So... here it is my first blog for Concept2, and what an honour it is to be associated with such an awesome range of products. Allow me to introduce myself; I am Kevin McLernon, this year I won ITV1's The Biggest Loser. I started the competition as the heaviest person ever to compete in the show in the UK at 32 stone and 2 lbs, that's 450lbs or 204kg. In 24 weeks I went on to shed 12 stone and 12lbs, 40% of my starting weight, reaching 19 stone and 4lb. The 24 week process involved 8 weeks at the Biggest Loser house and 16 weeks at home. During the 8 weeks in the house I used the Concept2 rower extensively; it was my weapon of choice in the competition. I knew already it was an awesome all over body workout and the calorie burn was amongst the highest possible in all the machines available to me, but add to that the fact I actually enjoyed using the rower, I was onto a winner. When I got home from the Biggest Loser house, having secured my place in the final three, I knew I wanted to continue using the rower in my weight loss journey. I arranged to hire a machine from Concept2 as well as using the one available to me in the local gym I use. I genuinely believe that my use of the rowing machine was a huge part in my Biggest Loser victory.

Since The Biggest Loser process finished in March I have continued my weight loss journey, admittedly not as intensively as before. I think I can be forgiven for having a little break from the gym for a week or so, as ordered by all of my trainers, training before the finale was extra intense and I had been carrying a nasty shoulder injury for about 8 weeks, so it was necessary to rest that too. I've also enjoyed my first holiday with my partner, Joanne, in nearly 3 years. If I'm honest I avoided travel because of my previous size. I found it increasingly difficult to fit in the airline seats and found it embarrassing to have to ask for the seat belt extender. So my weight loss rate has slowed down, but I am still moving forward to my goal weight, working out at least 6 times a week but usually more, and still being super careful about what I eat. Having just got back from holiday my plan is to now really step it up a notch and get myself where I want to be before my birthday in July, which as it happens is the 1 year and 1 day anniversary of my first Biggest Loser casting in Glasgow. I am stepping up my focus on the rower too. In the past I have rowed longer distances for endurance and some interval training for fat loss. I plan to now focus on my 2km time and get it right down to a respectable, competitive time over the coming months. I will also be using more intervals to burn off my remaining fat, to get myself into the athletic body fat % zone, thinking back just a few months I find it incredible I am writing that! Watch this space for updates.

In July 2013 I will be 40 years old. I decided during my Biggest Loser journey that I would set myself an average of at least one, tough, physical challenge per month between the end of The Biggest Loser and my 40th, with the aim of raising money for a yet undecided charity. I am hoping the final challenge will be a mass team event in Sunderland, followed by my 40th Birthday party, but what to do in between? Well, I had planned on scaling Ben Nevis in April, but that was rained off, so I plan on doing that in the next few weeks. I want to get to the top of Snowdon, Scarfell Pike and next year I am aiming for Kilimanjaro. I am also going to take part in an event called Tough Mudder in Scotland in July

(www.toughmudder.co.uk) which looks like a crazy day. I plan on following the Hadrian's Way across England, this finishes in my home town of South Shields, this is pencilled in for July too, WOW! my legs will be feeling sorry for themselves' come July. Often people take part in running events for charity, which is great, running is good exercise and very challenging, but I find it so tedious, I'm surprised I don't fall asleep while running! Despite that I listed three running events in my challenges, the Sunderland 10k, Blaydon Race and The Great North Run. I am still looking for challenges, especially for during the winter months, if you have any ideas please visit my website www.kevinmclernon.com and send me a message with your idea.

The Sunderland 10k I am happy to say I completed on Sunday May 6th in 1 hour 19 minutes, which is a little slower that I hoped for, but hey I finished it and didn't come last which is the main thing. I completed the run with my friend/sister-in-law Dionne and my niece Amy, aka Amy Mac from The Biggest Loser. Amy was a late entrant; she only got her number about an hour before the cut off deadline. I actually enjoyed the run itself, it was a great feeling getting over the finish line, and all along the route we had great support from people who had seen the show and seen us in the local press. If you have seen Rocky 2, and remember the scene where he runs through the city while people cheer him along, even throwing him an orange, and all the kids run behind him, well it was exactly like that... but slower, and no oranges or kids, and definitely no sprint up the steps at the end. Maybe more Forest Gump than Rocky then!