Wahoo! I just returned from my Wiggly adventure and I couldn't be more pleased. My friend Jamie (who came along to help) and I arrived at the Allstate Arena here in Chicago at about 10:15 am this morning ready to interview the the Australian children's group The Wiggles. I wasn't actually scheduled to meet with my first Wiggle until 11:00 am though, so we had a while to wait. The tour manager Trey met us at security and guided us back to the room we were to be meeting the Wiggles in. This room backstage was eerily quiet and the clock ticked slowly as I waited for the guys to arrive. We were right next to the entrance the tour bus was to use, and our door was wide open. Waiting was making me half antsy and half nervous. Lots of goosebumps on my arms which I had no explanation for.

After what seemed like forever, the bizarrely quiet halls filled with chatter and I got my first live glance. Jeff, the purple Wiggle passed by and I felt as though I'd just got a peek at Santa Claus sneaking down the chimney. One by one; Sam, Murray and Anthony passed our open door surrounded by the rest of their cast. They looked like a big team, all dressed in black warm-ups or t-shirts and shorts. My nervousness turned to eagerness and I couldn't wait for them to get dressed and return.

Now of course The Wiggles are just people. But if you have kids you'll understand the connection one could grow to these guys. My children and I sing their songs, dance their dances, and read their books. We have tons of their toys , and quite simply enjoy the heck out of them. The Wiggles are fun for us. Beyond having my professional mission with the fitness segments, I'm just super excited to make friends with The Wiggles. Make friends is exactly what I do.

At 11:00 am on the dot, Sam Moran walked in to greet me in his sunny yellow Wiggle shirt and sharp black pants. He's tall and confident and a perfect fit for his role as lead singer. His pleasant disposition puts me at ease, and all of my hairs that were standing on edge have now relaxed. Thanks Sam! We chatted a bit about fitness, shot a That's Fit Move of the Week video segment, and then chatted some more. (More in depth interviews with each Wiggle to come). When Sam leaves, I ask my friend Jamie if things are going well, and she gives me the thumbs up. Whew!

Next up is my daughters favorite Wiggle in purple, Jeff. Jeff is very sweet and quite calm. One of the first things I do is give him the picture Ginger drew for him (Jeff and Ginger skipping in the studio). He asked about Ginger and praised my four year olds' artwork. Very sweet. Truly a guy who is interested in children. We shot the pod cast, and one of the most fun things I got to do was wake Jeff up. A surreal moment in my little life. He fell asleep while I was introducing him and I got to yell, "Wake Up Jeff!". If you watch the show you'll know what I'm talking about. Hysterical to me.

Murray walked through the door when Jeff and I wrapped things up and I was once again impressed. He's soft spoken, contemplative and eager to go. Murray stands at six feet five inches. Tall right? All of the guys are at least six feet tall, I believe, and I'm amazed at how coordinated they are. Murray confesses that the choreography was a bit challenging at first, but it's progressed gradually so he doesn't think it's too difficult anymore. Thinking about the men I know at home, I struggle to imagine one capable of performing the way The Wiggles do. When deciding what exercise to demonstrate for the video segment, even though I'm concerned about his red shirt on the dirty floor...Murray lies on his back in a heart beat and shows me a great series of stretches. Hard to get more down-to-earth than that!

Then comes Paddie. Paddie, who's real name is Paul Paddick, walks in without his Captain Feathersword costume on. Really a wise idea. I loved having the Wiggles in their gear, but Paddie's costume is very costumey and it would have been difficult for folks to take his advice seriously while that feather flopped around on his head. Paddie is uber-cool. The type of guy anyone would want to hang out with at a sports bar. Anthony was like that too, by the way. Paddie is very developed physically with a strong muscular upper body. The kind of guy you'd expect to see lifting gigantic weights in the gym. He spoke about being over-weight in his younger years, and making the decision to become fit. Curbing his eating habits made an enormous difference in his life. He offered a lot of relevant advice and was willing to learn something new from me for our video segment. Loved him.

The last Wiggle to arrive was Anthony. Anthony walks in with piercing blue eyes, a spectacular smile and a completely renovated physique. He's literally unrecognizable from his early years as a Wiggle. His weight has fluctuated over the years, but he's become the poster child for health and fitness today. This Wiggle in blue is pretty much the same as his on screen persona. Relaxed, fun, witty and bright. He's totally in to fitness right now, and brought me down to his dressing room to show me his workout routine. He demonstrated the most advanced pull-up bar workout I'd seen outside Olympic gymnastics and laughed all the way through it. So much fun! I'm actually desperate to get home, so I can start training like he does.

I'm thrilled to report that the Wiggles are even better than I imagined them to be. They are charming, thoughtful, funny and extremely warm. I watched them interact with a variety of kids and it seemed as though The Wiggles were as excited to meet the children as the children were to meet The Wiggles. In separate conversations, Anthony and Murray sweetly reminisced about the days when they taught preschool, and kind of seemed like they would enjoy some days back in the classroom. The Wiggles are extraordinary men with high morals, strong backbones, kind hearts, great talent and the devotion to children we wish more people would adopt.

Although I would have loved more time with The Wiggles, I think I took a lot out of the time I did have. Soon, you'll see features on each Wiggle; they truly had a lot to offer on raising fit kids and being fit adults. The video pod-casts will launch soon and you'll get to see them training for yourselves. Thanks to Sam, Murray, Jeff, Anthony, Paddy, Ben, Dr. James, Adrian, Trey, and Ryan for an outstanding Wiggly experience. Hope to Wiggle with you again someday soon!

Hooray! Hooray! It's my Wiggle Day!

Flying to see the Wiggles

2007 Fitness Pioneers -- The Wiggles

I'm ready to Wiggle