Saturday, August 9, 2014

Thinking about my "why"

One of the big things that gets stressed to Beachbody coaches is to look for your "why." We ask our challengers to look for their "why" in terms of why are they making the choice to work out and drink Shakeology. As a coach, we also have to dig deep and think about why we chose to be coaches.

I have struggled with my weight and body image for years. I had gotten to a place that I was really happy with when I was breast-feeding my second child, but then after I stopped, I gained weight back. For a long time I gave myself the excuse that this was the weight that my body wanted to be at, but when I was really honest with myself, I knew that wasn't true. My body wanted to be about 20 pounds lighter.

I tried a variety of things - I cut out sugar, I tried going gluten-free, I went low-carb (or what I considered low carb), but nothing worked and I definitely wasn't mentally ready to count calories. I didn't have time to get to the gym on a regular basis because I had a child with me full time plus one in school. I knew I had to make a change, but I was stuck. Then I was presented with the opportunity to participate in a 12 day Shakeology challenge. I already ate pretty clean, so I wasn't sure how to clean my eating up much, but it did get me finding ways to make sure I got some exercise in and thinking more about my eating. The bonus was that I loved the shakes. I loved the energy I felt while drinking them and I loved how decadent they tasted while still being good for you. I was ready for more.

This was just at the time that the 21 Day Fix was coming out. I decided to hop on and try to work on portion control, which I realized was my biggest challenge. Doing the Fix was eye opening. Sure I ate clean, but I started to really think about the building blocks of my food were. Which vegetables were higher in starch and sugar, how much oil I used in my cooking, the fact that while healthy fats with your salad are important, if you add feta you could easily cut out oil. I started getting excited. I started connecting with people on the Facebook group. I realized that my love of food could actually be a benefit. I also started getting stronger. Between the food and the exercise, I had managed to make myself healthier both physically and mentally. So I started to toy with the idea of being a coach.

I don't see myself as an extroverted person. As someone who has struggled her whole life with weight I wasn't sure that I could see myself as someone that people looked to for help in weight loss and exercise goals. But I could be a cheerleader. I could be an advocate. I liked connecting with people and discussing the trials and tribulations. I loved sharing recipes. I realized that I could use my knowledge and love of food to help others on their fitness journey. I am not the poster child for fitness, but I am a real person who gets what challengers might be going through. I have to use the modifiers in a lot of workouts and I get frustrated with myself at times. I am a real person people can connect with. Perhaps I could do this.

So here I am,  5 months later, still trying to figure out the coaching thing, but knowing that I want to help other people feel as good as I do. I want to share my love of food and the knowledge that it isn't the enemy. Workouts can make you feel better and they should be a part of your routine. Sometimes as a mom it is hard to remember to take care of yourself, but we need to put ourselves first from time to time.


I got healthy for myself. I got healthy for my family and to show my kids that I can do it. I became a Beachbody coach because I love feeling strong. I love having renewed energy. I love that I can drink an outstandingly delicious shake every day and know that it is good for me! I struggle to find out how to get the word out, but that's me.