02-23-2015

Here is a bit of a journal entry cause I really, really want to document this.  So here it is, MY STORY!

It started in June of 2013.  I was at a point in my life where I just wasn't feeling like my efforts of working out in the gym and eating what I called at the time "healthy" was working anymore.  We were in a great place financially and I spent a descent amount of money hiring a trainer and going to Lifetime Fitness all summer.  I was happy to have a place to take all 4 of my kids and they have some fun while I worked out.  Lifetime Fitness has a fabulous play area with a basketball court, outside and inside jungle gym and slides, along with a craft area and computer area.  It was great.  Mindy my trainer taught me a lot about what eating healthy really meant and the importance of healthy fat.  Her words were, "you can't lose fat unless you eat healthy fat."  I did great, working out with her and eating a new way.  I got down a few more pounds and was losing descent inches.  I was wearing sizes I hadn't worn since High School.  I felt so great about myself.

After the summer was over, and my older kids were back in school, my paid workouts with Mindy ran out.  I kept going trying to do what I had been taught.  I took Radd who did not like being left alone in the play area.  He cried each time.  It wore on me.  It made it so difficult for me to go to the gym.  I lost a lot of motivation and I could see I wasn't keeping up with where I was in the summer.  One particular day in October, I took Radd.  He cried all the way there saying, "No gym, CHURCH!"  I remember thinking, "gosh he wants to go to church over the gym, he really hates the gym."  Cause at the time, church was hard for him to sit through.  He was only two years old.  That day, I was on the treadmill and got a call from the play area over the loud speaker.  I was bummed.  That meant I had to go change a poopy diaper, at least in past experiences of being called down.  But this time was different.  This time, his finger had been severed in the play area door.  It changed my life.  I spent the next several months sitting and holding my baby who had been hurt.  I did nothing but sit on the couch and watch shows or read books to him, cuddling him for hours on end.  I didn't go to the gym.  I gained weight.  I didn't care so much about anything.  I was depressed for a good 6 to 8 months.

As I slowly pulled out of being down, I tried here and there to get up early and go to a gym close by before the kids had to go to school.  Not being a morning person, I would make it once or twice in a week, but never enough for it to become a routine.  I believed this was my only option for getting a workout in.  Not willing to take Radd to be watched while I worked out eliminated that option and the fact that my husband works til 7:30pm-8:00pm every night eliminated the evening workout option.  So although I gave it a shot here and there, I wasn't really all in.  I slowly kept gaining weight for the next 6 months.

Thanksgiving and Christmas hit.  Being down about my weight because at this point I had gained ten pounds and was totally out of shape, I didn't go light on eating during the holidays.  I ate whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted.  I chowed.  It's the snowball affect.  Being down about my weight caused me to eat and that just made it worse.

January 1, 2015... The start of a new year.  The start of a whole new me!

I decided it was time.  I was in a place mentally to make the change completely!  I committed to losing the 18lbs (and 6 inches around my waist) I had gained since October 2013.  I had a calender ready to journal with, jotting down what I ate, keeping track of my work outs etc.  I did it.  I got to the gym early, before kids went to school, 5 days a week.  I started eating much better, not perfect, but better.  I felt my body getting stronger cause I was SO weak.  Then the third week of January, my Smart family jumped on the get fit bandwagon.  We all signed up for a 12 week challenge online and took our before pictures.  I was happy to have more support in this.  It helped.  Then after six weeks of working out and eating now pretty close to perfect, I was deflated.  My weight for 6 weeks had remained pretty much the same.  I knew I had gained a descent amount of muscle, but that only goes so far.  Yes my jeans fit better, but to have given it THAT MUCH EFFORT and to only be down a pound or two was so discouraging.  What was wrong with me?  It was then that I decided to ask my lifelong friend Lindsey Johnson to help me.

Her story... I've known her my whole life and have known her to be a fitness queen.  She works out 6 days a week for an hour and looks incredible.  She runs marathons and is in incredible shape.  I followed her recent posts about becoming a Beach Body coach and that in six weeks she lost 8.5lbs.  Not only had she lost weight but she went from 1 hour work outs to 30 minute work outs.  My thoughts were, "WHAT THE HECK!  In my six weeks, I lost maybe a pound and I'm fat compared to her."  She wrote things about being in the best shape of her life and feeling amazing.

We are close friends, enough that I felt comfortable asking her for help.  That's half the battle.  I have two other friends who I have watched post things on Facebook about being Beach Body coaches, but I've never had any inkling to talk to them about it.  I just don't know them well enough to get that personal with them about my weight and struggles.  So, I went over to her house a couple weeks ago to get the low down on this program.  I wanted to find out if it was doable.  I know my limits and I know what I can handle.  I wanted to see if this was something I could do.

Talk about perfect timing and the perfect fit.  My gym membership at Crossroads Fitness was coming to an end.  I didn't want to have to pay to enroll again and pay a bunch of money.  So instead, I jumped on the bandwagon.  I signed up.  I'm a Beach Body Coach!  I am doing this and have never felt so great!  I am happy.  I feel great.  I do a 30 minute work out at home.  I drink Shakeology shakes which is my healthiest meal of the day.  I get my vitamins and probiotics in one drink.  I started with a 7 day detox (I lost three pounds) and today I started my 21 day fix program.  I am down a total of 8lbs since Jan 1 and have 10 to go to get to where I was working out with Mindy my trainer.  My clothes are starting to fit again.  I feel amazing and I can't wait to see where I'm at in 21 days.  One of my main questions was, "I LOVE pounding it out at the gym, can I really do the at home work outs?"  The answer is YES and it's amazing.  For example, this morning I slept in.  I didn't make it up early enough to do the work out before my kids went to school.  Normally, this would be a lost opportunity to get a work out in for the day.  After they went to school, I got Radd busy with something that I knew would occupy him for 30 minutes, went and set up my video in the other room and got my work out in.  I am thrilled to have gotten it in.

I wanted to post my story so that anyone that is interested can see where I come from.  I was an elite gymnast.  I like working out.  I like being in shape.  I went back to my 20 year high school reunion last summer and hooked up with old team mates.  Team mates that are in ridiculous shape and made me feel so chubby.  I look forward to the day I can hook up with them again and not feel this way.  I know that I can get in the best shape of my life and be looking fabulous at 40!  Today is day 1 of my 21 day fix and I can't wait to post my results.  Stay tuned!