My Beachbody Transformation

Taking care of myself doesn’t mean “me first;” it means “me too.” J.R. Knost

Over the past few weeks, I have talked about learning to pause occasionally to give myself a mental break when needed.  If you have seen my IGTV posts recently, I’ve been doing just that.  It’s something that I was fighting for quite some time.  Why?  I love the quote above because it was my “why.”  I thought taking care of myself meant that I was putting myself first.  Something I wasn’t comfortable doing as a wife and mom, so I let things escalate until my breaking point. 

Before realizing that taking care of myself didn’t have to mean “me first”

In May 2019, before realizing that taking care of myself didn’t have to mean “me first,” I started taking care of myself by starting an exercise program.  I was overweight, tired and not happy with the way I felt – inside and out.  I had done Weight Watchers in the past and I talked about my experience in a previous post.  Yes, I was successful in doing WW but I wasn’t successful in maintaining my weight loss.  There were many reasons as to why I continued to fail at WW.  I did consider trying it again, but WW has changed its program so many times, I just didn’t feel that it was a good fit for me any longer. 

Early last year, I gained two new followers, both of whom featured a video of themselves exercising every morning.  I thought the workouts looked different than anything I had ever seen or tried before.  I had no idea what they were doing but I really thought it looked interesting.  However, I honestly hate exercising.  I continued to watch them both and my interest grew.  At that time, I was doing a Kathy Smith “Walk at Home” workout on YouTube and getting nowhere.  I wasn’t losing any weight.  The only thing I was losing was my patience. 

As I continued to do the Kathy Smith walk programs at home, I somehow managed to hurt my feet.  I wasn’t sure what I had done, so I went to see a foot doctor who told me I had plantar fasciitis.  I would need inserts in my shoes and had to rest my feet for awhile before working out again.  That led me to become even more frustrated. 

I thought to myself, why not give it a try

Then, in May 2019, Lauren Petersen posted a story offering a free 7-day trial program.  Again, not knowing what she was doing, I thought to myself, why not give it a try.  So, I contacted her and asked her about the program, and see how it worked.  She told me she was a BeachBody on Demand Coach and explained the program to me.  I still was unsure but decided to take a leap of faith and give it a try.  I wasn’t expecting to get anything out of it and I certainly wasn’t expecting to enjoy it, but I was wrong! 

When I first tried Beachbody on Demand, I tried the Clean Week program by Lauren’s suggestion.  It was difficult to say the least.  I hadn’t worked out like that in years.  I also didn’t have the stamina after my lung cancer surgeries.  It was hard but I was determined to do it and at least give it a good try.  By day three, I was realizing how much I liked it.  By the end of the 7-day trial, I wanted more.  This was totally unexpected to me!  Now that I had found a program I enjoyed doing, I had to figure out a way to fit it into my budget. 

Lauren explained to me all of my options.  At the time, I decided the 3-month payment plan of just the workout programs was something we could fit into our budget.  I was pleasantly surprised about how reasonable the three-month membership cost.  At $39.00 every three months, this was doable for me.  It was much cheaper than going to a gym and much more convenient for me as a mom.

Not only was this program budget friendly, it also gave me the convenience of working out at home

Not only was this program budget friendly, it also gave me the convenience of working out at home.  Most of the workout programs are 30 minutes; that was all I really had available to me.  As soon as the boys are out the door and before I start work, those 30 minutes are dedicated to me.

Eight months later, I am down 15 lbs and 10+ inches overall.  This is a huge accomplishment for me and, although I am not at my goal weight, for the first time in years, I feel great!  I never thought I would ever love a workout program as much as I do with Beachbody.  Beachbody has not only transformed my body, but my mind as well.  I can’t say enough about how this journey has changed my approach to exercise, food and my general well-being.  

In December 2019, I purchased the entire program, including the nutrition program, for a year.  Although, I do watch what I eat and generally eat healthy, I wanted to see if there was anything I could improve on.  I initiated the nutrition part of the Beachbody program to continue living a healthy lifestyle.  

I never thought I would get here, but I did it

I never thought I would get here, but I did it.  I’m trying to find a way to balance everything like so many moms out there are doing.  It’s not easy and learning to take care of yourself as part of your family’s well-being is difficult at best.  I’m still slowly learning that, in order to be a good mom, wife and friend, I need to take care of myself as well.  So, taking care of yourself doesn’t mean “me first.”  It means, “me too.” 

In my next post, you’ll get to meet my Beachbody coach, Lauren Petersen.  I wanted you to hear her story and see how Beachbody has transformed her life as well.  If you have been thinking about how to take care of yourself and  you’re not sure where to start, I invite you to try this program.  Beachbody is so convenient, affordable and it works!   So, who is interested in giving it a try?  Are you a member already?  Do you have a program that works for you?  Please share in the comments below.