fitfluential Archives - simple.green.organic.happy.

If you always put limits on everything you do, physical or anything else,
it will spread into your work and into your life.

There are no limits.

There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there,

you must go beyond them.

–Bruce Lee

I’m looking back at this year and I’ve done a lot. It doesn’t feel like it, but I have.

I got on a plane. All by myself.

That may not sound like much, but to a girl who has been vaguely agoraphobic all her life it’s the equivalent of backpacking solo around the world.

I ran a fun mud run. And then a timed 5k the day after.

I ran the Color Run with my family. And I talked dozens of friends into joining us (and thousands of other colorful runners).

I ran another mud run that was pretty grueling. I was filled with accomplishment that I had done something that was so hard for me…. and enjoyed every moment of it. I’ve run a bunch more 5ks since then, and plan to run 13 races (stepping out of my 5k comfort zone) next year.

I was recognized by BlogHer as a Voice of the Year, for the most difficult post I’ve ever written. A post that was zero craft, zero technique, but just me trying to understand.

I modeled, for the camera and the runway. I’ve actually done this before, as a kid, and it did such a number on my body image that I’ve avoided mirrors, cameras and trying to look “pretty” ever since. (I have no problem looking like an idiot on camera. You see those shots here all the time.) I admittedly felt dumb and self-conscious and out of place, but I managed to keep the self-loathing to a minimum.

I entered and won a photography contest, and my photo was placed in the Picaboo calendar given to each attendee of the Type A Conference.

I split the driving to Type A, by the way. All the way to Charlotte and back. Have I mentioned I hate driving, especially when I don’t know where I am? I didn’t crash or anything. And then I went and mingled with people I didn’t know. I even captained a team for a danceoff. That’s crazy! Robin pre-2012 would never have done such a thing.

photo credit to Sarah

Hey! I lost a lot of weight. I gained some muscle. And I wrote about it in a place where people would actually see it.

I coached basketball.

I did some videos. I talked about some hard stuff to talk about in a couple of them.

I helped grow FitFluential into the company it is today: with over 800 Ambassadors, 7000 members, 26K Twitter followers, 12K Facebook fans and catapulting into 2013 at breakneck speed. Being part of a startup with only 5 employees is tense work with long hours, and it has been worth it for this moment, looking back and seeing how far we’ve come. (Kelly Olexa is a powerhouse.)

And now I’m learning to swim. The decision to sign up and show up was terrifying; right now it’s very frustrating. But I have no doubt that sometime soon, I will be able to move through the water without touching the bottom. Without drowning.

It has been a year of stepping out of my comfort zone, and as a result I’m stronger in every way: mentally, emotionally, physically. And the best part about that is knowing I’m being a role model to my girl… she knows no limits to her abilities now, and I hope that her age, her gender, her insecurities never get in her way.

2013 better hold on to its hat.

GIVEAWAY!

I want to know how you’ve stepped out of your comfort zone and grown this year! And how you plan to take 2013 by storm.

Reebok sent me a few #getafterit shirts to give away. These tees are emblazoned with the #getafterit logo in Vitamin C orange to give your workouts a shot of energy 🙂 I get a lot of “I like your shirt!” when I wear mine to the gym. My hope is that maybe some of those people check out the #getafterit hashtag on Twitter and tweet out their own accomplishments after a cathartic sweatfest.

I have 2 of these in size medium, and three in large, so there will be FIVE winners in all.

Just follow the directions in the Rafflecopter widget. Here’s to a fierce December… and a 2013 to remember.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Who shall set a limit to the influence of a human being?
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

I’ve spoken before about influence; about how your kids are watching the line between what you say and what you do. I’ve talked about the importance of speaking up about what you believe in, and walking the walk. Because you never know whose life you might affect.

You have influence. And thanks to the beauty of the ripple effect, your influence may spread further than you know.

And so I’m walking the walk and saying, I want to be a FitFluential Ambassador. I want to help support and inspire those who, like me, learned how to count calories and measure BMI but not how to listen to our bodies. Those who want to be simply healthy, to honor the gifts that are our bodies and our lives.

Look, I’m no gym rat or fitness guru. But I’ve traveled a long path to find a healthy lifestyle I can live with, and I know I can bring others to this place.

I want to help those who don’t know where to start. Who love the idea of yoga class or kickboxing, but are too intimidated to walk into that first session.

I want to guide those who aren’t sure they are doing their push-ups correctly, or are afraid of making a fool of themselves on the machines at the gym.

I want to try new things and let people know what works for regular folk with families and full-time lives, so they’re not wasting time, effort, and money.

I want to illustrate that eating a healthy diet doesn’t mean self-deprivation.

I want to encourage people to get outside and experience the exhilaration of exertion in a natural setting.

I want to find ways to integrate family time into exercise.

I want to make “Just Do It” everyone’s personal mantra. It’s the single most brilliant piece of marketing, ever. It brooks no argument, no excuses.

I want your goals to be things you set… after you’ve already achieved the old ones.

I want to answer the question, “What are kettlebells?” (‘Cause I don’t know.)

And I want to do it in a way that is inspirational, doable, and fun for everyone.

I want to make a difference in your life. Get you off the couch and outside and a happy, satisfied, sweaty mess. Be your drill sergeant, your personal cheerleader, and your Tiger Mom.

I want you to know that you are working to better yourself and extend your life so that you will realize your full potential. To be a vital role model for your children and anyone else in your sphere of influence.

I want to be proud of you and have you be proud of me.

Regardless of whether I receive this title, I want to do this together. Are you in?

Local peeps: dude, this is Rocky country. And yet Philadelphians are statistically some of the fattest, unhealthiest people in the nation. (I’m all worked up now. Sorry, people.) It’s time to eat lightnin’ and crap thunder.

Get up. Get outside. Take your kids with you. No excuses. Just Do It.

Here’s my motivation:

That ball is not getting past her. Consider that ball OWNED.

: Smiling as she runs hard. Loving every minute of it.

: ready to charge

: first down

: Another soccer ball getting OWNED

: This just before Jake decisively blocked an attempted goal on an unprotected net. It made an awesome smacking sound.

It’s important to note that none of these games were won that day. It doesn’t matter. They played their asses off and they improve every week.

I want to be a FitFluential ambassador so my kids will think they got at least some of their physical badassery from me. (Their dad is admittedly pretty badass.)

Cross your fingers for me, willya?

______________________________________________

Giveaway: #GetAfterIt Reebok Tees (5 winners)

2013 better hold on to its hat.

GIVEAWAY!

FitFluential Ambassador ’11