Patrick Judge Nasm-Cpt

Happy 1st birthday to our little sunshine! I can’t believe you’re already one year old 🤯. Your smile and your laugh are the most beautiful gift of all. Here’s to many more years of laughing together 🎂🎈❤️

I’m not one to post bathroom selfies but I need to celebrate a win. Life has a tendency to throw us some mean curveballs; and man this latest curveball has been….rough. Possibly one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through. No I won’t share what it is so please don’t ask - but do know that I am okay.
The point of this post is this: whatever challenges you’re facing, remember that there is nothing wrong with spending time and energy taking care of yourself. Honestly, it’s probably the best time to focus on self care. I’ve recently committed to a new program. And I’m proud. Proud of the work I’ve put in. Proud of the progress I’ve made. I’m proud of how damn good I feel. Proud that I’m committing my all to it.
If nothing else, I’m reminding myself that yes, I CAN do this.
So bring it on life challenge. I’m committing my all to you too.

Goals

Let’s talk about goals.
More specifically let’s talk about how we define the goals that we set for ourselves.
Here’s my 2 cents:
Being fit does NOT mean becoming that body on the magazine cover; let me rephrase to re-emphasize…being fit is not about working your body and mind to a point of “what fit looks like” - and I’m talking to you guys as well as you gals. Being fit is about embracing the beauty of WHO YOU ARE and what you know YOU are capable of - mentally as well as physically.
We push ourselves to stay in shape not to validate the ‘standards’ of others. I think most of us agree - f**k that. Rather, we push ourselves to stay in shape because we want to feel fulfilled from something we 100% have control over. Am I right?Taking care of ourselves - of our body, our minds, our perspectives, our relationships - can be really freaking tough sometimes!
And there’s a thin line there - between goals we set for ourselves as the person that knows ourselves best -and- the goals “set” by the objective works. Knowing the difference is key. And, in my opinion, it demands that we be brutally honest with ourselves.
Let’s stop trying to be perfectly beautiful, or insta-worthy. And instead, let’s ask ourselves “what makes ME happy?” and “what makes ME feel good about my personal progress?”
Don’t get me wrong - in no way am I advocating that we all develop ego-centric world views. God, nothing could be worse than a world of “it’s all about me” humans…that’s a whole separate conversation.
What I am trying to say is that progress looks different for everybody, and every body. I would argue that progress is almost, if not 100%, internal. Ignore the goals you think they have for you. And focus on YOUR goals. What are YOUR goals?
That internal dialogue that says “f**k yes, I’ve got this” is how we start. And “f**k yes, I did that” is how we maintain. And “okay, what’s next” is how we keep going.

You’ve got this. You’ve had it. You just have to DO it!

You are already beautiful - you already have what it takes - you are already a badass.
Now wake that side of you up, and let’s go.

Oh hey Monday. We’re comin’ for ya
💥💥💥
Start this week strong 💪🏼 and ride that momentum to next weekend. LET’S GO!
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Make. It. Happen.

Sound familiar?:
I like to make lists. I’m talking beyond the list for groceries. I’m talking about a list of things I want to accomplish within a year; things to improve about my internal way of thinking; things I want to commit more time because I love them. Lists of things that, I hope, will move me towards a sense of fulfillment and/or progress.
Thing is, sometimes I find myself making such lists and mayyybe doing one of those things. And then I sit down to revisit that list and get frustrated that I didn’t do these things! Why haven’t I committed time to this? It’s on my damn list, so wtf Patrick?
When reviewing my barely-touched-list-of-self-improvement, my knee-jerk reaction is…to make a new list. Sometimes that helps. Sometimes I end up going round and round in this self-taunting circle.

So I tried a different approach. I didn’t make a list..not a physical list. That list (has the word lost meaning to you too?) will perpetually exist and evolve in my head. Nonetheless, this time I said f**k it to writing it down. And instead, I put my shoes on, walked out the door, and switched up my routine to do one of those things that comes with a sense of fulfillment. And it felt good…damn good. And you know what felt better than actually doing that thing? Letting everything else on that list fade away for a while. Without all of it written down, those things couldn’t taunt me. It felt good to just turn that part of my brain off, and totally give in to something.

Don’t get me wrong. Lists are great. But sometimes you gotta say f**k a list and start making it happen.

I’m not sure what I want the take away from this to be. Maybe it’s that lists can be a catch-22 as a wonderful organization tool while simultaneously be a distraction from crossing things off. Maybe I’m trying to hit you with a cliche a la “stop talking about it and do it.” Or maybe I’m just rambling at this point (and mega kudos to you for still reading this 🤜🏼🤛🏽)

I think I’m trying to say that if you have a similar “list of things that will fulfill me”, then I encourage you to pick one of those things and MAKE. IT. HAPPEN.

So…what’s on your list?

Reflection time🙏🏼
2020 has finally come to an end. The past year has been...bizarre? What’s really the best word here? The pandemic quite literally affected the whole world with everyone feeling the impact of its devastation in some form or fashion; sociocultural movements challenged us all to engage in or, at the very least, pay attention to difficult yet necessary conversations about who we are as a people; and an election that even more so challenged us to have conversations that, though absolutely necessary, were ones that forced us to step out of our comfort zones.
And that’s just the large-scale, globally-significant craziness...and only SOME of it. Think of all the challenges, redirections, and volatility we dealt with on a local level...and, even more so, on a personal level!
EVERYBODY’S reality was challenged, redirected, and even humbled. Many were dealt awful setbacks; some found themselves struggling with emotional lows that seemed all but hopeless; and others were faced with questions about themselves, what the next steps looked like, and how to navigate through the epitome of unprecedented circumstances.
My challenge to you is to look for and truly embrace the positives that came about in the face of these chaotic times. Yes, the disease and lives lost due to the pandemic are absolutely tragic - and in no way do I intend to belittle the loss suffered by so many. My intention is to encourage you to cherish the moments, the relationships, and the opportunities taken that kept us going, made us stronger, and kept us moving forward to get through the past year no matter what.

In 2020, I’ve developed new friendships that are so wonderfully special; I took a chance following passion of mine and it has developed into the start of a new career path that I am LOVING; and I married the love of my life.

I’m glad 2021 is here and I’m beyond excited to see where these paths takes me. I’m truly grateful for all the wonderful people in my life - family, friends, new friends, and friends I haven’t met yet.

Wishing everyone a safe, healthy, and very happy new year

Much love
-Patrick

Let’s get OUTSIDE!!☀️
Anyone else enjoying this incredible weather we’re getting??
I’ll be taking advantage and sweating under Charleston’s beautiful blue sky. I love getting out in the open air and challenging myself to get creative with workouts. Limited equipment does NOT mean a limited workout. Let’s go!!💪🏼

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