Badass Fitness

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...

#360to30: Halfway there, and not backing down.

Milestones get celebrated here in the Badass Army, and our guest blogger Chris celebrates a doozy this week - halfway down the road on his #360to30 journey to find the strongest 30-year-old he can be, inside and out. So let's check in with Chris, who is recovering after two - yes, two! - knee surgeries but hardly slowing down....

“What’s going to be harder:  1st year at West Point, or my first swim lesson for @xopherfl?”

This is the last thing I read before going to sleep the other night.  See, my swim coach Brecht Heuchan is kinda insane.  He’s one of those nut job tri-athletes that I, for some reason, want to become. 

Swim 2000 meters before work?  No problem!  70 mile bike on a nice Sunday afternoon?  Why not 90!  (OK, he never actually said any of these, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he did.)  So I fall asleep having flashbacks to Plebe drowning and wondering like I have a lot in the past 180-plus days “What the HELL have I gotten myself into?”  I wake up and head to Trousdell Aquatics Center. 

*Side note: The facility was very clean, and has an amazing staff (Thanks Clarissa for taking the picture!).  Good job to the City of Tallahassee for maintaining such a nice place.*

I look in the water for my trainer and he’s doing laps, don’t know how long he’s been there but I’m hoping long enough that he will be tired.  NO. SUCH .LUCK.  Dude sees me, jumps out with a huge smile on his face.  I should’ve known I was in trouble when I saw his Speedo: “Winning” on the front, “Tiger Blood” on the back. 

I have to say it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, and probably because he was being easy on me and he’s going to try to drown me next time.  A few tips, some advice and some things to practice and I was on my way.  It’s amazing how much a good coach will help.  By the time I had done 75 meters I noticed a difference in my stroke, my heart rate, and my breathing.  I actually felt comfortable in the water, a place that is not my element at all. But he assured me that come April, I will smoke the 500 meters I am going to be swimming!

Yes, we are little over the halfway mark right now in #360to30.  In 173 days, the 360 to 30 will come to an end in a glorious fashion.  But let’s reflect on three things I have learned over the last 193 days. 

• Eat right – My diet has changed, which has helped my budget SO much.  A small investment of a mini-fridge in the office helped a lot.  Controlling my portions, packing lunches, and the wonderful myfitnesspal.com have helped so much in making sure I not only eat the right things, but that I eat enough to fuel my workouts.  One thing I learned quickly is that even if you want to lose weight, you need to eat, and if you don’t keep track, you don’t realize how little you are helping your body.

• Know your body – I know I have said it before, and Shannon has said it as well: LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!  Take that time to rest if you need.  We had a conversation a few months ago about seeing people taking three classes a day, every day, for weeks straight.  You don’t get the results you want if you beat up your body.  Muscles need time to recover, and the only thing that will come from overtraining is injury.

• Mondays cannot be, will not be, and AREN’T Fridays as much as they used to be – I am not going to lie and say that I have completely turned around on how much I go out, but I will adamantly state that it has changed.  Yes, there are still days where I text a friend and say “Monday is not Friday,” but those days are fewer and further between than they were in years past.  When given the choice between happy hour and an evening lift, I take the evening lift 8 out of 10 times.  And if I do go out, I never use it as an excuse for not doing exercise the next morning: Play Hard, WORK HARDER.

So here we are, 173 days to go. Not backing down, and embracing my challenges.  #360to30

Coming this week: Eating for 2(a-days), and a routine using the 8x8 strength training method.

 

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!...

 

 

 

 

An executive decision, for a more sane - and rested - Badass CEO

 One of my favorite ways to end my cycling classes is with the Eminem song "Till I Collapse." The song has a driving beat, and matching lyrics, that push me and my students to push hard - even if we're so tired and sore, we just want to collapse.

But I think I also like this song because it's an apt description of "how I roll," so to speak. I take on a lot of work and responsibilities (three jobs, anyone?), and I just keep going - even when my mind and body are telling me they need me to let off the gas pedal and slooooow down because they're ready to collapse.

My days go like this: Up at 5 am to teach cycling, train clients, squeeze in my own weight sessions and then to the office all day for my "real job..." and then more cycling and clients after work. Oh, and then writing this blog five times a week.

I love each and every one of those things, but the fact is this: I am always tired. I don't spend enough time "in the present," as Badass Foodie calls it. I run from one thing to the next, juggling but not truly taking the time to enjoy and excel at what I'm juggling.

So it goes when you're a textbook Type A.

But even Type A's aren't superhuman. Something's gotta give. Or we collapse. Hence, my executive decision as Badass CEO to publish this blog three times a week instead of five.

This wasn't something I decided lightly. But as I turn another year older this weekend, I come to know myself - with all of the possibilities and limitations - a little better. I know that I need to stop trying to do it all at once, and to the max. It's like what Bethenny says in her book Naturally Thin: You can eat it all, just not all at once.

I promise you Badass Army soldiers that quality will make up for the reduced quantity. Think of it as savoring each bite of healthy real food instead of scarfing down fast food. See, my hope is that I'll have more time to plan out and research each post -- even more importantly, that you'll gain more from reading them than you already do.

So starting Monday, it's three times a week: Monday, Wednesday, Friday. I'll post extras here and there, but I'll also be sleeping maybe an extra half hour (for a glorious total of maybe seven hours! Yay!) instead of staying up late to write. I'll even have more time to work my own muscles at the gym, rather than just tell you all to work yours. Practice what you preach, right?

With that, I wish you all an awesome weekend. I'll be spending mine relaxing and being "in the present" with my best friend and her newborn #2. I can't think of anything better than a new baby to offer perspective on savoring every moment...

Coming Monday: From the Badass Trio Bucket List - CrossFit will kick your you know what. Just ask our quads!

Badass Fitness 101

I'm sitting here at the computer, imposing all this pressure of "Oh, this is the first blog post. It has to be witty and clever and profound and all things to all people." And as I type that, I realize, that's silly.

I will simply start this blog by telling you why I am starting it, and then by laying out a few truths I hope to stress over the months to come.

I have been a Spinning instructor for about 3 years, and am happily moving into personal training. I often joke, though I'm actually pretty serious, that I would quit my day job as a newspaper reporter if I could do fitness full time and still pay the bills.

My ideal job: Writing about fitness.(So SELF and Fitness and Shape, if you're reading this....) Someday, I firmly believe, I'll be able to do just that.

To me, teaching cycling and training is all about helping people improve themselves. Nothing makes me happier than to see a Spinning student come each week and get stronger. I love helping people figure out how to eat and exercise to meet their goals.

So when a young woman stopped me in the gym locker room one morning last week and said, "Excuse me, but what do you do to be so fit? And what do you eat?" I gladly gave her advice. A week earlier, a guy at the gym walked up and blurted: "Giiirl, you got shape! Whatchu eat?" I was a little taken aback but replied: "I eat alot. But it's clean, good food." So I thought, "It's time to blog."

So here I am, and here we are (assuming, of course, I have any readers at all...I feel like Julie in the movie Julie and Julia, blogging "Hello? Is anyone out there?").

The most important mantra I can stress is this: Being fit and healthy is an individual thing. That means it's not about fitting into a size 2 dress or looking like some Victoria's Secret supermodel.

It is about feeling strong, and well. For some, that means running a 5k or a marathon. For you, maybe it means dropping 5 pounds or building the strength to do three sets of lunges.

For others, it means finally getting off the couch, ditching the junk food and walking around the block. And from there, more fitness and health achievements come.

Whatever your goal, and whatever your starting line, know that there is a better you at the finish line. Yes, that probably sounds cheesy. But when you get to your finish line, I'll bet you a banana smoothie it will not feel cheesy.

Through Badass Fitness, I aim to help you get started, to keep you going, and to help you meet your goals. I'll feature stories of real-life Badasses who are making themselves fitter one step at a time. I'll share my own gym challenges and setbacks. I'll post eating tips, sample weight routines, great books or advice from other fitness buffs.

And if you let me know what you want to know, I'll do the best I can to help. So here we go, one Badass blog post at a time... Oh, and the technical stuff, a disclaimer that basically says I'm not a doctor responsible for your care, be smart about exercise, know your limits, etc: Download Badass Disclaimer.

Coming tomorrow: Garbage in, garbage out.