Time Changes EVERYONE!

As I sit here reflecting on my day, I cannot help but think about the past YEAR.

You see, a year ago I made one of the scariest, turned most rewarding, commitments that I've ever made.

No, I didn't get married. No, I didn't have a child. No, I didn't get a tattoo either.

What I did do, is sign up to be an Independent Team Beachbody coach.

I was in a miserable place in my life; a place that I kept hidden, and only ever talked to a select few people about.

I WAS incredibly negative.
I WAS having difficulty doing daily tasks without feeling fatigued.
I WAS having chest pains.
I WAS scared about my health.

I WAS only 26 years old.

I had struggled with ways to lose weight on my own, and actually had taken up walking on the treadmill (thinking that it would work for me...it worked for my dad, so WHY NOT). I would sign up for a 5K, and walk it in over an hour...but I still got out there and did it.

When I joined my first fitness accountability group, my coach asked me to set some goals for myself and I told her, "In a year, I want to have lost 100 pounds!".
Now, she has always been supportive...but even I KNOW that 100 pounds is a lofty goal. (Let's come back to this idea later, okay?)
In my first accountability group, my coach also told us to take before and after pictures and measurements, you know...to help us track progress. Well, I adamantly told her, "I will NOT be sharing any photos or posting ANYTHING about this."
WE STILL LAUGH about this, to this very day.

I was set that I was going to try 21 Day Fix for the 21 days, and then send it back to get a refund. I was THAT sure that I would fail.

WELL...after 21 days, I lost 22 inches, 2 pants sizes, and over 13 pounds.

I. WAS. HOOKED.

After a few "rounds" or "cycles" of 21 Day Fix, I had to clean out my closet...because nothing fit! I could literally fit my whole body into pants that used to be TIGHT on me.

Yeah, check out the face...sheer joy!

I began posting pictures on Facebook, partly because I was so proud of myself for the first time in a long time, but partly because I KNEW that if I could do it, everybody else could too.

The girl who had zero self-confidence, was extremely obese, and had terrible knees was changing her LIFE.

I began seriously meal prepping, and helping others learn to do the same.

Daily workouts, meal prep, and Shakeology were what was powering me...and I FELT UNSTOPPABLE!

What was even cooler than how I felt? The JOY that I was getting seeing other people reach THEIR goals and experiencing that same joy.
Maybe it is the teacher in me, but I would rejoice in their triumphs MORE than they would. ;)

Seriously, so rewarding.

A few short months later I attended my first Beachbody corporate event, Coach Summit. It was in Nashville, which was like MUSIC HEAVEN! I loved being surrounded by people who were supportive of me wanting to change my life and the lives of others, but also being in a city vibrant with music...everywhere I turned!

I couldn't believe that THIS was now a reality for me.

I saw so many people who had retired themselves from their jobs, retired their spouses from their jobs, saved $$ for their children to go to college, paid off ALL of their debt, and so much more!
I saw so many people who achieved ASTRONOMICALLY huge weight loss goals, and I thought to myself..."That WILL BE me. I WILL do that." Well, working on it still, but keep an eye out...I'm coming for ya'!

The more that I think about it, the more I smile.

I mean, this little man right here? (My nephew), he watches and absorbs EVERYTHING that I do...and I couldn't be prouder.

Yes there are times that I push to failure. Yes there have been times when I have started crying during a workout. YES there have been times when I felt like giving up...but have I? HECK NO. Check out the adoring face, soaking it all in. Am I going to help end the trend of obesity? I am sure going to try, starting with this little man right here!

Now, this year has been full of wonderful surprises! Most of them? Me surprising myself.

This picture here? This is me, with my best friend Sadie.
Sadie has been a runner for a few years, and quite honestly...I always thought that people who ran were CRAZY, but I LOVED her anyway. Well, she suggested that we run a 10K together when we saw each other in January, and...I agreed.

I had never run a 5K, let alone a 10K.

I was unsure of what to expect, but I knew that no matter how I finished, I would be PROUD of myself for how far I had come.
And, was I ever surprised. I finished the 10K in almost the same amount of time it took me to walk HALF the distance only a year before. Talk about progress!

And, speaking of progress...and that lofty 100 pound weight loss goal? Well, the last time that I weighed myself was almost 2 months ago...and I was down 85 POUNDS and 73 INCHES lost! Talk about a transformation! (Check back in a few days...going to weigh on the "anniversary" of when I actually started 21 Day Fix...next week!, when I am done with my current program.)

NOT ONLY have I made that physical transformation, due to the increased accountability as a coach...I have been able to have extra $$ to be able to help my sister out with my nephew, been able to pay my car payment with no worries, covered the cost of EVERYTHING that I have ever ordered from Beachbody, saved $$ in hope of purchasing a car/house, and been able to donate more $$ to causes that are near and dear to my heart! It is a wonderful thing being able to have a little bit of flexibility when it comes to finances.

SO...

Going from a girl who was ready to send her program and Shakeology BACK because she thought that she was destined to FAIL, to a girl who is THRIVING...that is something that I NEVER would have imagined would happen in a year.

I used to think that at-home fitness programs didn't work, because I had seen people use them and fail.

I used to think that I couldn't do something like this.

I used to think that the only people who could be successful Beachbody coaches were people who were already in shape, or already had their act together.

BOY, was I wrong.

I am so thankful that a year ago, my kind 9th grade English teacher reached out to me on Facebook and invited me to this opportunity. I have changed my life forever...made it to where I will be around to see my nephew grow up...made it to where I won't suddenly have a heart attack before I'm 30...made it to where I love myself again. For that, I can never repay her...but she knows that I love her and assures me that THAT is "payment" enough.

Stop thinking, "I can't."

Start thinking, "Why NOT me?"

Refuse to give up, and become the CHAMPION that God is calling you to be.

A year ago, I would've never pictured my life the way that it is now...but I am glad that I got out of my own way and took the risk!!





 "Beachbody does not guarantee any level of success or income from the Team Beachbody Coach Opportunity. Each Coach's income depends on his or her own efforts, diligence, and skill. See our Statement of Independent Coach Earnings located in the Coach Online Office for the most recent information on our Coaches' actual incomes."
http://tbbcoa.ch/TBB_SOICE

You down with NSV's? Yeah, you know me!

On any weight loss journey, NSV's, or non-scale victories are SO important! Think about yourself and any time that you have tried losing weight. If you are ANYTHING like I used to be, you might have been dependent on seeing that number on the scale budge...praying that it would go down by more than one pound at a time. I will be perfectly honest with you; I still like to see that I have lost weight. Do I weigh myself on the scale like I used to? NO. I typically weigh myself at the beginning of a round of 21 Day Fix, and then at the very end (so, 22 days later). The rejoicing that I am able to do in-between "weighings", those are non-scale victories!

Yesterday, I decided to do something that was LONG overdue...I cleaned out my closet! Boy, did that feel AMAZING!

When I embarked on this journey of health, I had so many clothes. I had t-shirts, dresses, dress clothes...the works! However, I didn't have the confidence to wear ANY of those clothes.

I started out cleaning my closet by taking EVERYTHING out. I took everything off of the hangers and tried on EVERY article of clothing that I own. I thought that it was going to be a daunting task, but it seriously turned out to be SO MUCH FUN! I only kept the clothes that fit me and that I LOVED. My mom has always said, "If you don't love it, you're not going to wear it." That is so true! Now, I had some awesome music playing in the background...so of course I was a cleaning, dancing fool...but I wouldn't trade any minute of it. (If you had walked by my room yesterday, you would have thought that it was a casting call for a SNL skit making fun of "So You Think You Can Dance", but...I had fun!)

The first item of clothing that I tried on was this t-shirt. I'm not sure that you can read the logo on the shirt, but it says "Hiland Park Elementary QUEST". This shirt is from THE FOURTH GRADE! How incredibly exciting is it that I am wearing a shirt that I wore in elementary school? Now, I'm not going to lie...part of me was wondering why I still had this shirt, and the other part of me was wondering how it hadn't disintegrated or rotted...but still pretty exciting! I probably danced around in that shirt for a good 5 minutes (plus, I'm wearing skinny jeans, so that was another reason to dance)!

After trying on that shirt, I tackled ALL of the pants/skirts/dresses that were in my closet. I figured that if I could fit into that shirt and feel GREAT about it, I might as well wear it as long as possible! Well, what happened next is enough to make you laugh! These pants right here, I bought them to wear when I was doing my student teaching (August 2012-December 2012). I would wear them when I would accompany the band to football games, and would wear them on more "casual" days at the middle school. Thank goodness these things do not fit me anymore!!

HERE is where it got fun. (Now, it is not funny that I used to be able to fit into them...I was seriously unhealthy.) I felt like an oompa loompa putting these pants on and maybe it was the music that was playing, but I walked around my room doing my own version of what I imagine the oompa loompas would do. Can you imagine being a fly on the wall for that?!

          

There was seriously so much room in those pants that I was able to fit almost my entire body into them.
At times, I do not realize JUST HOW MUCH my body has changed over the past 4 months, because I see myself everyday. When other people see me and make a comment about how great I look, I am thankful and I am proud of myself for all of my determination and hard work, but I truly do not understand the enormity of the accomplishment until something like THIS happens. :)

So. I knew that I had those pants, and that shirt was a surprise to me, but the clothing that I found next was a big surprise. I didn't even know that I EVER owned these things.

 I'm really not quite sure when I ever got this windsuit (obviously at some point while I was in college...or maybe it was my mom's and was then given to me), but I DO know that it is incredibly comfortable and is staying in my closet on that off chance that I one day get picked up by a travelling basketball team or some community boxing league.

In all seriousness, though, I will probably use it to run in...so it stayed.

At this point, I felt a little bit like the girl in 21 dresses. You know the part of the movie where she tries on all of her bridesmaid dresses and the reporter is taking pictures of her? Yeah...that was what was running through my mind here, so I decided to have fun with it. That community boxing league better get ready, because I'm coming for them!!

(At this point growing up, my mom would have come in to my room and told me that I was wasting time and that I needed to get back to cleaning...but, that doesn't happen anymore so I continued to have fun with this!)

ALL last school year, I would wear a mixture of casual clothes (jeans and a t-shirt) and more professional "dressy" clothes to work. When I wore jeans and a t-shirt, I felt more comfortable than in my dress clothes...so when I wore dress cloths, I used to wear a cardigan, like this one (and three others, just in different colors), to feel more secure. It wasn't any sort of fashion statement, it was my "security blanket". Now don't get me wrong, I love a good cardigan...but this one made me feel like a librarian. A very OLD ninja-like librarian.

Next up, these dress pants. So...these were probably about the sixth pair of black dress pants that I tried on yesterday. (In college, the symphony band wore all black, so I had SO MANY all black outfits.) I started with the pants that I wore most recently (this past school year), and when I could put them on without buttoning them, I knew that it was into the GET RID OF pile for them! I slowly began working my way down in sizes, and eventually wound up with this pair...the smallest pair that I own (well, owned). I am perfectly okay with getting rid of all of these clothes and having to purchase new ones, because I KNOW that I am not going back to ANY of the sizes that I was before.

Now, this next outfit truly blew me away. You see, sometimes we get gifted clothes from other people. Whether they are brand new (which this is) or hand-me-downs, sometimes you just fall in love with an item and don't want to part with it. Well, that is this sweater. I had a friend who bought this, thinking of me, but it NEVER fit. I couldn't even get it over my chest to try it on. I begrudgingly put it back onto the hanger and hung it in the back of my closet. 

I love how it has the little bit of sparkle at the neckline. I love how it is super soft. I love how it is almost like a "burnout" sweater, so I can wear a tank top or camisole underneath of whatever color I want and it will show through. Most of all, I LOVE that it fits.

I don't remember which friend gave it to me, it has been that long, but if you're reading this and you remember... THANK YOU!

So, what did I learn from all of this?

• Hard work, dedication, and determination will help you achieve your goals.
• I need to clean out my closet more often.
• My clothes used to be SO HEAVY.
• I have really "found" myself in this weight loss journey. Before I would not have even liked having my picture taken, let alone HAD FUN with taking pictures!
• The scale can be your enemy. Focus on the non-scale victories!

You down with NSV's? Yeah, you know me!

21 Day Fix; Fad or Fab?

          I will be the FIRST to admit to you that when I first heard about 21 day Fix and "those colored containers", I was a bit of a skeptic. I had heard about it on television and thought that it was ANOTHER program designed to get my hopes up about losing weight and gaining definition and then let me down when nothing like that happened. I had tried other workouts in the past and didn't really see results, so I just shrugged it off as another FAD diet. BOY, was I wrong!!

          Change that "FAD" to "FABulous", and that is exactly what 21 Day Fix is!! In a society where we are inundated with weight loss gimmicks and pills, losing weight and getting healthy can be SO confusing. 21 Day Fix takes all of the confusion and complexity out of the picture and helps you get healthier by providing you with specific and simple instructions and tools! (The biggest thing that I like is that I don't have to count calories!)

          21 Day Fix is great because it comes with 7 different workouts, one for each day of the week! Not only do you get to switch it up everyday, but each workout only lasts 30 minutes! Shoot, I used to spend that long psyching myself out about going to the gym!! It's perfect for the busy mom-on-the-go or those with full-time jobs/multiple jobs!

   

      Now, ask ANYBODY who has completed any of the 21 Day Fix workouts about Kat...I can GUARANTEE that they will say that she is their BFF! In all of the workouts, the people in the videos range in their fitness level, and my girl Kat is the low impact modifier. Most people think that following the modifier won't have much benefit for them, but let me tell you...following Kat kicks your body into shape! 

     
   What really makes 21 Day Fix FABulous is the "fool proof" nutrition system that Autumn Calabrese and a team of nutritionists have devised. You know "those colored containers" that I used to scoff about? Well, they're BPA free GOLD! The containers help to make your portions visible, with each different color container representing a different food group. In addition to simply giving you the containers, Autumn has laid out which foods have the most nutritional value in each category and are the foods that you should be eating! (AND, never fear! The containers in the picture are not all that you get to eat. Based on your body weight, you will fall into a calorie bracket that wil tell you how many of each container to consume in a day. FOR EXAMPLE, 4 green/3 yellow/4 red/3 purple/1 orange/1 blue.)

          

          Now, the part that most people (including myself) always want to know...how can this program help me/what do the results look like? While this is different for everyone, I'd like to share what some of my challengers/fellow coaches have said:

• "My goal for this round of 21 Day Fix was to lose 10 pounds. I stepped on the scale this morning...I LOST TWELVE pounds! I've never been able to stick with a "diet", but I am going to continue doing 21 Day Fix!"
• "Before starting 21 Day Fix, I used to run a 12 minute mile. 2 rounds later, I am running close to an 8 minute mile!"
• "21 Day Fix has not only helped me lose weight, but it has helped me know what to eat and how much to eat. I feel like this is really helping me and my family become healthier!

          My personal results?

• I have lost 40 pounds and 45.5 inches in 4 rounds of 21 Day Fix! I have WAY more energy than I ever did before and FEEL healthier than ever! I am going to continue with 21 Day Fix/21 Day Fix EXTREME because for me, this is the first program that I have ever been successful with...and it is FUN!

So, 21 Day Fix...FAD or FAB? I choose FAB!!


Questions? Email me at shannonwarrenfitness@gmail.com .