P90X & Team Beachbody, Another "Family"
The Beachbody Challenge
In April 2013, I saw a post that a gal from the women's group at church had posted in our group on Facebook. She had announced her upcoming fitness challenge group, and invited us to join her to work out for 60 days. I got curious, so I sent her a message asking for more information. She sent me a video with more information about the challenge, which happened to be the Beachbody Challenge. The Beachbody Challenge calls for the participant to use a Beachbody fitness program, such as, for example, P90X, Insanity, or Brazil Butt Lift. The participant enters his/her statistics, which include beginning and ending weight and measurements, and a before and after photo in order to receive a free T-shirt, and get entered for a chance to win cash prizes. I got excited, but wasn't sure if I was ready to commit. But, my husband gave me the go-ahead to pick out a challenge pack, and let the gal who had contacted me, and who also turned out to be a Beachbody coach, know that I wanted to join her challenge group. Then, the only challenge before the actual fitness challenge began, was to decide which fitness program I wanted to do.
I'd heard of P90X, Insanity, and Brazil Butt Lift, but had never pictured myself using any of these fitness programs. I'd seen the infomercials, but had never had another thought about them. In the past, I'd purchased a few Jillian Michaels's work out programs, and I'd done some other random work out routines, such as running (or trying to) at least once per week, and other little monthly fitness "challenges" that my husband's cousin had hosted. We'd done 30 days of burpees, where we ended with doing 100 burpees! We also did challenges that incorporated a variety of moves to tone different areas, but none of them really did enough. I knew, and my husband assured me, that I could be consistent with a Beachbody program, because I was already motivated with his cousin's "challenges" I'd been involved in for the previous couple of months.
P90X
It was hard for me to decide on a fitness program for the Beachbody challenge, and I'm kinda a tight wad when it comes to spending, especially when I buy things for myself! My husband told me that if I couldn't decide, then he would decide for me (because he planned on using the program eventually, and I wanted his input, too). Well, I wasn't able to decide, so he picked P90X, and we went ahead and ordered the challenge pack. When the challenge pack was delivered, I still had a few days before the challenge was to begin. I was excited and nervous all at the same time! I wasn't sure what to expect, and was curious to see if I would be able to make it through any of the moves. After all, P90X is known for how intense it is. The program incorporates muscle confusion, including pull-ups, push-ups, yoga, and plyometrics, to name a few.
When the day the challenge was to begin arrived, I was ready! I took my before photos, weighed myself and set a goal weight, and set up my work out schedule via my Team Beachbody account. I checked in with my fitness challenge group and my coach via our private Facebook group. Having someone to be accountable to, and to talk about my struggles and my successes helped me so much! It gave me the motivation to keep working out, and drinking my
Shakeology almost every day. The first few times I drank
Shakeology, I didn't like it, I have to admit! I had gotten the Tropical Strawberry flavor, which I have actually now grown to love, and I had mixed it with soy milk. I talked to my coach, and she recommended I try it with almond milk, almond butter, and a dash of maple syrup. This combination of ingredients was actually one of the recipes that was on the calendar I received with my Shakeology, but, remember, I'm a tight wad, and didn't want to purchase extra ingredients before I actually ran out of perfectly usable ingredients! I did try the combination that my coach recommended, and it was delicious! Now days, I usually blend Tropical Strawberry with about 20 ounces of water, a banana, a scoop of peanut butter, and a tablespoon of chia seeds.
Team Beachbody Coach
About a month after I'd purchased my challenge pack, my coach sent me a message about the coaching opportunity. I was hesitant, at first, but it sounded interesting. I watched the video about coaching that she sent me, and I got excited about the possibilities! The coach speaking in the video told her story about how she became a coach, and even though she lived in a small town, and was not a very social person, within a year she was making thousands of dollars a month just being a Beachbody coach! Since then, I've heard of numerous stories about coaches, some that I know personally, who have been able to quit their jobs to become full-time coaches. The main reason for success as a Beachbody coach is the amount of people you build trust with, guide, motivate, hold accountable, and inspire to change their lives, and take their health into their hands. We want to know about goals, and what others are doing for their health, and desire to help them achieve success! It's taken months of hard work to "work the business," as we call it, but it's worth it to see lives changed!
My Transformation Story
About two months into P90X, which was the end of my challenge group with my coach, and about a month after becoming a coach myself, I began to map out my transformation story. I wanted to show others what fitness, nutrition, and Beachbody had done for me. I sorted through the pictures from our camera and cam across some pictures from summer 2012. Have you ever had one of those moments that become a sort of wake up call? I had one of those moments while looking at those pictures! I began thinking about what my weight had been during that summer, and realized that I had weighed, on average, about 150 pounds. I have never really struggled with my weight, nor had I felt large at the time, even though I now know that I was the largest I'd been in my life, and even close to the same weight I was while pregnant with my son! I'd had my son four years prior to that summer, so he wasn't the cause for my weight. I look back, and realize that the working out that I'd been doing prior to that summer weren't doing enough, and I probably wasn't eating very well, either. 150 pounds may not seem large to you, but for someone who is only five foot, two inches, I was overweight. My husband never said a thing about my weight during that summer, but when we both saw my picture, we uttered the word "chubby."
I know that weight and outward appearances do not define who a person is, but I also know that with extra weight, and unhealthy eating habits, I wasn't who I wanted to be. I also didn't have enough energy to keep up with the things that I needed to be doing; the responsibilities of a wife, a mother, and a student. I remember constantly taking naps, having back aches, constipation, and frequent migraines. I didn't realize that my weight was probably the culprit for my ailments, until I looked at that picture, then compared it to how I looked after P90X, and now over a year and a half later. Since that summer, I am down four pant sizes, and I have lost more than forty pounds. With P90X, I lost over 9 inches over my body, and lost over fifteen pounds. After P90X, I decided to try out Focus T25, which had just come out around the time I finished P90X. I've since then completed Focus T25, and started P90X2, but have now included the new P90X3 into my workout routine.
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| Summer 2012 vs Summer 2013 |
Team Beachbody, Another "Family"
Since becoming a coach, I've found a wonderful passion, not only in working out and creating a healthier lifestyle for my family, but also in helping others realize how important their health is, too! The other coaches I work with desire to help others so much, including helping fellow Beachbody coaches, that recently I've come to know some of them as family.My coach has especially been someone I've grown close to. She has motivated me to keep striving and to keep being consistent. She has encouraged me to set goals that are big and scary, but she has always helped me to acquire the tools that I need to be able to achieve those goals! She has prepared me with the tools not only to grow my business, but to grow my self. Other coaches have inspired me to work harder, and smarter, by providing me with tools and tips that they have found success with, but they have also inspired me with their own personal achievements. We share our goals and our successes. We also share our struggles and downfalls, which has helped us to grow as coaches and individuals as we offer encouragement and support to each other.
It has taken a good deal of mistakes, hard work, and disappointments to get to where I am today as an emerald Beachbody coach, but it has been worth it! I love sharing about what Beachbody has done for me and my family, and learning about what it has done for others. I don't have an awesome body (yet), nor do I have the most disciplined work out routine, or nutrition regime, but Shakeology provides me my healthiest meal, and I feel so much better than before I was sent that message by my coach, and before I began my first fitness challenge. I love to hear about the goals that others set, and strive to motivate them to map out a plan that will get them to success! This month, I began the first
free clean eating challenge that I'm hosting on my own. The previous challenges that I've hosted, I've co-hosted with my coach, so the clean eating challenge is a new adventure! I have plans for hosting another one next month, as well as a Beachbody challenge. These groups and the members are so awesome and unique; as I learn about each member, their goals, and what I can learn from them to become a better coach!
I would love to hear your story! What goals do you have? And how can we work together to get you to your goals?
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| January 3, 2014 |
P90X & Focus T25 
I mentioned the Ultimate Reset to my mom, since it's known for straightening out many of the digestive issues that can complicate our lives. I'd also told my mom about the digestive issues I was having, and how I hoped to, some day in the future, go through the Reset myself. Long story short (you can read about the long story in previous blogs), my mom bought a kit, along with one for me! My mom lost over 15 pounds, and I lost 9 (which was about 7% of my body weight). 
