finding motivation in unlikely (people) places.

(edit: i started this blog a week ago, and never got around to finishing it. so some of this might be a tad out of date. my baaaaad.)

okay, so i've been slackinggggg. i'm sorry.

so, this week, i was supposed to do another vlog by now, and i just haven't been able to get around to doing it. my apologies. hey - at least i've been working out. i'd rather miss my blog than miss a turbo class haha. :D

i have great news! i weighed myself a couple of days ago and i am officially at 236.4!! that is 3 lbs down from last week. i am thrilled. i didn't really do anything different, other than be a little bit more strict about monitoring my caloric intake. my lose it! app will yell at me text me when i haven't tracked any meals. so it's not hard to remember, seeing as though i am attachedtomyphone.

a lot of things happened this week that were extremely positive. i will start with the music side first, to get it out of the way.

i had conversations with three men who i've looked up to for a very long time. last thursday, i had a conversation with myke terry, the former lead singer of bury your dead. myke is in this band called the silent age (you can check them here), and he's currently touring. i don't know the ins and outs of what happened with BYD (frankly, it's none of my fucking business), but i do know that it was exceptionally hard for myke to get back on his feet. myke and i are from the same hometown. i've seen him in his old band cassius, and i've seen him with bury your dead. we know each other through passing...we were never actually close (the closest i've ever felt to him is when he came to my apartment and raided all my alc that i was trying to get rid of the *first* go-around with this whole fitness thing lmao), but i've always admired his strength and vitality. and for someone like myke to get knocked down just to get back up again, makes me believe that this is entirely within my reach.

so on thursday, i texted myke to let him know how much of an inspiration he was to me. myke was extremely flattered and let me know that no matter what, i need to keep going. even if i'm trying to talk myself out of it, even if there are others who are telling me that i can't do it - KEEP GOOOIIIIIING (his actual words haha). one thing that really set in with me was when he pointed out that i had a great voice, and that the world needs to hear me and my story. it really meant a lot coming from someone like myke...and it's only pushing me to go harder.

i also spoke to justin and tito from saint diablo. went to go see them at a show in camp hill - they killed it. for those of you who don't know who saint diablo is, they're a local prog metal band from richmond/fredericksburg...do yourself a favor and check them out. thank me later. they've been around for a long time, and they've been a huge inspiration to me. tito (the lead singer) in particular... he's been through the whole weight loss thing and succeeded (he lost 64 lbs! go tito!!). tito and i had a very long conversation about music, family, and health. i won't go into the personal shit, but i will say that tito and i are very much alike when it comes to the fitness struggle. i always thought tito was the most confident dude in the world...and you never know what people go through.

so...enough with the music shit. i have practice today, and that's going well. i'll keep you updated.

last week, i began a turbofire/insanity hybrid. because clearly, i want to die. you know insanity, right? with fabulous *snap* shaun t? yeah. my body aches now just thinking about it.

i did my fit test last monday, and let me tell you...it was a huge wake-up call. i feel like i've been doing okay witj turbo...i felt myself getting stronger, i can feel my body changing, i'm able to do more....haaaaaa. well. i was sorely mistaken. my fit test was an epic fail.
there's video. i'll post it the beginning of next week. what a huge fucking gut check. my kicks were horrible, i felt like there were bricks in my calves every time i jumped... it was almost like my body said "giiiirl, what the hell is this shit?! sit yo fat ass down and eat a burger!"

ever since then i've done 3 insanity workouts. i have never had so much sweat on my body at one time. my shirt always ends up soaked. and i'm haunted by shaun t's voice yelling at me to push. but when it's over...(and it ends really quickly)...it's over. and i feel more accomplished than i've ever felt.

so the plan is to do turbofire in the morning, and insanity when i get home from work. 4 days a week (i rest on wednesdays), and the weekends i do one workout a day. ahhhhhh.

my tip of the day? share your story and your journey with others. let's face it, you didn't gain the weight on your own (remember those drinking binges with your friends and the constant sheetz runs?), and you're not gonna lose it by yourself. seek help and motivation - not only from yourself, but from the ones who want to see you succeed.

i'll have more about traveling and staying on track in a couple of days (i promise).