“I am content to stay obese and lethargic for the rest of my life!” That is exactly my thought a few months ago. I am 5’8” and was weighting in at 235 pounds! I had blood pressure issues and knee pains, being in my 30’s I was afraid I would have to live with it most my life. I felt like my progress was going nowhere and I have tried many work out programs out there. One way or another an excuse popped up and I stopped doing them. Excuses like time and not having enough of it, eating healthy was impossible because I hate salads, I need my rest on the weekends meaning I slept in and played video games all day. There were too many to list. Then it all changed for me as a blessing was sent my way.
One day as I was scrolling through my social media a friend started posting a program she was doing. She started sharing her pictures and I usually just scroll past it after a quick glance. After a few weeks of seeing her consistency and her results, I started paying attention. Then I got to reach a point where I was curious enough to ask about what she is doing. She explained to me about her meal replacement shake, she mentioned the program she was doing and her 30 minute work outs. I did not jump on it that week but the following week I finally decided to give it a try. I mean what have I got to lose, the program offered a money back guarantee. So I dove in and I was not sure what to expect. I am usually skeptical about programs I see on infomercials and their claims so I came in with a mind set of “I will believe it when I see it for myself.”
October 7, 2014 the day that changed it all. I received the program and made my first shake that day. To my surprise, it actually tasted great due to the chocolate flavor. The next day I added a banana and made it for breakfast. At the same time I started a work out, it lasted 20 minutes and it was very light intensity as I was still having a hard time doing a push up without using my knees. My nutritional change still needed help the next 2 weeks. After 11 years of fast food eating, it was a tough habit to break. I still hate salads but I found other healthy options like veggie patties which surprisingly taste great. I kept pushing though, I knew it was not going to be an easy progress but I had a support group behind me (the program introduced me to a group of people on social media going through the same things I was). They would post their successes and failures daily. It was very motivating for me to know I was not alone. I started leaning heavily on the group and on motivational videos on Youtube to keep me going each day. Little by little I chipped away those first 2 weeks. Then something clicked and a fire inside me lit up.
As the third week came along, I had already lost 10 pounds and the momentum shifted. As my workouts progressed and my food choices became healthier, my energy level increased, my passion and desire to find the positive results I was looking for intensified. Not so long ago I thought I did not have time to work out but as I became more focused I found ways to fit an exercise in my schedule. I began to wake up an hour earlier at 5 am to get an hour of working out in the morning before work. Instead of driving through rush hour traffic for an hour and a half, once I clocked out of work I stayed after hours and utilized my company wellness room to do a half hour work out. Time was no longer an excuse. I finished that first three weeks strong, I lost 16 pounds! I was hungry for more.
So far I have lost over 30 pounds and have more drive, passion and commitment to help myself reach my goals. I also see now what my friend has done for me so I have decided to commit to help others and now I am proud to say I am a Beachbody Coach. My main driving force is not to force my products on people but to give back what my friend and other members of the community gave to me, and that is the motivation and inspiration to push past limits and reach goals once thought impossible. I am doing this by committing to post positive messages daily, answer any questions and to share my progress for others to see and hopefully be inspired by. I also started a social media community to spread awareness about what we can do to help each other be fit and healthy. This year I plan to grow my group of friends in different levels of fitness to gain knowledge from one another because together we can create and achieve great things.
In closing, there are so many programs out there that do work such as gyms, bootcamps, fitness classes, DVD based workouts, etc. I urge you to try one and if it does not suit you, please do not give up hope as another program might fit better for you. I know this because I have been through it for the past 11 years. There are many programs to try, you are bound to find one that is fun and engaging. Also, there is something inspiring about seeing others reaching the same goals we are so I urge you to try and find a social media group of like minded individuals and create accountability. Whatever your motivation is try and find a way to leverage it to reach success.
