body Works Personal Training. I would like to introduce our newest trainer, Sean Herritt. He is a graduate of East Carolina University with a bachelor's in Exercise Science. He is certified through AFAA and has decided to make a career in the fitness industry. In an effort to welcome Sean and allow all of you to experience personal training with him, we will be offering a temporary special. In addition to your regular sessions, you can purchase additional sessions for 50% off with Sean for a limited time only. This will allow you to get to know him and his training style and get in some extra workouts at a discounted rate! Talk to Brandon or Candy now to get some bonus sessions scheduled. Please join us in welcoming Sean. He is a wonderful addition to the Body Works team.

CHICKEN & WILD RICE SALAD

• INGREDIENTS
• 2/3 cup uncooked wild rice
• 2 skinless , boneless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup sliced water chestnuts, drained
• 2 tablespoons walnut oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 head romaine lettuce, rinsed and dried
• (optional) 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes

• DIRECTIONS:
• In a medium saucepan, cover wild rice with 3 inches of salted water. Bring to a boil and boil uncovered, for 30 minutes or until tender.
• Drain the excess water, turn heat to lowest setting, cover rice and let steam for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• In a medium skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken lightly in the oil, cooking gently and throughly.
• Do not overcook the chicken. Cool and shred the chicken into bite size pieces.
• In a medium bowl, mix together rice, chicken, and water chestnuts. Set aside.
• For the dressing, whisk together the walnut oil, vinegar, salt and pepper. Pour over the wild rice mixture and combine.
• If desired, add in the sun-dried tomatoes.
• Place over a bed of romaine lettuce and serve!

• NUTRITION INFORMATION (PER SERVING):
• YIELDS 4 SERVINGS
• Calories: 259
• Fat: 6 g
• Carbs: 18g
• Protein: 21g

It's kind of like running into a wall - that feeling you get when, after a few months on a weight-loss program, you suddenly stop seeing results. This is called hitting a plateau and it is not uncommon. In fact, unless you continually update your program to reflect the changes your body has already experienced, you can almost be guaranteed to plateau at some point along your journey toward reaching your goal weight. The first thing you should do upon hitting a plateau is try to determine the cause. Could you be eating more calories than you think? Research shows that most people underreport the number of calories they eat - it's not that they're lying, they just don't know how to make an accurate assessment of how much they're eating. And even if you're eating less calories than before you lost the weight, you could be eating just enough to maintain your current weight at your current activity level. So, while a diet of 1,500 calories per day helped you lose a certain amount of weight, if you've hit a plateau, it could be that 1,500 calories is the exact amount you need to stay at your current weight. This leaves you with two options: Lower your caloric intake further or increase the amount of time you spend being physically active. The first option is less desirable because you may not be able to get sufficient nutrients from a diet that is very low in calories, and it is difficult to stick to it for very long. It is much better to moderately reduce calories to a level that you can sustain when you reach your goal weight. The same is true for exercise. Trying to exercise for several hours per day to burn more calories is a good way to set yourself up for failure. Not only does this type of regimen require an enormous time commitment, it is hard on the body, making you more susceptible to injury and overuse syndromes. Again, be realistic. Don't attempt too much in an effort to burn more calories. Instead, aim for 60 minutes of moderate activity most of the days of the week and, as you become more fit, gradually increase the intensity and duration of your exercise sessions. Choose activities that you find enjoyable, whether that be in-line skating, step classes or mountain biking. Another means for getting you off the plateau is strength training, which has been shown to be very effective in helping people manage their weight because the added muscle helps to offset the metabolism-lowering effect of dieting and losing weight. Muscle is much more metabolically active than fat; therefore, the more muscle you can add, the higher your metabolism will be. If you've stopped losing weight, the key to getting off the plateau is to vary your program. The human body is an amazing piece of machinery, capable of adapting to just about any circumstance or stimulus. By shaking things up a bit and varying your program by introducing some new elements, you'll likely find yourself off the plateau and back on the road to progress in no time.

Are you up for a real challenge? Join Brandon and his team on Sunday mornings at Hanna Park for a mountain biking adventure. They meet at the main entrance at 8AM every week for an intense cardio session. Mountain biking is a great workout. It gets your heart rate up, challenges your entire body strength, and is a great way to push yourself! Helmets are required to ride in Hanna Park. Brandon is always looking for more people to join the group. Be sure to talk to Brandon for more information if you are interested in a new way to get some good cardio!