I became a coach while I was in the process of achieving a 50lb. weight loss success story. I want to be very clear here. I did not achieve the 50lb weight loss first.
My story begins with a late night, a heavy heart and a spunky blonde.
My heart was heavy because I was heavy. My weight was something that I constantly thought about.
Every morning when I would get dressed,
every time I went to buy clothes,
every time I had an event to dress up for,
every time I walked out of my house,
and every time I passed a mirror.
Now don't get me wrong, I know that beauty can be only skin deep. We have all met people who are stunning on the outside but after talking with them for only a few minutes you can see they don't have a light shining through their heart.
It wasn't just my appearance that gave me a heavy heart, it was the insecurity I felt. It was the frustration I felt when nothing in my closet fit. It was the sadness I would feel when I looked in the mirror and couldn't believe that I had let myself get to that point. My weight, the discontentment with myself and the constant feeling of failure affected my confidence and self esteem. I felt horrible about myself and I hid that from everyone.
One night I was watching TV and an infomercial for Turbo Jam came on. I was instantly captivated by a cute, spunky blonde that was punching, kicking and jabbing and telling me how much fun it all was going to be....
Exercise for me was hard. I was heavy, who am I kidding... everything was hard. But what she was doing looked fun and I thought even if its hard, if I am having fun I can try it. So I sneaked out to where I kept my purse, grabbed my credit card, and ordered when my husband wasn't looking.
I instantly fell in love with Turbo Jam.
Oh yes, from the very first time I did the Learn & Burn DVD, I was hooked.
It totally helped that that spunky blonde was always telling me what a great job I was doing and encouraging me every step of the way... It was hard for sure but I kept at it and it started to get easier.
About 3 months after I started Turbo Jam I saw someone on Facebook post about a new work out by Chalene Johnson, that spunky little blonde I had grown to adore, called Chalean Extreme. I did a little research on the program and placed my order. Again, I did it on the sly... I didn't want to tell anyone what I was up to because I didn't want them to see me fail.
ChaLean Extreme is a muscle building workout program that uses heavy weights (or bands). It was unlike anything I had ever done before. Research has proven that the more muscle you have in your body, the higher your metabolism. Well, I knew that I wanted a higher metabolism. I already trusted Chalene because of what the Turbo Jam program did for me, but I still didn't believe in me.
I went to Target and bought some adjustable dumbbells and started the program as soon as it arrived in the mail. Up to this point, my husband didn't know I had been working out. I was still staying home with my youngest child and would workout during the day when he was napping. It only took a few weeks before I was able to see noticeable changes when I looked in the mirror. I had been at it for about 6 weeks when my husband (who isn't the most observant person in the world) asked me what I had been doing to lose weight. It was then that I very shyly took him to the basement and showed him the weights I had bought and the workout programs I was doing.
I stayed consistent and after my first 90 days with ChaLean Extreme I lost around 30lbs. I was ecstatic! Yes, I had lost weight but even more importantly I learned a few things about myself.
1. I am a fighter. I am not a fighter in the sense that if I don't get my way I am going to kick, scream and yell myself into what I want, but I am a fighter in the sense that if I don't achieve something that I want I am not going to give up. I am going to keep trying and failing isn't the end, its a stepping stone.
2. I have goals. This might sound a little funny, but after being a stay-at-home mom for 8 years I forgot what I wanted to do with my life. I was in a perpetual state of laundry, cooking, cleaning, laundry, cooking, cleaning, with a wipe-a-hiney thrown in here and there that I forgot I could do more. I forgot that I could dream. I forgot I could set goals. Even more, I could achieve them. Please, do not get me wrong. I love being a mom more than anything. But, that's not all I am. I have more to offer.
3. I am strong. Its funny that after falling on my face after 3 pushups done on my knees and then progressing to 12 pushups on my toes has taught me that I am strong in heart. Most of the time when I am struggling with a workout its because my head is telling me I can't... its those times that I have to dig deeper, push harder and prove that nasty voice wrong. This does not just apply to my workouts. It applies to every single obstacle I face. It applies every single day.
It was after that initial weight loss success that I wanted more. I was feeling better, I was more confident and I knew that I could achieve whatever goal I set for myself and I wanted to lose another 20lbs. I knew without a doubt that what was holding me back was my diet. I had made many changes to my once over processed, mostly fast food way of eating, but I was still a long way from eating the way I knew I had to in order to reach my goal. Beachbody, being the cutting edge company that they are, was just introducing a new product that was and still is absolutely revolutionary in the health supplement industry. The product they had just launched was Shakeology and I knew it would help get me on track with my nutrition.
It is not a miracle product and it will not cure cancer or any other disease, but if you are like me and need something that you can count on every day to give you great nutrition, increase your energy, and aid in your weight loss then I recommend it to you. This is why I signed up as a coach. As wonderful as Shakeology is, it is also expensive. And, it is worth every. single. penny. But, as a coach I was able to save money and that is always a good thing.
After talking to my coach Jenelle Summers, who also happens to be Chalene's much taller sister, I signed up to be a coach in August of 2009 and had absolutely no idea how that one little decision would impact my life. But I will save that story for another day.
Being a Beachbody Coach means I have the opportunity to share my passion for fitness with others. It means that when someone is struggling with motivation to workout I can encourage them. It means when they are struggling with changes to their diet or even where to start I can share what I have learned. I am not a fitness professional, I am not a nutritionist. I am a coach and I love what I do. And I am fortunate to earn an income from sharing my passion.
