Why I Became a Beachbody Coach

It took me a long time to make this leap. 

But I finally did it!

I became a coach to help other people achieve the results that I have achieved consistently with each new program, over the course of a decade. 

If you know me, you know I'm passionate about fitness and health. 

I grew up in jazz and ballet, played little kid baseball, and ran cross country. I never considered myself athletic because I never liked sports or gym games or events without tutus or teams without bus rides with cute boys. As sixth grade Catholic schoolgirls, my friends and I attended my mom's step and circuit classes at the fitness studio in our small town, then scarfed pizza next door. I "forgot my gym clothes" most days. 

I never worried much about it. My mom made up step routines in our basement, "Funky Town" on volume ten. It wasn't my thing. I was thin. I ate whatever. 

Then my senior year, I got involved in a program that allowed me to leave campus for lunch, and my friends and I became Arby's regulars. My weight jumped from 113 to 125 pretty quickly, and I couldn't think of anything to do about it except hate myself. (Mind you, my NORMAL non-pregnancy weight is about 120, and this is why the scale DOESN'T matter--back then, I wore a size 7, and these days I wear a 2-4 at a similar weight. Muscle makes a difference!) I suppose I still wasn't overweight, but I definitely had some fluff that hadn't been there months before. The thing is, nothing I did worked. The tools I now have weren't in my universe back then. I walked and ran and starved, but none of the above did the trick. 

1. Senior Photo  2. At 20 years old.  3. On my wedding day. 

After graduation, I skipped out on my falling-apart family and moved in with my boyfriend, three hours away and back in my hometown. I started school and worked full-time, and life was good for a year--which back then equaled an eon. Late one night, I saw a commercial for Slim in 6 and I ordered it. I'd gotten SO SICK of the way I felt about my body and was desperate for something I could stick to. And it worked! The reason: Beachbody programs take the guesswork out of everything. I ate the way the program told me to, took the supplements, and worked out from a calendar. BOOM--the scale, in six weeks, read 112, and my thighs were itty-bitty. All those squats and lunges gifted me with a new and improved attitude--until "life got in the way." (I hate that phrase, by the way.) 

My dad called to say he'd been fired and my mom planned to divorce him. My sister and brother were back home, in limbo, while I played house. Emotional turmoil took over when I made some decisions I probably shouldn't have, and broke the trust of the one person who'd stood by me and held my hair back and made me feel important. Food became some blase' necessity that cigarettes could take the place of. Within months, I looked like a skeleton at 20 pounds less than the low weight I'd recently achieved. For the record, this has happened several times, and I'm not going to be ashamed anymore to admit it: I am the opposite of the stereotypical emotional eater. I am the emotional starver instead. 

Until I met my husband (and even during the time we were dating), I was a ridiculously immature and angry little girl, although I didn't see it that way. Since, I have learned to take responsibility for the numerous quagmires I dug myself into. In between bouts of bad relationships and stress-induced mono and running for my life, I went back to fitness, and always with a Beachbody program. Fitness was the good boyfriend I'd given up: reliable, something rewarding to work for, a salve and a temporary amnesiac from the world outside my window or in my mind. Unlike with writing (which was and still is my other passion), I didn't have to conduct conversations with my sick brain. I could forget, and focus on something positive. 

Life with my husband (then my fiance) settled me down. It took a while, and he dealt with me through all of my issues. When I met him, I weighed 105 and looked like a bag of bones; when we got married one year later, I'd used Turbo Fire and Slim Series to add lean muscle--I was 125 and fit into the same clothes, but looked and felt a thousand times better, and I've been on the upswing since. 

When I was 24, I got pregnant and miscarried at ten weeks. At 26, I got pregnant with my daughter Reese. In between, I worked out with Turbo Fire, Chalean Extreme, Brazil Butt Lift, P90X, Insanity, and Yoga Booty Ballet. I assumed, since I'd gotten into great shape, that pregnancy would be easy, but I had another thing coming. A neck injury and migraines kept me away from my workouts (and just about everything else) my entire first trimester. The second trimester, I exercised again and pushed myself too hard to make up for the first; and the third I resembled a flotation device because of massive water retention. I gained 43 pounds and felt miserable every second. 

1. 6 weeks postpartum  2. 11 weeks postpartum  3. 17 weeks postpartum

Of course, Reese was worth every discomfort. And I felt OKAY about the weight because this time I knew what to do. I completed a hybrid of Chalean Extreme and Turbo Fire, then Rev Abs, then P90X2, and drank Shakeology. 

The proof is in the pudding: at 17% body fat 17 weeks after giving birth, I was the absolute fittest I have ever been in my life. And not only that: I was also the happiest. My daughter gave me the ultimate reason to pursue my passions and handle my struggles in more constructive ways. Fitness, and specifically Beachbody,  saved my life and gave me a structured way to learn about fitness and health. 

In the last year, my husband and I have gotten into nutrition and health, and my library bursts with texts about clean eating. I found myself sharing what I knew with anyone who would listen, and was surprised that so many people (like me, years ago) have searched desperately for a solution to their weight or health problems and have met several dead ends. Obviously, there's no end to the amount of "quick fix" products on the market and I'd be lying if I told you I haven't purchased a few of them myself during my own low points. I GET the frustration; I get the need for guidance and support and a real answer.

Not a quick fix. Shakeology is the real deal when it comes to a nutritional power-house bang for your buck. 

I became a coach because I have BEEN THERE. 

The programs work because

they are structured and take the guesswork out of working out. Follow the calendar, drink a shake once a day if you want to amp up your nutrition, use the online support, and utilize your free coach. This is precisely why I have gotten consistent results.

The coach network is kind of a genius thing. I used to think it must be a pyramid scheme, so I took my time doing my research, and I found a team focused on personal development and truly making a difference through fitness. The coach mission is to end the trend of obesity. We coach for free and truly are in this to share what we have learned, and are learning. Because I KNOW the programs and nutritionals work, I feel 100% comfortable recommending them to other people. I believe in everything Beachbody stands for. 

My ultimate dream is to love what I do for a living, to make a difference, to be an example for my children. I never, ever, ever want my little girl to endure some of the things I have, although I can certainly say I am finding the light at the end of the tunnel by learning to channel what I love into a career choice. 

You can, too!

Please feel free to visit my Facebook page for daily fitness and wellness tips, and be sure to message me if you need guidance through fitness--or, of course, if you'd like information on how to become a coach yourself. 

It is not a "job" or a "scheme," but a LIFESTYLE--and one I'm proud to live!

Lindsey.