Biography of Jim Karas

He is the fitness contributor on ABC’s Good Morning America (he helped co-host Diane Sawyer lose 25 pounds) in addition to being the host of Couch Potatoes on ABC News Now.  He has also been seen regularly on CNN, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Extra, Fox News, Cityline in Toronto, and ABC7 in Chicago.

Jim has served as a Contributing Editor for Good Housekeeping magazine and has written feature articles for countless other national publications, including “O” The Oprah Magazine. Named among the best personal trainers in the country by Allure magazine, Jim has been featured in such major magazines and newspapers as Time, US News & World Report, Vogue, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Elle, More, Self, Town & Country, People, Us, In-Touch Weekly, Chicago magazine, The New York Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times.

Karas is the founder of Jim Karas Personal Training, LLC, which has worked with over 500 clients in Chicago and New York, including ABC’s Diane Sawyer and Cynthia McFadden, CNN’s Paula Zahn and actors Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Candace Bergen and Emma Thompson. The firm utilizes the concepts of a classic business plan to help individuals accomplish their weight loss and fitness goals. Jim has achieved this success by skillfully blending his Ivy League education (he’s a graduate of the Wharton School of Business) with his passion for helping people look and feel their very best.

In addition to overseeing the operations of his personal training firm, Jim is widely sought after as a keynote speaker for many of the country’s most prominent corporations, small businesses and special interest groups.  Among some of these organizations are the Federal Reserve Bank, “O” The Oprah Magazine, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Beam Global Brands, the World Presidents’ Organization, Leaders Magazine, Coldwell Banker, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Lake Forest. Hospital

Speech Topics

• The Business Plan for the Body

Utilizing the concepts outlined in his #1 New York Times bestseller, Jim uses the analogy of a classic business plan and applies it to a step-by-step plan to successfully lose weight and, most importantly, keep it off. The three components Jim highlights in achieving success are how to eat properly, exercise effectively and make simple lifestyle changes that will make all the difference in your program.

• Flip the Switch

For many people, the biggest challenge in beginning a weight loss program is getting started. How many times have you said or heard the excuses such as, “I don’t have the time”, “I don’t have the money,” “I love to eat” or “I hate to exercise”? Jim says the key is to Flip The Switch, that is, get to the point where the desire to lose weight finally becomes more important than the desire to overeat and not exercise. Using the principles outlined in his second bestseller, Flip The Switch, Jim examines these obstacles and then provides a sensible and comprehensive action plan to overcome each barrier once and for all.

• Balancing Act: Finding Time for a Healthy Body

Jim knows how difficult it is to juggle work, family, have some semblance of a social life and still find some time for YOU. Every bit of research points to the fact that the more time you spend on you, the more you improve your productivity, creativity, memory, patience and energy levels. At that same time, by following a healthier eating and exercise plan, you decrease the negative effects of stress, which affect everyone to some degree. Corporations throughout the country realize this is an issue and Jim provides advice on how to effectively enhance your life at home, in the office, while traveling and, most importantly, during the inevitable high stress times throughout the year.

• The Energy Factor

Time is not our most precious commodity: Energy is.

Anyone who has seen Jim Karas speak would agree that he has what appears to be an unlimited supply of energy. The reason for this is simple: Jim eats, sleeps, exercises and lives in a way that optimizes his energy levels. Jim discusses how you, too, can make small changes in your routine to maximize your energy and, conversely, points out where you are probably making some mistakes that could be robbing you of it. By following Jim’s simple, yet effective advice you will be on the road to optimizing your energy and getting the most from your body and mind each and every day.

• The Strength Solution for Seniors

Jim discusses the art of aging successfully and, more importantly, how to do it independently. Jim answers questions such as, “What is aging?”, “What is the biggest factor affecting how you age?”, and “What can I do to slow the aging process?” In addition to talking about how to eat the right foods, maintain a healthy weight and exercise properly, Jim downplays the role genes figure in this game of aging (they only count for 30% of the aging process – surprised?) and empowers you with the knowledge and tools to take control of your own health, at any age.

• Ladies: Fight Fat After 40

As the Fitness Contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America and a Contributing Editor to Good Housekeeping, Jim has researched the most effective ways for women to combat excess weight as they age. Jim examines a variety of issues and identifies the variables that are unique to women as they strive to successfully maneuver the aging process. Jim also addresses the unique demands placed on women, whether they be working, staying at home, raising children, caring for a parent or any number of factors that fall on a woman’s shoulders. He discusses issues that affect body composition ranging from the effects of pregnancy, menopause, and osteoporosis to an examination of the physiological differences between men and women, and how to overcome their respective disadvantages and challenges.