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Bob Harper Bio

Who is Bob Harper?

Bob Harper is a generally known as a fitness guru and is most famous for his appearances on the television show, Biggest Loser, a reality television show where contestants compete to lose the most weight in a given period of time. In addition to Biggest Loser, Bob Harper is a celebrity trainer with clients like Ben Stiller, Selma Blair and Gwyneth Paltrow. As something of a celebrity himself, his sexual orientation and dating status has become a point of interest for many people. Mr. Harper is a proponent for a training regime known as the “Function Training Method” which he developed while working as a trainer in Los Angles.

Personal History

Bob Harper was born on August 18th, 1965 in Nashville, Tennessee. Mr. Harper was apparently not active in high school athletics. After graduating from high school, he attended university in Clarkesville, Tennessee at Austin Peay State University. Following his time at college, he received a fitness instructor’s certification from the American Fitness Training of Athletics association as well as from the Aerobic and Fitness Association of America. Mr. Harper worked extensively in Los Angles, where he began instructing several celebrities, initially Jennifer Jason Leigh. Through this connection he was eventually selected to become a judge and cast member for Biggest Loser. After reaching a degree of fame from this program, he went on to produce fitness related materials including books and DVDs.

In addition to his appearances, speaking dates, and writing duties, Mr. Harper still teaches regular classes in Los Angeles and works as a yoga instructor. His client list is a mixture of high profile celebrities, with many of whom he’s maintained a long relationship, as well as regular individuals who have signed up for his classes.

In his personal life, Mr. Harper is naturally very physically active. He claims to be an active snowboarder, as well as a tennis enthusiast. His other fitness-related activities include cycling, running and swimming. Outside of fitness, he is known to be an avid photographer.

Fame

Bob Harper was originally a celebrity personal trainer working in Los Angles. His stable of clients included several popular actors and actresses. With the popularity of the Biggest Loser television program, he’s become a legitimate celebrity in his own right.

Bob Harper is best known for his presence on the Biggest Loser program. He joined the cast of trainers in 2004, during the show’s first season. Biggest Loser is a reality television program based around helping overweight and obese individuals become physically fit and lose weight. The program started in 2004 and has run for a total of nine seasons, and Mr. Harper has been a fitness instructor in all nine seasons. In addition to his appearance on the show’s American version, Mr. Harper participated in two season of the Australian version of the show, once in 2006 and again in 2008.

In addition to his part in the Biggest Loser, Mr. Harper has appeared on a number of other television programs, mostly relating to his role as a fitness advisor. These include six episodes of the Ellen Degeneres program, both the Tyra Banks Show and the Today Show, as well as a cameo on Days of Our Lives. He’s also a regular target for reality television recap shows like the Soup and Best Week Ever. Other television appearances include news programs, most notably “Larry King Live” and “CNN Today” as well as the entertainment news programs “Entertainment Tonight” and “Inside Edition.”

While his television appearances have been the primary vehicle for his fame, he has also been involved in a number of different fitness related products. This includes his book Are You Ready!: Take Charge, Lose Weight, Get in Shape, and Change Your Life Forever, and a number of fitness DVDs produced under the Biggest Loser brand.

After his success with Biggest Loser and its related media and his own bestselling book, Mr. Harper has been in increasing demand as a trainer and motivational speaker. His appearances range from lectures and speeches to group training events, and his work has taken him to a number of countries in Europe, North America and Asia.

Fitness Philosophy

Bob Harper’s approach to fitness is based on a holistic approach to both exercise, diet and psychology. He terms this approach the “Function Training Method.” This training philosophy was developed during the ten years he spent working as a Hollywood personal trainer. The Function Training Method is characterized by both a physical fitness component and a mental component similar to a number of self help techniques. Special care is taken to address both portions of the regime in an attempt to adjust habits and behavior patterns to address fitness problems.

The physical element of the exercise system is based around a comprehensive nutritional and exercise method that adjust body shape by controlling caloric intake and food types. It is based on a number of preexisting exercise platforms that combine diet and exercise to address weight and health issues. A great deal of the mechanics of the program are derived from exercise methods with a significant amount of scientific backing and approved by the American Fitness Training of Athletics association and Aerobic and Fitness Association of America. In short they are a combination of several techniques proven to be effective for fitness and weight loss.

The most novel element of his fitness regime is the integration of fitness into daily life. Rather than pursue exercise elements in a manner distinct from regular life, the Function Training Method advises an approach that combines exercise and daily life together. Practically this means small, discrete exercise activities that take between 20 minutes to an hour to perform.

The psychological component of the fitness program is designed to focus on the root causes for poor health habits. These are often habits or psychological conditions which lead to self-defeating behaviors like overeating or the like. Rather than focus exclusively on what not to do, the Functional Training Method provides several example of good behavior to replace negative thought patterns, destructive behaviors and self-reinforcing psychological problems. These include a variety of self-confidence boosting behaviors and tips.

The dietary component of Mr. Harper’s system is based around a full dietary adjustment. Low calorie and high nutrition foods are outlined, along with cooking techniques designed to maximize their value. His book included a number of tips to help deal with dietary issues, focusing on how to deal with eating outside of the home, sample recipes and over 20 sample menus. A central conceit of the dietary plan is the ‘eat more’ diet, a staple of Mr. Harper’s work on Biggest Loser. Essentially it suggests that eating a larger number of smaller meals over the course of the day will increase the dieter’s metabolism. An increased metabolism will lead to a healthy and sustainable weight loss plan.

Effectiveness of the Function Training Method

The Function Training Method is apparently a fairly effective method to improve health and fitness for normal people. The dietary information is within scientific guidelines for healthy eating, especially considering the exotic nature of several competing weight loss diets. Unlike the low-carb or low-calorie diets, the Eat More approach is effectively a restricted-calorie diet coupled with exercise. The novel component of smaller meals has been supported by some research as being closer to the type of eating habits that prehistoric man engaged in, as well as an effective control over blood sugar levels over the course of a day. By monitoring and controlling these levels, larger hunger ‘attacks’ will be prevented, thus reducing overeating. There have been no signs of any health problems cause by this diet.

The exercise component of the Function Training Method is similarly uncontroversial. It focuses on natural exercises using free weights, resistance training and the like rather than exercise machines. There is no particular emphasis on any single fitness component, though cardiovascular and strength training are highlighted as significant elements to proper health. A more esoteric component of the methods advocated by Bob Harper is yoga.

Yoga is a 5,000 year old philosophical tradition that was originally developed as a healing technique in premedical times. The advent of modern yoga in the West is fairly recent, dating to the 19th century. Most of the religious components of yoga have been stripped from modern fitness yoga, which is billed as a flexibility, strength and general health practice. Mr. Harper’s advocacy of yoga stems from its holistic nature, coupling psychological and spiritual components to a physical activity and incorporating elements of this synthesis into the Functional Training Method. By incorporating yoga into his system, Mr. Harper intends to address some of the psychological root causes that can cause behaviors that adversely affect personal health.

The efficacy of yoga has been studied in some depth, though there are no conclusive studies suggesting its benefits versus other health systems like Pilate’s. Most research suggest that yoga is effective for treating some types of back pain, improving posture and increasing the flexibility and lubrication of joints and ligaments.

The Function Training Method combines several established and proven health methods into a holistic fitness approach that seems effective. More novel than its individual components, Bob Harper’s introduction of a matrix of healthy activity, especially the psychological and personal elements that lead to poor health, is the root of the system’s effectiveness.

Related Controversies

No one in the public eye can escape a degree of controversy, and Bob Harper is no exception to this general rule. The controversial elements of Bob Harper’s fame have generally come in both professional and private categories, with the former centering on the portrayal of weight loss in The Biggest Loser and the latter on his private life and sexuality. Though not a particularly divisive figure, Mr. Harper does have a rather favorable public opinion as a result of his generally amiable nature and sympathetic performances on Biggest Loser, and some of this controversy is most likely a combination of professional spite and the tendency for a popular figure to attract negative attention.

The professional issues with Bob Harper are generally split along two general lines of reasoning. The first is the mildly derivative nature of the Function Training Method, which he developed. The argument goes that there is very little new in the training method and that Harper is benefiting off of a set of techniques he didn’t develop. As mentioned above this is most likely a factor of Mr. Harper’s fame rather than a serious critique of the training techniques he advocates. The primary selling point of the Function Training Method is the holistic nature of its implementation, with the unification of a large number of well supported and researched health practices under a single plan. The popularity of the Function Training Method is closely related to the personal charisma and visibility of its proponent, so claims suggesting Harper is benefiting from others work unfairly are most likely unfounded.

The second criticism relates to his participation with the Biggest Loser program, which many dietitians and health professionals believe may be raising unrealistic expectations for individuals attempting to improve their own health. Most commonly, these objections relate to the rapid rate of weight loss and especially restrictive diet. Due to the production constraints of the show and the desire to increase viewer excitement, the regime the contestants are put through is significantly more intense than most recommended by dietitians. Some even go so far as to call it a dangerous system, mitigated only by the presence of extensive support staff and observers. To be fair, most of these criticisms have been aimed at the ‘red’ team, which uses a boot camp style of training, but some criticism for the blue team has also been voiced.

Additional criticisms of the show and its approach to weight loss have been raised as well. As the contestants are literally working 24 hours a day at losing weight in an extremely supervised situation, the results they’ve received have been greater than what regular individuals can expect to achieve. As a result, some have argued that the show has increased the difficulty in maintaining a realistic weight loss program and deterred individuals from continuing to exercise and diet when they cannot match the results seen on Biggest Loser.

Bob Harper has replied to these comments by pointing out the safety constraints on the show, the differing nature of his personal exercise program and approach on the show and the motivational power of the program. The connected media, especially the DVD exercise programs which he hosts, have also been effective in helping individuals lose body weight and maintain their new physiques. Additional criticisms of the ‘eat more’ approach to hunger control have been raised, especially its effectiveness for individuals with metabolic issues, but the more extensive coverage of the diet offered in Mr. Harper’s book has mitigated those criticisms.

There have also been a number of other criticisms of the show, which reputedly pushed contestants past safe limits in order to provide entertaining television. Several minor scandals, mostly dealing with former contestants and their inability to maintain their weight loss have been aired, though Mr. Harper has never been implicated in any of them.

The relatively minor criticisms of Mr. Harper’s professional reputation are joined by a series of personal controversies, generally centering around his relationships and sexual orientation. Much of the controversy over this point stems from Mr. Harper’s personal mannerism, which some consider to be stereotypically effeminate. His single status has also raised people’s curiosity, with a large number of web searches on the search term ‘bob harper’ leading to questions regarding his marital status. Google lists ‘bob harper married’ and ‘bob harper girlfriend’ as the two most searched terms relating to his name. Mr. Harper has not publicly addressed his sexual orientation, either to confirm or deny his status as a potential homosexual, leading some to assume that he is, in fact, gay.

Though his sexual orientation has no bearing on his ability as a personal trainer, it may impact his marketability as a successful speaker and professional motivator, which may be a motivation for his reticence to comment on the subject. Though Mr. Harper has commented on a religious element to his life, saying “I love being a personal trainer…it’s hearing God’s calling for me,” he has steadfastly avoided commented on his sexual preferences.

Additionally, several former contestants have hinted at his status as a gay man, most notably Phillip and Amy Parham who were Blue team contestants on the sixth season of the show, implied that Mr. Harper was homosexual when they responded to questions regarding Mr. Harper’s marital status. Other contestants have mentioned their preference for Mr. Harper to ‘do the interior design’ for their homes as well as several other traits typically associated with gay men. Unsourced comments on several Internet sites have also pointed to Mr. Harper’s homosexuality, saying “he’s been out for years now.” It is worth noting that none of the contestants ever explicit said that Mr. Harper was gay, nor has he commented, making the whole controversy one of gossip and hearsay rather than anything conclusive.

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Weight Loss Success: Diets And Programs

Most people have tried a variety of diets, incorporating different healthy foods into their diets with little results. Eating the right foods and exercising can have a positive impact on your weight and help you to reach your weight loss goals.

People set themselves up for failure because it is hard to break the negative patterns we set in our lives. It is so easy to make excuses for ourselves when it comes to losing weight. Procrastination as well as the loss of motivation in our weight loss journey leads to failure.

I have listed a few food choices and weight loss programs which have lead to successful weight loss for so many.

Foods That Promote Healthy Weight Loss

Of course, you should always incorporate fruits and vegetables into your diet. But, if you’re not drinking enough water, all your efforts will fail. Water acts as a cleansing agent and keeps us hydrated. You should aim to drink 8 glasses of water per day. Depending on your activity level, you may need more. If plain water doesn’t appeal to you, try adding a little lemon juice or sugar-free crystals to your water.

You need to have plenty of fiber in your diet. Eating a sufficient amount of fiber will ensure that you will not have digestive issues. Having too little fiber can cause constipation which is what you definitely do not want when trying to lose weight. Constipation can make you feel sick and bloated. Foods that contain high amounts of fiber are beans, lentils, fruits, vegetables and grains. You have a variety of fiber-filled foods to choose from to help with managing your weight. Fiber helps you to feel full longer.

Foods that contain protein are also essential for healthy weight loss. You will want to eat a minimal amount of red meat because it can be very fatty. Instead, stick with white meat such as chicken and fish. Fish is extremely good for you. It is lean and provides nutrients that are needed to maintain healthy weight.

Reduced Calorie Diet

You can lose weight successfully simply by counting calories. That doesn’t mean that you can eat really bad stuff in small amounts. It means that you can have balanced meals that leave you feeling full with some healthy snacks in between. The main idea behind calorie counting is portion control. You can have something sweet here and there, you just can’t scarf down an entire box of donuts. As you take in less calories, you will begin to lose more weight. You should keep a log of the food you eat each day and fill in how many calories each meal is. By doing this, you can succeed at losing weight by counting calories.

These are a few of the proven programs available at various costs.

Weight Watchers

Weight Watchers has been around for years. The system has helped many shed unwanted pounds. This program gives its members a chance to meet with one another which helps in developing a support system. Members can attend live meetings or the program can also be accessed online. The goal of the Weight Watchers diet is for members to lose 2 pounds per week. Weight loss is steady. The Weight Watchers diet will allow a certain number of points each day to each member based on their body composition. Participants are given a booklet that tells how many points any kind of food will cost them. It also includes meals that can be ordered at restaurants so members won’t be tempted to cheat while dining out. Weight Watchers is a safe and reliable diet. It certainly is not a fad diet and it is here to stay.

South Beach Diet

The South Beach Diet was developed for overweight heart patients. It provided excellent results for these patients. While this diet is similar to the Atkin’s Diet, there are some differences. It is often referred to as the healthy version of the Atkin’s Diet. During the first two weeks on this diet, most carbohydrates must be completely avoided. This would include rice, pasta and bread. Instead, you are required to eat three meals a day until you are satisfied. These meals include meats, shellfish, turkey, chicken and fish. Nuts, fat-free cheese, eggs, salad and vegetables are also on the menu for this diet. You can expect to lose 9 to 13 pounds during this phase of the diet. During the second phase of the South Beach Diet, carbohydrates are reintroduced, but only a little. This stage of the diet will allow you to lose 1 to 2 pounds per week. The third phase of this diet requires that you make a lifestyle change and eat healthy foods and maintain your weight. This diet is about balancing the good carbs and the bad carbs. This diet also has an online program with a database of recipes which also offers alternatives to vegetarians.

Nutrisystem Diet

The Nutrisystem Diet provides prepackaged foods to its participants which typically includes three meals and two snacks per day. These are shipped directly to the customer. Different options are provided for men, women and vegetarians. This diet provides a safe and healthy way to lose weight. You must be willing to stick with the meal plans. The idea behind this concept is that the meals are prepackaged, and therefore, contain the right amount of calories for your physical makeup. If you sneak other foods in on this diet, you will not get the results you had hoped for and you will be spending a lot of money for nothing. This diet plan can work but it will take hard work and determination. The meals can be pricey, but if you are someone who’s on the go, this may be the right diet plan for you.

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General Weight Loss Tips

Free Weight Loss/Diet Clinical Trials

Have you ever wondered where Universities and Drug Companies find people to participate in their weight loss clinical trials? By utilizing the internet, companies and universities open these studies to a wide audience. Trying all types of weight loss programs, pills, and diets can be very costly. All these clinical trials are available at no cost. Some of these studies even pay you to participate.

The University of Kentucky has done/do all types of studies. They did clinical weight loss study which was quite impressive. They completed a 44 week weight loss study where the average weight lost was 134 pounds. WOW!!!!!

The University of Kentucky is located in Lexington. They have various studies available in which you can participate if you meet the criteria. The study on diet programs: You can also put your name on a list for upcoming studies.  You can check out the U of Kentucky program here.

Weight Loss Study.
There is another site in which offers various clinical trials. They cover a multitude of conditions as well as weight loss. All you have to do is type in what type of research you are interested as well as which area and it will research clinical studies available in that field for that area. The site is called Clinical Trails.gov.

A site which does clinical research on various types of cancer is the, National Cancer Institute. At this site you can find a clinical trial in which to participate. At this site, Yyou can also read the results of studies done on various types of cancer.

Another site which recruits people for various clinical research is clinical connection. At this site, you can sign up for type of research that meets their criteria. If there isn’t a clinical trial available when you are research, you can sign up using key words (eg: obesity, weight loss, gastric bypass surgery, diet, hypertension) for a study in which you are interested. When a clinical trial becomes available that meets your needs, they will notify you. They have an introductory video called Clinical Trials Guide. It will walk you through how to use the site.

Clinical Connection also has a message board in which you can discuss health as well as clinical trials. Presently, there are over 100,000 clinical trials going on in the United States. There are also over 100,000 international studies available through out the world.

Last but not least is another site in which you can apply to be a participant in various clinical studies. This site is called Center Watch. This site covers a multitude of studies, ranging from weight loss to breast cancer. The studies are carried out in all parts of the country.

If you have a local university near your home, check with the research department to see what type of studies they are doing. You may find one you are interested in participating.

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