Vol. 1
Happy Saturday! I don’t know about y’all, but for me, Saturdays are for rest, relaxation, re-energizing and re-setting for the week ahead (and, in the Fall, Aggie football 🏈👍😜). In celebration of everything that is great about Saturday, I am beginning this series of lifestyle blog posts where I will share ALL OF THE THINGS that I do regularly in order to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle (fitness programs, recipes, self-care favorites, fitness gear, etc.). In order to give you an idea of what to expect from this series, I thought that I would first tell you a little bit about myself and my healthy lifestyle journey!
The Early Years
Growing up I was a very active kid. Having two brothers, we played outside ALL of the time and played every possible sport imaginable in the backyard (football 🏈, baseball ⚾️, basketball 🏀, wiffle ball, tennis, hockey🏒[yes, hockey]). If you can think of it, we probably played it! 😉 Naturally, I was drawn to sports and was an athlete in junior high and high school, playing volleyball through my senior year. During those years of my life working out and conditioning was just a part of my everyday life and I didn’t really think that much about it. It was just what I did as an athlete.
When I graduated from high school and went to Texas A&M I continued working out but just not at the level I was in high school. In continuing this, plus the ridiculous amount of walking that was required to walk from class to class on campus, I lost 15lbs instead of gaining the “Freshman 15”. I was able to maintain this throughout the 5 years at A&M and when I got married in 2009, I was the thinnest I had been in my life.
However, although I was thin, I would argue that I wasn’t fit or really living a healthy lifestyle. My nutrition was not on point (I ate all the things) and my fitness routine consisted primarily of cardio and minimal weight lifting (which I really had no clue what I was doing in that department).
Family Matters
After getting married, I immediately started my career in the audit practice of an accounting firm here in Dallas. At that point in time, my primary priorities were my husband and my career. I put everything else on the back-burner, including my health. I consistently used my career as an excuse as to why I couldn’t work out or eat healthy. I would say things like:
“I’ve been working 80 hours a week and I haven’t slept that much, so I don’t have enough rest to workout.”
“I need the three grande white chocolate mochas and five sodas each day to keep me going.”
“This cookie/cake/insert other favorite treats is a reward for putting in all of the hard work and late nights.”
I said ALL THE THINGS possible to justify why working out wasn’t an option for me. As you can imagine, I quickly put on weight. Not only was my nutrition not on point (habit from college) but now I was living a sedentary lifestyle! And in all of this, I felt terrible! I never had energy and I began losing confidence in myself.
At the end of 2014, I decided I needed to try and change my lifestyle. I bought an elliptical and began using the elliptical every morning for 30 minutes. I lost about 10lbs and dropped one size in clothing. I started gaining confidence again, but my nutrition still wasn’t on point. I, of course, plateaued.
About 6 months later, I found out that I was pregnant with Lillie. I stopped working out and I used pregnancy as an excuse to eat whatever I wanted. Has anyone else been there? 🙋♀️ Once Lillie arrived, my priorities further shifted. Now everything was about her and doing what was necessary for her to thrive. And it should have been all about her, but not in the way I was doing it. I, again, was using her as an excuse as to why I didn’t have time to do things for myself and live a healthier lifestyle. During that time, I even had some Beachbody coaches reach out to me and ask me to join in with them. I, again, made all of the excuses as to why it wasn’t the right time. While nursing, I lost all of the pregnancy weight quickly, however, since my nutrition was still not on point, as soon as I stopped nursing, I gained all of the pre-pregnancy weight back. Again, anyone else been there?
Change is Good
This is a picture of me in April 2018. I’m 5’6” and at the time I weighed about 150lbs. I wore size 8 in clothing. In general, I wasn’t happy with myself and I had lost all confidence.
In June 2018, I decided that my life needed to change. I decided that I needed to start working out again. I saw some friends on Facebook that were doing 80 Day Obsession, so I looked into Beachbody. Instead of signing up with a coach, I just signed up for a Beachbody on Demand membership and started doing the workouts. Honestly, at the time, I didn’t really want anyone keeping me accountable. I thought that if I wasn’t following the meal plan step for step that a coach would judge me and not encourage me. Little did I know, that is far from what the coaches do! I decided at that point in time that my first goal was to start working out each day and making it a habit.
The first program that I started with was 21 Day Fix. Let me tell you, that first week was HARD. I was so sore that I could barely walk. Just ask Brad! 🤣 I had to modify most of the exercises, because I otherwise could not do them. Specifically, I remember not being able to do a burpee. Yes, a BURPEE! An exercise that I had done thousands of times before in high school for conditioning. I could have let this discourage me, but, instead, I used it as a force of determination. I was going to get strong enough again to do that burpee! In week 2 I was no longer having to modify anymore. 😲 WOW! Just seeing my progress from week 1 to week 2 made me even more determined. It was already working! I was getting stronger AND I was gaining confidence daily.
I did three rounds of 21 Day Fix. During that time, I quickly determined that the food I ate throughout the day effected how I felt in the workout. I vividly remember eating chicken fried steak one night for dinner. When I got in the workout, I felt TERRIBLE! As a matter of fact, I thought at times I would be sick. 🤢 It became clear to me in that moment that the food we eat is fueling our body for the day and if chicken fried steak made me feel that bad in the workout, what does that mean for the rest of the day? It was at that point in time that I decided to focus more on my nutrition and what I was eating to fuel my body.
After my third round of 21 Day Fix, I decided that I was ready for the next challenge and started 80 Day Obsession. During football season, might I add! 😲 I might be crazy. 😜 I, again, was not following the meal plan step for step but I was getting closer. Even though I did some of the workouts at 1AM, I finished it and I finished it without missing a day! It definitely wasn’t easy, but what in life is easy? During those 3 ½ months I continued to see positive results and gained even more confidence and determination. For me, the positive results physically, mentally and emotionally make it all worth it and keep me going!
Since then, I have completed 80 Day Obsession again, as well as, 21 Day Fix Extreme Real Time twice. I’m currently on my third round of 80 Day Obsession and I plan to complete the new program “The Work” next!
Transformation
Since beginning my journey in June 2018, I have lost close to 20lbs and have dropped from a size 8 to a size 0-2. What?!?
Not only have I seen physical transformations, I have seen mental and emotional transformations as well. I feel better each day. I have more energy each day. I have more confidence day to day. In feeling this way, I am a better mom, I am a better wife, I am a better friend and I am a better employee!
Here’s the thing gals, living an overall healthy lifestyle isn’t easy. There are days that I don’t really don’t feel like working out. There are days that I don’t really want to eat healthy (and some days I still don’t eat healthy 😜). It’s hard, but so is being unhealthy and feeling bad or dealing with all of the different insecurities that arise each and every day. At the end of the day, I choose the hard that makes me feel great. I choose the hard that is going to provide me to be the best that I can be for the people around me. Consistency is the key! Living a consistent healthy lifestyle is what results in positive change!
Team Beachbody
Beachbody’s programs have truly changed my life. They have taught me that there is no secret pill. It really IS living a consistent healthy lifestyle that will provide the results that you want in your life. You just have to choose to do it!
Beachbody on Demand makes it easy for me as a full-time working mom of a 3 year old to get my workouts in every day. Instead of having to find time to make it to the gym when Brad is at home (which is few and far between during football season) or figure out what I need to do with Lillie in order to get the workout in, I just go upstairs in my own house and get it in (I’ve also been known to workout in my bedroom or living room on occasion 🤷♀️)! AND, most workouts range between 30 – 60 minutes. 30-60 minutes and you get results!
Clearly I BELIEVE in this company and the product. So, as of last week, I decided to take the next step and I am officially a team Beachbody Coach! I want to help people (YOU) live a healthy lifestyle. I want to help YOU gain more day to day energy and confidence. I want to encourage YOU to be the best that YOU can be! Does that mean you have to stick to a strict meal plan all the time? No. Does that mean that you have to workout every single day of the week for an hour? No. You can pick a program that works best for YOU and your current circumstances and still see results!
Gals, at the end of the day, a healthy lifestyle is a journey. It’s not a sprint. I am living proof that Beachbody works AND I didn’t always follow the meal plans or workout every single day. Did I mention that I still have cheat days/nights? Hey, a girl needs her chocolate! 🤷♀️🍫😜
If you are ready to start your journey and you want a program with proven results and someone who is already on the journey and who will encourage and champion you along the way, please reach out to me and let’s get going! I will figure out what your current goals are and help find the right program that fits your busy lifestyle!
Here is a link to my Beachbody Coach site. Take a look around and feel free to send me a message if you are interested. 🙂 Let’s live healthy lifestyles TOGETHER! 💪
