My journey
So you may be curious about how I wound up here. I never would have seen myself starting a blog, putting myself out there on social media or offering up my services as a coach to friends, family and strangers far and wide yet here I am.
I first stumbled across Beachbody in the summer of 2012. As a former high school and college rower, I had always been relatively fit but I was frustrated with how my body looked after giving birth to 3 babies in 3 years. I'd gotten back to my pre-baby weight but my clothes just didn't fit the same and don't get me started on my stomach! Not that I was ever someone who had visible ab muscles but 3 kids did a number of whatever shred of ab strength I used to have. After hearing about P90X and Insanity from a friend, I spent an hour stalking around YouTube checking out some of the hundreds of transformation videos and testimonials that were posted and I was sold. I bought Insanity and committed to it for the summer. It was exactly what I needed - a butt kicking, high intensity workout like the ones I'd been used to with crew. The program is aptly named - it is truly insane. By the end of the 15 minute warm-up I thought I was going to pass out but anyone who knows me knows that I have a stubborn, determined streak that runs a mile long. I made myself push past the exhaustion and stuck out those workouts. By the end of the first week, I could get through the warm-up without stopping and pretty soon I didn't need to modify or take breaks between circuits.
Over the course of the 60 day program, I got in the best shape I'd been in since having kids and also fell in love with home workouts. I could do the workouts in the comfort of my basement, with my kids at home - no gym membership required, no babysitting to arrange, no excuses.
Unfortunately for me, I fell back into the trap that had been my reality in the years since college. As a teacher who has the summers off, I am better at prioritizing my own health and fitness in the summer months when I don't have the grading, planning and stress of work, and all of this goes out the window when the school year sets in. Like had been the case in years past, I fell of the wagon yet again in the winter and it wasn't until the following summer that I truly recommitted. A combination of T25 (yet again with my boyfriend, Shaun T!) and Chalene Extreme got me back on track. This time I decided I wasn't going to slip when school started and that come hell or high water, I was sticking it out for the year. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I had come to see working out as vital to my happiness and sanity. I had never before that summer understood those people who liked to go for a run, who said working out was fun, or who needed it to be in a good state of mind. That was never me. Don't get me wrong, I was envious of those people but I just never got there. Until this past year. Now, with the help of Beachbody, I've become that fitness-loving person. I need my daily workout to start my day off on the right foot. I cherish my time in the morning before everyone is up, when I get to go down to the basement and kick butt with my workout.
The piece that I've only just recently figured out though is the support. I'm a relatively self-motivated, driven person by nature but everyone needs that extra bit of support when it comes to things we struggle with.
For me it's food. I LOVE to cook and I LOVE to eat. I bake when I'm stressed and I have 3 kid, a husband, friends and co-workers who encourage that habit. I have always struggled with the reality that my love of food and genetics are working against me. I understand that I'm not overweight, nor have I ever been, but I do constantly fight those demons that are in my head telling me I could be thinner, that it'd be nice to be able to see abs, to have smaller legs and a more toned body. My a-ha moment came this fall when I stumbled across my now coach, Melanie Mitro's website. She had a post about a holiday clean eating challenge group that caught my eye. The support and accountability of a group was just what I needed around the holidays. Through this group I learned more about the principles of eating clean, finally saw the benefits of eating 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day rather than 3 big meals and officially fell in love with challenge groups. Although I'm not quite where I want to be yet in terms of my own health and fitness, I'm well on my way and am happier and healthier than I've ever been.
Eating healthy and exercising daily has become a lifestyle change for me, not a fad diet or quick fix that will be abandoned when life gets in the way. I want to help support others in getting to this place too. This summer I decided to become a coach, start my own challenge groups, and help others set and achieve their own health and fitness goals.
I first stumbled across Beachbody in the summer of 2012. As a former high school and college rower, I had always been relatively fit but I was frustrated with how my body looked after giving birth to 3 babies in 3 years. I'd gotten back to my pre-baby weight but my clothes just didn't fit the same and don't get me started on my stomach! Not that I was ever someone who had visible ab muscles but 3 kids did a number of whatever shred of ab strength I used to have. After hearing about P90X and Insanity from a friend, I spent an hour stalking around YouTube checking out some of the hundreds of transformation videos and testimonials that were posted and I was sold. I bought Insanity and committed to it for the summer. It was exactly what I needed - a butt kicking, high intensity workout like the ones I'd been used to with crew. The program is aptly named - it is truly insane. By the end of the 15 minute warm-up I thought I was going to pass out but anyone who knows me knows that I have a stubborn, determined streak that runs a mile long. I made myself push past the exhaustion and stuck out those workouts. By the end of the first week, I could get through the warm-up without stopping and pretty soon I didn't need to modify or take breaks between circuits.
Over the course of the 60 day program, I got in the best shape I'd been in since having kids and also fell in love with home workouts. I could do the workouts in the comfort of my basement, with my kids at home - no gym membership required, no babysitting to arrange, no excuses.
Unfortunately for me, I fell back into the trap that had been my reality in the years since college. As a teacher who has the summers off, I am better at prioritizing my own health and fitness in the summer months when I don't have the grading, planning and stress of work, and all of this goes out the window when the school year sets in. Like had been the case in years past, I fell of the wagon yet again in the winter and it wasn't until the following summer that I truly recommitted. A combination of T25 (yet again with my boyfriend, Shaun T!) and Chalene Extreme got me back on track. This time I decided I wasn't going to slip when school started and that come hell or high water, I was sticking it out for the year. I can honestly say that for the first time in my life, I had come to see working out as vital to my happiness and sanity. I had never before that summer understood those people who liked to go for a run, who said working out was fun, or who needed it to be in a good state of mind. That was never me. Don't get me wrong, I was envious of those people but I just never got there. Until this past year. Now, with the help of Beachbody, I've become that fitness-loving person. I need my daily workout to start my day off on the right foot. I cherish my time in the morning before everyone is up, when I get to go down to the basement and kick butt with my workout.
The piece that I've only just recently figured out though is the support. I'm a relatively self-motivated, driven person by nature but everyone needs that extra bit of support when it comes to things we struggle with.
Eating healthy and exercising daily has become a lifestyle change for me, not a fad diet or quick fix that will be abandoned when life gets in the way. I want to help support others in getting to this place too. This summer I decided to become a coach, start my own challenge groups, and help others set and achieve their own health and fitness goals.
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