My journey began in 2011. I was tired of being overweight. I loved shopping for clothes and new fashions, but I hated trying clothes on in the dressing room and feeling awful about myself. Leaving a store crying because nothing looked good or fit right was the norm. Prior to beginning this journey, I had dieted. I did Weight Watchers. I went to the gym sporadically. Nothing ever worked. I’d lose twenty pounds and fall off the wagon and gain it all back and then some. It was a cycle that I needed to break.
In January of 2011, with 5 full months before my 30th birthday, I set my goal to lose 40lbs by my 30th birthday. I will never forget that day of my 30th birthday and stepping on the scale and seeing that I hit that first goal. That day I realized I can do anything. I can be successful and I am worth it. Our family joined our local YMCA branch about nine months earlier. After I had my daughter in the summer, I decided to start slow. I first joined a Zumba class. Then I added in a spinning class. I was running on the weekends following the Couch 2 5k program. Within 5 months, I was up to working out 5 days a week. Somedays I would do double workouts, going to the gym and using the Biggest Loser workout via XBox or Brooke Burke’s Transform Your Body workout dvds while my daughters napped. Along with exercise, we changed our diets too; using recipes from Skinnytaste, Cooking Light and lightening up other recipes.
And then I found Beachbody. My first taste of Beachbody was from a friend that gave me the 21 Day Fix videos. I used them here and there as supplemental workouts to my current routine, if I couldn’t get to the gym. Then I found PiYo. And that’s when I fell in love or should I say I found my “soulmate” workout. I didn’t follow PiYo exactly from start to finish. I combined it with training for a half marathon and it changed my running. I felt strong and fast – I ran my fastest 5k (28 minutes!) after doing PiYo! I ran a second half marathon in 2015 and dusted off my PiYo dvds again. And that’s when I decided to take my love of PiYo to the next level and get certified in PiYo Live! That was my turning point into Beachbody and coaching.
In the five years since my New Year’s Resolution 2011, I have lost about 90lbs. I have run countless 5ks, 4 or 5 mud/obstacle runs, & two half marathons. I hold certifications in AFAA Group Ex, Mad Dogg Spinning & PiYo Live. It’s been a fun, self-learning journey and one that I would have detoured from if it weren’t for the support of my husband, daughters, family & Beachbody team!
