#yoovie

Felt free. 

There is a satisfying and spicy allure to carrying pride on your belt. Pride in having done something right. And that pride is rewarded by adding an advantage you cannot order online. The energy and means to continue doing well, and to increase your pride.  Momentum is both a reward AND a tool to move you forward. A HIGHLY HIGHLY POWERFUL TOOL.   -Anthony Robbins  elling words!  Momentum: noun. force or speed of movement. driving power or strength.  Note : Figuratively, momentum can refer to the tendency of a person or group to repeat recent success  “The TENDENCY to REPEAT RECENT SUCCESS.”  A tendency to do well??? Sign me up, Webster!  How would you like having the knowledge that, because you had a great workout on Monday, you are more likely to work out on Wednesday, just because of the laws of physics? I mean, as long as you woke up and decided to have a healthy day, had a quick talk with your brain, are prone to celebrating small achievements and know how to pace yourself… then just your own recent victories over the couch can be repeated.  The catch? You have to promise not to work against it.  “The world is wide, and I will not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.” - Frances Willard.  “Commitment is the ignitor of momentum.” - Peg Wood.   You ever watch a kid coasting their bike down a hill? Too often we see losing weight as an uphill battle when in actuality, according to science, its a downhill battle.  Your weight… starts WAYYYYYY up there. (Or at least mine did lol).  Your goal? wayyyyyy down there. At the bottom of the hill.  Get on your bike and start at the top of the hill.  The first pedal pushes you forward, from a dead stop.  Another stroke of effort and you are moving closer to the edge.  Another and you are on your way.  The hill starts to slope and less force is required because you already pushed off.  YOU ALREADY PUSHED OFF.  YOU ALREADY MADE THE HARDEST STEP.  Sitting at the top of a hill does not mean you will roll down that sucker. it just means you can see the bottom.  Pushing yourself forward, with your own strength, will get you there.  Every pedal you turn adds its power to the turns you already gave.  Making each one easier with your gathered strength behind you.  Until you are flying fast.  Your own willpower, combined with your natural inertia.  Inertia. There’s a tricky one, eh?  I believe it goes something a bit like this. (Forgive me I skipped physical science in middle and highschool and am convinced that was a factor in me getting fat).  An object in motion stays in motion.  Word!  If we get going, nothing can stop us!! Woohoo!! Game won!!  HALT! Not so quickly. Don’t coast off down that hill quite yet. There is more. Always a catch.   Newton’s First Law of Motion: Every object in a state of uniform motion tends to remain in that state of motion unless an external force is applied to it.  My brain translates this as… IF YOU GET GOING, YOU WONT STOP UNTIL YOU ARE STOPPED. Or until you stop yourself. But f you are going full throttle… why would you get in your own way. If you are injured, I completely understand… but deciding that you need to stop speeding down a hill when you get halfway to the bottom…??  My Goodness! Do you know what happens when you hit the breaks on a bicycle when you are careening down a hill?  The bike flips over. You skin your knees and elbows and you limp back to the top bloodied and a bit pissed. Or you slink off and quit until another day.  Herein lies my next point. (oooh Game of Thrones is making me use adorable almost obsolete words, how cute! Next I’ll be saying I need to make water instead of saying Im doing the peepee dance from all the water. But I digress..)   Just as an object in motion will remain in motion until it encounters an opposing force, so also will a person at rest REMAIN AT REST until it encounters an opposing force.  An opposing force to make it start moving.   Newton’s Second Law of Motion: When that opposing force hits you and starts moving you forward, you will start going in the direction you were pushed, and at a speed equal to he force that pushed your lazy butt.  Wha?  simplified.  You’re sitting on a swing, about 4 years old. Mom is behind you. When she comes up and pushes you, you go in the direction she pushed you. Not sideways, unless she aimed you that way cause she thought it would be funny, but for illustration’s sake, let’s say Mom was not making a joke or getting back at you for raining dry Cheerios on her while she was driving.  So you move in the direction you are pushed.  Now, if mom barely pushes you, you will barely move forward.  And if she rears back and pushes you really hard, you can watch your toes point at the sky.  So you move in the direction you are pushed, at a speed that reflects how hard you were pushed.  What if ‘Mom’ was your own brain. Your own willpower. Your own commitment to yourself.  Do you have the power to keep yourself from remaining at rest?  Are your mind and heart and guts strong enough to push your forward each morning with enough force to keep you going?   Newton’s Third Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Something moving (your conscious desire and will) hit something that wasn’t moving (your body/the scale/your attitude) and created a reaction. What once was still is now moving.  Now, there are many many many reactions that occur due to getting your body moving an keeping that momentum going and growing.   As your activity levels remain higher, these reactions will occur:  - Your weight will change. This inspires more momentum.  - You sleep better. This increases energy.  - You feel better about yourself. This causes self-confidence to bloom.  - Your mood will heighten. This strengthens will.  - Your strength will grow. This will cause you to accelerate.  - Your courage will move to the front. This helps you keep it all going.   Success requires first expending ten units of effort to produce one unit of results. Your momentum will then produce ten units of results with each unit of effort. - Charles J. Givens   Getting momentum going is the most difficult part of the job, and often taking the first step is enough to prompt you to make the best of your day. - Robert J. McKain  And my favorite quote regarding momentum and being a self-propelled human being…  Never confuse motion with action. - Benjamin Franklin  Just because you are showing up at the gym, or walking down the street, or lifting those free weights… does not mean you are taking action towards your goals. You could be just moving.  You will only get out of your mission, what you put into it. You will only reap benefits equal to the effort you put in. You will only gain momentum to carry you forward when you need a break or a rest day, if you are giving yourself a push strong enough to do so.  Where do we start?   One way to keep momentum going is to have constantly greater goals. - Michael Korda  What if you were flying so well down that hill that you got to the bottom and realised that you had enough inertia or speed or power or whatever to start getting halfway up the other side before you even had to put your feet back on the pedals??!!  THAT’S LIKE…. FREE PROGRESS WITHOUT EFFORT!!!  Well, not without effort. It’s the effort you start with that makes the difference.  Your will.   What kind of force can you will yourself to create today?   What obstacles are in the way of you remaining in motion?   What forces around you are strong enough to put you in motion?   What goals can you reach for once you get to the bottom of the first hill?   How does it feel to have wings?   Have you declared a commitment to ignite your momentum?

Lots.  Here's some catch-up time in pictures, which is how I remember life anyway... one snapshot at a time:    experimenting with fun new foods and dishes...        playing outside and going back and forth all day on the Coney Island Boardwalk    My hometown got washed away (pic from KATC TV3)      graffiti walks    Kisses under the Empire State Building - with its head in the clouds as they fall to earth- sigh - how whimsical      Bad pic- but hey- it was with my phone and the music was AMAZING! TAI got to open for exist†trace !!!! Hiro ballroom is so amazing and beautiful, kills us that it is closing next month :(    ^ the second tower of the new World Trade Center is now visisble- and look how the Empire State Building is dwarfed!!!    and Im still taking pictures of the skyline in the mornings :)    spending lots of time with the band, everyone seems to be in hyper creative mode still- for all of 2012- its GREAT to feel so busy with stuff you love.            being in love with Union Square on the regs    hanging out with Joshua and Peter, busking at twilight in Union Square Park    ^ the only thing getting me through this week

In the beginning, I had to concentrate on small things, like how long can I run without stopping- in terms of one telephone pole to the next. Or how often I could choose water over a Dr Pepper. Or making myself go to bed every day. Concentrating on making those small changes led to real results. As those little changes became natural, i made other little changes and so on and so forth- each small set of changes building on the last, adding up to results.  Sometimes I start to lose balance and concentrate too much on getting results and dont put enough emphasis on the changes.  If I focus on results, I will get frustrated. If I focus on change, I will get results.  Everyone say it with me now....  duh.    SO... I have been KILLIN it with the fitness minutes this month man. WHOOOOOOie iYiYi    I made a bet with someone on here that we could all nail 48 hours dedicated fitness in March, meaning I would have to LOG EVERY MINUTE which I usually don't. I mean, I usually dont log two or three miles here and there- but this month- if my walk is more than 1 mile and Im in sneakers, I log it. Its cardio, low - impact, but cardio. 15 minutes.. still cardio. Im at 13 hours already, 35 hours to go. *fist pump* THIS feels like a real challenge. And I love that most of my minutes are from walking to the gym (4.5 miles) or from circuit training. And my weights have steadily increased *fistpump*  Speaking of circuit training and weights, I KILLED IT at the gym last night. At first I was disappointed because it was so PACKED that there were 3 times where I had to wait almost ten minutes to find ANY machine and I didnt like.. get super sweaty and shiny and feel like Im dying.  BUT I worked every body group last night. (Except my calves)- and I did my sets niiiiiiice and slow. You can bet your ass that I was engaging mine in those 50 squats with 100 pounds. All I was thinking was 1..... 2...... Build... An.... Ass....From.... Scratch.... and then on the lat pull down machine later, when I bumped up from 50 to 70, instead of just pulling down with my arms, I was contracting the muscles in my back, I was lost in the pure ZEN of working my body slowly and feeling the machine inside me. It was awesome. I felt so strong- though Im sure my weights probably aren't as heavy as most people in here that get their ST on.  SO I didn't have that drenched in cardio sweat :( but I worked every muscle group to fatigue, not counting my reps til they started to hurt. Then pushing through. Knowing I would feel it today.    If my body was my spirit's pet, then it would be one hell of a spoiled little maltese this week, let me tell you. Ive been low-grade social all week- spending oodles of quality time with Jen (quality time meaning, drinking ourselves into oblivion at the Irish Haven until 7 am, going for 7K walks to Barnes and Noble on Sundays, curling up for stretching/active rest days with movie marathons and skin pampering, treating my hair to make sure its crazy whiteness doesnt go all brassy and brittle, taking excellent care of my face and skin and nails, bubbles baths, lots and lots of walks... just PAMPERED. Beautiful amazing healthy food, fasting without guilt, seeing lots of new neighborhoods and learning my way around new areas in Brooklyn, just GREAT.  I love that while I work out, my body is making healthy drugs that keep me happy for long periods of time. We're a pretty good team.  So... speaking of changs- here is my FLustered Rockluster Challenge Updates for 5 weeks into my program.    I finally actually divided up my two wardrobes. Part of the hell of being in a 7-8 pound plateau is that that up and down rollercoaster you live in- means you wear two different sizes for everything. Too many clothes everywhere. I bagged up all the 9/10s and I bagged up all the 7/8s and tonight Im not going to do anything with them probably- but they are all ready to wash and prune down for donation.  Ive also been looking at lots of found items in my basement to start builing some kind of closet system for my bedroom, and its fine if it means that my clothes are out in the open instead of in a dark hole- hell my pretty concert dresses and such are adorable- they would probably look like part of the decor of my crazy ass bedroom anyway.  I also have this little strapless black and silver slip of fabric that I have to wear in public at the Highline Ballroom on 6/29 (Can you HEAR my goal outfit smirk?) for TAI's first self-produced headlining show /possibly also video release event.    780 dedicated fitness minutes for the month of March so far plus any extracurricular walking that I do each day- which adds up to probably an extra 10-12 miles a week. Been hitting the gym consistently, despite seriously effing up my calves at the very start of the month! Ive lost two belt holes and my non-stretchy jeans are all looser.  Ive also been tanning, spending as much time as possible in the sunshine, dyed my roots, treated my hair and skin, had a facial, did a homemade hair and body wrap and sugar salt scrub. I did break all my nails this week though :-/  Trying out 16 hour fasting and it seems to agree whole heartedly with me so I think I will start doing this 2 times a week. I fel so alert and on fire at work when I didnt eat.    I was recently officially added to the Musician's Rock Network.  I renovated the writing area in my bedroom.  I completely overhauled the beginning of my book and how I introduce the world to my readers and pumped out THREE CHAPTERS last night.  Ive been slowly organizing my bedroom from one side to the other over the last two weeks.  I started redoing the angel wings on my headboard wall.  Im shooting an entirely different scene of bands next week O_o    Been spending lots of quiet time with Joshua, which has been a blessing. Getting lost in music and ideas. Also movie time with Jen- so its been quiet socially... at least since Friday lol.  This weekend however, Jen and I are taking the train down to Seaside. Yup... the Jersey Shore. Karma, Aztec, Jenks all that business, for the Seaside Annual St Patty's Day Parades! Which starts at about 10 am and runs through the nigh- we are meeting up with SweetVee out there and crashing for the weekend.  Tomorrow I have n work cause its a Jew Day at the office, so Im gonna see if I can tim myself for a half marathon tomorrow, just for shts and giggles. I'll have to walk a lot of it cause Im working out my calves still and they are tender, but I will listen to my body and if I can do it - I can, if not... well then frak for the MTA.  Here's some thoughts for the rest of your day ;)                Now... off to focus on change    

War (noun)  1. a conflict carried on by force of arms, as between nations or between parties within a nation;  2. a state or period of armed hostility or active military operations  3. a contest carried on by force of arms, as in a series of battles or campaigns  4. active hostility or contention; conflict; contest: a war of words.  5. aggressive business conflict  6. a struggle  7. armed fighting, as a science, profession, activity, or art; methods or principles of waging armed conflict: War is the soldier's business.  8. card game nonsense  9. Archaic . a battle.  Battle (noun)  1. a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing forces  2. participation in hostile encounters or engagements  3. a fight between two persons or animals: ordering a trial by battle to settle the dispute.  4. any conflict or struggle: a battle for control.  verb (used without object)  6. to engage in battle: ready to battle with the enemy.  7. to work very hard or struggle; strive: to battle for freedom.  RAISE YOUR HAND IF YOU FEEL ME.  On 1/18/11 - I wrote my Declaration of Independence.  www.sparkpeople.c om/mypage_public_journal_i ndividual.asp?blog_id=3701 998&comment_page=11  My opposing forces apparently rejected this declaration, so now I have moved on to carry out the threats I posed in case of such opposition. In other words, darling, THIS MEANS WAR.  Yes, my heart, filled with passion and fury.. has now declared war on the trivial bullsht that my body and brain have been wreaking in the civil war tearing my country apart.  My ORIGINAL Declarations stand as thus:   I swear by the hairs on my chinny chin chin that I oft try to tweeze before anyone sees them, that no part of my old mentality will separate me from where it is possible for me to go. (somewhere sexy)   As of yet, I have not allowed this to stop me, if anything - when I can't beat it I go around it. It hurts, it leaves scars, there are casualties- on both sides. We continue onward.   I swear by the stench of my grungiest gym socks, I will do what I KNOW will work to make that scale go down, to claim victory in more than just the numbers.   I hold to this truth no matter how much physical pain those last 3 reps put me through. I will grunt and scream and cry if necessary- but I will do what needs to be done. With or without the help of my brain and/or body.   I swear by the comforting grip on my 10 lb weights, that I will NOT cheat. I will not waste time trying to find a quick fix, a magic pill or a genie who grants wishes. I will do the work, I will sweat, bleed, drink 8 glasses of water a day and cry so that when I get where I am going, I will never turn back.   I have still not yet retreated. I may not have advanced beyond the current front line.. but at no point did that white flag sow its face above the trenches.   I swear by the panoramic picture taker on my phone, that I will get up in the morning, eat something healthy and make the decision to be in control of my own freakin life. I will decide to make good decisions and I will not cave to pressure that only exists in my mind.   My brain may think he calls the shots, and I can go no where without my body... but without my heartbeat on my side- both will perish. I will no longer be ripped in two by my inner battles, the war waging inside bmust be put to a stop. A nation divded will fall. This is unacceptable.   I swear by my newest playlist of fun cardio tunes, that I will make a difference in my body, that I will cut myself loose from the bonds of laziness, stupidity and apathy before they drag me crying into the murk and muck of despair and defeat.   WORD!   I swear by my smaller waistline, I will not pretend that a plateful is a serving. I won't use boredom as an excuse to eat. I wont be a mindless face shoveler because Im an intelligent strong woman on a mission. I won't put my body through the equivalent of filling a gas tank with sugar. I will give myself fuel.   WORD!   I swear by the Christmas pictures I will take this year, I will not make deals with the lil devil in my head. I will not be a masochist that sabotages herself for the fuhk of it. I will not do nothing just because I am not everything.   ANYMORE!   I swear by Robot Chicken, if I can only do 15 minutes of exercise in a day- then I will do 15 minutes of exercise that day.   I swear that if I can only do 20 minutes of exercise in a day- I WILL DO 30!  I swear by the woman I will be next year, that I will look back and thank the girl I am now- thank her for getting up, getting her sweat on, and not standing in her own way.   Because a battle is not won through hiding and cowering in dark places. Its waged publicly, with force and pride and everything that proves that you feel deeply the reasons for your fight. Not with a whimper and a please, but with growls and shouts and fists and fire.   Failure due to my own fault and my own laziness is NOT something I can continue to live with. Other things are forgiveable, but refusing to evolve is not.  Refusing to evolve, and choosng to remain stagnant in an unhealthy place, is not forgiveable.  The Navy has arrived, baby, riding in on a crimson tide of the only substance that connects my brain to my body- the life force in me, my blood.  I've done the sweat and the tears.  Its time for blood.  Im taking no prisoners.  Im taking no chances.  Im taking no excuses,  Im taking no shortcuts.  Im taking no bullsht.  Im taking no more.  Im taking over.  "I dont care" used to be a phrase I used to get away with things like- eating 3 fudge rounds and 3 servings of pork lo mein and a 32 oz Arizona Peach tea. Now it has a new meaning.  We're going to be an hour late to the gym. I dont care.  We wont get home til almost midnight. I dont care.  Its raining. I dont care.  Im on my period. I dont care.  None of my cute workout clohes are clean. I dont care.  The scale didnt move this week. I dont care.  I gained a couple pounds back. I dont care.  This isnt making a difference. I dont care.  There are no machines open. I dont care.  I dont have the money to get to the gym. I dont care.  I dont want to. I dont care.  Im doing it anyway.    Average has NEVER been good enough for me.    And I LOVE proving myself capable, as well as excellent!    ^ and this chick (fitspoholic.tumblr.com) keeps showing up... and when I see her randomly, my heart skips a beat because she has come to represent something deep in my heart- a vision of the future- and I dont care if that is vain or lofty... we all need something unreachable to strive for, so that even if we miss, we will land farther than we expected to.  Last night Jen and I wnt back to the gym and owned it this time.  We walked in, stretched handled business, got stinky sweaty and went back home. Big deal.  How about we got lost on the way there, were an hour late, got lost on the way home- planned on being home by 10pm and got home at 11:15? How about that we had to add 12 flights of stairs and a half mile walk in the rain AFTER we had already reduced ourselves to noodles in the weight room? How about doing it when you are already suffering serious Doms for the first time in 3 or 4 months?  Thats war, my friends.  High Five Jen.  I burned over 800 cals yesterday just in dedicated exercise time. And that wasn't my brain. And that wasn't my body.  That was all heart.  I came home.  Amped up.  Actually spent a few minutes with my roommates for the first time since before CHRISTMAS, ordered some rice and steamed veggies from the chinese place, ate, drank another bottle of water, turned on some rock music and laid in bed, reading Women's Health from cover to cover until I was un-amped enough to pass out.  AND I remembered to oil up my skin, paint my nails and put a homemade treatment mask in my hair.  Victory.    My goals for this weekend are as follows:  Tonight Jen and I are going back to the gym and Im going to work on calves, abs and cardio. We are also going to Target to ge her a gym bag, and Patmark to get food for Mardi Gras o Tuesday. (Did I mention the Mardi Gras party Tuesday?)  Saturday we are going to walk to the Verrazano (and Im going to do a few full wingspan sprints) then we are going to take inspiring fitspo pics of ourselves in front of the bridge.  Sunday is our active rest day- running errands (about 3 miles walking) nd then heading to the gym for a tan session, a half hour massage and then dinner.    ^ my sexy breakfast this morning.  OMG MY MUSCLES HURT SO GOOD.  battle wounds.  to match my battle scars.   

my two favorite bands taking over the stage at Tammany Hall Bryant Park Also - Im updating my online photography profile, it can now be found at: frame23.smugmug.com/ So this week, I gotta pamper my ego a bit, cause Im about to be in front of tons of people and I dont want inner Bri to freak the frak out at the last minute. I need yoovie/bri to be one person, bright shiny engaging happy dancing free spirited and NOT SCARED. Best way to do that is to go no prisoners all week. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!! NAKED. FEBRUARY BIKINI. HOT TUB. STONE PONY. NO FEAR.

Thank you tumblr world - ilu! ♥