Badass Fitness

What's Beautiful? I say a Badass, Unleashed! Share your "beautiful" with Under Armour!

When I was a little girl, I used to love going into my Grandma's bathroom to play with her makeup. I ooh'd and aaah'd over the rich eyeshadows and the bright pink and red lipsticks. To me, that was beautiful.

When I was in middle school, I looked forward to the annual Miss America pageant on TV. My favorite part was when the contestants came onstage in their evening gowns and perfectly coiffed hair. To me, that was beautiful.

In high school and my first year of college, I let magazine pictures of skinny runway models define "beautiful" for me. I obsessed over being thin, controlling what I ate to stay thin. In my skewed mirror, literal and figurative, they were beautiful and I was not.

Today, midway through my 30s, I see beauty in simpler but stronger terms. To me, beautiful is about finding, embracing and unleashing that "inner Badass," as I call it. To me, beautiful is sweaty sports bras, sore muscles and muddy sneakers. It is heavy dumbbells, calories torched and a new PR set. Beautiful is the shower and makeup and hair I do AFTER a bootcamp or a session of hard training. I felt my most beautiful as I crossed the finish line at the Chicago Marathon, a hot sweaty and muscles-burning mess. Beauty in my book is the joy and newly discovered confidence on a student's or client's face when they achieve a new level of strength or fitness.

Just this month, a cycling student set a new mile pace in a 5K and when she sent me a text, I could just see the smile on her face. "Beautiful," I thought. (There we are, at left, before my Power Core class.) And when a student battling MS finished her first endurance cycle ride with me last week, she radiated with beautiful happiness and declared herself the victor over her disease. Awesome. Beautiful. 

THIS is the "beautiful" at the heart of Under Armour Women's What's Beautiful campaign, and I am posting about this in hopes that all of my female readers will join the Under Armour challenge to set a goal, then "crush it."

With this campaign, open to all of us, Under Armour Women is setting out to redefine the female athlete by encouraging women to share their fitness journeys. In exchange, participants get a steady stream of motivation from fellow participants, free gear (holla!) and support from Under Armour along the way. Oh, not to mention a fully kick-Badass prize!

The Under Armour What's Beautiful community is growing as I type, and the women in the challenge are seriously bringing it. But I also know my female Badass recruits can REALLY bring it! So here's my challenge to you, dear readers (and guys reading this, get your lady friends on this!). Go to the What's Beautiful campaign site. Set your own goal. Crush it. The videos alone will inspire you to aspire to more.

When you do sign up, tweet about it and tag Under Armour plus use hashtags #fitfluential and #whatsbeautiful (and #badass or #badassfitness if there is room!)

Under Armour will be giving prizes regularly based on your awesome videos and pics. The best part comes at the "finish line": The 10 women with the "most epic journeys," as Under Armour puts it, will win a trip to Clearwater, Florida to the Under Armour Women's Camp Sweat to train with the best, learn from nutritionists AND get pampered with spa treatments.

Seriously, how can you NOT want to be part of this awesome challenge?

And comment below or e-mail me at [email protected] to talk about your goal, how you plan to crush it, and your definition of "beautiful," for a future follow-up post. We can all get inspiration from each other!

Note: FitFluential LLC compensated me for this Campaign. All opinions are my own.

First FitFluential Blog: 5 Badass Truths I Wish I'd Known When I Was 25

One of the best things about turning 35? Having just been named a FitFluential Ambassador, a great network of fellow fitness enthusiasts who are spreading health, exercise and overall encouragement worldwide. Here's my first guest blog for FitFluential, which ran yesterday:

Holy crapsticks, I am about to turn 35. How did that happen?! 

Birthdays always tend to make me a bit reflective, but this year moreso than others. The big 3-5 feels more significant than other years not because it feels old, but because I finally feel comfortable and confident as me. And isn't that what fitness is really all about, learning to love and embrace ourselves for better and for worse?

Society makes 30 and beyond seem like the period when we start to shrivel up like prunes, yet turning 35 feels like a renewal. Finally, after the awkward teens and still-awkward 20s, I have figured out enough about my Badass Journey to enjoy where I am, the lessons that got me here, and where I am headed. 

I know I am supposed to help others through fitness. I know I am fortunate to have supportive and inspiring mentors and examples, many of them fellow FitFluential Ambassadors. I know that fitness -- living it, breathing it, teaching it, writing about it -- feels more right than anything ever has.

"Shannon, Age 25" had a lot to learn and struggle through. I see some of my fitness clients that age dealing with it right now. No doubt, "Shannon at 45" will say the same thing in 10 years. But I believe in sharing knowledge and truths to help others, even when it means being brutally honest. 

So here are 5 Badass Truths I Wish I'd Known When I was 25, published on the FitFluential blog.

 

Badass Fist Bumps and Face Palms

Some things are so awesome, they deserve a fist bump. Other things are so lame, maddening or disturbing, they deserve a fierce face palm to the forehead - as in, "Ugh, don't even." This is especially true when it comes to fitness and wellness - or the lack thereof.

Which brings us to the first in a regular installment: Badass First Bumps and Face Palms - shout-outs and call-outs for a variety of fitness current affairs, trends and developments. Yes, it is purely subjective. Yes, it is a little bit rant and a lot of praise. And no doubt, I am missing some deserving first bumps and face palms - so holler at me and let me know!

Until then, read on...

Badass Fist Bump to ... HBO, for its four-part documentary series "The Weight of the Nation." If you watch nothing else this year, watch this. If you struggle with your weight or love someone who does, watch this. If you care about children, watch this. If you think the rise in obesity in America isn't a big deal, watch this because it will show you how big a deal it is. Our children are growing so obese, they have early signs of heart disease and adult-onset diabetes. Morbid obesity in adults is rising, and not just among low-income Americans as has been the typical economic disparity. If nothing else, I guarantee once you see the enlarged, fat-encased and weak heart of a 500-lb man versus the healthy heart of a 26-year-old female who died of an unrelated cause, you will think twice every time you pause in front of a fast food menu.

Badass Face Palm to ... Chik-fil-A for "anti-foaming agent," MSG, "butter-flavored oil," and "natural mold inhibitor." According to its own website, the fast food chain long known as being a somewhat healthier option adds these Franken-gredients to popular items like the chicken sandwich, grilled chicken sandwich and waffle fries. Gross AND scary.

Badass Fist Bump to ...Chik-fil-A for at least being honest about the ingredients in its products. The nutrition information and ingredient list for each and every item on their menu is right there, for better or worse, on the website. So a Fist Bump for truthfulness.

Badass Fist Bump to ... the Florida Department of Agriculture and State Chef Justin Timineri for working to make family meals and school lunches more nutritious. From helping low-income families shop healthy to incorporating more fresh fruits and veggies into school meals, they are playing a part in the fight against childhood obesity. That's a government intervention I can support.

Badass Fist Bump to ... Cheesecake Factory for departing (slightly) from its calorie-bomb menu items to create the "Skinnylicious" menu of appetizers,salads, sandwiches and entrees - all of them between 400 and 600 calories and considerably healthier than the high-fat, feeds-a-family-of-four options elsewhere on the menu. I tried a few appetizers on a recent trip to Miami, and it was all delicious - nothing "diet" in the taste and flavor. The rest of the menu still gets a Face Palm for its gluttonous portions and ingredients, but this is a step in the right direction.

Badass Fist Bump to...Couch to 5K, Insanity, P90X and other fitness programs/regimens that make the masses move and reach new levels of health. Fitness can be intimidating - specifically, going from being a "couch potato" to walking into a gym full of buff bods or the idea of going from not being able to do one pushup, much less 10. These programs, by going in small steps or by allowing us to work out from our living room, take away the pressure of an audience while boosting confidence over time. Not to mention the fact that some of these are seriously challenging!

Badass Face Palm to ... Bern's Steakhouse in Tampa. Turns out, their storied story of serving organic vegetables grown on their farm is more myth than reality. And only when confronted by the Tampa Bay Times' awesome - and tenacious - food critic did management 'fess up. If it isn't organic and local, fine. Say so. But don't sell us a pricey meal and call it something it isn't. My face palm is delivered with oomph on this one. So disappointing...

Badass Fist Bump to...every one who is reading this right now. If you're here, you are seeking a better, more Badass you. And that's where the journey begins. Rock on with your Badass selves!

Coming next week: 5 healthy ways to hydrate that are less boring than water...and a Burger with Fries that won't wreck your healthy eating plans.

Five Ideas for Building a Badass Easter Basket

Easter baskets are the stuff of childhood memories, right? All those brightly colored jelly beans and the big, hollow chocolate bunnies. But who says we have to give up Easter baskets just because we're old enough to vote?

I say embrace the Easter basket - but a different kind of Easter basket. Peeps and the like are just empty sugar plus food coloring, after all. You might as well measure out a few cups of sugar and pour it down your throat.

But done right, a Badass-approved Easter basket can be a great gift for your friend or loved one, or even a personal treat to yourself. The Easter basket is a chance to give lots of little treats, and still stay on the path to a leaner, fitter Badass you.

To celebrate the weekend ahead, five Easter basket suggestions:

Adult-worthy chocolate: Not the cheap milk chocolate kind, which is mostly sugar anyway. Instead, splurge on the good dark stuff. Dark chocolate with 65% or higher cacao is higher in antioxidants and lower in sugar, and the flavor is so rich a smaller amount will satisfy.

Paper treats: Who doesn't appreciate a gift certificate to their favorite bicycle shop, healthy cafe or grocer, massage therapist or yoga studio? And the enjoyment will be a lot more lasting - and beneficial - than quickly inhaling a bunch of Peeps.

Sock hops and bunny britches: Well, not literally. But a great pair of cycling or running socks, new kicks for him or a pair of workout pants from her favorite athletic line will fold up pretty nicely into a basket.

Rabbit food: Skip the carrots and celery, because that would just be sort of odd - and lame. Instead, stock up on his favorite post-workout trail mix or energy bar. Fill a basket with the salt and pepper cashews she loves or her favorite flavors of Lara bars. Whatever. But make the basket all about the healthy treats your loved ones love.

 

Healthy baked goodness: If carrots and other rabbit eats are a must, why not go in the form of a healthy breakfast or dessert-for-breakfast treat like a carrot or zucchini bread? It will kick off Easter morning in the yummiest, no-guilt way! My fave is this zucchini-dark chocolate bread. Trust me, there is nothing green and grassy about this deliciousness!

 Coming next week: All-Tabata TRX routine and an all-Tabata bootcamp!

 

CryoSauna: A brief body freeze for lasting recovery, energy

 

Europeans have been doing it for years. The Dallas Mavericks used it to power players through the NBA playoffs to a championship win. Dr. Oz swears by it.

And now, full-body cryotherapy is catching on in the United States - from Nike and other athletic training centers to a small but growing number of doctors' offices and medical spas. Think of whole-body cryotherapy as the old-school ice bath on steroids - faster, more effective at reducing inflammation and speeding muscle recovery, and without the discomfort of sitting in cold, wet ice for 30 minutes or more.

Developed in the late 70s in Japan, it has been popular in Europe for years among those with muscle and joint inflammation disorders including fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis. It also helps reduce skin inflammatory disorders like eczema and psoriasis. For athletes, the quick full-body freeze speeds up muscle recovery and metabolism.

Said Dennis Mitchell, former Olympic sprinter and coach, whose athletes use the CryoSauna machine: "Our athletes are training harder, recovering faster and increasing speed and performance after just a few sessions."

So when Whitfield Chiropractic clinic here in Tallahassee invited me to come try the CryoSauna, one of just a few in Florida and only 20 or so in the United States, I was all in. Two days later, my muscles aren't as sore as they typically are by this time in the week, when I have taught multiple classes. My energy level is higher (which, if you know me, is already pretty high). And the day of the CryoSauna visit, I literally felt like I could have done 100 burpees without stopping. All of that after less than 3 minutes inside the CryoSauna booth. Amazing.

I am going back for more today and have recommended it to a few clients, fellow fitness devotees, and friends with arthitis and other conditions that I think will be eased with a few sessions. ($59 each or $39 each for a 10-session package) 

Dr. Ron Whitfield has been getting into the CryoSauna twice a week since December. He also reports higher energy levels, and he lost 10 pounds without trying - thanks to the 500- to 800-calorie burn that comes in the few hours after a session as the body works to warm itself back up.

"I've always been a pretty lean guy, so I was actually surprised by the weight loss effect," he told me." The video below features Dr.Whitfield explaining the CryoSauna a bit more.

Also, here is a brief "CryoSauna 101":

What to expect: The CryoSauna looks like a stand-up tanning booth. You undress, put on a robe and socks step inside. The doctor will have you close the door and remove the robe while placing your hands at the top. A liquid nitrogen tank attached to the back pumps the cold air in. You stand in there for 2 to 3 minutes.

How it works: Our bodies remain, in so many ways, stuck in primitive times. When we don't feed them, our metabolism slows down to protect us from starvation. And when we subject them to Ice Age temperatures, our bodies go into a fight-or-flight response that is meant to keep us from freezing to death. As the CryoSauna exposes the skin to super-cold temps, our bodies go into "I am freezing, must survive" mode and the blood rushes to our core to keep our organs going. There, it is enriched with oxygen and nutrients as our body works in super-amped survival mode. Blood pressure goes up slightly (not enough to feel anything, in my experience). As soon as we step out into the warm air, the oxygenated blood rushes back out, flooding the peripheral tissues and flushing out toxins.

How this helps the body, skin, muscles: The brief "freeze" activates collagen in the skin similar to laser treatments, improving skin elasticity and tone and reducing cellulite. The constriction of blood vessels followed by the post-CryoSauna flushing also flushes out toxins and helps with conditions like psoriasis and rosacea. The procedure also boosts endorphins and speeds up metabolism, pushing the body to burn 500 to 800 calories in the few hours after the procedure (and more over time with regular sessions). The anti-inflammatory and analgesic affect also helps with joint disorders and muscle soreness. Overall, immunity is boosted.

Why it's better than an ice bath: Ice baths an be painful, and even after 30 minutes or so submerged the skin temperature doesn't go below about 41 degrees or so. And by that time, the muscles are literally frozen and pretty immobile. For athletes, this means downtime they can't afford. With CryoSauna, the skin is exposed to dry cold of minus 220 degrees Fahrenheir, dropping the skin temperature rapidly to about 30 degrees. But as soon as you step out of the CryoSauna, blood rushes back out from your core and you feel a rush of endorphins and energy - making for a quick and high-octane return to physical activity. It's like 5-Hour Energy with none of the fake jittery feeling.

 

Coming up: A guide to getting nutty...

Love me, Love me not: Valentine's for your fitness love

My guy knows better than to buy me a big box of chocolate bon-bons. Or a heart-shaped cheesecake.

As a fitness devotee, my idea of a romantic gift gesture is more along the lines of the new pink iPod he got me awhile back for my cycling and other group fitness classes. If the Nike Fuel Band were not sold out for the indefinite future, it would absolutely be on my wish list!

So if you're still not sure what to get for the fitness love in your life, here are a few last-minute ideas worth the splurge:

1. Home gym items such as a TRX kit, a Trigger Point Therapy kit, or a Bosu: These fitness toys will make them stronger, are mostly portable, and maybe your significant other will even share it with you!

2. A massage gift certificate: If they work out a lot, odds are their muscles need a little therapy - and as much as he or she probably likes your touch, only an expert can deliver the kind of deep tissue sports massage that works out knots and kinks.

3. Workout wardrobe: Lululemon and Nike make some of the best workout clothes for women, but they are not the cheapest options out there. So help them feel their best by looking their best during workouts with a gift certificate or item from their favorite line.

4. Healthy cooking lessons: So often, clients and students lament that they wish they knew how to be a healthier cook at home. Make an investment in their health, and yours, with a few cooking lessons. Your tastebuds will thank you as well!

5. An event registration: Maybe the only thing keeping them from Tough Mudder is the registration fee, which stretches their limited budget. Surprise them by covering the tab.

6. Personal training package: Even if it's just a package of 3 to 5 sessions, your significant others will likely learn some new training techniques and other things that will benefit them long aftert that last session.

7. Music: an iPod and iTunes gift card are an always-appreciated gift for the special runner, gym rat and weekend warrior in your life.

8. Fruit, fruit and more fruit: Instead of chocolate, what about giving a year's subscription to a fruit delivery service like the ones offered through Harry & David's. Pears, apples, oranges - all delicious real food to keep your nutrition going strong! 

Coming up: I talk with the team at Trigger Point therapy in Austin, Texas about their awesome tools for muscle release and recovery...

 

 

A Few Words of Thanks, from a Grateful 'Drill Sgt.'

I took a personality assessment test recently, and was surprised at the accuracy of its description based on just a few questions. It dubbed me a "social realist," and this stood out:

"You love to act on behalf of others and care for them. If you have the impression that there is a way to contribute by improving their quality of life, it satisfies you more than anything...For you, it is important to see the results of your work so you can go home feeling that you (again) made the world a better place - at least a bit."

Wow. Ding! Ding! Ding!

THIS is the Badass Journey. THIS is the Badass Journey - me helping you, you helping each other, and you helping to remind me why I am grinding and hustling down this path toward a full-time fitness career. So today, I just want to say thanks.

I had a job once in which I went home every day and thought, "What did I do to better anything today?  What did I do to make a positive impact for others?" Too often, the answer was "Nothing." When a friend died suddenly at age 36, I asked myself - then age 31 - what I would do if I had five years, much less five days, left.

The answer: Write something, and teach a fitness class. I gave my notice within two months.

Which brings me here. Thanksgiving Day 2011, still writing this blog of growing readership and seeing more with every class and client that this is where I am supposed to be. So many people are still searching for what they are "supposed" to do, or feel trapped in jobs they hate.

I am blessed to be doing something I love, something God has blessed me with the talents to do, and knowing that I am closer than ever to heading down that path full time and running with it. And helping more and more people.

This is, in so many ways, because of you all. I believe, sincerely, that none of this would be possible without The Badass Army. Many of you tell me often that this blog, or the encouragement I show you in class and training sessions, keep you going. Yet it's so often YOU who keep me going. Who keep reminding me why the 4:45 am alarm clock is worth it every day, along with the days that don't end until after 8 pm.

I am grateful for every single reader, every single comment, every single Tweet, Facebook post and e-mail - whether it's "I wonder what @shancola would think about this waffle I'm about to eat" or cheering yourself for the 15K you ran on Thanskgiving morning - a mere few months after you started running and could barely make it around the block.

When I see you start walking taller with the confidence of a stronger body, I am grateful. When one of you sets a personal best in the 5K and reaches goal weight a couple of weeks early, I am grateful - and proud like a Mama Cub. 

When a reader from Toronto writes me with questions about Tabata intervals or one from the Midwest writes to tell me the blog workouts are helping her get off her cholesterol medication, I am grateful - and humbled that anyone beyond my Grandma is even reading.

When readers and friends like Chris and Ryan share with us their fitness stumbles and triumphs, I am grateful. When I see you giving it your all, and then some, in Bootcamp every week, I am grateful. And when you tell me those bootcamps are making you a stronger mountain biker, I am elated at your progress.

So thank you. I am blessed beyond measure to have health, love, faith -- and The Badass Army.

You rock my world - now go rock that turkey feast! You've earned it :)

Coming up: A few lighter ideas for Thanksgiving leftovers...

Opening teenage girls' healthy tastebuds, boosting their confidence

The teenage girls from the PACE Center for Girls walked with hesitation into Earth Fare Tallahassee, looking around at this place that was a grocery store - but not like anything most of them had ever shopped in before.

Sydney, the community outreach coordinator for the store, welcomed them and asked the big question: "How many of you have ever heard of 'organic'?" Noses wrinkled. Heads shook. Their body language made clear their thinking: Nope. And no thanks.

But then Sydney fed them organic grapes that were sweeter than anything they had ever tasted. They ate freshly ground peanut butter and learned what peanut butter is supposed to taste like, without all the added sugar and oils in their standard Jiffy jars. They ate kettle corn made from real cane sugar, not high fructose corn syrup. They ate Earth Fare maple cream sandwich cookies and declared them "better" than the cookies they usually eat. They sipped smoothies made with nothing but pure juice and organic fruit. They ate hummus, and most of them fell in love with it.

For these girls, many of whom from difficult homes of abuse and poverty, this 90-minute field trip just a few blocks from their school was like traveling miles and miles away. It was a new world, and one that they liked - much to their own surprise. They came in saying "eeew, organic" and left saying "ohhhh, organic!" The director of PACE, Kelly Otte, wrote me later that day to say they spent all afternoon talking about hummus.

I helped arrange the visit as part of my ongoing volunteer time promoting wellness among the PACE students. Childhood obesity and abuse of children are two things I cannot stomach. So leading them in short exercise sessions before school and arranging events like the Earth Fare visit is my very small, but I hope useful, attempt at making a dent in both of those areas. Each of us, every day, should be trying to make little "dents" in not only our own fitness and health obstacles but in the lives of those who could use a mentor.

I cannot fix the hurt and emotional trauma some of these girls have endured from horrible men in their lives, or make their mothers more attentive and responsible. I cannot do for them the studying they must do to become the first women in their families to attend college. I cannot make them successful. I cannot make good choices for them. 

But I feel like I can help open a door, even just a little crack, that shows them something better and worth working for. In caring about them enough to show them exercise and healthier food, I hope I can make them see how beautiful they are. Strong. Badass. Capable of whatever they want to achieve.

Maybe it's just 25 squats and a few pieces of organic canteloupe to us. But to some of them, I hope these things remind them that they are so much better than their circumstances.

My challenge to each of you: Do something this week - big or small - to promote wellness and health. It doesn't take much.

It can be as simple as giving a girl an organic grape and a pita topped with hummus.

Coming up: Spread the healthy eating love at the next office potluck with these treats....

 

  

Healthy Eating Sabotage: The Office Break Room

Does this picture look familiar?

This is what Tammy, a fellow Badass Recruit, finds most mornings when she arrives at work. The breakroom of the law office where she works is, to be blunt, what I call the Sabotage Zone. The common area's landmines included, when she took this picture Monday:

• A baked brie tart
• Lots of various crackers (most crackers are full of trans fats and white-flour carbs)
• Chicken Salad (oh, the mayo!)
• Chocolate chip cookies
• and a "lonely bowl" containing a "small amount of fruit."

"And we (the people working here) wonder why we just can't seem to get healthy.  Not pictured is the coke machine to the right and the constantly full vending machine that taunts you after your lunch just doesn't leave you feeling fulfilled some days....With the holidays coming, LORD HELP US!"

Amen. On the same day, back in my office, we were kicking off the Fall 2011 Weight Loss Challenge. Yet I walked into the conference room and found four boxes of glazed and chocolate glazed donuts. Horror!!! Last week, an advertiser sent a "thank you" basket full of caramels, taffy, and gigantic chocolate-covered caramel apples. Cuz, ya know, the caramel apple isn't quite sweet enough. #FAIL!

The donut delivery prompted a co-worker and weight loss challenge participant to e-mail me a few hours later, "So… what advice could I get for the dozen donuts in the kitchen? lol"

My answer: DO. Not. Eat.

But it's not always that easy, right? The Badass Armour gets weak - especially on a stressful day, or mid-afternoon when we're hungry again with no healthy snacks in sight. The healthy eating is especially difficult to maintain this time of year, when every day a new decadent temptation finds its way in the door.

So here are a few thoughts on how to Navigate the Sabotage Zone:

1. Don't enter it: This is the simplest one. Out of sight, out of mind. If you go into that break room with the treats 6 times a day, you're upping the strain on your willpower. So stock your desk with water, a little coffee maker, mini cooler to stock your lunch, whatever it takes to avoid ever needing to go into the Sabotage Zone.

2. Bring in your own Ammo: Fine, if passive-aggressive Suzie wants to thwart your weight loss efforts by bringing in the cookies, fire back. Every week, stock that Sabotage Zone with "Safe Reserves," the healthy snacks you can turn to when hunger sets in. Let your co-workers have the chocolate, leftover birthday cake and whatever else. Fuel yourself with stuff like hummus and pita or carrots, string cheese, chocolate protein shakes, fruit, etc.

3. No change, no cash, no candy: You can't use the vending machine stocked with all those processed cheese crackers and candy treats or soda if you don't have change or cash. So play poor, and that Snickers bar won't be an option.

4. Consider the penance: Of course the donuts taste good. Of course the gooey Brie would be an awesome mid-afternoon pick-you-up. But before you indulge, consider the calories and the exercise needed to burn it off.  Are 10 extra stadiums or 2 extra miles of running worth it? If so, go ahead - and be sure to pay the penance via exercise. But all that penance can quickly turn into a marathon. So do the math. Especially during the holidays, it's all of these extra little nibbles that add up to those 5 to 10 pounds come Dec. 31.

5. Take 5: When the urge to enjoy the Sabotage Zone hits, just wait 5 minutes. Odds are, by the time 5 minutes is up, you might have changed your mind or gotten distracted by something else. Or, if your office is like most, the 5-minute wait is all it takes for that last donut you almost ate to be eaten by someone else. And for you, that's a win!

Two years later...

Next month marks two years since I sat down at the computer one evening and started this blog, not knowing if anyone besides my mother and grandmother and a few friends would read it. Not knowing how it would develop, or who it might reach.

All I knew is what I wanted it to be. Specifically: A forum for fitness, wellness, honesty, and humor. I wanted to create a fitness community beyond the one where I live. I envisioned, in my most optimistic moments, a cyberplace where people in various stages of their personal "Badass Journeys" could come - without judgement - to learn, share and vent. To be real.

I wanted Badass Fitness to belong to its readers, in that it reflects your stories and fitness experiences (both triumphant and discouraging) alongside my own. I wanted guys to benefit as much as working moms. I wanted fitness novices and veterans to read. I wanted readers to write in, and am so happy that the most popular blogs are often the ones guest-written by others.

Today, two years since I first started thinking about starting this blog, it has turned into more than I ever imagined it could be - even earning a nod from Shape magazine in their first-ever "Best Blogger" awards contest, happening through Oct. 28.

Odds are Badass Fitness won't emerge the winner, but I'm OK with that. And more than anything, the nomination reminds me how awesome the Badass Army is - how much your feedback and support keeps me moving toward my full-time fitness goals. 

So today's post is simply to say thank you. Thank you because in every way, any success the Badass Fitness blog achieves is the result of each of you. From as far away as Australia and England, you have consistently read Badass Fitness and sent feedback - sending me recipes, tracking down that original Tabata research study, and sharing your own results from the various workouts posted here each week.

We have made each other laugh with Friday Confessionals and tales of gym faux paxs. More than a few of you made my heart feel full when you wrote to say this blog helped motivate you to exercise; to get off your cholesterol medication; to clean up your pantry; to finally lose those 20 pounds. We have used this blog to be brutally honest about the struggles of obesity and related health problems, or eating disorders, that it is as if we know each other without ever meeting face to face.

So thank you, times infinity. Each of you reminds me why the early mornings and late nights are worth the "grustle." Two years ago, that first time I clicked "publish" and sent the blog into cyberspace, I thought to myself, "If I can at least just help one person..."

Turns out, I have helped one, and then some. And each of you has helped me more than you could ever know. So from me to you: MWAAAAA!

Coming up: Combo moves for a more productive workout,and guest blogger Chris is halfway to #360to30!...