This year I don’t believe in New Years Resolutions. I have never completed one; I’ve tried and failed. Every single year mine was to lose weight, it was always the number one thing. Usually, I get started and at some point fall off the wagon. Other resolutions I have had are getting organized, maybe this year it would be doing something brave everyday. But like I said, I don’t do them anymore because I believe in changing now, taking each day one at a time, and working on your daily routine to incorporate reading, meditation/prayer, and exercise. It doesn’t work for everyone, and I am no expert, but my routine has definitely changed my life, and trying things and seeing what works has been eye opening.
On January 5, 2015 Mike and I committed to starting Beachbody’s 60 day program Insanity Max 30. Thirty minutes of jumping, kicking, running, mountain climbing, and pushups. I just have to capitalize the word PUSH UPS, Shaun T is an animal and I would get very discouraged doing some of those workouts. I was slow, out of shape, and tired. Does that sound like a way to start? Of course it does. I was going to finish that program no matter what, and that’s just what I did. It was hard, some days I wanted to quit and Mike would say come on only 10 more minutes. And I would try. That’s all I could do. #shauntkickedmyass
Then we started P90x3, a 3-month program and my first time following a Tony Horton program, I learned to love him because I started seeing results. I had never worked with weights and never tried the pull up bar. It was motivating seeing my progress, even if I still can’t do more than 3 pull ups. I still struggled with feeling good throughout my days. My diet wasn’t great, and I was still tired a lot. My diet is one issue I have always had, I go from eating everything in sight, to eating well and feeling so much guilt for eating anything other than whats on the diet.
In June, I made the commitment to try Shakeology and the 21 Day Fix Extreme program. I also became a Beachbody discount coach. One of the best decisions I made, I save money on products and I met some wonderful people with truly inspirational stories. Their passion for helping others to get healthy and know they are enough inspired me to share my story, as scary as it was.
By round 2 of the 21 Day Fix Extreme, I realized I was still fighting to lose inches and staring at myself in the mirror looking at each part of my body and shaming myself. And at some point it hit me. I learned I am beautiful no matter what I look like, I am worthy, I am enough. I can be myself, I can share my silliness, I can dance like a freak, I can ask questions in a group setting, I can speak in front of people, my opinions are valid, I can trust my judgement. I am free.
I don’t believe it was Beachbody alone that changed my view of myself. I know God entered into my heart, and has slowly been revealing himself to me over time. God gave me a purpose, when I felt I had nothing to offer anyone. So I share my heart, my life, my journey with you all because I hope I can help and support others. I am not perfect, I struggle often, I feel alone, and I forget to rely on God. But I try and remember to take care of me, and remember to do the things that help me LIVE my days and be present. I also try to remember its not about ME, which is always hard but trying to help others and gratitude have been a big part of my journey.
One of the biggest changes for me was weight-lifting, Shakeology, and the Beachbody performance line. Before trying shakeology, I always thought its expensive, its just like every other protein shake, etc. But after studying the ingredients I realized I was wrong. It's one of the best meal replacement shakes out there. My energy level has improved, my digestive system functions better, and I am rarely sick. The performance line has been great as well. My muscles are rarely sore and recover quickly and I have not been injured at all. I listen to my body. I remember being terribly sore after some workouts before using the recovery shake.
I have also enjoyed learning about the food I eat, and the food I feed my family. Let me be honest, we used to eat out 3-4 nights a week some weeks. One night would be subway, another chipolte, often Mike and I would order take out after the kids went to bed. I didn't believe I could ever meal plan, or figure it out. I didn't want to make that a priority and I hated myself for not being able to be like other people. I was comparing myself a lot, and feeling a lot of guilt. I am not perfect, I never will be and that’s ok! But I hope and pray to continue a life of health and am grateful for the opportunity to exercise and learning to feed my family.
Your journey doesn’t have to begin in January you can start today! Well, maybe the day after christmas haha! Or maybe the day after that. I can just visualize the cookies and pie leftovers just calling my name daily. haha I have a free Beachbody on-demand group. You receive access to a lot of the Beachbody programs as well as workouts specific for on-demand customers, FREE for 30 days. I made several schedules for you to choose from. One for someone that wants to exercise 3 times a week, and one for someone that wants low impact, and Beachbody has schedules as well. If you are looking for support and accountability this is the group for you.
Mike and I are also starting a Hammer and Chisel group in January. This program is amazing, its 30-40 minute workouts, portion control, 2 trainers, strength training and tough. We are 2 weeks in and the results are awesome. It is a lot of weight lifting. I HATE weight lifting and would never go to a gym and just do weights, but I have learned to enjoy it and embrace it because I know muscle is one important component to a healthy body. So if you are interested in learning more, reach out to either one of us and we’d love to help you.
Also if you would like to join my 21 day fix group and start there, it is one of the best programs I have ever done. It changed my life and helped me to understand food and what my body needs.
Most importantly, I would like to help you succeed. I try to hold people accountable, and I will stay with you every step of the way. No matter where you are in life, I would like to support you in your goals. I believe in you. Everyone is different and has a different journey in health and I realize what one thing works for some doesn’t work for everyone. My hope is to help people break down some barriers in exercise and give up the "diet" mentality and help them to know they are enough and beautiful the way they were made. I appreciate all of your support so much. Some of the transformations I witnessed literally bring me to tears and I feel grateful to have the opportunity to be apart of them. I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.