Life is coming at us from every direction. The moment we think we have an idea of what tomorrow might look like, well, the world spins and we end up somewhere totally different. We allow the tides to ebb and flow our emotions. The rollercoaster of everyday life is far beyond overwhelming. The bad days are bad and the good days aren’t as celebratory as we are used to. But here’s the thing, don’t be a benchwarmer. This is your life. Yes, we are living in a pandemic but this is the time to get in the game and play your heart out. Life is completely unpredictable right now, but it doesn’t mean it’s time to sit on the side lines. This is your one life, your only life you get to live. You might as well be the star player on the starting line up. It’s time to play all four quarters and give it everything you have. The world will be a better place because of you. Your attitude will show and your accomplishments will change your perspective and the perspectives of those around you.

It’s time to get off our asses. We are living in a pandemic with no end in sight. The days are blending together, the weeks are passing and the months are slowly ticking away. The dark days are surrounding us and the weight of the world is being held up by each of us individually. We are isolated and lonely. We are detached and withdrawn. Our feet aren’t grounded and the weight is heavier than we can hold, pushing us down harder and faster than ever before. Fuck it, lets put some blinders on and make it through the next 10 minutes without a worry in the world. Lets laugh and smile and look no further than the next step ahead. Lets embrace what we have and be thankful for the little things that surround us. We need to stop wishing for what’s not there and what might not come.

Well we have successfully moved into our new space. We have successfully started classes back up. We have successfully transitioned into phase 2 of our lock down, our quarantine. The successes sometimes feel far from celebratory. The ups and downs continue. As life appears to be getting easier, the challenges get harder. When I look down at the step ahead, I realize the mountain was a lot higher than I prepared for. Depression is in the air, sucking the oxygen from our breath. Anxiety is surrounding us like a hug we want out of. But every day we get up and we conquer our day. Every day we make it through moment by moment, step by step. These times are not easy, these times are not fun. And we have no guidelines for what this will look like in our near future or our distant future.

The beginning is breaking through, not with the punch I was hoping for, but with the slow climb to something new and different. I can blame it on the virus, the pandemic. I can blame it on my own transitions and hesitations. Instead, I think it’s time to just celebrate. The time has come to say good bye to a world I’ve known for the past seven years. It is time to say hello to what lies ahead. With every change there is both the door that opens and the door that closes. I just hope this door closes softly with a gentle latch. Because my next chapter has already begun. Ready or not, the studio is moving.

I want normal! All those stresses and complaints I had the beginning of March, I want them. The trips planned, the adventures with friends, the summer excursions, I want them. All the fights I had and wanted to have, I want those too. My list could go on and on, because I miss normal every single day. This world of instability and unpredictability just isn’t working for me. The weeks are ticking by and each week brings more restrictions, more regulations. What I would give to live the world I had. What unwanted perspective I have on what really matters. I never felt so alone and yet in such need of alone time. And so here I am, living one moment at a time and planning no farther than tomorrow.

Change is brewing. Things are evolving and adapting. 2020 is off to a running start and another birthday was celebrated. Life is moving fast and time doesn’t know how to stand still. I want to be excited about all of it. I want to embrace all that is new and all that is becoming. But honestly, I am struggling. I am a creature of habit and things that are different are a bit scary for me. Even things like a schedule change, or a shift in my daily activities, these are things I have to be good at because of my job. But it doesn’t mean I like it. I like consistency, no I LOVE consistency. I don’t need each day to look the same but I like sure as hell like most of my Mondays to look pretty identical. These shifts and changes, they are parts that I have learned to move with, not because I like them but because that is how life is. But change is happening all around us. As I look ahead, I see new possibilities and new prospects. And it’s time to explore, it’s time to embrace and it’s time to see what changes look like when dive in.

This is a great time to open the conversation about nutrition. The New Year is off and running. Some people have started accomplishing their resolutions and goals while others never set them and are continuing on their paths of awesomeness. Things are pretty good so far this year. But the motivation of the new year can also open the door to ideas and images that might not be in line with what we really want. And yes I mean diets. Peoples success stories and ideas of what makes them feel amazing is going to change from person to person. I love these conversations, as long as I don’t get too heated. Diets are a hot topic and probably always will be. And I’ve got my own opinions and believe it or not, I try my hardest to not to be too biased.

The ball dropped, the calendars flipped, time moved into a new year, a new decade.  The newness of it all can feel so motivating.  We get to start fresh, start over.  We get to put aside the failings, the short falls, of the 2000’s and start the 2020’s with a clean slate.  What are you hoping to accomplish?  What goals are you setting?  Where is your motivation leading you?  What are the strengths you want to kick ass in this year?

As we enter into the holiday season, temptations are around every corner. There are temptations for foods that we love and drinks that we can’t resist. There are temptations for things we don’t need but somehow try to justify buying. And with the cold dark mornings, there is always the temptation to stay in bed until the very last minute. And this holiday season, let’s take some of the self control out of those temptations. How about we just say yes. We can say yes to the cinnamon roll with extra frosting, the champagne, even when its bottomless mimosas. We can say yes to the too expensive yoga pants. And maybe even yes to playing hooky and staying in bed to watch Hallmark movies.

Progress is a hard thing to track.  There are times when the scale is going down or we hit a new personal record on the deadlift, where progress is obvious.  But more times than not, progress has a lot of plateaus and valleys.  There are more times where we put in the work and we don’t see the immediate outcomes, the instant results.  So often progress has a question mark after it instead of an exclamation point.  And most of the time, we wonder if we are even making progress, we wonder if all the hard work we are putting in is even worth it.  So heres the quick answer is, yes it is.  It most definitely is worth it.