(This is the first in a series of interviews with the top women fitness bloggers I could find!)

Crabby McSlacker and Merry Sunshine write an excellent fitness blog called Cranky Fitness. Crabby knows how difficult sticking to a healthy lifestyle can be and offers lots of practical advice to make it easier.

I recently asked Crabby a few questions about her blog:

1) Why did you decide to start your blog or how did you start it?

I have a LOT of opinions about health and fitness, and my family and friends were getting really tired of hearing them.

Sample conversation:
Mom: “Guess who I saw a the grocery store today, do you remember Alice who used to live…”
Crabby: “Coffeemate??? Mom, when did you start using Coffeemate in your coffee, don’t you know it’s full of transfats?”
Mom: “So Alice ended up divorcing her husband and went back to college and you know what she’s doing now?”
Crabby: “It says “Fat Free,” sure, but just look at all these hydrogenated oils in the ingredients! How can they get away with…”

Anyway, my family and friends seem relieved that I now have Cranky Fitness, which is probably a better outlet for my griping.

2) What do you think is the biggest obstacle that keeps women from engaging in a regular fitness routine and/or from living a more healthy lifestyle in general?

The biggest obstacle is that living a healthy lifestyle is a pain in the ass.

Unfortunately, despite all the cheerful magazine articles, it’s really hard and time consuming to get in shape, shop for and cook with healthy ingredients, force yourself to eat broccoli instead of brownies, get enough sleep, avoid products that will kill you eventually… the list goes on and on. Sure, some aspects are fun sometimes, like eating a ripe peach or going on a beautiful beach walk with sunny skies and a cool breeze, but that’s the exception, not the rule. It sometimes takes going to the gym when it’s the last thing you want to do, or eating a healthy salad instead of a cheeseburger. It’s not always fun and easy, and so why would you stick to it unless you’re extraordinarily motivated? Most people just aren’t.

3) What do you consider to be the most unique or helpful thing about your blog?

Well, while we do try to provide useful information occasionally, we’re quite irreverent and whiny and silly and opinionated. Whether this is “helpful” or not is debatable, but I can certainly say we’re unique! Oh, and we have the BEST commenters–often that’s where useful information can be found when we’re just spouting off and being goofy.

Please take some time and visit Crabby and Merry’s blog: Cranky Fitness!