About Me

In 2007, I wanted to get in shape and I saw these infomercials for Turbo Jam. I tried them and I loved the workouts. I felt better than ever, and I lost about 20 lbs.

In fall 2009 after giving birth to my second child, I was about 50 lbs overweight. I contacted Mindy Lawhorne from the Turbo Jam viedos in November. I asked her a bunch of questions about how tall she was and her before and after weight. It turned out that she was the same height as me, and her before weight was the same as me. She was always so nice and encouraging. I was impressed by her personality and inner strength, and thought that I would become a Beachbody coach to get a discount on this new drink called Shakeology.

But I didn't do my research, and I was a working mom that was very overwhelmed with a new baby and a very busy full time job. One of the biggest regrets now is that I gave up after just one month, when I got my first charge for the business fee for being a coach. I thought that being a Beachbody coach was a scam. When I told Mindy that I was going to quit, she told me that she was sorry to see me go, and one thing she said to me that stood out was that I should "Never give up on yourself." I tearfully did quit, and always thought of her for the last few years.

I never did give up on myself, and since then I have tried many other ways to lose weight. I signed up for a "Biggest Loser" weight loss challenge group through a friend that is a personal trainer in Jan-May 2011. I did try to workout and eat right though, and lost about 10 lbs. What I gained from that experience was that I could do more, and I was determined to lose more and try harder. It was the beginning of my experience that fitness could be fun. I am forever grateful to my friends at Denali Fitness for helping me start my journey.

So later that year in July 2011, I ended up getting pregnant unexpectedly and eventually had a very rough miscarriage that landed me in the ER. I was wiped out from August 2011 to October 2011 from the bleeding, which lasted two whole months after the miscarriage. It really threw me off, and I felt so tired for a very long time. I pretty much bled from the whole time I was pregnant, then had a very big miscarriage and bled from August to October 2011. I hated feeling so weak and tired. I couldn't wait to get back to working out.

In January 2012 I decided to join Weight Watchers online. I was able to lose about 16 lbs from that. Unfortunately April 2012 began a long and stressful period at work, and I wasn't able to keep up with working out or tracking WW until after the end of October 2012. So in mid November 2012, I found Mindy Lawhorne on Facebook and asked her to send me a sample of Shakeology.

I tried the vegan chocolate for the first time, and in her packet that she sent me, she put in a $300 savings plan which showed how I could save $300 by becoming a Beachbody coach. I scanned the internet, and found a couple of Beachbody coaches that had become successful. I was especially inspired by coaches Denise Rodriguez, Mindy Wender, Sarah Failla, and Rochelle Griffin. I saw a little bit of myself in each of them. I decided to become a coach so I could hold myself accountable for losing weight, save money on Shakeology, and also to help push myself with my longtime goal of becoming a TurboKick instructor.

I decided to take the plunge, and on December 1, 2012 I placed my order for a Slim in 6 Challenge Pack and became a coach with Mindy Lawhorne as my sponsor (which was free with a challenge pack). Although I didn't fall in love with Slim in 6, I did fall in love with Shakeology and how it gave me energy I hadn't felt in years. I went back to Turbo Jam, and did that for awhile. Now I have moved up to Turbo Fire, and have been doing that for 8 weeks now. I love it so much. It really is my soul mate workout.  I am now an emerald coach and part of the Platinum Presenters branch of Beachbody.

I have gone from a 14/16 pants in December 2012 to a size 10 pants today, in March 2013. Most of my size 10 pants are falling off of me now. So I am excited to shop for size 8 pants very soon! I notice a big difference since I've been drinking Shakeology. I don't feel famished all the time, and I feel so much energy now. I don't crave sweets, and can make it at holiday parties without eating two of everything on the dessert table. Friday afternoons were a stressful time for me at work, cramming to get everything done. So I would get candy and eat several bags of candy. Not anymore. Every morning at my old job, I would get a danish. Not anymore. I can't stand donuts anymore. So strange for me, the (former) sweet tooth.

I also started back on Weight Watchers, because I found that to be the best plan to help me track my food. Since I was already familiar with the points plus system, it works for me to think of things as points instead of calories. Also I love to eat fruit, so this plan lets me eat fruit and it doesn't count against me.

As a new coach, I have also been participating in personal development challenge groups. I recently registered to become certified in PiYo (Pilates/Yoga) and TurboKick. So I will be completing the PiYo in April, and TurboKick in May. TurboKick and PiYo are part of Chalene Johnson's programs that she made. Turbo Jam comes from Turbo Kick. Powder Blue Productions, Chalene's company recently merged with Beachbody. So there will be more connections being made there soon. It will be a great way to keep me accountable, and also help me make money by teaching at the local gyms.

I love Chalene's book called Push. I have been reading it since January 2013. It really has changed my life.

I'm going to be posting (much shorter posts) on a regular basis on this blog. Anything from inspiring quotes, pictures, recipes and my weight loss progress...

If you are interested in more info about Shakeology, Beachbody products or becoming a coach, there are several links on the left side of this blog. Thanks for reading, and I'm looking forward to hearing from you too.