When I look back on my health and fitness journey and see all the times that I called myself fat when I was no where close to being over weight. It’s funny how easy we are to criticize ourselves when it comes to our bodies. I was what I like to refer to as skinny fat, thinking because I had a chicken sandwich from McDonald’s with lettuce that it was a healthy choice and would get me results. Grabbing healthy choice lunches and eating 2-3 of them because they were healthy for me. The truth is my fitness journey didn’t begin until well after I had my third and final baby. Even then it wasn’t what I would call a journey, more like dipping my toes in, hoping I would lose the extra weight that I had put on.

My husband and I started going to the local gym a few nights a week and I would walk the treadmill or peddle a bike all while reading the latest magazine that was lying around. After I got bored with that I started going to a few of the classes they held and although I loved the group workouts I hated the “group”!! I went by myself and stood in the back, tried to fit in, but  always ended up feeling like a loser because I wasn’t part of the group. It began to cause more anxiety going to classes than getting any benefit out of the group so I eventually quit.

So began my journey into trying everything under the sun, low carb, no carb, detoxes that sent me running to the bathroom, hours and hours at the gym, pills, home made concoctions to “melt” the fat away, wraps, and starving myself, all to get the same results…..nothing sustainable.

It would be years before I went back to a gym and then it was only because I ‘d found a friend to workout with. By this time I had gained probably 20-30 pounds and knew that I needed to do something. The pictures were all the proof I needed that my resources weren’t getting me results.

This began another step in my journey. There were boot camps, 10 day challenges, and going to the gym to try out different classes. It was great and it was fun. I finally had someone to work out with and was learning to eat better and was starting to see results and then the friendship went south. This left me with no one to go to the gym with. I tried to go to the gym alone, but the anxiety was honestly too much to handle so I quit. There was no way I could be that girl in the back again, alone and by herself, so I had to find something else to do.

I needed a change

One night I came across an ad online offering an at home workout program that offered a group, a community, support and guidance. I was interested but not wanting anyone to know I needed weight loss help I sent this coach a message asking for more information. After talking to my husband, I signed up to be in her boot camp and it gave me a community of ladies to workout with. Even though we each did the workouts separately in our own home checking in daily with the group made me feel like part of a group again and I once I started getting results I was hooked.

 I was ready for more

It wasn’t long after that first initial message with my coach that I decided I wanted to join another community and that what made me become a coach. I wanted to spread the message that there were fitness programs out there for those of us terrified of being the losers in the back of the gym and were content to work on their abs in the comfort of their own homes while having a virtual family that inspires them everyday to keep striving to be their best. I’m still on my own fitness journey and loving every minute of it. I’ve learned so much about myself and love to inspire other women to get started on their own journeys and motivate them along the way.