I am a 34 year old wife to Woody and mother to Carson, who is 2. We are also expecting Baby #2, due on 8/1/16. In late March of 2014 I participated in my first online challenge group. At the time Carson was about 5 months old and even though I had lost most of my baby weight (due to HELLP Syndrome), I was still significantly overweight, felt depressed and was unhappy with the way I looked and felt. I had previously been a runner but knew I couldn’t go back to that after fracturing my hip. So I was looking for something else that I could do to help me get in shape and back to feeling good about myself.
I remembered seeing someone that I had gone to High School with posting on her Facebook page about how she had lost her baby weight working out from home. So I thought, “Hey! that would be perfect for me!” By this time I was back to work 4 days as week and didn’t really like the idea of picking Carson up from daycare just to put him back in a daycare at the gym so I could workout. I was already spending more time away from him than I wanted to. So without even thinking I messaged her and told her I was interested in whatever it was that she had been doing. She told me about 21 Day Fix and Shakeology and suggested I join her next online challenge group. I wasn’t 100% sure about spending the extra money but something in my gut was telling me that this was the time I was going to succeed at getting healthy so I went for it! When it arrived on the doorstep I told my husband what it was and that we were doing it together. I think both of us were pretty disgusted with our Before pictures so we got to work and got started!
Our first round of 21 Day Fix didn’t go so well. We couldn’t get ourselves out of bed every morning to do our workouts and we weren’t as strict as we should have been on the meal plan but we were drinking Shakeology every day. The challenge group my Coach put me in kept me motivated to keep going even on days I just felt like giving up. Within a few weeks I already felt so much better and had more energy even not following the program exactly as I should. I reached out to my Coach worried about how quickly my bag of Shakeology was going to run out since both Woody and I were drinking it. I admit I was really worried about paying for 2 bags a month but I just knew we had to have it so I was ready to make some sacrifices. So my Coach told me about the discount I could get by signing up as a Coach myself. I don’t think I hesitated for even 1 second! I knew it was helping me, I felt good and I wanted that feeling to continue! Woody and I continued on for several more rounds of 21 Day Fix and each time we continued to improve; getting up at 5:30 am got easier and easier and following the meal plan just became part of our life. I remember realizing one day that not only was I finally below my pre-pregnancy weight but I was wearing clothes that I couldn’t fit into before getting pregnant! But more importantly I felt CONFIDENT and UNSTOPPABLE! Overall I lost about 15 pounds and as many inches, especially in my waist. My face was no longer bloated, my “baby belly” was smaller and I saw definition in my back and arms! I was hooked!
Since 21 Day Fix I have moved on and completed several other Beachbody fitness programs including: 21 Day Fix Extreme, Body Beast, CIZE, T25, Autumn’s Active Maternity Series and Insanity Max:30. I have also sampled many other workouts from programs like PiYo, Les Mills Pump and ChaLean Extreme.
After falling in love with 21 Day Fix and Shakeology it only made sense for me to start paying it forward as a Coach! I began my Coaching journey in June of 2014 so I could help others get results like I was getting. If I was feeling this incredible I knew others could do it and I knew I could help them! Since becoming a Coach I have been able to help so many others get healthy and change their lives! It is such an incredible feeling and one that I never want to lose! Since then I have consistently run monthly challenge groups like the one I joined back in March of 2014 to help motivate others and keep them accountable to their goals. I have also grown my own team of Coaches and have seen how this opportunity can help me fulfill my dream of being a stay-at-home Mom to Carson and his new brother or sister. Being a Coach has been one of the biggest blessings in my life; I have learned to love myself from the inside out, a feeling I have never had before.
Almost 2 years in and I just cannot believe how much my life has changed from that one simple decision to reach out and ask someone how she had lost her baby weight working out from home. I am not only the healthiest I have ever been but also the happiest! Beachbody is not just fitness programs and Shakeology, it is a community of people who support, love and encourage you! I know I am just getting started and cannot wait to see where I am in another 2 years!