Rolling With the Punches | Limitless Bodybuilding

By Pj Braun

“You gotta roll with the punches and I’m going to make something great out of this.”

OK, for those of you who read my last article, you are probably saying to yourself, “Wow, that was fast.” Boy, did I not expect to be sitting here typing so I’m going to call this one “Rolling with the Punches.’’ Last month I wrote a goodbye for now article, thinking I was going to be gone for a little while, so let me just explain the best I can with what I am approved to say at this time.

My long fight with the FDA finally came to a close in an unexpected fashion with a plea deal. I’m sure you guys have read all sorts of mostly false and wild information. I wish I could elaborate, but I truly cannot! The information I was given for quite some time was that I was going to most likely be doing some federal prison time and that I would be allowed to continue writing this article for MD. I was not given an exact time frame of when I would be allowed to start, but I was pretty certain that within a couple of months I would be able to write again. I was told most likely 90 days but not to hold my breath, so after asking around I was then told I would not be able to write because it would be considered work. After doing more research I found more mixed answers and unknowns. I hate leaving people hanging, or inconveniencing friends and colleagues, so I said goodbye for now and let’s worry about the sentencing, and when I have phone and email privileges we will see what my options are. This brings me to January 27 aka sentencing day. I think you guys would find this very interesting so I’m going to walk you through what my mental space was like.

The day before was very odd for me mentally because of so much unknown, however I did know that there was a slight chance I would be postponed for an unknown amount of time. I treated that day like it was my last and spent it entirely with my fiancée doing the things we love and enjoying our time together. I smoked at least three cigars, because I figured it would be the last time I could enjoy one for quite some time! The amount of text messages I received was overwhelming and appreciated, but for the most part I stayed off of my phone and dedicated my time to my family and focused on staying positive. This entire time, my family and friends were commending me on my strength and how grounded I have been; I want to add that being prescribed Paxil this year has really helped my stress and anxiety problems I’ve battled my entire life. However, I can’t give it all to the medicine because I have told myself all along, just like anything else in life, you face your challenges and obstacles head-on and you find a way to win no matter what.

That day went by extremely slow and I actually slept decent. The day of sentencing was much different. I woke up at seven and decided to stay off social media and sit outside with my coffee and enjoy one last cigar. On this day, time moved faster than I have ever seen it and before I could blink it was time to put on a suit and go to court. I was advised that I would most likely be taken right out of court and into county lock-up. I have never done time before so I reached out quite a bit to my partner Jared to guide me on what to expect. Because of that I had two pairs of socks as well as thermal long sleeves and two pairs of boxer briefs to prepare myself for what everyone says is a very cold first phase, and I would regret not adding the clothing. Even though my attorneys and I have been so detailed and prepared, waiting for the actual sentencing is nerve-racking. So many thoughts swirling through my mind but there was no fear; only thoughts how much I would miss my family and friends and of course what I do every day for Blackstone Labs. Oh, and that it was way too hot for all those layers!

I would never bullshit anyone and although some of you may doubt this, as I was hugging my mother a strange feeling swept over me and I said, “Don’t worry, mom, I’m not leaving yet. I’m coming home today. It’s not time for goodbye hugs yet!” Sitting up there with my attorney waiting for the judge in those final minutes I was very calm and just like that my sentence date was pushed back three weeks to February 17. Sometimes in life you get the signs when you’re really paying attention that you feel in your gut and you can’t ignore them. So my family, friends and staff all headed right to my house to spend some quality time and enjoy the little bit of extra time. It was a great night that I will never forget but that does not mean I still wasn’t focused on the upcoming departure.

Since I have extra time I want to make the most of it. I have not for one second sat around feeling sorry for myself and doing nothing. You will never see that from me; instead I told my parents I’m going to make the most of these next three weeks and kick ass with Blackstone Labs and cause some great marketing hype over our new and exciting products releasing this year.

The first thing I did was respond to an email from my friends at MD saying I am here for three more weeks. In that time I promise to get you guys some answers; that’s when Alan, who has the horrible job of reading my articles and making them fit in the magazine the right way without all of my punctuation and grammatical errors, asked if I would have time to get an article in for April! In a twist of fate, I went from being done for a while to back right away because when you commit to something, you should always follow through!

It is now Monday and I had three days to soak everything in and go over new strategy with my attorneys, but no matter what I am going away and there will be some sort of “pause” of my writing but if given the OK, I will be back in here with a new idea to update you guys who are interested in what life is like for me in this new phase in federal prison. I haven’t changed the name of the column yet, but we have tossed around many tongue-in-cheek ideas like Notes From Cell Block 69! Regardless, I think a journal is a must no matter what for personal growth, but if I can share it with you all, you better believe that I will.

When you know you’re going away and losing your freedom, you really appreciate all the little things that you may take for granted, like watching TV in bed, petting your dog, speaking with silly voices to your cats or just holding your fiancée’s hand. Never in 1 million years did I expect to be in this position but like I said, you gotta roll with the punches and I’m going to make something great out of this. Who knows, I may write an article for next month too; I do have a little more time, I’m not gonna waste it.