My Journey - From the start

Hooray! I finally got my blog up and running. This had been on my to-do list for several weeks and I just didn't know where to start, but after several viruses (from trying to download free templates), a nap, and a couple hours of playing around with designs, I finally got something that looks cute!

So my first post - it should obviously be about ME and MY fitness journey... That's why you're here right? I'll eventually get this in video form but here it is for now :)

Let's start in 2006. I found this picture of me (on the left) from a cruise we took at the beginning of that year. I was TINY! I even had visible abs for goodness sake. I danced in high school which kept me active but being skinny was just natural for me. I could eat anything I wanted, not exercise (outside of dancing), and I was skinny. Not too skinny, but just right. When people say, "yeah I wish I could get my high school body back", this is what I think of!

Fast forward a few months and that body didn't last for long. The summer of 2006 I started drinking and partying, but what really took a toll on my body was birth control pills. My butt grew, my hips widened, and my abs were no more. Was I fat? No, not at all. But my "extra curricular activities" definitely took a toll on my little body. I don't have any pictures of 2007 when we went to Hawaii, but I remember feeling huge. My self-esteem was not great on that trip. 

2008 Senior Trip - I had a lost a few pounds since I gave up drinking that year. Feeling back to normal and had a blast on a cruise with my girls Hannah and Brittany. 

Then came college. Mom refers to my first semester as the "party semester", and it was. Lot's of going out, road trips to Oklahoma, college cafeteria food, and the "Freshman 10" (for me, anyways). I remember eating sugary cereal for almost every meal and getting ice cream at least once a day. Once again, another toll on my body. The pictures below were taken on Spring Break 2009 (I really like cruises, can you tell?!) I remember feeling extremely self-conscious about my stomach this trip. Did it stop me from drinking and eating more ice cream? Of course not! Ugh I just cringe looking at these. 

Moving on...From 2009 to 2012 I hung out with a certain group of people. These people went out on Friday night, went out on Saturday night, and usually had a Sunday Funday as well. Lots of drinking, lots of eating out, and lots of unhealthy-ness. This was also a period of time where my work/school schedule was hectic. I would go to class in the morning and finish by 10:30am, but wouldn't have to be at work until 12:30 or 1:00pm. Almost every single day I would drive to McDonalds, eat a sausage McMuffin, drink a caramel frappe, and take a nap in my car. Not only was I eating terribly, but I would be so fatigued that I couldn't make it through the day without a nap! Then I would go to work at Bank of America where I would drink at least one can of Coke and eat donuts. I'm sure my body hated me these years! But honestly, it didn't take as big a toll on the outside as it probably did on the inside.

Time for another cruise picture...January 2012. How is my body? Outside...not bad. Inside...still feeding it crap and ingesting tons of alcohol (as you can see, I'm double-fisting strawberry margaritas).

Spring of 2012 I graduated college. Before, I had worked at a bank and was on my feet all day, now I was sitting all day at a desk job, had stopped dancing, and was getting absolutely no physical activity whatsoever. Throughout 2013 I would eat fast food at least 4 times a week. Lot of frozen pizzas, pizza rolls, frozen Stouffer's meals, and frozen burritos caked in sour cream as well. SO UNHEALTHY! A busy work life and a lazy home life - that was just life. 

FINALLY! January 2014 rolls around. I make a New Year's Resolution to take care of myself, physically, financially, and mentally. I was going to get in shape, start eating healthier, take better care of my teeth and get them fixed, find some hobbies, and get serious about saving money. Great plan, I know, but I had NO idea where to start with any of it! I hated going to gym because I would have no idea what to do when I got there. I had tons of workouts pinned on Pinterest but can anyone really get motivated to do those? I was struggling. Then, along came Raina! Raina was the wife of the older brother of a kid I went to middle school with....I didn't know her, but I knew that she was FIT and posted about it on Facebook constantly. I has seen her posts for several months but finally decided to reach out to her and ask about Shakeology. I ordered some samples, found what I liked, and eventually committed to her "New YOU Resolution" Challenge Group. I paid $180 for Shakeology and P90X3. Yes, that $180 changed my life. 

I rocked that 30 day challenge group and got these results: 

I had lost 1 inch around my waist, 2 inches around my hips, and 1 inch around each thigh. HALLELUJAH! I had finally found a program that I could stick with. There wasn't any question about what I was going to eat that day or what workout I was going to do. It was all laid out for me and I absolutely rocked it. Beachbody became a huge part of my life at this point...After the 30 days I decided to become a coach. I loved the products, I loved the way I was feeling, and I loved the group support I received in the challenge group. I knew I wanted to continue on with this lifestyle and I knew I wanted to help others achieve their goals as well. And remember that resolution about saving money? Yeah, I could knock that out too with this opportunity. I was just SO excited to get started. Through coach training I continued to rock Phase Two of P90X3 and got even better results.

Shakeology every day, clean eating, and P90X3. $180 investment and I had my body back! Once again, I kept on going...

I never calculated my body fat, but I know I lost a good percentage. 7 pounds down and tons of muscle gained. I actually have biceps now! It's fun to have muscle. It's fun to do things with your body that you never thought possible (like effortlessly lifting a 45 pound weight up to your chest to put it on the bar, and then proceed to squat with it). But for me it's more than just how my body LOOKS...it's how I FEEL. I wake up every morning refreshed. I have enough energy to last throughout the day and evening. I'm in the habit of eating clean foods and actually crave my Shakeology each day. I actually WANT to workout and feel lazy if I sit on the coach for too long. This has become part of my lifestyle and it's here to stay!! I am doing a second round of P90X3 combined with additional weights at the gym starting next Monday. I'm already in the best shape of my life, but I can't wait to see my next "after" picture. It's going to be good :)