The Best of Cranky Fitness

It was the best of posts, it was the worst of posts... Okay, maybe not the 'worst' of posts.

I'm feeling all traditional today. Since this is the Sixth Day of Christmas, I was expecting a gift from my true love, but unfortunately he seems to have his eye on someone else.

Hugh? That camel's just not into you. Trust me.

Leaving aside the question of my love life, the other year-end tradition that I'd like to observe is the usual Best Of feature.

I asked Crabby for her favorite blog posts, and combined her list with my own. Turns out that we both chose posts that for the most part weren't in the Typical Crankiness column on the left-hand side. There are some fun things in here -- this is the kind of research that I like to do!

In no particular order, here are our Ten Best Posts of 2008:

Why can't you stick to your plan? -- well, maybe there is a particular order, at least as far as this particular post is concerned. I think this is about the best post Crabby's written. Yes, I know I'm cheating here, since this one is in the Typical Crankiness column, but for some reason, this post about feeling entitled to slack off and pig out hit a nerve.

The Flat Belly diet -- Crabby vs. Prevention magazine. Another classic.

The Lazy Woman's Guide to a Healthy Diet -- Who needs Prevention magazine when you could have weight-loss assistance from ... Enrique?

This wasn't really a diet post, honest. I just titled it The Okefenokee Diet to get people's attention. It was a cheap trick, and I'm very, very sorry. Sort of.

Tortoises and barbells -- Tips for Slackers on Keeping Up a Life-long Strength Training Program.

Advice for the Out of Shape Hiker -- Turns out there are other O.O.S.H.s out there. We should form a union.

Fanning the flames at the gym -- I love the way Crabby can take an annoying incident at the gym and turn it into a post that makes me laugh and ponder human nature at the same time.

I think Crabby should've charged an entrance fee for people to read this one: Secrets to Success Revealed!

And it's silly, but I have a fond memory of Skanky Fitness. Though I would like to apologize to all those people who searched Google for pole dancing peep shows and landed on this post. Which is a parody. Really. Sorry guys.

The other classic post along those lines was the Porn for Women post. Shocking to see so many fantasies summed up so concisely.


Each of these posts were chosen by the highly scientific criterion of WLI (We Liked It). Were there some that we missed that should have been on the list? Please let us know.

Who is Crabby McSlacker?

Photo montage by the awesome Bossy of I Am Bossy

Crabby McSlacker started the blog Cranky Fitness in April of 2007. She also writes under the name Jamie Graham, and has been a contributor to Diet Blog (although she seems to have gotten rather lazy about that lately).

Crabby is not an expert on health and fitness; she is just a regular person who often finds it challenging to eat healthy and get enough exercise. However, she thinks it is very important to try one's best.


Crabby Loves Cupcakes Way More Than Broccoli

Crabby's philosophy on nutrition can best be summarized by the Ninety Percent Rule: try to eat 90% healthy, with plenty of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats. The remaining ten percent? Eat total crap if you want, and enjoy it!


Crabby Hates Weights But She Does Them Anyway.

As to exercise? Well, Crabby thinks that's essential. It's best to try to find something you like, but the grim reality is that exercise is not always going to be fun.

Crabby believes one should ideally do some cardio, some strength training, some stretching, and even some more challenging SHIIT every now and then. But she thinks it's more important to do something rather than nothing! She often argues against health and fitness perfectionism, even though it has never been a personal problem of hers.


What Else Has Crabby Done Besides Blog?

Crabby has written a novel, but alas, it remains unpublished. She is working on another novel and is trying to turn Cranky Fitness into a wildly successful series of Cranky self-help books. (Wish her luck with that, will you? She could use some).

Crabby used to be a psychotherapist, and spent some time in the legal publishing field. Yet she remembers almost nothing useful about her prior careers. She still holds an inactive license as a Marriage and Family Therapist, and may someday go back to private practice. Or, she might take a shot at life coaching. She's sure tons of folks will want to seek help from a life coach named Crabby McSlacker.



Who is "The Lobster?" What is a "Moo?" And what about "Fran the Van?"



Crabby shares a quiet life with her Most Amazing Significant Other, known on the blog as "The Lobster." They have been together more than 18 years, and were recently married in Massachusetts. Crabby and the Lobster split their time between Provincetown, MA, and the San Francisco Bay area. They enjoy camping and touring the country in "Fran the Van," a 19 foot Pleasureway campervan of which they are inordinately fond.

Their beloved 17 year old cat is named Maile, which then became "Maile Moo," and now she is just known as "The Moo." The Moo is a talented artist, but when it comes to physical exertion she is, unfortunately, even lazier than Crabby.




(Cupcake/weight photo credits: Betsy Gertz; weird purple photo tinting added later by Crabby for no particular reason.)