I have never met Maria, but she is an inspiration! Chris, Badass Fitness VP, talked to her recently about how she went from nearly 200 pounds post-baby to her current 125 pounds of strength and lean muscle. Chris shares the "interview" in full below, but first I want to give a huge #fistbump to Maria for embracing such a healthy, and EFFECTIVE, approach to finding her figure - and her confidence - after giving birth. Continue reading

Admittedly, I'm known for hard-charging, high-energy Badass Bootcamps filled with burpees, jump squats, suicides, shuttle runs, ladder drills and more. Cycling classes are just as intense, with hard-driving, bass-pumping music and plenty of steep climbs followed by fast descents. Yet one of my favorite classes to teach each week is the one set inside a yoga studio, with a backdrop of mellow music and low lighting. My Sunday afternoon PowerCore at Yoga Quest is outside my fitness comfort zone, which makes me love it all the more. In many ways, this is one of the most challenging classes to take, and teach. Twelve-plus minutes of planks, plus warrior crunches and wood chops will do that! athletic performance - whether you are a true competitor or a weekend warrior - starts in the core. It is what holds you up during the last mile of the triathlon. It makes you a stronger swimmer, a better cyclist, a more powerful force on the baseball field, the football field, the basketball court, etc. So try this core routine, and tell me what you think. It will take about 45 minutes. Continue reading

I recently learned how to turn cauliflower into rice - with a cheese grater as my "abracadabra wand." From there, chicken fried rice "hatched" in my kitchen! And at that moment, I swear I heard a cinematic overture for a split second. I had officially bought into the Paleo eating -- hook, line and coconut milk! The Paleo Cave Dwellers rejoiced like angels from on high! This chicken fried rice contains zero actual rice. But here's my Badass CEO Guarantee: if I served it to you and didn't tell you otherwise, you would gobble up every bite and think you had just had some kick-ass fried (actual) rice. Then I would tell you, "Hey, that was actually made out of cauliflower." And you would be seriously confused, perhaps. Well, let me clear up the confusion! Continue reading

Just a quick note: The Badass Fitness blog can now be found at www.badassfitness.com ! Check it out:) Continue reading

You know a brownie is pretty healthy if I am serving it up to my students after two challenging Halloween Eve cycling classes - one of them at 6 am! And you know that brownie also happens to be really delicous when, after a bite or two, a few of them declare: 'I NEED this recipe!" Well, I'm not one to deny the masses their healthy brownies, so here it is! They are gluten free, mostly paleo, and fully tasty. Continue reading

Does Muscle Gauge need to tinker a bit with its BCAA powder? Or did I order the wrong thing? Maybe a little bit of both! A product review. Continue reading

Happy Halloween Eve! Just for you all, I created a scary-but-don't-fear-it WOD and playlist to celebrate the goulish occasion! It's super challenging, as Badass Fitness workouts tend to be! But if it's easy, why bother? This also happens to be super-satisfying as you push through and feel those legs and glutes almost literally catch on fire -- like they've been hit by lightning and other scary supernatural forces! So give this a try, along with the playlist below! I promise you this will make you feel better than raiding your kids' trick or treat stash;) So go ahead and #getafterit. Continue reading

Cocoa powder, cinnamon and butternut squash blended with spicy Italian sausage, grass-fed beef, red wine, chili powder, cumin, red pepper and cayenne pepper in my slow cooker for seven hours - resulting in a Paleo chili rich with complex, hearty flavor. I served it over spaghetti squash for a Paleo, gluten-free, and low-carb take on chili the way firemen like it. Sooooo good! Not to mention low in fat and high in protein! Continue reading

Whether you are here in sunny Florida or thousands of miles from here, odds are you can find an organic farm in your community. I love Whole Foods and Trader Joe's and Earth Fare just as much as the next foodie. But I also think it is important to get away from our busy rush-rush-rush once in awhile to remember - and discover - where our food comes from. I think we need to be more educated about how our food is grown, who grows it, and what they put on it. So here's my challenge to you: find something locally grown and raised where you live. Visit. Taste. Shop. Continue reading

A few hours later, I am still riding a wave of endorphins from this morning's cycle class. I had a new playlist, a tough ride profile, and a big class of students ready to #getafterit before dawn. #Badass! I call this the "Fear Nothing" mix, because it's all about believing you CAN no matter how high the mountain gets, how heavy the weights feel, or how many miles you have left to run. For those of you teaching cycling, I have also posted the ride profile below. But this mix is just as good in the gym, in the CrossFit "box," or on a great run. Enjoy it, and remember: The voice in your head telling you "can't" is a LIAR. Continue reading

While I haven't abandoned pumpkin as my fave fall gourd - that would just be wrong and foolish - I am discovering a second love in my Paleo eating adventures this season: the butternut squash. Yeah, I know...Butter-who?!? But trust the Cavegirl on this one. Butternut squash is da bomb. And it is even more awesome when paired with chocolate. Go ahead, read back over that again. It is not a typo. Butternut squash + chocolate = a little taste of awesome on the tastebuds. Continue reading

Yesterday, you said tomorrow...But what would you do with today if that's all there was? I woke up Sunday morning to learn that a friend, after a long fight with cancer, had passed. Steve was barely 45. He was a loving husband, father to two young children. I first met him when I was a newspaper reporter covering the Florida Legislature. We were self-annointed July 25 "birthday twins," and whenever we saw each other at the Capitol, he teased me about my "guns" and promised me he was about to get back into shape. In more serious moments, we talked... Continue reading

The gluteus maximum, minimus -- and the legs and hips to which they are connected -- are the all-powerful muscles that enable me to power through a cycling class or run to the top of the football stadium or run 400s at the track. So hey, so what if there's some junk back in the trunk? A little junk gives me a little oomph in my fitness performance! This WOD is all about embracing your junk in the trunk -- and guys, this applies to you as well, because we don't like pancake booties! -- and making it stronger. Lunges, bench step-ups, squats and deadlifts are all key exercises to building not just a shapelier badass, but a stronger one that will power you through those races, bootcamps, classes and hiking vacations. Continue reading

When I was a little girl, I loved mornings with my Grandma. Always, they started with an Entenmann's loaf pound cake or a cinnamon crumble-topped coffee cake. My favorite was the cinnamon coffee cake. Somehow, it felt like we were doing something really special. Something I got to do only because I was with Grandma. We were eating CAKE... for breakfast! It made every bite just seem more delicious. I recently perfected a pumpkin bread recipe that reminds me of those mornings with my Grandma. It is moist, delicious, topped with frosting and coconut sprinkles...and also happens to be Paleo. That, I declare, is a foodie win! Continue reading

Guest Blog: From Chris: In all the talk about fitness and eating healthy, people tend to push the discussion toward weight loss, or losing inches around our stomach, thighs, and arms. But I'd like to address the dark horse of the community, the thing we don’t see discussed much. I’m going to say something that will probably have my tires slashed; tripwire and claymores placed in front of my door; and possible hits put out on my life: being skinny is tough, and not that great. Continue reading

Do this track workout at any local track, by yourself or with a partner or group of friends. I love fitness that is attainable, accessible, and fun. This workout is all of those things! It is awesome cross training for anyone preparing for a distance race, triathlon or obstacle race event. These intervals WILL make you faster at those steadier endurance paces. Even if you don't get through the full thing the first time, keep at it and you will get stronger every time. Your goal on the 400s and 200s is to match or beat your time on each round. But really, the goal is to finish and prove to yourself how awesome and determined you are! Continue reading

The TRX RIP and Suspension Trainer are a little bit like zombies. They look harmless enough just laying there. Then you start to mess around with them, and things get heated! Someone might walk away limping, and it isn't necessarily the zombie. By the end of a really good TRX workout, what looked like "just a little strap" or "just some bar attached to a little cord" becomes something much more fierce. Your muscles that will feel like they're being put through hellish fire - but in a really good, #getafterit and "that was awesome" kind of way! So as we usher in a new fall weekend, and the kids start picking out their scary Halloween costumes, scare up some endorphins and lactic acid with this Freaky Friday TRX routine! Continue reading

Burpees are like vitamins. We don't always want them, but we feel better for having made them a part of our daily routine. They can be tough to swallow, but in the end they make us stronger. Yep, burpees kick badass. But if we keep at them, they also help US kick some major badass. #FACT. So today begins The 2012 BadassBurpeesChallenge. (Don't all release a sigh of relief at once, now! We GOT this.) Here's the skinny: Every day, at least once a day but up to four times a day, we stop and do one minute of burpees. We count how many we do in a minute. We log it every time. Maybe you set a goal at the start, like "I did 20 but my goal is 30 in one minute." At the end of six weeks, ending on Nov. 22 (Thanksgiving Day!), we each do one final minute to see just how much faster, stronger and more Badass we have gotten at those burpees. You send me your video #proof, and the winner (based on greatest gains, most fun and creative video), gets a prize pack of some awesome swag! Continue reading

Beautiful bears different meanings and interpretations to different people. But on one thing we can probably all agree: Accomplishment and success are beautiful things! Last week I told you about Under Armour's #WhatsBeautiful challenge for women, and I hope you awesome girlie readers have been thinking about what goals you want to set - and CRUSH! Mine? More about that soon, but for now I would love if you made your own picture collage like this one (picmonkey.com rocks for these!) and send it to me at shannon@badassfitness.net. I will post them all in an upcoming blog, and we will make sure UnderArmour Women sees them! Continue reading

Odds are, cavemen - and their lady cave dwellers - didn't have ovens with preheat and self-cleaning functions.But in this new Paleo eating sphere where I dwell as of late, cooking - and baking - are very much allowed, encouraged and embraced. Always a mass consumer of recipes and cookbooks, I have been hunting like a fiercely hungry cavegirl for recipes, paleo dinner ideas, etc.I have also been making up some of my own, from smoothies and spaghetti squash "pasta" dishes to various Paleo pancakes. The result of one such "cave kitchen experiment" is today's recipe - a cookie so healthy, you can absolutely eat it as a breakfast cookie and not even think twice about it! Continue reading

I may or may not be obsessed with pumpkin. OK, OK, I am. There, I admitted it. Now let me help you see why! See, when I find something I like, I want to make to make the most of it. I put it to work for me. Kind of like a great circuit training session or bootcamp, I want superfoods that will "work" at 110 percent when it comes to fortifying my daily eating. Iceberg lettuce, processed chips and the like need not show up. Pumpkin is that "all-in, 110 %" superfood for me this time of year. It can be eaten all day long, in multiple forms, and my diet is healthier for it. It falls under my Paleo eating plan, it is packed with fiber and good carbs plus beta-carotene and Vitamin A. It is also inexpensive and easy to find canned or whole in the fall. That's what I call #winning. So here are my 5 favorite uses for pumpkin lately! Continue reading

With its What's Beautiful campaign, 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. Continue reading

This workout won't tickle. But when you finish it - and yes, you can and will because you are Badass - you will feel empowered. Unstoppable. Ruling the mountaintop! Ready to take on the world - or at least ready to face a new week! The format is an upside down pyramid: 30 reps, 20, 10, 5, then back up to 10, 20 and 30. The exercises: tried and true moves like jacks, jump squats and pushups plus burpees, dead man crawls and walkout planks. If you're just starting out, you can finish one round and gauge how you feel to decide whether to keep going. If you've been at this Badass Journey for awhile, aim for 3-5 rounds. SO go ahead. Show Monday who's boss! Continue reading

Dear CrockPot Inventor, I don't know who you are or if you are still on this good Earth, but I am of the opinion that you deserve a gold medal in "Kitchen Genius." If you were here, I'd salute you with a hot oven mitt and treat you to a huge bowl of my slow-cooked Cuban pulled pork.The CrockPot is just one of a few must-have appliances I use to eat healthy while juggling a full schedule of day job, fitness business, blogging, freelance writing, etc. The slow cooker and other affordable, handy kitchen tools take the guess work, prep time and cook time of healthy food prep. Stock your kitchen with these, and you are on the road to healthier, fast-to-the-table meals that also happen to be aaaah-mazingly delicious! Continue reading

#SexyBack. It starts with the shoulders. And it comes when we put in the work. This WOD is short but strong in terms of the burn you'll get with those deltoids, etc. And because you are using your own body weight and various pushups and other moves, it is quite literally all on you. No fancy equipment, no accessories. Just you, giving 110%. So let's go. Time to #getafterit and #dowork! Continue reading