Bo-Bo Knows Fit is Funny (Shred Day 27)

Feel the burn. No pain, no gain. Work it, work it, work it. Even Jillian has a little section during the level three workout where she dwells on the pain of exercise: "Right now, I know you want to quit; you want to stop; you want to turn this DVD off..."

Well, no I don't, and how is it helpful to plant that toxic little seed in my brain?

Is it just me or does the fitness industry seem hellbent on conveying one simple message—fitness is hard, so suck it? I mean really. Who in their right mind actually wants to suck it? So on shred day 27, I'm here to tell you three things that are fun—scratch that, funny—about fitness:

1. Pretty much everything—I just cracked up—and I mean, belly-laugh-level guffawed—over a commercial for salsa (see below). It's not just silly little commercials, either. I laugh way more easily now. It's as if exercising my heart and lungs has reminded my whole body how to open up.

2. Indecent exposure—This morning I discovered I've lost so much weight I can pull off my jeans while they're still buttoned and zipped. Is it wrong to look forward to the day they drop to the floor unassisted?

3. Sit-com-like conversations with your husband—There are few things funnier (ok, the salsa commercial below comes close) than watching a man try to commend a woman for losing weight. The following are actual compliments my husband has given me so far:

• On my slimmer hips: "You've totally lost your shelves."
• On noticing my legs in yoga pants: "Your calves used to be ginormous."
• On the tightening of my tummy: "There's so much less monkey to love."
• On my thinned face: "I'd say you're down half a chin at least."
• On the whole package: "Look at you!" Then he turned sideways, ran his hand over his own abridged belly, and shot me the puppy dog eyes that were my cue to say: "And look at you."

We all know fitness can peel off pounds, melt away inches, and strengthen our cores, but why don't don't more people talk about the way getting fit can make you laugh and laugh and laugh? I'm gonna say it here first: giggling is maybe the best unsung benefit of the fitter life (though runners up include dashing for the train without feeling winded and an unexpected 27-day blog streak).

And now, without further ado, the salsa ad. Enjoy.