20 days of fitness ideas, workouts, motivation, drama, stripper poles, fried baloney, diamonds, and nunchucks. I’ll stop.

This December, I’m starting another fitness challenge because most people gain weight during the holidays. Don’t let that be you! Join me as I give you 20 days of stuff that you should be paying me to give you. Really. But since I am a kind, gentle tulip, I’m doing this fo’ free.

Fat-Free for Christmas will benefit people of all abilities.

If you’re already fit: You’ll learn new exercises and new ways of putting together workout routines. I will take you to the next level.
If you aren’t fit at all: You’ll learn new exercises and and you’ll have me as your biggest supporter. I won’t let you fail.
If you need to lose weight: You’ll learn new eating habits, low-cal versions of your fave foods, and how to exercise efficiently. I will help you help yourself.
If you need to maintain: You’ll learn new strategies for avoiding the plateau and for feeling full longer. I will make sure you stay as sexy as you are.

Are you in? Don’t lie to me. (Some of ya’ll lied last time.)

Accountability is a wonderful thing. Please use the link below to share this with someone who should be interested. (You can FB it, tweet it, or send it via email.)

Forget any mistakes you have made. Forget how much you ate on Thanksgiving. Forget that you didn’t workout as much as you should have. Forget about that empty carton of ice cream. Forget about the people in your life who don’t support you. Forget about your propensity for procrastination. Forget about your lack of willpower. Forget about your injuries. Forget about your shortcomings. Just forget about it.

Look ahead. Move forward. Focus on the decisions you make today. Decide that you are worth it. Believe that you can do it. Then do it. Look into the future. Imagine how great you will feel after 5 days of clean eating. Imagine how strong you will feel after a full week of hard cardio and push ups. Imagine how invigorated you will feel by replacing your soda/juice/alcohol with pure, clean water.

You are in the driver seat. Turn off the cruise control and take control.

In December, I will be starting a new fitness challenge. Tell all of your friends and none of your enemies. This challenge will help you establish good habits, achieve new goals, and learn new exercises and cooking tricks. To be successful on this challenge, you must surround yourself by people who are positive and supportive. Start weeding out the weeds now.

This December, I’m rolling out a plan that will have you achieving things you didn’t think were possible. When the New Year hits and everyone else is frantically trying to undo the holiday damage, you’ll already be on your way to being the best you you’ve ever seen. Trust.

Guess what? I was featured on Nike Women wearing their cold weather pants. I had to style them 3 ways and explain how I’d rock each look. I’m excited to be showcased wearing a product that I love. Check out the site here and tell me what you think.

Apples + Cinnamon = a low calorie snack that’s good when you want something sweet or crunchy. Adding cinnamon is a calorie-free way to make apples more fun to eat. Turn to this in your next moment of weakness.

If you want step by step instructions on how to make this snack, watch the video below.

I am always searching for unconventional music because 1) there’s nothing good on the radio, 2) my spinning students depend on me to deliver stellar workout playlists, and 3) there’s nothing good on the radio.

This is a list of songs that I have used on my spinning playlists. They’re not mainstream and they’re not new. And that’s why they’re good. I encourage you to try these songs for your next workout.

1. Jai Ho by A.R. Rahman

2. Brighter Days by Cajmere

3. Rods and Cones by Blue Man Group

4. Un Poco Flamenco by Chilly Marry

5. Strangehold by Ted Nugent (This is an 8 minute rock song. If guitar rifts get your blood pumping, you will love this.)

Your assignment: Comment below with a great song that I haven’t heard before. I dare you to expose me to a amazing song.

On October 29, I competed in the Men’s Health Urbanathlon NYC, a 9.5 mile obstacle course. There was a lot of drama that day but the real drama started the day before. I took the bus from Arlington, VA to New York. The 4 hour trip turned into a 6 hour trip because of an overturned tractor. My legs started to cramp at hour 4. My lower back joined the party at hour 5. The only good thing about the trip was that the stranger sitting next to me didn’t try to start a conversation. I was able to suffer in silence.

At Penn Station, I took the train to Leah’s house and went to sleep. The next morning, the weather went downhill.  It was cold, gloomy, and wet.

Determined not to lose focus, I pulled out my hand warmers and did the Harlem shake until the gun went off. The first two miles had no obstacles. Then the fun began.

I got to crawl under jeeps, jump over police barricades, swing on monkey bars, climb over a bus, and much more.

Most of the obstacles were fun but there were two that had me calling on Jesus. The first one was the marine hurdles. They were too tall! To tackle them, you needed height and strength. If you didn’t have the height, you needed jumping skills and strength. If you didn’t have the height and couldn’t jump, you were out of luck. I was able to get through them but it was ugly. Most of the girls struggled on this one.

The stair climb was the other tough obstacle. It wasn’t the stairs themselves that caused me heartache. It was that I had to climb the stairs of two different stadiums, the second of which came at mile 8. By that time I was soaking wet, exhausted, and my feet were numb. I was in a state of shock.

See? I wasn’t exaggerating. Look at my face! I hurried to the final obstacle.

When I approached the wall, I told a volunteer that I would need a boost. He nodded and put his hand on my booty to lift me. But I didn’t go anywhere. I was pressed against the wall, his hand was cupping the goodness, yet I wasn’t moving. I said, “Are you gonna help me up?”. He woke from his stupor, then pushed me up and over.

After I crossed the finish line, I headed to the tent for sustenance and a change of clothes. I met a group of girls who competed as a relay. They were lovely and one of them saved my life.

When I mentioned that I couldn’t feel my feet, Jess (far left) dropped down to the floor and made magical booties for me.

The girls left but I stayed to wait for the results. Hours went by. My feet got worse. I drank tea. The tea ran out. I drank coffee. The coffee wasn’t good. I drank hot chocolate. I’m lactose intolerant. They refilled the tea. I drank more tea. That cycling of hot beverages continued until I could no longer ignore the pain in my feet. I decided to go to the medical tent. Before I made the trek, I asked a volunteer to take my picture. I was afraid this would be the last time I’d see my feet attached to my body.

I shuffled to the medical tent blinded by the pain and the snow. Did I mention the snow storm? Yeah, that happened. I told the staff my problem and they said they didn’t have a heater. If my face hadn’t been numb, they would have seen the scowl and the gnarled lip. I didn’t want a heater, I wanted medical attention! When they saw I wasn’t going to leave, they went to work. They dried my feet, wrapped them in gauze, put a silver bag over the gauze, then put my shoe back on. They did their best but it didn’t help. Exposing my naked feet to the cold air turned the numbness into a stabbing sensation. I walked out of the tent with tears in my eyes.

The good news is that despite the cold and the frostbite, I had a ball. The obstacles were fun and I ran strong. The great news is that I won 3rd place! This marked the first time I have placed in the top 3 overall. It was a big accomplishment. I was happy and miserable at the same time.

Would I do the race again? Absolutely. I will be there next year but I will be more prepared. I will be wearing a snow suit and heated sneakers. And I will win.

Have you done an obstacle race? Would you?

My client recommended I listen to ‘How you like me now?’ by The Heavy. Once I heard it I immediately added it to my workout playlist. It’s funky but what I love most is the shock value: you wouldn’t expect that voice to come out of that guy. I love when people do their own thang. Listen to this song and do you, boo.

What song is getting you hype these days?