Welcome to my personal fitness page! I started this blog as an accountability tool in my fitness journey. Along the way, I hope that sharing my personal successes and struggles will help motivate someone into making a life changing decision to get fit and get healthy. I’m not perfect, and I most certainly am not a fitness guru, but I am happy to share what I have found that has worked for me and perhaps it will also work for you! That’s why I decided to become a Beachbody Coach, to help others on their journey to the fit side!
Let me give you a little background about my life and why I chose to make a change. Not long ago, I weighed in heavier than I ever have before. I was avoiding mirrors at all costs, wearing baggy clothing to hide my stomach, and was miserable with my appearance. I had zero energy, I would be out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs or walking a short distance, and I was as flexible as a toothpick. I had no willpower when it came to resisting food, so I was consuming candy and soda every day. I had tried joining a gym, but I hated exercise and found myself feeling faint after a very short amount of time doing moderate exercises. Those attempts never lasted more than a week or so.
Finally, after hearing some very inspirational words from my niece (who is a Beachbody Coach), I decided it was time to make a difference in my life. I was tired of looking at cute clothing, but never purchasing it. I hated looking at the ground anytime I passed a mirror.
I participated in the free fitness challenges my niece was hosting and went from there. I found an amazing fitness program called Piyo. It is a very low intensity, yoga and pilates mix that uses your own body weight to sculpt and tone your body. It’s a 60 day program with the first month being easier and building to more intense workouts in the last 30 days of the program. There’s no jumping, no running, no weight lifting. Instead, it’s constant movement and muscle control that gives you an amazingly effective workout in 40 minutes or less. For someone like me, who hates exercising and can’t keep up with any sort of cardio, it was perfect.
In addition to exercise, it was important to get my nutrition under control. The first step was to throw out all candy and junk food in my house. After all, if it’s not near me, I can’t eat it, right? Then I prepped my meals for the weak in accordance to the meal plan that came included with Piyo. It’s a pretty simple plan, actually. You do a little math to figure out how many calories you should be consuming for your fitness goals, then it will tell you how many of each food group you should consume in a day.
Under each food group, the guide lists what you can consume and how much of each item is considered a portion. There are so many options under each food group which allowed for a lovely variety. The goal is eat five times a day, which helps to keep your sugar levels from dropping. This will keep cravings in check and help to avoid that late afternoon energy drop. My favorite part is that I can have as much coffee and tea as I want, as long as I don’t load it down with sugar.
However, even though I have this amazing guide, I found that it was difficult for me to get in the amount of veggies that I should be eating as well as eating breakfast. Most veggies are my enemy and I really don’t like getting up early to prepare a breakfast. That’s when my coach suggested Shakeology. It is a shake that contains a full days worth of nutrition. They advertise it as being your “healthiest meal of the day” and that it “tastes like a dessert.” Beachbody claims that it can help you lose weight, reduce cravings, and boost energy.
I’ll be honest with you, I was extremely skeptical of these claims. After all, what health or protein shake doesn’t claim all of these benefits? However, I ran across an amazing deal where I could purchase Shakeology and get a fitness program for $10. I couldn’t pass that deal up. I purchased the Vegan Chocolate and Vegan Tropical Strawberry Shakeology combo pack. My coach informed me that if I have a sensitive stomach, sometimes it’s best to start with the Vegan flavors. They contain a rice flour as the base rather than whey protein.
Now, I know Beachbody states that they taste like a dessert, but I have to disagree. If you make just the shake, they still taste like a protein shake, though they are the best tasting shakes I have found so far. However, if you’re like me and don’t particularly care for the flavor, Beachbody includes a handy recipe guide for every flavor. It contains a new recipe every day for a month. I will tell you, there are plenty of recipes that actually do make these taste like a treat rather than something healthy. My favorite for Vegan Chocolate is the Cinnamon Roll recipe and my favorite for the Vegan Strawberry is blending pretty much any fruit into it and having a fruit smoothie.
So, I changed my lifestyle. I started drinking Shakeology every day for breakfast, incorporated a healthy eating plan, and worked out six days a week. What results did I see? I lost 13 pounds in the first month! All I did was eat better and move a little more. I noticed a huge change in my energy levels, I sleep better at night, I can move without getting winded, and I am feeling more confident in myself. I finally touched my toes for the first time since elementary school and I wore a form fitting shirt for the first time in three years. I’m feeling great and I’m looking great!
However, there is one lesson that I have learned on my journey. There is NO magic pill, NO magic wrap, and NO magic shake that will make me lose weight and become fit and healthy. It’s not easy. It takes work and it takes consistency. Shakeology is NOT going to be effective on it’s own. However, it does help maximize your nutrition and nutrition is the real key to fitness.
There are times when I fail. There are times when I miss my workout. I don’t always drink my Shakeology. Sometimes I just crave a piece of chocolate and I let myself have it. And that’s ok. It is perfectly ok to be imperfect. I keep my goals in mind and when I miss a workout or have a cheat meal, I remind myself that it’s about moderation, not deprivation. As long as I consistently hit that play button and keep up my meal plans more often than not, then I WILL see results. And I still am.
I’m currently finishing up the second month of Piyo, then I plan on doing a round or two of the 21 Day Fix. After that, who knows? What I do know is that I am going to continue working towards my fitness goals and keep up with my nutrition. I will continue to share my journey on here in the hopes that someone like me will find the inspiration and motivation to also start their fitness journey.
I have decided to embark on a new path and become a Beachbody coach myself. So if you, or someone you know, is looking to make that first step, make a change, or just try something new, send me a message. I’ll be happy to talk to you further.
If you are interested in sharing your journey with others, send me a message! I’d love to talk with you further about being a Beachbody coach and how you can get involved to help make a change in others lives.
Thank you for listening! I hope you will join me on the journey to the fit side!
-Dian
Side note: Beachbody still offers the challenge packs where you can get a months supply of Shakeology and a fitness program for an AMAZING deal. Message me for the link!
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