Get a Military-Grade Mindset with Skyler Realejo

Tune in to todays episode where I get to sit down with a military baddie and learn all about what it takes to be in the service and how her motivation translates to everyday life. If you are looking to be inspired, you need to listen to this.

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Transcript

0:08

Hello, my friends. And welcome back to another episode of the get out of your own way podcast. If you're new here, I post these every single week and we talk all things wellness from motivation to productivity, healthy living business. I try to cover all the topics. So if this is your first time stopping by, I'm so glad you're here. And if you're back, what's up, I'm also glad you are here. Today we have a guest episode and it's definitely a fun one. It's an interesting one. I get to sit down with Skylar and she is a military bad. A I'm not going to swear, but you get the point. She's just so committed and her motivation and discipline is so. So commending, like you just look at her and you're like, wow, this girl has got it together. But she shares some of her difficulties, some of the things she's faced, some of the things she's faced in the military that you wouldn't expect to happen in the military. And her story really just motivates you to want to get on this journey and get on a health journey. So I hope you find today's episode super helpful. I hope it brings value in your life and that you take something out of this. So if you do. Please message me on Instagram and just say that you enjoyed today's episode and if there's specific topics or specific guests that you would like me to bring on. Let me know and I would be happy to do so. So without further ado, let's jump in today's episode. Hello, Skylar. Thank you for joining me today on the podcast. I'm very excited to sit down and chat with you and learn all about you and your story. So welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much for having me. So would you mind giving our audience where we jump right into all the good stuff that we have planned for today? Would you mind giving our my audience just a little bit of background of what your story is and where you've been? Yeah. So about six years ago, I joined the military. So Army National Guard for Rhode Island. I never had the intention of joining the military. You know, when I was in high school and they had the recruiters there that was nothing I was interested in. But after 1 year of college and looking at student loans, I was like, okay, well, I need to do something about this because I can't be doing this for the next 3 years. So I joined the military. I still had a little bit of passion for fitness at the time because I played soccer my whole life. And so I was like, yeah, let's give this a shot. My freshman year of college. I joined I did the training in between freshman and sophomore year. And ever since then, I've just been. All in I know people say it's 1 week in a month and 2 weeks a year or whatever. That's what everyone says. The National Guard is, but I've been doing loads of additional work with them. I love them. I can't get enough of them. But in the meantime, I got my undergrad in philosophy and health sciences, and then when I. graduated college, I commissioned as an officer in the military. So my experience with the military was enlisting as a military police officer and then commissioning as a finance officer. And then now I'm a medical operations officer. So nice. So you work for the military full time. Yes. Yes, I do. So you said that you always played sports and stuff, but then once you got into the military that kind of drove it, is it what kind of drove you to be more into fitness and health? Yes, because sports back when I was younger, it was always just like the camaraderie and the social aspects of it. That was the big driver behind it. It was never doing it to stay fit. And then once I got to college and I realized, you know. Wow. That was taking up a lot of my time and that was keeping me in really good shape. I need to do something else. So I was just going to the gym. And then I started doing research and. Aligning it with the military to helped because they, we have certain fitness goals and minimums that we have to reach essentially when you do fitness tests and stuff and the minimums are not difficult, but having those kind of, you know, biannually, annually. They made me want to keep up with my fitness. And then in basic training, you know, here with 200 people from across the country and they're like, all right, run two miles and time it. And so the competition in me came out and I was like, well, now I want to be a really good runner. And so definitely goes hand in hand. It's, it's definitely not hand in hand for everybody. It's not like the military automatically means like you're really into fitness. But for me, the competitive aspect of the. Annual tests and trainings made me kind of look into it more on my own side, like personally. Yeah. So outside of the military, like you do all that stuff for the military, what do you do for fitness? Like outside and your day to day life? So the gym is my biggest thing. I'm not I've tried and failed epically at doing like classes like CrossFit or spin or orange theory or anything. Like, I, I think they're phenomenal. I think they're super structured and I wish I liked them, but I don't so I'll just go to the gym and keep up with my own little regiment. I've done a lot of trial and error. So people. Okay. Well, we said, how do you know so much? How do you know so much? Because my undergrad is not in like, kinesiology or exercise science. And so, and I don't have my any certificates that make me a personal trainer, but it's really just been what I've trialed nerd. So, I've gone to the gym, I've been that person with, you know, bad form and. Not really knowing what to do and how to align my workouts. And it's just all over the years clicked, but it's taken a very long time. Yeah. Would you say that the, like the military helped you with your motivation? Definitely. It can go either way. Like I said, for people in the military, cause we have long hours for our days and their early starts. We're in the field a lot of the time, which means like, just going there essentially with your rucksack and for a week, you don't really have showers and you're not exercising. You're just kind of moving around a lot and in the woods a lot. And so that's the type of thing that you're finding a lot in the military. And so when you get out of like, a 10 or 12 hour shift, or you get back from a week in the fields, you don't. necessarily want to go and work out. But for me, I liked, you know, waking up earlier than whatever the start of the day was exercising, getting my mind right, getting my body right, and then going into the workday. So that's how it motivated me knowing that I had those long days. It was my set reset for myself, essentially mentally. Yeah, that definitely makes a lot of sense. And do you find that with fitness and health, are you passionate about like helping other people live a healthy lifestyle or help motivate them? What would you say like your passion is? So definitely I, I'm a super advocate for helping people. I love when people come to me and Not essentially have the wrong mindset on health and fitness but come to me with these overwhelming feelings Like I feel like I have to eat super healthy or else I'm not gonna lose this weight Or I feel like I have to go to the gym like for two hours every day or else I can't ever be somebody that goes to the gym. And so that's when I love being like, hey, look It's it's not that complicated. Like all you have to do is just eat exactly what you're eating, but eat a little bit less And like, that is going to reach you to where you want to be weight wise or go to the gym. And honestly, for your first month, just walk on the treadmill and be able to digest what the gym is like and get your steps in while you're taking in the entirety of the gym. And like, it's really that easy. And I'm like, it's really that easy. So I love when people come to me and they're like super overwhelmed. Not that they're overwhelmed. I don't love that, but I love that. I'm. able to pull them down from that cloud. It's like, it's, it's not a science that you have to understand in one day at all. Yeah. Do you find that a lot of people or at least some people come to you because you are so motivated and they probably see that you're in the, in the military and that takes a lot of motivation and then you are very active in the fitness world as well and you have a great physique. So do you find that a lot of people do tend to come to you for those Yes. It's 50%, you know, friends that are looking for minor advice, like, Hey, you know, I X, Y, Z, and it's a very specific type of thing here and there. But then also I find that I have like, complete strangers come up to me at the gym and they're like, Hey, can you help me with this? And like, that always, always never fails takes me back. Cause I'm like, why are you coming up to me? But then I forget that, you know, bodybuilding and going to the gym is a direct representation of. your hard work. And so everybody is literally walking around with like their piece of art, you know, it's their body. And so it shows their knowledge is conveyed with what they do and how they look. And so I love that too. Just minor things, people coming up to me and like, Hey, is this, is this right? And so I'm like, Whoa, you trust me? But then I'm like, obviously you trust me. Cause you see that I am confident in what I do here. Yeah, definitely. And would fitness ever be a place that you would want to like work in or have people like Paid people or would it be something you would always want to keep just like just helping out? So I thought about this people ask me this a lot. And I I go back and forth because It is such a passion of mine and it's honestly like my escape from the world and so if I ever let it become something that was not necessarily work or like a job, but something that I Did for income or did for that type of thing. I feel like it would take away from the aspect of this is my thing. And this is what makes me happy. So, yeah, I've definitely been there. Being a personal trainer is not easy. Cause like you said, it does take away your little bubble of that when you're at the gym, it's my time. So when you start to kind of mix your passion with work, it can get tricky, but it also can be very rewarding if you're up for the challenge. But I definitely see your side in it all. So have you ever experienced a time in either your college life or your military life or after? I think you're still in the military, right? Yes. Yep. Okay. Have you ever experienced a time that you kind of got in your own way or got in your head? I mean, this podcast is called to get out of your own way podcast. So I would love for you to share a time that you've kind of got in your own way. So there's. Been a few times and a lot of that has to do with little setbacks like injuries. So there was 1 time where it was a couple of years ago. I got a slot for airborne school. And so that was huge. I wanted to go so bad. It's like a month long. And it was in the summer in between my junior senior year of college. And so I was honored that I got a slot. At the time I was super into running. I'm. Yeah. Definitely not into running as much as I was then now, but my goal then was like, let's let's see how many miles I can run a day. And so what you do a lot at airborne school is you run a lot. So I was like, this is perfect. I'm going to work on my running beforehand. But what I didn't do was listen to my body. And so I was running a lot beforehand rather than resting because I knew we were going to be running a lot there. And then so on the, Second day, we had our fitness tests and it was a 2 mile run in my knee just like gave out and completely like gypped myself from being able to go to that school. And it just sucked because I had to leave the school for something that had nothing to do with airborne. Like, it wasn't like I couldn't qualify or do the skills that were required. Technically it was just because I was running too much beforehand and like, working myself too hard. So I had to leave early. And then I went back to school that senior year and everybody that was there was like, oh, my gosh, how was airborne school? Like, I was the person that got a slot. And so it was hard to be like, I, I didn't make it and it wasn't because I wasn't qualified. It was because. I wasn't listening to my body. So for a while I was scared to run again. I was scared to do something and go out on a whim where I was like, do I trust myself? Can I do this physically? So that was definitely for months after that I was in my own way because I just didn't know what was safe and what wasn't. Yeah. And how do you find that you kind of worked through that? So I started to Really rest and listen to my body and I pretty much just just wrote it off. And I was like, that was an opportunity that I had. I didn't complete it and that's okay, because more opportunities will come and now, and since then, I've gone to military schools and have had very rigorous physical demands like 12 mile ruck marches and just constant running. So, and so, instead of trying to meet my maximum beforehand, I just. You know, keep reminding myself that my body is a machine and so I have to go there rested and prepared rather than, you know, drained. That's a really good point. Do you find that now looking back in hindsight, was it kind of like a blessing in disguise? Like if you had other opportunities come up that you're like, okay, maybe this didn't happen because now this happened in my life or what was that experience like for you? So it was, so that whole situation was definitely a blessing in disguise. Like in the moment I was. I was devastated, but at the end of the day, it taught me to take a step back and, and listen to my body. That was the biggest thing that I wasn't doing. And so, yeah, if I didn't get injured, I probably would have, you know, left with the airborne wings and be able to flaunt that on my uniform for the rest of my career. But then I still wouldn't have had that realization that I am in control of whatever I do. So whether that be working myself to a pulp before I have to be physically tested or. be able to rest and take care of myself and be patient with myself during any time. Yeah. Sometimes I think people like you and I, where we are very committed and motivated and disciplined, it can almost bite us in the butt until something like that happens to us. Cause for me, I was. Very into training and all that stuff. And then I was at CrossFit and I had got a hip injury, which is so common for CrossFitters to get hip injuries. But that was the point for me that I knew I had to also slow down and rest, which comes with its own set of challenges. So it is pretty crazy how you can be on either side of the spectrum. Like you're either. Not into it at all. And that's what your challenge is, or you're on the opposite side and you go too hard and then you have to tell yourself it's okay to slow down. So definitely resonate with you and all of that stuff, but you were recently on a deployment, correct? Yes. No. And during that time, you had some negativity and just some conflict at that time. Yeah, so that this was my, my first appointment. And so it was, it was 10 months and it was with the same, you know, 80, 90 people from Rhode Island. And so I didn't really know many of them prior to leaving, but. You, you know, how you kind of get that, like, cabin fever type feel when you're even, like, on vacation with friends for, like, 5 days, like, all right, time to, like, I'll go home and, like, pack her back siblings. Like, you know, when you're around somebody for that often. You, the reality is, like, misconstrued because you're like, I don't know if I'm taking this out of proportion, or I don't know if they're genuinely just. Like, acting in this way towards me, so this was very eye opening this experience because, you know, it's a 10 month deployment. So you're working 10 hour days with people, but in civilian life where you say, okay, goodbye. Have a good weekend. I'll see you in 48 hours and you get to have that break with your family and your friends and your hobbies. These people are around you 24 7. and so, you know, you. Leave the work environment and then you go to the chow hall and they're still there and you get dinner with them and then you go back to your living area and they're still there and you wait for them to get out of the shower and you wait for them to do laundry. So this whole experience with 24 7, you know people around me all the time was definitely eye opening. And so there were, Once there was 1 specific individual, and I don't know if it was just them being jealous of me or targeting me specifically, but this individual had multiple complaints about them by just going out of their way to call out other people for their. Deficiencies and just not being a good coworker, not being a good leader. Very like bully like aspect. And so at 1st, when I got warned about this individual, I was like, well, there's no way because I don't I don't want anything get to me. And then, like, here I was month 4 and I'm like. I'm totally in my head about it. And there was a bodybuilding competition while I was there. So that was awesome because I was able to participate in that, but I was sharing my prep and my progress with my coworkers and my friends that were with me because they would see everything I ate. They would see everything I did trains before and after the work day. And this individual was just always super, super negative. Like you're not going to be able to do this. And there's no way that like you're eating right. Because I know that you've done a show before and you get it like the weighing the rice cakes and chicken is just ridiculous. And so I didn't have that much control over what I could eat because I was only eating at a chow hall. So it was a lot of eyeballing, which was very stressful for prep. But Instead of getting support or any for anything I did, it was always just negative, negative, negative. And so that was, it was just impossible to escape to because I couldn't be like, well, at least I go home Friday and then I'll go home to my family. It was just always there. Yeah, that actually sounds like torture and, you know, it does. Take certain people to be in the military. And by you just explaining all of this out loud, it really puts it into perspective for me, I am not that type of person that can be around other people like that 24 seven. I mean, most people aren't, but it definitely takes special individuals to be able to be on deployments and do these kinds of things. So, I mean, we need you, we need you people so much, but like, it really does just put it into perspective. I'm like, Whoa, like I would not be able to handle that. Like. I am the person that like needs to recharge her social battery and all that stuff and you guys just don't even really get the opportunity to do so until you get to go home. Yeah, it's crazy. So that's definitely a lot and it sounds like a lot of this person's Bully behavior came from a place of insecurity. They were doing to many, many people and they already had complaints against them. That sounds like it was their own issue and they were taking out on everybody else, but it doesn't make it easier for you at that time. So how did you navigate through it? So for a while I felt super stuck. I started to doubt myself. I was like, well, there's no way I can do a bodybuilding competition while I'm deployed. Like maybe, maybe this person's right. And, and maybe I am being a little bit too lenient with like my eyeballing and the chow hall or maybe, maybe I am, you know, not doing this or this or this right. Or and, and it was personal stuff. So like my, my, Bodybuilding and my eating, but then also like work stuff too. So you're not doing this right. And it's just like 2 completely different jobs. And so I started to believe everything that this person was saying. And then I, I just, I reached out to other people that had more experience with this individual and I just shifted my mindset on it. And so rather than taking, you know, a piece of criticism from this person and being like, this is the truth. I tried to, you know, break it down and analyze it. So I was like, well, why is this person saying this? Do they actually know if this is true? And I started to realize that everything that this person was targeting me for verbally really happened. Just the insecurities on their own side. And so what happens is when people. You know, are insecure. They put up walls and they find these things that they're, whether it's jealousy or anything that somebody else has, then they will target them to just kind of pull them down from that stool that this person on. And so I really just, once I took a step back and especially now that I'm home, I'm like, it's honestly comical that I, I really let all of that get to me knowing what the source was, that it wasn't me at all. It was just that person. Yeah. But that is so valuable to share though, because I think even outside of a military perspective, a lot of people probably deal with that on a work based level or in a relationship level. Like if they're an abusive relationship and someone's always talking down to them and they're literally trapped. Like with that person, I think it can skew how you view yourself. And it's takes a person to take, like you said, a step back and analyze the source of what it's coming from. And also doing some self reflection of why is this bothering me? Do I doubt myself in these areas? And if I didn't doubt myself, then it probably wouldn't be getting to me as much. So applying the strategies that you need to be able to like, not doubt yourself or like work through those things, I think is also an important piece to add to this conversation. Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. But moving on. So in your experience in the fitness world, military, academically, you being very motivated and disciplined person, when you see other people that come to you for advice and they are looking to kind of get out of their own way, what are the. Self limiting beliefs that you see a lot of people have the things that get in people's way So this is this is huge because like I love your your like mantra getting out of your own way Because I think that is step one people are way too hard on themselves Look way too hard on themselves, and they don't they don't know how to forgive themselves They don't know how to treat themselves kindly I know nine times out of ten and even I struggle with this, you know, you wake up in the morning and The first thing you want to do is criticize, you know, what you see in the mirror or, or what you have coming that day. You're like, oh, I have to go and do X, Y, Z, or, oh, I'm so, you know, bloated from, from dinner last night. And it's like, immediately we start to criticize the things that we see about ourselves. And so what I always tell people, if they come to me and they're like, hey, you know, how did you lose the way or how do you stay motivated or how do you be healthy? I just say that you have to be kind to yourself and you have to be patient with yourself and you have to understand, like, that life is maybe a marathon, but the day and the minute that you were living is not a marathon. Like, it's okay to just. You know, spend a day and just do what you have to do to get to the next day. I think that people will beat themselves up so bad for one minor thing that they're never allowing themselves to progress because they're always holding that boulder. Like they will not just let it go and move on. Yeah. Wow, that's so good. And what are some of the things that, like, kind of keep you motivated, like, you personally? So, for me and I know it's not everybody's fix, but my fix is obviously working out. It's, it's therapeutic to me. It sets my mind right. So I definitely, I don't know if people think this. I know People have asked me, but I certainly do not wake up every day motivated for the gym. Half the time I'm like, Oh my God, I'm like in the parking lot. I'm like, I don't want to go in. So I definitely don't wake up like ready to go running to the gym. So if people believe that, please note that it's not true, but. After is always the feeling where I'm like, that was so worth it. My mind is right. I'm so zen right now. So what motivates me is, is knowing that I have something that's an aspect of routine that kind of keeps me steady and grounded every day. But then also, you know, the therapeutic aspect of. That good feeling after a workout. And so not only that, but everything in moderation too. So I wouldn't be where I am today. If I worked out for 5 hours every single day, or like, only 8 chicken and rice. So what motivates me is knowing that, like, I do, I eat ice cream every night and like, I'll tell the whole world that. And so knowing that I'm allowed to, you know. Eat what I want in moderation and take rest days when I want and that I will still have the body that I want that. That's what motivates me. And that kind of goes back with, you know, taking care of yourself and being patient with yourself because if I did get worked up over eating ice cream every single night, I probably wouldn't wake up and go to the gym the next morning. And then it would just kind of total into this big snowball effect. Yeah. You don't want to forget to live in the, in the grand scheme of all this. Cause I mean, even with my mom, she does these like diets and stuff. And I have to tell her that like, you know, you can still live. Like you, you forget to live sometimes like go out and have ice cream with your kids or go have a drink with your friends, things like that. Because I mean, that's still what life is about. And like you said, everything in moderation, I think, you know, for some people that are getting started on the, on their fitness journey, they do have to take more streams than. Maybe people like you and I, because they're just setting up that routine. So I think that's important, but I think the, the, the therapeutical aspect of it is also where my drive comes from too. I always know how great I feel after a workout or how I can just be in my own little world, doing my own thing. And that's all that matters in the moment. So I think if you find like the internal drive, the external stuff will come like later on down the road. Yeah. I love that internal drive. I know it's, it's so true. It's like encompassing of, of everything that, that keeps me going for sure. Yeah. And then I think, you know, for people that are just getting started on their fitness journey, I always say, find what you love to do. Like don't just, you don't have to just go and start dead lifting and squatting 200 pounds because that's what you see people on Instagram doing. Like for some people that might be just going on a hike, like going on a hike in nature or doing a dance class. Doing spin class, like find what it means for you to be active and then Further down the road, will the other pieces kind of fall into place? Like I just released a podcast last week where I said, like, when I first started going to like planet fitness, I didn't know I was going to do a bikini competition down the road. I didn't know I was going to do CrossFit down the road after that. Like all those building blocks kind of come into place, but it's just kind of getting started. Exactly, exactly. And I, and I like what you said where, you know, do what. Do what you want to do and do what makes you happy. Perfect example. One of my friends reached out to me, my best friend for life did middle school, high school soccer with her everything. She's always reached out to me and struggled with her method of staying fit. And so she would try classes and she would try planet fitness and she would try, like. Special gyms that had certain types of Pilates and everything. She's like, I just can't do it. I just can't do it all the years. And so I tried my best to voice, you know, that you just have to find what makes you happy. And she reached out to me a couple of days ago and she's like, she was like, Skylar, I finally found it. It's literally just bringing my dog for a walk every night. And I'm like, and that's all you need. Like you don't need to go crazy. You don't need to have a membership anywhere. You don't need to be doing anything wild. Like if it's walking your dog every night and that's how you stay fit. And get your steps in. Then like, that's it for you. Yeah. It's better, it's better to do something than nothing. And we also live in a world of consuming. So every, every where, and everything is trying to sell us something. So we have to keep that in mind too, that we don't, like you said, we don't need the gym membership. We don't need this protein powder and this pre workout and this and that to get started. Cause at the end of the day, everyone's trying to sell us something. So just. Like you said, finding what it means for you and then stick to that and not be influenced by everything you see online. Exactly, exactly. So it seems like you have a very busy life with the military, working out, your routines. How do you prioritize like your self care and your wellness journey along the way of everything you have in your life? So, for me I was, you know, I was very overwhelmed at 1st, when we, you know, I, I saw, especially during the deployment, like, I had to wake up at 330 in order to get my workout done before the workday. And so it's. In my opinion, like everybody has 24 hours and so it whatever you do with that 24 hours is entirely up to you. For me, I chose to take a step back socially a little bit and be able to get those gym hours in and the 8 to 9 hours of sleep in and take those evenings to meal prep and get my food ready for the next day. And that was temporary and obviously now. I'm on leave after the deployment, so I have ample time. And so it's, it's just so funny how, how times shift because I sleep in and I go to the gym and I have a very slow day. And then it's already like, 4 PM. And I'm like, how in the world did I do the gym and work and meal prep and everything for 10 months straight? And now I go to the gym and it's in the morning and it's all of a sudden, 4 PM. So, you know, it ebbs and flows, depending on what your demands are. And so right now, my self care is pretty much just doing what I have to do to relax until I go back to work again. But then in times of. Stress, like I know people have 12 hour shifts, overnight shifts, like work is crazy and everybody's occupation is very different. And so for them, if that means prioritizing their sleep 3 days and getting a workout in on their 2 days off, like, then that's, that's how you have to do it. And so I think again, going back to, you know, taking care of yourself and being forgiving of yourself. The aspect of overwhelming yourself is the number 1 reason people fail. And so if. Thank you. If you do work overnights and like you're a brand new nurse, let's say maybe on your 12 hours off, don't work out and just sleep and make sure you have all your meals squared away. So you're not stress eating and you're not eating vending machine food. And then just 2 days a week on your days off, go to the gym. And like, that is completely fine. So being able to, you know, maximize your time off and comparing that to work is definitely huge for, for taking care of yourself. Yeah, I think whatever season you're in, you have to be able to adjust to that season and I love that you're like, yeah, I have all the time in the world right now, but it's not, it's not always like that. I think that that is an important thing to tell people because again, along with like what we see online, you see these crazy routines are what people fit into a day. And first of all, I just want to say it's like not real half the time. Those are clips from a bunch of different days that people put together and be like, this is what I did in one day. Like, no, it's not. You lie and you don't want to overwhelm yourself. So I love that advice. That's really great. And then I have one more question for you today before we end, and I always ask all my guests this one question, but what is your number one tip for getting out of your own way? Okay. My number one tip, I probably already mentioned it in bits and pieces today, but number one tip for getting out of your own way is just, is being forgiving of yourself and being real with yourself. I have a lot of people that have struggled with the same issues that like friends that come to me. For the past years and they, and they have the same issue and I give them the same advice. And so I'm like, you can bring a horse to water, but you can't, you cannot force it to drink. And so if you are stuck and if you want to lose weight or you want to start reading books more, or you want to start, you know, going for walks more, getting more sleep, sole person that can make that decision is yourself. And so even if you do it two days out of the week and you're like, wow, that was good. Let's. Let's stay here for a little bit. I can manage this for a little bit. And so it's the extremes that I think that that push people away from ever succeeding and also their self limiting beliefs. And so people want to go from 0 to 100, but they don't understand that there are thousands of steps in between, and there are thousands of mediums that they can stay at for a long time before they get to where they want to be. Wow. That is good. And I also, on my last podcast episode, I just kind of said something along the same lines of slow and steady is a really a big piece to your wellness journey because you don't want to set yourself up for failure, kind of what you're saying. You don't want to overwhelm yourself. So just taking like one habit at a time, one building block at a time and like get really good at that one building block. And then you can add something else onto that. It's when we try to 360 our lives overnight is when things just fall apart. And then we end up back at our default anyways. So I really love that advice. And what do you have going on in your future? Like, are you going to be going back to work or what does that look like for you? Yeah, so full-time. I work a g r, so it's Active Guard Reserve. So I know the military is a bunch of bogus and I honestly still don't understand it, but like I said before, the National Guard is, you know, one week in a month, two weeks a year. However, a G R is how. The active side of the guard, and so it's quite literally the same organization, but, you know, if you have everybody showing up for 2 days out of a month, there's no way that something's going to work. And so the best way to explain is, like, they're the full timers that run the unit those other days that people are not there. And so that's what I do for the medical detachment. And so I'm a medical operations officer. And so, Everybody gets their doctor checkups annually dentist everything annually civilian side, but we also require it on the military side. And so this detachment is where we get all that done. And so I help manage and facilitate that. So I'll be going back in September and that's full time. And then I also do the drill weekends. And I don't have a deployment coming up for quite some time. So what happens is when you deploy, you go on get the well status. And so from, for like three to four years, you're kind of taken off the the books, if you will, for being on a deployment roster. And so I don't have to worry about that. Minor schools here and there, which I'll always pick up and do. And other than that, that's, that's it. Jim. Yeah. Do you have any like fitness goals or any like personal goals that you're working towards? So I I am getting my master's in Homeland Security and Public Health. And so it's, it's completely online. And so it's, it's ebbs and flows with, with how motivated I am and where I'm at in life, but I have like three classes left for that. So hopefully within the next fiscal year I can finish that. And then in terms of fitness, I'm very happy where I'm at right now. I've gained like all the healthy weight back from the show. People ask me if I want to compete back now that I'm back in the States. I don't think I do. I loved every single second of the experience. I had a phenomenal coach. I had a great experience, but I just, I just feel like it's, it's weird cause it's like a selfish. Type thing like I was able to make those decisions and get that sleep and eat that weird food because I was deployed and I was like alone and I just don't know if I can see myself doing that and saying no to weddings and birthday parties and everything because I already have to say no to that so much because I'm away and so for me to be home and being like also no because I don't want to eat that food. So I don't know. I love my experience, but I think I am. I'm going to close the book on on bodybuilding and that was fun and cool. And I'll just keep doing whatever my body tells me. I want to do. Yeah. I feel like the book always like creeps back open on you though. You're like, kind of like peeks open. It's like, you sure you're done. You sure? And you're like, I don't know. I'm not sure that I'm done, but right now that's my experience because literally Once every like six months, I'm like, do I want to compete again? And like, maybe I do, I don't know. And then I'm like, I think of the full extent of it. Like you said, all the things you have to say no to and your whole life shifts. And I'm like, I don't think I'm ready for that yet. So it's always something that I keep like kind of going back to, but I don't know. Like you said, it's a huge commitment. So it is, it's always when like the prep, the day of picks come up in like the camera roll memories. And I'm like. So lean. Yeah. Like, oh gosh, that's so not maintainable. It can be mentally really hard too. Like you said, cause then you gain the healthy weight back, but that's a shift in itself. Like watching your body change both ways, getting skinny and then also gaining it back. It's two different shifts that you have to be okay with. Exactly. Whenever I don't, whenever I get tempted to look into it again, I just remember. The day before where you were already dehydrating like that dry feeling in my mouth. I don't think I will ever forget that is the one motivator. I'm like, nevermind. I don't want to do it anymore. That's so funny. Where can everybody connect with you and follow your journey? So I seriously don't post a lot. I'm really bad at posting. You are phenomenal posting. You're like beautiful salads and workouts and stuff. My crap. I don't do that. Cause I love, I would love to share, you know, my, my. Diet and nutrition advice and like my 80 20 rule moderation, my gym sessions. I don't I definitely want to work on that. So maybe that's another personal goal I can I can do. But everything is on on really my Instagram. That's it. Sky really Joe. So. Everybody go follow her. I've absolutely loved this conversation today and just getting to know your story a little bit more and love that you wanted to come on the podcast. It's been such a joy. And for everybody listening, you can find me and Instagram at Sam DeSalvo, S A M D E S A L V O. Post episodes every single week. Comes out on Tuesday and make sure you just share this episode with somebody that may find it helpful. You never know who you could be helping by sharing this on social media. So thank you so much guys and I'll talk to you next time.