Beth Horn is a fitness model, fitness celebrity, fitness guru, and a National Fitness Champion. We spent the day hanging out yesterday. It’s like being friends with Xena: Warrior Princess. One minute I’m standing there talking to her and the next minute she’s picking me up off the ground and carrying me around like a sack of potatoes.

Good thing I left my man card at home.

She’s delightful, honest, and has a real passion for what she does.  And she will apparently hurl you into a wall if you get in her way.

A few years ago, Beth was chosen to be on NBC’s reboot of “American Gladiators.” She starred as Venom. Her character was billed as sweet and congenial, but, watch out, she’ll still strike when you least expect it. Had I not actually seen the show where Beth hurls a contestant over her head, I would NOT have believed it.

When she’s not hitting the airwaves (pun intended), she teaches personal training students the who/what/when/where of the industry. We’ve worked together for a few years now. When I work with Beth, she’s the model of tact and decorum. A true professional.  Hard to imagine her body slamming people off platforms or impaling them with a giant Q-Tip.

The students ate her up with a spoon yesterday—peppering her with questions and asking her opinions on this exercise or that exercise. I didn’t. I wanted all the behind-the-scenes Gladiator dirt. I’m no fool. Turns out there was NO dirt—well, at least nothing lurid. I was crushed that Crush didn’t have an arrest record or something.

Beth and I are tight. Fast-friends. Both of us have Midwestern roots and mega-watt smiles. And we both have fitness backgrounds. I teach 40 – 50 people in my delightful group exercise barbell class.  And she shoves people off ledges to their doom.  See? We were practically separated at birth.