By Dan Taylor

Here’s a radical idea – but I promise you it’s true. If you want to flatten your belly you need to start with your head.

One of my favorite shows since it premiered has been NBC’s “The Biggest Loser."
I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a reality TV junkie and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why a show about dangerously obese people turning their lives around to achieve healthful fat levels and lifestyles would be fascinating to a fitness trainer. But it goes deeper than that.

One of the trainers, Jillian Michaels, makes me both wince and cheer. I cringe at some of the high-impact exercises I see her clients do, tense up when she screams in their faces and feel she pushes the boundaries of her profession more than comfortably over the line. In fact, a case could be made that she pretty much practices psychology without a license.

I don’t know how many times I was ready to condemn her harsh “calling out” of a contestant for not being brave or honest with her or themselves. But just when I’m about to level a judgment on her extreme tactics, the contestant breaks down and admits some pearl of truth. And, often, that pearl is the tipping point for the contestant to finally face the reasons they got to where they are. They then vow to never let that attitude (or the resulting weight gain) prevail in their lives again.

Not only does she seem to “get” what’s going on in their heads, but the woman obviously cares deeply about them and about what she does. I have to respect that level of engagement and commitment.

My style is nothing like the woman I affectionately refer to as “Darth” Jillian. But I do try to pay attention and, when appropriate, share my perspective about how my clients need to feel about themselves, their goals and the process if they want to make a healthful body composition and lifestyle a permanent way of life.

Here are the some of the more important core principles:

• You have to know that you deserve to be happy and healthy.
• You have to be willing to give yourself as much or more than you give everyone else in your life.
• You have to be willing to face the disparity between your stated values and your everyday habits with fearless honesty and forgiveness.
• You have to hold your own esteem above anyone else’s.
• You have to hold yourself accountable to your own (reasonable) expectations.
• You have to be willing to seek qualified guidance if you think you would benefit from it.
• You have to have a positive end goal. Losing weight is not sustainable. Getting lean to be healthy for the rest of your life is.

There’s no better and more lasting motivator than a clear and certain sense of purpose. If you doubt that, ask yourself if you have that for your home, your career or your family.

Shouldn’t your physical health be held to the same standard?

Dan Taylor is a 20-year resident of Pleasanton and a nationally certified fitness trainer and educator. He can be reached at TriValleyWellness.com.