What the ?!?

My (23 year old) daughter came home from work last week, glimpsed at the kitchen table and said “what the ?!? You’re *said in an accusatory tone* doing Beachbody?”  I went on to ask her what the big deal was, what she knew about Beachbody, and so forth. She replied “it goes against everything you stand for with Weight Watchers. Moderation. Not killing yourself with workouts. A program that is maintainable.”  And I thought to myself… very interesting, she’s actually been listening to me all of these years…

Over the past few years, several people have asked me to try a Beachbody program or to be a Beachbody coach. While I was curious, my initial response was the same as my daughter’s. Even the title of the program went against my grain “21 Day Fix”. You can’t fix a lifetime of behaviors or get to the root cause of the reasons a person is overweight in 21 days. I hate (and I don’t use that word often) quick fixes, fad diets, cleanses- empty and unrealistic marketing promises. My daughter was right; I have been a Weight Watchers lifetime member since 1997, losing and maintaining 40+ pounds twice. I’m currently maintaining my goal weight that I reached in 2012. I’m healthy, (mostly) happy with my physique and more importantly I’ve changed many, many behaviors. Small, slow, maintainable changes for life. So why even give Beachbody a second thought?

Last fall I met a Beachbody coach who really impressed me. She wasn’t the stereotypical Beachbody coach I had conjured up- an over the top fitness and health freak. She was a real hard working mama, balancing what we all do- work, home, family, other commitments and health- in no particular order. I admired her positive outlook and work ethic and month by month I watched her transform her mind and body.  It’s been amazing to watch her progress.

As my fellow Weight Watchers and friends know, I’ve been rather lost since I parted ways from being a Weight Watchers leader- after all, the program has been a HUGE part of how I’ve lived my life for 20 years. It’s worked for me; I love the practicality and adaptability of the program- it’s made for real life. I miss helping others reach their wellness goals, but what’s a girl to do?

I’ve been working hard to maintain. When you’ve struggled with being overweight since childhood, it’s an everyday battle requiring, patience, planning, persistence & consistence. I’ve stayed focused on living well, knowing it’s about more than the scale. Since I’m already at my goal, I’ve been working over the past year to transform my body. This has meant trying new things. In 2015 I took part in personal training sessions and learnt so much about how to human body works. So far in 2016, I’ve tried TRX and yoga. My mantra since 2010 has been to choose faith over fear. Staying true to my mantra, I agreed to give the 21 Day Fix a try *gasp*.

I was skeptical on many levels, about the intensity of the nutrition and workouts and especially about the protein shakes (I’m still scarred by my Slim Fast stint in the 80’s). Yet the timing was right. Coming off of a winter of being stuck inside due to my neuralgia, I was up a few pounds and not feeling as good as I wanted to. Instead of looking at the 21 Day Fix as a radical, impractical program, I decided to view it as a jump start to get back into my wellness routine. I signed up to be a part of a challenge group that started on May 9^th.

Of course I made the choice to blog about my journey and to keep it real.  Always keeping it real. I’m excited to share this journey with you, be it an epic failure or an epic success, we can learn from them both.

Click here to read about my 1^st week.  J

Commit to the choice. Ask for help. Continue with courage.  

Hugs and Friendship,

Tara