We just put the finishing touches on our January 2011 cover story by Alison Sweeney, the host of The Biggest Loser. Change your thinking, change your life—it’s no surprise Ali believes that, considering the amazing transformations she’s seen on the show. Contestants have to change their thinking about food, about exercise, about their bodies, about themselves.
In talking to our senior editor Celeste McCauley, Ali mentioned something else people need to change their thinking on. And that’s change itself. She gets to know the contestants pretty well each season, and she’s noticed that a lot them put off making much-needed changes in their lives because they were looking for something momentous—“a big revelation or sign that they can use for a springboard.” (Like getting on The Biggest Loser.)
But change isn’t always like being struck by lightning. “More often, it’s a gentle rain that slowly but surely sinks in,” Ali pointed out. Right! I think that applies not only to initiating change but also to sustaining it. Isn’t it usually a series of small signs or nudges that compels you to make a change in the first place? And isn’t it the accumulation of everyday actions, of small steps in the right direction, that lead to a lasting positive change—a momentous change—in your life?
