Fitness expert Jillian Michaels to speak Monday at university

When Natalie Ries first heard about fitness expert Jillian Michaels speaking at Southeast Missouri State University, she set a reminder on her phone to order tickets the day they went on sale.

Now the Oran (Mo.) High School business and computer teacher is beyond excited the big day is almost here.

Michaels is probably best known for her appearances on "The Biggest Loser" and "Losing It with Jillian."

"The Biggest Loser" is a reality show on which contestants try to win prize money by losing the most weight. For "Losing It with Jillian," also a reality show, Michaels spends a week with a family to help them lose weight.

Michaels' presentation is at 7:30 p.m. Monday at the Show Me Center.

"I'm hoping to hear some more good tips on healthy eating and inspiring words to keep going," Ries wrote in an email. "I like the message that it's not all about losing weight. It's about being healthy. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change."

Ries and her husband, Mark, started using Michaels' 90-day "Body Revolution" workout and diet plan in February. "We were really looking for a workout program that we felt we could commit to," the mother of three said in an email. "Her '90 Day Body Revolution' DVDs are only 30 minutes. We felt this would be easier than committing an hour a day to a program."

They loved the program, and within a week, they were feeling better. Her husband lost 40 pounds in about three months and Natalie lost about 15. Both have kept the weight off.

In May, Ries read Michaels' book "Master Your Metabolism" and started researching more natural ways of eating. "Throughout the summer, my children and I started trying more and more recipes from scratch with more natural and healthier ingredients. And, wow could we tell the difference. We were not really trying to lose more weight, just trying to have healthy bodies and teach our children healthier ways to eat without feeling like we are missing out."

By doing this, Ries said the family, who live in Jackson, noticed they want to eat natural foods more than the convenience variety.

Rachel Embree, a senior at Southeast, is another Michaels fan.

"I always really liked her on 'The Biggest Loser.' I just know she's a really famous trainer. I was always looking forward to it, so now that she's coming, I'm really looking forward to it," Embree said.

Embree said she's "moderately" interested in health and fitness. She works out and tries to eat healthy.

"I think she can really motivate a lot of students. She's pretty hard core and in your face, but I think that's why she's well known, because she was pretty intense when she was on that show. I think that works for a lot of people," Embree said.

In the aftermath of her parents' divorce, Michaels, who is 5-foot-2 1/2, got up to 175 pounds at age 12, according to an article in the Huffington Post. She shed the weight through martial arts.

According to Michaels' website, she has been a fitness expert and wellness coach for more than 20 years. In addition, she owned and operated a sports medicine facility, where she worked as a physical therapy aid under physical therapists, chiropractors and physiatrists -- nerve, muscle and bone experts who treat injuries that affect how you move.

Michaels' passion for fitness training stems from 17 years of martial arts practice in Muay Thai and Akarui-Do, in which she holds a black belt, the site said.

Joanna Shaver, coordinator for campus programming, said she expects about 1,000 people to attend Michaels' presentation. She said series organizers try to line up series speakers by March for the next academic year.

"We try to know as far in advance as we can," Shaver said.

Proceeds from tickets, which cost $10, go toward student scholarships, Shaver added.

Selecting speakers

The speaker series has been ongoing since 2008, Shaver said.

The process of selecting speakers typically starts at the end of the fall semester, around November. "I put together a couple of focus groups to talk about what they liked and disliked about the series," Shaver said. The focus groups also pick topics of interest or concern to students. One of the higher ranking topics this past round was health and wellness.

"But they were also interested in hearing from inspiring people and hearing their stories. Those are both very broad," Shaver said.

Surveys also are sent to students with a potential list of speakers asking who they would most like to appear on campus.

Speakers are chosen based on topics of interest to students, but they also should have some name recognition. "It's a little bit of a process to meet both sides to find the topic interesting and impactful, but still find a speaker that resonates with students and the community," Shaver said. "We do encourage the community to come to these events."

Among the other speakers this year are Blake Mycoskie, who is the founder and chief shoe giver of TOMS; Clarence Jones, who served as political adviser, counsel and draft speechwriter for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and is now an accomplished businessman; author Nicholas Sparks; and radio talk show host Diane Rehm, whose show can be heard on many National Public Radio stations.

rcampbell@semissourian.com

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