Life Support

I am sorry it’s been almost 2 weeks and since my last check in. Life has been a little nuts.

It is coming down though so there is that. I am enjoying my time off from the band even though it does not feel that way since I find myself on the phone and awful lot trying to get the band work. That is what it is. I am very happy at the moment with how the schedule for the rest of the year is progressing. I am working hard.

I was very humble with a venue manager today, I told them that I understood that we weren’t a top priority to them even they are a top priority to us. And that’s okay. Just because I have a pecking order doesn’t mean we are going to fall on the same level. But I also have to think a little differently and that I should feel a certain way that a place wants the band, I can’t wait forever either. I have to go where we are wanted and hey is nice to be wanted.

UGH! Okay then,.

I have lost six or 7 pounds since I last wrote to you. Except it seems like I keep losing the same seven or so pounds over the last two weeks. The weekends have a lot to do with it and I also need to really figure out my Rest days.

When the band is playing I really don’t get one unless I take Sunday completely off. I’m still on my feet and awful lot on Friday and Saturday nights even if I don’t hit the gym.

2020 is definitely going to be a year to find my way. I am watching everyone else try to attack their year at every angle and it is very amusing. While I want to bust some balls, I want to motivate as well. So I bite my tongue or fingers.

There is a balance that you must find between working out and the kitchen. You will never be able to work out and burn as many calories as you eat in a day. It’s just not possible. So you can take three classes at the YMCA and then get on your bike, but if you have some crazy coffee at Starbucks, and don’t have a sensible meal or two, a box of girl scout cookies. You are fucked. I mean you do realize that most of the coffees at Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts have at least 500 cal in them. I used to get extra extra in my Dunkin’ Donuts large coffee. That was 32 carbs of sugar alone. I used to get that coffee twice a day.  That’s why I am a fatass.

So that’s where I am. This past week I went to the gym six days. I also have been on the Peloton every day. Some of those days are better than others. But I am getting my cardio in. I need to find the perfect balance to burn some fat. Going up and down the 7 pounds since I came back from Phoenix, sucks. It is definitely not good for my mental well-being. I have about 15 pounds to go till I am in a happy range where everything I own clothes wise fits. That is my goal out the gate for 2020.

This next week for me will be all about fine-tuning my intermittent fasting. I have gotten lazy.

I cut out a lot of my fake sugars this week and that did not seem to make a big difference. So we will see.

So this week the wife and I have talked about our support system and I was thinking about it a lot last night at the gym and we are both trying to make the best decisions on our social life this weekend to no screw up all the hard work we do during the week. And I was frustrated for her and the things she’s gone through in the last 6 months and thinking maybe that what I am doing isn’t necessarily right for her. I don’t really like healthy carbs so Keto is good for me. Maybe it’s not too good for her. She’ll eat veggies and stuff like that. I just feel a little deflated.

A support system isn’t something we usually think about, but having the right people around us can dramatically change our life and the way we view the world. With the right support system, we’re able to conquer our shit and get better.

We all go through tough situations in life. Inevitably, we’ll fall on hard times and getting out of it alone can seem impossible. Surrounding ourselves with those who lift us up can significantly change our situation. Just by being around positive and encouraging friends, we can climb out of the hole we’re in and move forward to bigger and better things. That’s why I had started #TeamFranco 6 years ago.

This whole journey has been a long process of trial and error, self-development, and big and small battles. And we can’t do it by ourselves. I don’t care what people say. When we have innovative, collaborative people around us, the path to better becomes much easier. We learn more, see new insights, and find ourselves in new experiences that completely transform our lives. Growth is something we all strive for and the easiest path to growth is to have a system of friends who are chasing that same thing. That’s why my gym family was so important and I am sad that most of them didn’t really hold on over the last 6 years. I guess that must be me. I am an asshole.

Our health is something we only think about physically. Do we have a cold? Do we feel weak? Are you sore for all the peach and booty building? Sickness is heavily tied into our psychological well-being. We’re highly social animals and we need social integration and human interaction to thrive. When we connect with others on a deep level, we no longer feel depression, loneliness, or anxiety. Having trusted allies around us negates many mental and physical illness we see in people. And I know social media doesn’t help and here I am sharing and blogging and telling you what you should be feeling.

But here is the point.

Socializing is so crucial to our mental well-being that it can completely change who we are. From our health, to our success in life, we rely on people and people rely on us. There is no better feeling than having the right people in our lives.

So i can’t hole myself up in the house and not do things. I just have to have the self control to make the better choices. That is not easy but I was able to do it for a long time and I need to stop letting myself fall off. No one else does that but me, not my wife and not my friends.

We are a little over the first month of the year. Get at it! Support each other.  Cheer each other on.  Check in at the gym and back that shit up with sweat and hard work.  You got this.

Love Lives,

Franco