Badass Fitness

SuperSets for super results

I wish I had the time to just hang out all morning doing weight training and cardio at the gym, but that pesky 'real job' of mine prevents such luxuries. So I make up for my limited time with super sets.

Super sets -- two exercises performed in a row without the typical rest in between -- are the best way to get the most out of a weight training session. Not only do you keep your heart rate up, but by doing two sets in a row of exercises for opposing muscle groups (quads and hams, back and chest, biceps and triceps) you can whip more of your Badasses into shape in one session that doesn't take too long. Fast paced, with fast results.

This evening I am slinking into a hot little strapless black dress for New Year's festivities, so this morning I will be working my biceps and triceps -- with some shoulders squeezed in for added 'oomph.' (Plus my legs are shot from cycling and the road trip I took yesterday to do stadiums and field sprints at the Swamp in Gainesville with my fellow Badasses, Jenn and Kirsten.)

So check out this super set routine that focuses on the arms and shoulders. Do each 'set' 3 times, doing the first exercise, then the second, without resting in between. Then do it two more times. In between each superset, do 50 jumping jacks.

And quit yer whinin'! You know those New Year's Eve drinks are going to have calories you don't need sitting on your Badasses.

Get to work! Use a challenging weight for each of these -- and don't shortchange or underestimate yourselves. You are Badasses. You are strong.

SuperSet 1: 15 reps, close grip bench press (grab a barbell, put hands facing out and slightly shoulder length apart. Lay down on a flat bench. Press up, then down.) 15 reps, preacher bench curls (barbell in hands, hands facing toward you, shoulder length apart. With arms hanging over a bench, curl up.)

Repeat this two more times.

SuperSet 2: 15 reps, skull crushers (holding the barbell, hands facing out and close together. Lay on a flat bench and raise arms straight up. Bend forearms back, toward the skull, feeling the squeeze in your triceps). 15 reps, regular barbell curls (Barbell in hand, hands facing toward you, shoulder length apart. Curl up and down)

Repeat this two more times.

SuperSet 3: 15 reps, triceps pressdowns (Attach a rope to the high pulley. Pull down and squeeze outward, squeezing those triceps). 15 reps incline dumbbell curl (Resting back on an inclined bench, a dumbbell in each hand, do bicep curls.)

Shoulders bonus:

• 3 sets, 15 reps each, shoulder presses using dumbbells with a challenging weight.
• 3 sets, 15 reps each, shoulder raises (dumbbell in each hand, starting with the dumbbells at either side at your hips. Raise them up, arms straught. Don't go higher than shoulder height.
• 3 sets, 15 reps each, shoulder presses.

Coming up: Through the decades iPod music mix

Fruitcake begone! Work those Badasses

Your legs and glutes are powerful muscles, bigger and more Badass than your biceps and triceps and abs. So a good leg and glute workout torches calories and gets your heart pumping as the blood rushes to those muscles while you work 'em silly.

What better time to torch calories than at the end of the holidays, when we've no doubt been eating and drinking more than usual? Plus, beach season will be here before we know it. And who wants fruitcake and mashed potatoes covering our Badasses and quads? Not this Badass!

So try this heart-pumping, muscle-burning workout to work off some of your holiday gluttony and get your booties ready for whatever hot New Year's outfits you've got planned. I'm talking to you guys, too, because there's nothin' sexy about a flat, flabby male gluteus!

The festivities are winding down, Badasses, so let's re-energize and get our Badass game faces and attitudes back on! Get to work:

• Warmup: Jog or speed walk for 5 minutes
• 25 Plie' squats: Feet slightly more than hip width apart, toes turned out to the side like a ballerina. Lower glutes into a plie', keeping your back straight, until quads are parallel to the floor. Extra challenge: Do it while holding a 10 to 15-pound dumbbell between your legs.
• 25 Jump squats: Start in a regular squat position -- feet hip width apart, squatting like you're about to sit in a chair. From there, jump up high, then land back into a squat position. Extra challenge: Do it while holding 3-, 5- or 8-pound dumbbells on each shoulder. When you jump up, raise the dumbbells straight up into a shoulder press.
• 50 Jumping jacks: At a fast pace.
• 25 Plie squats: You know the drill.
• 25 Jump squats: This time, try to get more height into your jumps.
• 30 Seconds of High Knees: For 30 seconds, run in place, bringing your knees up high the entire time. This is no easy jog. Imagine you're running over hot coals. HIGH KNEES!
• 25 lunges, right leg only: Stand tall, feet hip width apart. Step the right leg forward about one foot, plant the heel on the floor, and lunge. Your right quad should be parallel to the floor when you lunge. Now, with the weight coming out of your right heel, come back up to the starting position. Repeat 24 more times. Extra challenge: Lunge while holding a weighted bar on your shoulders, or while holding a 5- to 8-pound dumbbell in each hand.
• 25 lunges, left leg only: Same as above, but step forward with the left leg and lunge.
• 25 jump squats
• 30 seconds of high knees
• 25 Bench step-ups, right side: Find a bench or make one with a step class bench and two risers under each side. Stand in front of the bench and plant the right foot on the bench. Step up, your weight concentrated in the right leg. The power comes out of your right heel. Step back down, allowing your left foot to just tap lightly on the ground. Now back up with the right leg. Repeat 24 times.
• 25 Bench step-ups, left side: Same as above, but step up onto the bench with the left foot and let the right foot tap gently as you come down each time. Extra challenge: Do these while holding 5, 8, or 10-pound weights.
• 25 jump squats
• 30 seconds of high knees
• 25 plie squats
• 5 minute cool down: Walk or jog.
• 5 minute stretch

Be realistic with those Badass 2010 goals

Imagine you have never run a full mile. Would you show up tomorrow morning to run a marathon? All 26.2 miles? You probably wouldn't even fathom it, and if you did get the kooky notion in your head, physical realities would likely keep you from reaching the finish line. And wouldn't that feel like a big letdown? To say, 'Well I started the marathon but never finished...'

Yet every year around this time, we make marathon lists of "resolutions" that often represent such drastic change and unrealistic goals, even the most steel-willed person would struggle to achieve them all. We set ourselves up to fall by building a mountain of pressure and expectations that is sure to overwhelm.

I'm not suggesting you Badasses shortchange or underestimate yourselves. I always tell my Spinning students, especially in the final minutes of a tough class, "Keep going. You are stronger than you think you are." The human spirit and body are amazingly fierce and resilient. But as New Year's Day approaches and you start thinking about your health and fitness goals for 2010, consider the value and benefits of incrementalism. Be real. Be honest with yourself.

If you ultimately want to lose 30 pounds, why not resolve to lose 10 by March 30? Nothing says 2010 resolutions can only be made in these final days of 2009. And once that scale starts to drop and you reach that first goal of "lighter by 10," the next 10 will seem to you far less daunting. So here comes March 31, you've conquered the resolution, and guess what? You can make another resolution: resolve to dissolve another 10 pounds by June 30. And then starting July 1, tweak that resolution again -- knowing that if you lost 20 pounds, you are Badass enough to lose those last 10.

Same goes with healthy eating. If you are a soda junkie or you prefer candy to fruit, consider baby steps. This week, resolve to drink one less can of soda a day or even one less a week. Replace it with Crystal Light or lemon water. Hate fruit? Try to eat just one piece a day. Over time, add more fruit and take away another can of soda a day. Before long you'll crave soda less and probably find you actually like the natural sugar that comes from a juicy slice of pineapple. I gradually gave up soda in college, and I've never regretted it. Nor have my teeth or my waistline.

If you want to run a marathon or even a shorter race, I say: That is a totally Badass, achievable goal. But it takes time to build endurance. So maybe you won't be ready for the marathon in three weeks, but find one that's three or four months away, and you'll be ready to kill it!

 I was never a long distance runner before I started training for the Chicago marathon. But my friend David and I found a 16-week training program for beginners, and we stuck to it. I ran a few 5Ks early on to get myself stoked for the longer race, and I set a time goal. I decided I just needed to be as fast as Oprah. Yep, she did the Chicago marathon in under 4 hours, 30 minutes and so would I.

It was a goal that I knew would be challenging but also not impossible. And whattaya know? I finished in 4 hours, 27 minutes. The next day at the Chicago airport, posing with David with our medals in hand, I felt awesome. I realized if I can run 26 miles, I can do anything as long as I have a realistic plan to get there. That race set me on the fitness path that got me where I am today.

So make a list, but don't feel like it has to be a mile long and Lance Armstrong-worthy. Being Badass is as much about the finish line as it is about the strides you take to get there.

I've already started thinking about my list. I resolve to run a couple of 5Ks and a 10K with good times, and if those go well, I'll tweak the resolution and add a 15K.

I resolve to do more personal training. I resolve to drink more tea and less coffee. I resolve to add definition to my hamstrings and calves. And I am thinking about one big resolution: Find a summertime figure competition, train for it, and knock 'em dead.

Here's a final thought, brought to us by my Spinning student, Myra. This week she told me, "If you stay fit and healthy all year, you don't have to make these big resolutions because you're already healthy and fit." I think we can always challenge ourselves to new things, but Myra makes a great point.

Get fit and healthy in 2010, and by this time next year -- as you drink water and munch on an apple -- you can resolve this: "I made it here, and I'm only going to get better. Never again will I have to resolve to lose those 30 pounds."

Coming up: Build up Badass definition and strength in your lower half.

Merry Christmas, Badasses!

Merry Christmas, Badasses! I hope all of you are enjoying a great holiday with friends, family, pets, significant others, etc.

I have been baking and cooking up a storm for the past couple of days. Not all of it is healthy, but it's Christmas! And I've been practicing what I preach these past few days, with 15 to 30 minutes of extra running and cycling.

Now, no amount of exercise will really make up for this Italian Creme Cake I made for Christmas dinner dessert. But even Badasses get to indulge every once in awhile, and this sweet treat is going to be worth every calorie and every ounce of cream cheese, butter, buttermilk, sugar and coconut. I mean, just look at the thing! You know you want a piece!

In my Italian family, Christmas Eve dinner is always a seafood feast that begins with shrimp cocktail and ends with the main entree: Seafood Creole over rice. Of all the things my Grandma Colavecchio makes, it is perhaps the healthiest. So it will serve as a wonderful balance to the rich, buttery Creme Cake.

Just a little heart-healthy olive oil to saute the diced vegetables, and then a sauce made of crushed tomatoes (antioxidants and lycopene!). In the final 10 minutes, the shrimp and scallops get tossed in to cook. Shrimp and scallops are super healthy and super light -- low in fat, low in calories, and delicious when they soak up the flavors of the rosemary-and-tobasco-spiked creole sauce.

Serve it over rice and enjoy a big green salad on the side, and voila! An elegant, easy meal that won't put extra junk in your trunk. Because I love you all, I am sharing Grandma Colavecchio's Seafood Creole recipe. Enjoy it, either for the holidays or any time of year:

Grandma Colavecchio's Seafood Creole

Note: This recipe is enough for a crowd. Cut it in half if you're serving it for a smaller group

• 2 lbs. fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 1/2 lbs fresh scallops
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 2 green peppers, diced
• 2 celery stalks, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 large (32 ounce) cans crushed Italian tomatoes (or whole tomatoes crushed quickly in a blender)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3 tsp. rosemary
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp. paprika
• 1 to 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Dash (or more) Tabasco sauce

Saute the onions, celery, peppers and garlic in 2 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil until lightly browned and soft, in a medium skillet. Add tomatoes and the seasonings. Simmer, low heat, for about 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. (While the sauce cooks, prepare the rice. 3 cups uncooked rice will serve a crowd and is enough for the full creole recipe) About 10 minutes before you are ready to eat, toss in the shrimp and scallops. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Spoon the rice onto a large serving bowl or platter, and spoon the Seafood Creole over the top. Put extra sauce in a serving taureen.

(Note: The sauce, sans seafood, can be made the day before. When it's time to eat, just reheat the sauce and put the seafood in 10 minutes before dinner time to cook. Here's my sauce, pre-seafood, simmering away)

Whether you are eating seafood or turkey or a roasted pig or whatever, enjoy it and be grateful for the people you are sharing it with. Be grateful for your health and strength. Be grateful for your Badass-ness!

And after you've opened the presents and feasted, start pondering this: What do you want from 2010? How will you get better, fitter, stronger? And be realistic. Be true to yourself. Merry Christmas!

Coming up: Realistic Badass Resolutions

It's the holidays -- Lighten up, and dig in!

This time of year is notorious for its food temptations. And unless nutritionists have suddenly reclassified chocolate fudge as a fruit, most of the holiday traditions we love to eat do not -- sadly -- fall under the "healthy, clean, wholesome" category. 

So that's the bad news. The good news is this: You can tweak many traditional recipes so that they still taste great but are less disastrous for your waistline and your cholesterol, sugar and sodium levels.

If the recipe calls for cheese, find a lower fat version made with 2 percent or skim milk. If it calls for beef, use bison or the leanest ground beef or low-fat turkey. Use low-sodium soups and chicken broths when the recipe calls for the regular versions. Add vegetables in to lasagnas or pasta sauces. Craving apple pie? Try an apple or other fruit cobbler or "crumble" instead. You get all the fruit and less of the fatty crust.

There isn't a lot I can do to lighten up my homemade fudge or buckeyes (basically homemade peanut butter cups, i.e. crack rock!!!), but the Badass will not become a Lardass after a piece of fudge or a little buckeye (or two). It's all about moderation, which I am trying to keep in mind as that pan of fudge sits on my kitchen counter.

Below you'll find a few recipes that I have lightened up from their original forms. If you have any dishes you've lightened up yourself, please share them! Recipes are meant for sharing, right?

Sausage Cheese Balls

• 1 lb. hot or sweet turkey or chicken sausage (the original calls for Italian beef sausage)
• 16 ounces low-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese (instead of full-fat cheddar)
• 3 cups Heart Smart Bisquick (lower in fat and sodium than the regular version)
• 3/4 cup water or skim milk

Remove sausage from casings and brown in a pan, breaking into crumbles as it cooks. Drain any fat off and let it cool. Mix the remaining ingredients together, then add the cooled sausage. Roll into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet sprayed with Pam or other cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, until they turn golden brown and you can see the cheese bubbling. These are a great party appetizer or holiday breakfast treat.

Green Bean Casserole

• 1 small can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's Healthy Heart cream of mushroom soup (lower in sodium, fat and calories than the regular)
• 3/4 cup skim milk (instead of whole)
• 2 (14 ounce) cans of No Salt Added green beans, drained. Or even better: the equivalent amount of freshly steamed green beans
• 1 small can sliced water chestnuts (these are low in calories and fat and add great crunch)
• 1 small can, drained, of sliced mushrooms (ditto)
• 1 cup French's french fried onions plus 1/2 cup of crumbled plain corn flakes
• 1 tsp each salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the soup and milk. Stir in the beans, water chestnuts and mushrooms and 3/4 cup of the french fried onions. Bake at 350 degrees in a 9 x 11 or 1 1/2 quart casserole for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle the remaining french fried onions and corn flakes over the top and and bake for another 5 minutes.

Light Mashed Potatoes and Cauliflower

• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
• I head cauliflower, trimmed and chopped
• 1 Tbsp. butter
• 3 Tbsp. fat-free sour cream
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup of warm fat-free half and half (this helps make the potatoes creamy)
• Pepper and salt to taste
• 1 Tbsp. minced garlic or 2 Tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp. chives
• 1 Tbsp. paprika

In a large saucepan, put the potatoes and cauliflower and cover with water. Heat to boiling, then reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook for up to 10 minutes or until tender when pricked with a fork. Drain the potatoes and cauliflower, then mash together with the olive oil, butter, sour cream, and half and half. If the potato mix isn't creamy enough, slowly add skim milk as needed until it is the consistency you like. (I like to use an electric beater to mix for extra creaminess). Mix in the salt and pepper, garlic and chives. Sprinkle with papika. Bake, covered in a casserole dish, at 350 for 10 minutes just to heat it through.

Coming up: Getting real about New Year's resolutions

Teacher by day, student by night: Badass in between

This post is dedicated to a real-life Badass, a dear friend. I first met Jennifer, aka JLP, aka J Price, in fall 2008. She was interning in Gov. Charlie Crist's press office. I was working there as a speechwriter and deputy press secretary.

We instantly bonded over happy hours, shopping, and chats about politics, men and life. And exercise. Now she is living in Atlanta, doing a job I find admirable and amazing: She is a teacher for Teach for America, in an elementary school that is not easy. With children who need lots of attention and tough love.

She's juggling those long days with nights spent earning her master's degree. That leaves her limited time for exercise, and recently she lamented that she struggles to fit it in and make it feel effective.

Her days start at 5 am, when she wakes up to get to the elementary school by 6:45 a.m. Monday through Thursday she squeezes in half an hour of gym time before leaving the house for school, and then her day is a whirlwind that might not end until 8 or 9 p.m. depending on whether she has grad school classes that night. Dinner, not surprisingly, is often eaten while studying for herself or making lesson plans for her own students. And many of her weekends are spent doing some work.

Sound exhausting? Sound familiar? Amen!

So Jenn asked me to help her make the most of the limited workout time she has. She basically has that half hour in the mornings, and can fit some time in on the weekends. Here are a few suggestions:

• Two of the four weekday mornings, do high-intensity cardio intervals to get the most calorie torching, fat burning and heart strengthening workout. Push the intensity and speed for a minute or two, then bring it back for a minute or two. Sustain the intervals for 20-25 minutes, leaving time for a cool down and stretch. Squeeze in an extra 5 minutes if possible for crunches.
• On the other two days, do circuit training that incorporates short cardio bursts (see this workout) to build muscle tone and stren
• A couple of nights a week, do 100 crunches and about 50 pushups (2 sets of 25 or 3 sets of 15) before going to bed. Do it while watching TV if that works best.
• On weekends, make time for one good one-hour to 90-minute workout that includes cardio and strength training.
• Especially during the week when exercise time is limited, be mindful of your eating. Keep it clean and nutritious. Use the weekend to assess the food you have and the food you need. Try to plan for the week to come. Bake or grill up chicken breasts, make a big salad of greens or whole grain pasta or couscous that you can eat throughout the week, in portable to-go containers to school. Stock up on fruit, granola bars, string cheese, etc. that are portable and will keep your energy going but your sugar levels steady.

I hope this helps Jenn and all of you other busy Badasses out there. And if any of you are reading this and have found other strategies that work, please share!

Coming up: Healthy makeovers for holiday noshes

Even Badasses need a little Zen

Sometimes, we don't know how much we needed to slow down and relax until we actually take a few minutes to do so. And then, in those minutes when the phone isn't ringing and the computer is turned off and we are just being still, we realize, "Hot Damn! I am wound up tighter than a new yo-yo!"

It is so easy to get caught up in the hurried, stressed pace of every day. Of work. Of deadlines. Of kids' soccer practices and other family engagements. This week -- coming at the end of the year and at the start of the peak of holiday season -- I felt in some moments like my head might just pop off.

Being fit and healthy is as much about wellness and balance as it is about muscle tone and body fat percentage. Stress disrupts the balance we seek. It builds up over time and makes our shoulders tense, our brows furrowed. It knots up our stomachs and turns us into seratonin-seeking Carb Munchers who try to soothe our frazzled nerves with donuts and chips. And there is no wellness in that.

So last night, as the sun fell and the temperature dipped, I sought stillness and refuge from the previous hours and days. Sure enough, 15 minutes into the hot yoga class I realized, "Wow. I really really needed this." I needed, and found, peace on my yoga mat. I found power and a new energy to take on these final days of 2009.

It soothes my spirit in a way I can't quite describe. The noise of the world sort of falls away and I feel more focused, more calm. I meditate. I pray. I am reminded of what matters.

Your stillness doesn't have to come through yoga. Maybe it's an hour in a quiet room with a book. Maybe your Zen is a 15-minute walk on the beach or through your favorite park. Whatever. Just make it your time, and make time for it.

Jessa, the teacher at my yoga studio, plays great chill-out music in the background as we move from downward dog to tree poses to toe stands and back to downward dog.

So here is a playlist for your Zen Time. Be well, Badasses: Remember to enjoy the stillness every now and again...

• Sleep Through the Static, Jack Johnson
• That's the Way Love Goes, Janet Jackson
• Don't Panic, Coldplay
• In the Waiting Line, Zero 7
• Badagry Beach, Ben Onono
• Take Off Your Cool, Andre 3000 with Norah Jones
• Let You Down, Dave Matthews Band
• Breathe, Telepopmusik
• Soul Meets Body, Death Cab for Cutie
• Down to the River, Alison Krause
• Cold Wind, Arcade Fire
• Baby, Bebel Gilberto
• Breathe, Sia

Coming Up: Helping a new teacher and grad student fit fitness into her crazy schedule.

Badass on a Budget

Look no further than the 99-cent and $1 "value menus" at fast food chains for proof that the economics of our food supply seems to favor fatty and processed over fresh, organic and vitamin-fortified.

But my friend Kim, a fellow Spinning instructor and clean eater, always says that those $2 double cheeseburgers and 99-cent small fries are some of the most expensive things you'll ever eat -- given the havoc they wreak over time on your health, physique and energy levels when eaten on a regular basis. (Remember the documentary "Super Size Me?" Literally, he became a Lard Ass....)

Yet we live in the reality of an economy that still struggles, and that means even we Badasses need affordable options for this kick-butt lifestyle. I have found a few good resources over the years. So here's me, sharing because I love you all! Enjoy, and share with us (in the comment section below) if you have other tricks and tips of your own:

• Allstarhealth.com: This site offers vitamins, protein bars, all-natural bars, protein powder, etc., for 33 to more than 50 percent off what you'll pay in a store like GNC. In many cases, I have found their prices to be better even than the Vitamin Discount Center. I don't advocate all of the supplements or fat burners on this site, but for things like my PowerCrunch bars, vitamins, Emergen-C packets or the all fruit and nut KIND bars, this is a great resource. The best perk: You can order as much as you want, and it's a flat shipping rate of less than $6.
• Sam's or Costco: The mega warehouse stores have Super Size Me down pat, and I admit I am often overwhelmed by the prospect of a 50-count box of egg rolls or 8 pounds of butter. But their eggs, chicken breasts, frozen fish, yogurt, almonds and dried fruit mixes, and coffee and tea offer good bang for the buck. At Sam's, I buy my EAS protein shakes-to-go in a 24-count carton that is $25 plus tax. That is way cheaper than the 4-packs sold for $5.99 at the grocery store.
• Target: Your workout gear doesn't have to be expensive and adorned with a swoosh to look hot. Target's C9 by Champion line has improved a lot in recent years, and the prices and variety are very competitive with the stuff you'd find at a sporting goods store. Think $25 for bootcut workout pants instead of $55 for the swoosh-brand. Sports bras for less than $20. And yes, Badass Boys, they carry your stuff, too.
• Amazon.com: For workout DVDs, fitness and healthy eating books, heart-pumping tunes, and even healthy snacks, this is a great place to click. And I love that they have an entire section labeled "Natural & Organic." They sell Kashi products, ThinkThin protein bars for a great discount, KIND bars, Goji berries, Bob's Red Mill oatmeal and even kids' healthy snacks from Aunt Annie's and other brands. Best part: Most of it is eligible for free shipping. Just click and wait for the postman to deliver.
• Coupons: Look for them. Macy's has great coupons that can help make their workout clothes a good deal. Sports Authority often has coupons for $10 off a $50 purchase or $25 off a $100 purchase -- great for when you need new kicks. Kohl's offers deals on workout sneakers and workout clothes, same goes for discount stores like TJ Maxx and Ross. You just have to spend a little extra time hunting out the good stuff.
• Cheap equipment: Target has good deals on medicine balls, yoga mats, etc. And as I posted earlier, the site PowerSystems has decent prices as well for stuff like kettlebells, resistance bands, medicine balls and weighted bars. These things don't take up a ton of room, and you can use them for a variety of exercises that work the whole body -- and from the comforts of your house, if that's your preference.

OK, so hopefully this helps curb the lament of "it's too expensive to be healthy." Now get movin' with your deal-savvy selves! Happy Badass Bargain Hunting!

Coming up: A teacher and grad student asks, How do I fit it all in and see results?

Love, measured in meatballs...

Sometimes, you read a book and feel relief to know someone has shared your experience, for better or worse or both.

So it goes as I read "Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater" by longtime New York Times reporter and restaurant critic Frank Bruni. It is his honest, funny, sometimes sad, always insightful personal tale of growing up Italian, in a family where every occasion and gathering revolved around food. Where love was measured in meatballs and any Grandma or aunt worth her linguini considered "diet" to be a four-letter word.

Bruni, after years of battling food and self-image demons, finally finds balance and a healthy perspective about food and exercise. But his journey is long and tumultuous, yo-yoing with the size of his waistband and his latest lose-weight-fast scheme.

I was not born round, but there were years in high school when I thought I was -- and counted calories vs. miles logged accordingly. (There I am, at right, baking cookies with friends. I would fret over the calories, even though I was underweight...) I was too thin, too obsessed with rice cakes and apples and fat-free this or that. It was unhealthy, but I was determined to reach a number on the scale.

Never mind that it wasn't realistic or right for my height. Never mind that it was too low even for my petite frame. Never mind that I had zero muscle tone. Amid all the tumult of a difficult childhood, it was the one thing I could control. And so, Type A personality in full force, I did. 100 calories at a time. One pound at a time. Celebrating the move from triple digits to double digits.

Like Bruni, I come from an Italian family where love is expressed through the Sunday gravy and meatballs simmering on the stove and the cheesecake baking in the oven. "Did you have enough?" Grandma Colavecchio always asks. "Here, have another meatball." So like Bruni, I struggled with the dichotomy of the abundant food all around and my determination not to lose control around it. His struggle was to eat too much; mine, eating too little.

Looking back, it was unhealthy and just not fun. By college, something finally clicked and I snapped out of my calorie-counting. I found a healthy attitude about exercise and eating, channeling my "issues" into a desire to build muscle, endurance and energy. Today I revel in the rush of a great workout. I don't panic if I gain a pound or so after a bad week of too many cocktail hours or cookies, because ya know what? They taste good. And I find happiness in helping others get stronger and overcoming their own self-image issues.

For Bruni, his healing came years after college, shortly before he moved to Rome as the Times' bureau chief. Recalling how he finally learned to balance exercise and healthy eating, he recalls the early sessions with his trainer:

"I despised him and adored him and knew either way he was my best hope. ...He was my yardstick, my checkup, my one-man Weight Watchers. ... And I behaved, partly because the rhythm of my twice-weekly appointments with him allowed me to stop thinking in such big, daunting, long-range terms, and to start thinking in increments....The old adage was true: nothing succeeds like success. And I was exhilarated by my success."

I share with you all Bruni's story, and mine, as a reminder that struggles with eating and exercise extremes are nothing to be ashamed of. You are not alone if you have them. And you can overcome them.

We are all so much more than a number on a scale. Measure your love for yourself in the pace of your 5K, not the meals you skip or the donuts you consume in an emotion-driven binge. Find strength and joy in the actual exercise instead of always calculating the calories it affords you.

Be exhilarated by your success, not by your excess.

If Grandma wants you to have another meatball, it's because she loves you. And that is worth every calorie.

Coming up: Badass on a budget

Ho! Ho! Ho! Find the perfect Badass gift!

Christmas is in less than 10 days. Hanukkah already began. The clock is ticking on your shopping to-do list, Badasses!!! And you don't want to disappoint the aspiring Badasses and already-Badasses in your life, right?

So check out this fitness- and health-themed list of suggestions. And if you already bought all you need, consider treating yourself. Or save the list for the next friend's or loved one's birthday. Happy Shopping!

(For a laugh, there's an old Palm Beach Post riff on the office Christmas party, circa late 50s -- back when "healthy" was a cocktail for lunch. Badass Colavecchio, circa college sophomore, is on Santa's lap in the seafoam dress. Very Mad Men, huh?) 

Badass Gear

1. New kicks: The first week when I have new kicks, I am so stoked to wear them in with a few runs. Help get your honey on the right path with the right sneakers. Not sure the size or type? Two words: Gift Card. Ok, two more: Athletic store.
2. Kickass threads: So they have Badass sneakers, but what about the shorts covering their actual Badass? Looking good is feeling good, dear readers. Reward their hard work with a couple of new workout outfits. And watch them strut a little taller as they move from leg curls to leg presses, knowing they look much better in the new spandex capris than in those ratty soccer shorts from college.
3. Accessories: I could spend hours in Sports Authority or Dick's Sporting Goods, checking out all the cool "stuff." Yoga mats, resistance bands to use at home, a medicine ball, or a good abs or stretch DVD. They're all good gifts. I also really like the online PowerSystems, which offers good prices and a huge selection, plus fast shipping.

Books, How-to's, etc

1. Jillian Michaels' "Hot Bod in a Box":This is a great workout guide for Badasses who tend to get bored easily. This very portable box of cards features 50 exercises, with instructions on form and pictures to make sure you're getting the most out of each rep. Keep it in your gym bag. And all for the cost of a couple skinny lattes. Awesome.
2. Jillian Michaels' first book, "Winning by Losing": The Biggest Loser fitness and life coach lays out her own story of being an overweight teenager and covers, in her trademark no-nonsense fashion, the many truths and fitness tactics that helped her become Badass. Read it, and be inspired to do the same as she covers the gamut from good fats vs bad fats to reading nutrition labels and knowing your own emotional eating triggers.
3. "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "Fast Food Nation": If you haven't read these books, you should and so should your gift-ee. If you don't emerge from the final pages a changed eater, I'm just not sure what to say. I read these and became more determined and motivated than ever to clean the crappy processed food from my pantry and start eating real, whole, natural, unprocessed foods. And practically speaking, the smell of those french fries and the taste of a chicken nugget will be far less tempting when you learn the dirty truth behind how they're made.

Trial runs

1. Their own personal drill sergeant: Give the aspiring Badass in your life their own personal Jillian Michaels. Most gyms and even boot camp programs have gift packages on special around the holidays for personal training or classes. Nothing says motivation like free advice and "Give me 10 more!" from a fit, strong trainer who knows what he or she is doing! Hell, even fully realized Badasses can benefit from something new like a boot camp series. Feeling extra generous? Give your honey a gym membership!
2. Ommmmmmm: Exercise and activity doesn't have to be heart-stopping to yield benefits. I learned that when I started doing yoga once or twice a week. It stretches my sore muscles, soothes my stressed soul, and has given me better balance -- literal and spiritual. It's like church, without the pews. My yoga studio in town has packages of 5, 10 and even 20 classes. Wherever you live, the same options likely exist. Give your Badass the gift of Zen.
3. Lessons: Tennis, golf, swimming, etc. If your loved one keeps watching Michael Phelps footage and saying, "I wish I was a better swimmer," help them get better. They'll learn something new, gain confidence, and have fun. Plus, this is the gift that keeps on giving: Once they learn their new sport, they will forever have more option for burning calories and beating boredom.

Good Eats

1. Harry & David's fruit: Few things are sweeter than a ripe, juicy pear. And Harry & David's has mastered the juicy pear. For just $25, you can send the Badass in your life a box of these guilt-free treats. And they'll appreciate it because by the time they open this box o' pears, they've probably had their fill of fudge, cookies and all the other stuff that pops up between Thanksgiving and the end of December. This will taste like all-natural heaven, and it will get them off to a healthy start for 2010. Harry & David's also sells fruit by the month, with a fresh delivery each month of seasonal fruits -- apples, oranges, pineapples.
2. Good-for-you gift certificates: No, not to McDonald's. How about stuffing their stocking with gift cards for TCBY, Bonefish Grill, or their favorite healthy food stop? Even Starbucks counts as healthy nowadays, thanks to their low-fat whole grain breakfast sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, smoothies and fruit and cheese plates.
3. Paging Julia Child: Does your Badass friend really want to learn healthy cooking, but has given up in frustration? Find a place that offers healthy cooking classes and set them up with a few tutorials. That's a bonus gift because you get to eat the results!
4. Basket full of treats: A goodie basket can be good for you. Fill it with 100-calorie popcorn bags, KIND granola bars or whatever happens to be their favorite protein bar. Toss in trail mix, dark chocolate covered raisins, gourmet coffee or tea depending on their preference, maybe some Kashi whole grain chocolate chip cookies and an organic extra dark chocolate bar for a special treat. If you're really feeling sweet, slip in a gift certificate for a massage or pedicure.

Coming up: Badass living on a budget