Well, this has been my ideal Saturday: I taught a full Spinning class full of energetic students who dug my new all-over-the-map playlist (Bon Jovi and Three 6 Mafia, plus Pat Benatar and Coldplay). Then I spent a few hours gathering swag and Badass inspiration at the Tallahassee Fitness Festival.
I got my body fat and BMI measured, I spent time on the rock-climbing wall, I watched a few girls work out their sexy Badasses with a pole dance exercise routine, and I sampled all kinds of tasty, healthy food from local caterers and organic grocers. (The folks from Taste Budz Catering and Takeout had amazing oatmeal pancakes, a Citrus Quinoa salad, and breakfast bars filled with oats and raisins -- all of it healthy, real ingredients that they'll prepare for you at less than $9 a meal.)
I walked away three hours later pumped up for this blog, eager for my fitness career possibilities in the year ahead, and stoked about all of the hard work happening out there in the Badass Army.
But above all, I was reminded that the key to sustaining yourself on this Badass journey is to enjoy it. Somehow, through the sweat and the sore muscles and the chocolate cake cravings that threaten to undo that last hour on the treadmill, you have to find a nugget of joy and motivation.
It can be the joy in feeling your pants get looser, or the motivation that comes when you start to see the number on the scale go down. It can be in the sheer high of the adrenaline from an amazing class. You can even delight sadistically in the burn that comes with a set of squats. However you do it, you have to find the fitness strategy that is right for you.
Otherwise you'll be bored, frustrated, and indifferent. And that's no way to build a better Badass.
A blog reader e-mailed me a week or so ago lamenting that she had taken two Spinning classes, and so far hated them. I e-mailed back with some tips on making it more enjoyable, from finding a better teacher to buying a padded seat for comfort in the tush.
But I ended by telling her, frankly, that she might never like indoor cycling. And that is totally OK. Because there is something out there for her, whether it's distance running or martial arts or step classes. She just has to find the right fit.
The festival today was all about showcasing an array of exercise and healthy living options to this community I call home. Festival-goers learned about the various gyms in town, some focused on personal training in groups and others offering just group classes like Spinning, Zumba and BodyPump. There was a running club for people who hate being stuck inside a gym. There was even a booth highlighting the local boot camp that operates out of a warehouse where they push tires and use their own Badasses to reshape their Badasses.
My friend Jenn walked away and all she kept saying was, "I want to push a tire around. That would be awesome." I told her, "Do it! Whatever gets you excited."
She brought her youngest son Patton, who 'boxed" in a padded bounce house and then climbed the rock wall twice. He got off the second time, his forehead glistening, and beamed at me: "Wow! That was exercise! I am sweating!" Patton is already, at age 8, figuring out how he likes to get his blood and muscles pumping. Awesome. He also sampled a chocolate banana smoothie, rice crackers with organic pesto and Kashi wheat crackers topped with Greek yogurt cheese. That's a whole lot better than a McDonald's Happy Meal.
Now, I'm going to sign off and leave you Badasses to enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Oh, and guess what? Next Saturday will be even better: My Spinning class, followed by the first Badass Fitness Boot Camp at Doak Campbell stadium at FSU. An awesome hour of stadiums, squats, lunges, cardio drills and ab work for the local soldiers of the Badass Army. Come on out at 11 a.m. with a towel, water, $10 and a big Hoo-ah!
Coming next week: A new Monday Mailbag, the skinny on all those protein and energy bars, and a workout to build your six pack and your Bootylicious!
