Mixed Bag

Per usual, I got on a roll, stuff came up, I stopped blogging, and now I’m all motivated again and ready to get this show on the road.

So what’s different this time?

I hit a big milestone.

I don’t normally start workout programs and do them all the way through – I get bored, and when I know I don’t like a particular workout in the program, I don’t want to do it when it comes around again. But Husband and I agreed to do the Bodybuilding.com challenge in January, and around the same time, 80 Day Obsession launched on Beachbody On Demand (affectionately known as BOD).

What made 80 Day Obsession different was that even when I knew what the workout would be, it was always a different experience. And with a new video each and every day, I counted along with the cast, watched the Weekly Obsession behind-the-scenes videos, and committed to myself every day. Never missed a workout. Never left a workout unfinished. Always gave it my best. And along the way, I got a handle on food prepping, dialed the alcohol way back, and focused more on how I felt and how much stronger I was getting.

Day before yesterday, I completed day 80. Today, I started it over again from day one.

I immersed myself in the science and vlog side of fitness.

In an effort to spend more time with Husband, he and I settled into a new hobby related to fitness (new to me, anyway). We’ve started enjoying some YouTube channels that really help educate people about the fitness world, beyond basics. So I’ve been enjoying some PictureFit, Health Nerd, Thomas DeLauer, and Jeff Nippard. learning more study-based information about health and fitness, as well as things that I hadn’t really thought about before, like intermittent fasting.

While I prefer the science- and study-backed content, I’ve also really enjoyed some of the awesome things young fitness entrepreneurs have been doing, like Heidi Somers and her Buff Bunny fitness collection, Katie Corio and her fitness journals, and Steve Cook and his Fitness Culture gym, and all of them with their competing, sponsorships, coaching, and more. And while I’m not huge into vlogs that are “day in the life” and “full day of eating” – the work that they’re doing is still inspiring and motivating. It’s encouraging to see how they’ve taken something that they’re passionate about and turned it into a successful business.

There are lots of others that I’ve been following as well, but these are some of my go-tos.

I’m getting comfortable with being uncomfortable.

While I have a long way to go with this, I’m starting to branch out a bit in what I do and how I share. I’ll always be a writer at heart, but let’s be honest: Most people won’t make it to the end of this post. If I were to go into the level of detail here that I’d like to, I’d lose even more people’s attention. So I’m starting to dip my toes into other things, which is slow-going. I’m a very private person. Sharing some of the things I want to share and doing some of the things I want to do while putting myself in front of a camera for videos or photos and then posting them is pretty terrifying, for a few reasons.

• One, people can be mean (and I’m still working on that whole ‘thick skin’ thing). But they can also be supportive, caring, and empathetic. So I’m trying to focus on that, rather than Internet trolls.
• Two, it takes time. I work a full-time job and I’m trying to be there for Husband and our home and dogs. I need to be sensitive to that first and foremost.
• Three, I would much rather share my story – in whatever way makes sense – and then focus my energy on helping other people find their successes, and share their stories. I want to motivate people, but I don’t want to be so wrapped up in myself and my life in order to do it. This is still something I haven’t really found a good workaround for yet. But I’ve got some ideas.

So there you have it. There’s more to come, I’m sure. At this point, though, who knows if that’ll be tomorrow, next week, or next month. Regardless, I’m not giving up, and I think it’s time to give fear a swift kick in the ass and make some things happen.