Dubbed “An Apostle for Fitness” in her profile in the Wall Street Journal, Carole has been a featured guest on more than sixty radio and television shows, including NBC’s Today show, CBS’s Early Show, MSNBC’s Countdown, and CNN News. Carole has been featured in magazines such as American Fitness, Diet & Exercise Magazine, and Today’s Health & Wellness, as well as in newspapers such as the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, Tampa Tribune, Sacramento Bee, Baltimore Sun and the Los Angeles Times. Carole’s book, From Fat to Fit, was named a finalist in the health and fitness category of the National Best Books 2007 Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.

Besides teaching and consulting, Carole has produced a weekly community television show, The Tipping Point and a reality show, Go Fat to Fit. This, fall Carole will serve as mentor to the national AARP Fat to Fit Community Challenge, a new virtual community devoted to fitness and healthy weight loss.

Carole Carson--

I’ve interviewed dozens of people who’ve made significant lifestyle changes—from being sluglike to exercising regularly, from overeating to consciously eating, from being fat to being fit. I’ve also interviewed individuals who’ve faithfully followed a healthful regimen their entire lives.

Whether a lifetime practitioner, a recent convert to fitness or a world-class athlete, all of us have one thing in common. At some point, a UFO lands in the backyard of our lives.

UFOs, or Unexpected Fitness Obstacles, are not pleasant surprises. Some involve minor injuries, like a sprained ankle, while others are life threatening. Fame and fortune are no protection. But unlike Tiger Woods, whose knee injury was reported in the New York Times, or Roger Federer, whose mononucleosis triggered speculation that his tennis career had peaked, we face ordinary fitness obstacles that make headlines only in our own lives.

Whether we’re famous or not, the obstacles throw our exercise routine off track and challenge our resolve to stay fit. Once sidelined, some of us never recover our exercise routine.

My friend Vicki Hisaw is an exception. Vicki hurt her foot shortly before her first bodybuilding competition. Discouraged after months of preparation, she planned on withdrawing. Because of her excellent condition, Vicki’s foot healed faster than expected. Vicki was able to compete and won first place in women’s bodybuilding in the Grand Masters division in northern California. Today, she’s a member of Team USA and will compete internationally. Beverly Glen, another friend, regularly exercised through ballroom dancing when a car accident caused by a drunk driver nearly killed her. Through perseverance, Beverly slowly recovered. Her stamina is almost back to normal, and she’s dancing again.

Some UFOs involve medical problems. Gayle Lossman, a friend, marathon runner and personal trainer, went to the emergency room with severe stomach pain, diagnosed as diverticulitis. While taking care of this problem, doctors discovered a spot on her kidney. After surgery revealed no cancer, Gayle began to rebuild her stamina.

While re-building her stamina, Gayle continued to have problems with her stomach and intestines. The medical consensus was that scar tissue was causing the problems. Another surgery was scheduled. The procedure became life-threatening when Gayle had a rare allergic reaction to the anesthesia.

Recovering from this trauma was difficult; nonetheless, Gayle was determined to get back on her feet. A few months later, she noticed pain in her chest when she tried to exercise. Ultimately diagnosed with an 80 percent blockage in one of the arteries leading to her heart, Gayle required surgery to insert a stent—yet another trauma to her body.

Once again, Gayle faced the challenge of recovery. Determined to resume running and teaching exercise classes, Gayle was able to compete in a 5K charity race, and she is teaching her full schedule. Because her level of fitness helped her survive and recover, Gayle is also more determined than ever to teach the value of exercise to her students.

Most of us don’t have to face as many obstacles as Gayle did—and certainly not in such a short time. Still, we have our own roadblocks.

Since I lost weight and committed to a regular program of exercise and careful eating, I’ve had several UFOs land in my backyard. A week in intensive care following esophageal spasms left me weak as a kitten. Arthroscopic knee surgery for a torn meniscus took me out of commission for six weeks. Acupuncture for tennis elbow kept me from playing for two months. Eye surgery to correct cataracts has currently put my tennis game on hold.

Fortunately, these conditions are not life threatening. Even so, every time I’m sidelined and face a recovery period, I’m in danger of losing my resolve and commitment to exercise regularly and keep my weight down.

The key, I’ve discovered, is to redefine UFOs. Instead of viewing UFOS as Unexpected Fitness Obstacles, I’ve started viewing them as Unrequested Fitness Opportunities. For example, since I can’t play tennis until my eyes heal from surgery, I’ve begun walking with a friend on a nearby steep hillside. I’m determined to use my rehab period to increase my aerobic capacity and strengthen my legs.

None of us can keep UFOs from invading our lives. When the alien obstacle arrives, we have to resist the temptation to surrender. Instead of becoming captive, we can redefine the obstacle and make it an opportunity to challenge ourselves in a new way. When we do, we once again reaffirm our lifetime commitment to fitness.

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