Phil Parham Read online

  What Others Are Saying about The 90-Day Fitness Challenge, also by Phil and Amy Parham

  “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge is a wonderful compilation of the principles, anecdotes, and information that not only helped to change the lives of my friends, Phil and Amy Parham, but can serve to change the lives of its readers as well. From their DREAM principle to the daily mini-challenges and tips, along with the combination of faith principles, inspirational quotes, and noteworthy statistics, Phil and Amy provide guidance for anyone looking to get on the path to a healthy lifestyle.”

  —BILL GERMANAKOS, winner, Season 4 of NBC’s The Biggest Loser

  “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge is a great read for those desiring to lose weight and keep God at the center. Having watched Phil and Amy work out at Dl, I believe their testimony will motivate and inspire people to desire to better themselves. I have been around the fitness industry a long time and have a strong passion for overall wellness. It is awesome to experience Phil and Amy sharing a similar passion!”

  —WILL BARTHOLOMEW, president and CEO,

  Dl Sports Training and Therapy

  “Phil and Amy Parham prove there are no quick fixes, but in The 90-Day Fitness Challenge, they show how in a brief period of time you can lay the foundation for a lifetime of healthy habits.”

  —BRANDI KOSKIE, DietsInReview.com

  “Phil and Amy Parham inspired me on The Biggest Loser, and they will inspire you to reach your goals. This book covers aspects of health that so many others leave out. I was excited to get to the next chapter!”

  —DANNY CAHILL, winner, Season 8 of NBC’s The Biggest Loser

  “The first book that I’ve ever read that clearly spells out the right steps to take to gain a healthy lifestyle. Phil and Amy Parham have taken the guesswork out of the equation. Apply these principles and in 90 days your DREAM will be a reality.”

  —ROB DEMPSEY, morning radio DJ and multisport athlete

  “It takes a special kind of courage to face your personal demons, and an even greater courage to accept that many of them exist as a result of your bad choices. The ultimate courage is to right those wrongs. Phil and Amy Parham have done just that, and their book will inspire many of us to do the same.”

  —BILL ELLIS, morning radio host, “Ellis and Bradley Morning Show”

  “Being on The Biggest Loser was one of the most significant times in my Christian life. God designed and desires us to be spiritually and physically healthy, and the impact on our lives is huge. Phil and Amy Parham are the only ones to have put into writing what so many former contestants now know—that weight loss, pursuing health, and becoming the person God intended us to be is not just an exercise program, but a faith journey as well. As a pastor and weight-loss group leader, I love that The 90-Day Fitness Challenge is a complete program, tying together amazing teaching and resources on changing to a healthy lifestyle while honoring and involving our Creator. This is THE book to get for individuals or groups looking to change their lives for the long term!”

  —REV. MATTHEW MCNUTT, contestant,

  Season 3 of NBC’s The Biggest Loser

  “Phil and Amy Parham’s The 90-Day Fitness Challenge is more than your typical diet book. They don’t just tell you how to achieve long-lasting change in your life; they show you how to do it. Their story is inspiring, and their enthusiasm for good health and fitness is contagious. If you’re looking for a practical program that can help you transform your life through realizing the critical connection between the physical and the spiritual, then The 90-Day Fitness Challenge may be exactly what you’re looking for.”

  —JULIE HADDEN, first runner-up and biggest female loser,

  Season 4 of NBC’s The Biggest Loser;

  author, Fat Chance: Losing the Weight, Gaining My Worth

  “If you’ve tried every diet out there and are finally open to adopting a new way of life that gives you a real chance for success, look no further than Phil and Amy Parham’s The 90-Day Fitness Challenge. Chock-full of motivation, sound advice, and doable actions that will set you up for a lifetime of success, it’s a must-have guide for health and happiness!”

  —DEVIN ALEXANDER, host of Healthy Decadence (FitTV) and

  author of the New York Times bestselling Biggest Loser cookbooks

  “Amy and Phil Parham will help you understand that nutrition and fitness is a lifetime journey…not a sprint.”

  —DR. RICK KATTOUF II, host of Rx Nutrition

  DVDs and author of Forever Fit

  The

  Amazing

  Fitness

  Adventure

  for Your Kids

  AMY PARHAM

  PHIL PARHAM

  HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

  EUGENE, OREGON

  All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

  Verses marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

  Verses marked NLT are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189 USA. All rights reserved.

  Verses marked AMP are from The Amplified Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.

  Cover design by Dugan Design Group, Bloomington, Minnesota

  Cover photo © Martin Barraud / OJO Images / Getty Images

  Published in association with Fedd & Company, Inc. Literary Agency

  Readers are advised to consult with their physician or other medical practitioner before implementing the suggestions that follow. This book is not intended to take the place of sound professional medical advice or to treat specific maladies. Neither the author nor the publisher assumes any liability for possible adverse consequences as a result of the information contained herein.

  The Biggest Loser is not associated with this book or any of the views or information contained in this book.

  THE AMAZING FITNESS ADVENTURE FOR YOUR KIDS

  Copyright © 2011 by Phil and Amy

  Parham Published by Harvest House Publishers

  Eugene, Oregon 97402

  www.harvesthousepublishers.com

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Parham, Phil, 1966-

  The Amazing Fitness Adventure for your Kids / Phil and Amy Parham.

  p. cm.

  ISBN 978-0-7369-3921-8 (pbk.)

  ISBN 978-0-7369-4189-1 (eBook)

  1. Physical fitness for children. 2. Children—Health and hygiene. I. Parham, Amy, 1967-

  II. Title. III. Title: Ninety-day fitness challenge for your kids.

  RJ133.P37 2011

  613.7’042—dc22

  2010046524

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  Printed in the United States of America

  11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 / LB-SK / 10 987654321

  Contents

  What Others Are Saying about The 90-Day Fitness Challenge, also by Phil and Amy Parham

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  Part 1: Back to the Basics

  Chapter 1: Dream Big!

  Chapter 2: Face the Facts

  Chapter 3: Your Kids Are Watc
hing You

  Chapter 4: Nutrition Sense for Your Family

  Chapter 5: Activate Your Kids

  Chapter 6: Finding Balance

  Chapter 7: Getting Started

  Part 2: Your Daily Fitness Challenge

  Dream Big!—Days 1-10

  Face the Facts—Days 11-20

  Your Kids Are Watching You—Days 21-30

  Nutrition Sense for Your Family—Days 31-40

  Activate Your Kids—Days 41-50

  Finding Balance—Days 51-60

  Strong Mind = Strong Body—Days 61-70

  Best Practices—Days 71-80

  Make a Difference—81-90

  Conclusion

  Appendix A: Shopping List

  Appendix B: Top 10 List of Kids’ Favorite Foods (Made Healthy)

  Notes

  Enjoy These Other Harvest House Books by Phil and Amy Parham

  About the Authors

  Acknowledgments

  From Amy

  Above all, we thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without Him we wouldn’t be able to live this beautiful dream called life.

  This book is dedicated to our three boys, Austin, Pearson, and Rhett. They are each so unique and special in their own ways, and we are honored and blessed to have been chosen to be their parents. No matter what mountains I climb or what goals I reach, my greatest accomplishment will be if I raised them to be the men that God created them to be.

  From Phil

  This is our third book! I almost cannot believe we have accomplished so much in such a short time. I need to tell my beautiful wife, Amy, once again how much I love and appreciate her. She is a gift from God to me. She took this project on her back and ran with it. I also want my kids to know I love them and pray they live the future of their dreams. This book is also dedicated to the children all over our great nation. We wish them a limitless, meaningful, and healthy life.

  Amy and I both want to acknowledge AJ, Esther, Jim, Dina, Monique, and all the wonderful people in our Harvest House family. Without you we couldn’t be who we are. We love and appreciate you all.

  Introduction

  Amy’s Story

  Six years ago, I was lying on my couch, gazing through an opening in the ceiling that led to the attic. My eyes slowly became fixated on a wooden beam. I began to wonder: What would it feel like if I hung myself? Could the beam support my weight? How would I do it? My downward spiral into a deep depression had reached the bottom. I felt completely hopeless and began to contemplate a permanent way out. How in the world did I allow myself to get to this point?

  In four years, I had given birth to three sons (Austin was born on March 24, 1995; Pearson on April 30, 1997; and our baby Rhett on October 22, 1999) and had gained 70 pounds. My body and spirit sagged under the pressure of the extra weight. In 2003, Rhett was diagnosed with autism. As any mother who has high hopes and dreams for her children, I struggled with the diagnosis and dedicated much of my time and energy into finding ways to “fix” Rhett. I was physically exhausted and emotionally drained. I coped by binge eating every night, which made me put on more and more weight. At the same time, my husband’s business had collapsed, and we found ourselves under incredible financial pressure.

  Every day felt like hell on earth. I would make myself get out of bed each morning, even though I didn’t feel like it. One day I was driving down the road and I was praying, as I always did, for some guidance on how to find a miracle cure for Rhett because I couldn’t accept that he wasn’t going to be “normal.” In the depths of my spirit, I heard God say, “Amy, you are not perfect and I love you. Why does Rhett have to be perfect for you to love him?” Instantly I felt a burden lift off my shoulders as I realized that if I would just love my little boy and trust God, He would take care of my son. This was the first step of my journey to get my life back on track.

  Though the road was unbelievably long and hard at times, eventually the financial part of our lives and the challenges of having a child with autism began to straighten out. I knew that our weight was the last frontier to conquer. One night in 2008, having reached clinical obesity at 229 pounds, I was sitting on the sofa eating ice cream, crying, and watching The Biggest Loser. I suddenly decided to look on NBC.com to see what the process was for getting on the show.

  A few months later, on Valentine’s Day weekend, Phillip and I were in Atlanta for the auditions. Though we were hopeful, we didn’t hear anything from the network until two and a half months later. From the moment we were contacted until we were actually on the show was a whirlwind. Before we knew it, Phillip and I were on a plane to Los Angeles as finalists, though we were not yet promised a slot on the show. The next week, Bob Harper, one of the show’s fitness trainers, surprised us at our home to announce that out of 300,000 applicants, we were chosen for Season 6 of The Biggest Loser. Tears flowed down my face, and I remember thinking that this was the last piece of the puzzle to getting our lives back. There was no turning back.

  Phil’s Story

  Even though I was an overweight child, I never let it stop me from becoming a success in business and being able to support my family. In 2004, however, my mortgage broker business went to pieces after my business partner left. It was a shock to my ego and a crushing blow to our bank accounts. My family lost not only our luxurious lifestyle, but also our security. For the first time in my life, I was at a loss about what to do. My weight slowly began to creep up the scales, but I wasn’t paying attention to it that much. I was too busy trying to formulate a plan on how to get my family out of debt. My health was the last thing on my mind.

  I had no choice but to turn this devastating situation over to God about the same time my wife also surrendered. We knew that with Him, there had to be a way out of the pressure. Slowly but surely our lives started to turn around. My wife and I found new careers in real estate. We became the top sales agents, selling over 60 homes in our first year. We also found a new therapy for Rhett that helped him improve his language and behavior. While we were both feeling more inspired and motivated, Amy and I were still too busy with our family and new careers to give much thought to our personal health. Pushing 40, constantly feeling out of breath and struggling to maintain my energy level, I knew it was only a matter of time before I had to do something about my weight. The one area I had casually ignored my whole life would now become my battleground.

  I was at my heaviest, a staggering 340 pounds, when my wife took a step toward change and applied for both of us to be contestants on The Biggest Loser. There we began a new chapter of transforming our physical bodies—the only part of our lives that was holding us back from fulfilling all of our dreams. In only seven months, we together lost over 250 pounds, putting me at a trim 180 pounds and my wife Amy at a svelte 124 pounds. We still have one of the highest percentages of weight loss of any couple in The Biggest Loser’s history. Though we were on the show for only two and a half months, the entire process actually lasted seven months—two and a half months was spent on “the ranch,” the place we went to for the program’s highly intense exercise and nutrition regimen, and the rest of the time was spent at home getting ready for the live finale seven months later.

  Today

  We’ve maintained our healthy weight as we’ve incorporated permanent lifestyle changes we learned on The Biggest Loser into our family’s lifestyle. We’ve seen dramatic changes with our kids. Pearson, who was slightly overweight, lost pounds just by us eliminating sodas, snacks, and sweets from our home. All our kids became more active by participating in family hikes and 5K races. Austin joined the cross-country team. Pearson decided to start training to play football. And Rhett learned how to ride his bike for the first time.

  We have spent time away from the show as a chance to share with others the power of transforming health. The most life-changing lesson we’ve learned on our journey is that our success is only a small part of the big picture to inspire others. By living out our dreams, we are dedicated to helping others also live out the
ir dreams.

  When we got home from the ranch, we not only witnessed an outpouring of love and support, but we also got asked a lot of questions about how we changed our health so dramatically. Our good friend William Hayes suggested we get local sponsorship and plan an event to instruct and encourage others to take the same journey and to provide answers to the questions of weight loss. So we took another step of faith and created the “90-Day Fitness Challenge,” a program designed to help others lose weight and gain health in 90 days based on how we did it ourselves.

  With much running around, making countless phone calls, and tending to last-minute details, we put together our first event in less than two weeks at LivN Nsidout Wellness Complex in Simpsonville, South Carolina, on January 7, 2009. Almost a thousand people showed up from five states. We were blown away at how magical the event turned out, especially since it was organized at the last minute. When we saw how many people wanted to learn more about healthy living and losing weight, we put a mailing list together and sent out daily emails to these folks. We offered tips, encouragement, and pointed them in the right direction to better living. As weeks and months went by, the reports we got back were astounding. We received email after email from people who lost weight guided by what they learned in the “90-Day Fitness Challenge.” Not only did the pounds drop, but many of these wonderful people experienced other life changes—some quit smoking, some mended their marriages, and others gained the courage to pursue lifelong dreams.

  At the end of 90 days, we had a finale party sponsored by several local businesses. It was amazing to see the transformation of the people who had attended the initial event three months earlier. Those who had come to that first meeting depressed were now excited. Those who were unhealthy were now healthy. Those who felt tired, sluggish, and unmotivated were now energized, inspired, and motivated. It was an emotional and powerful experience for us, far beyond what words can say. These beautiful people reminded us of our own transformation.