Let me start by saying I'm not big on New Year's resolutions. I never have been. I generally fall victim to the standard stereotype - I make a resolution, I follow through for anywhere from a week to a month or two, and then I fall off the bandwagon. Then I beat myself up about it for a while, forget, and make the same mistake the next year. So it's been a long time since I made a New Year's resolution.
That changed this year. To be perfectly honest, 2014 was one of the hardest years of my life. Some really amazing things happened, but there were also a lot of bad things too. I hit rough patches all year - in my work life, in my personal life, in my health. Since coming back to Disney, I've gained about 25 pounds. I told myself I would get back to my goal weight in 2014. I tried to get back on the wagon with Weight Watchers and I failed. I tried to get back to running regularly and I failed. I tried new workout programs, DVDs, and protein shakes. And with every single try, I failed.
I'd love to say that 2015 started and everything immediately changed, but to be honest, the first week or two of January 2015 were just as bad as 2014. Jamie tried to tell me that we just had to get through the last of bad stuff, but I felt like the year was doomed right off the bat. Turns out Jamie was right (don't tell him) because January 2015 was actually the start of some great things.
I broke my vow to not make New Year's resolutions. I did make some resolutions this year. I made them quietly, in my head, and did not share them right away. But now that I'm making progress on them, I feel like it's okay to let them out. So here goes nothing.
My Resolutions for 2015
1. To get back into the health and fitness industry.
2. To become a Les Mills instructor (especially for BodyJam).
3. To get back to my goal weight and help others do the same.
When I made this list, my idea of getting back into the health and fitness industry and help people reach their weight loss goals was going back to Weight Watchers. I have missed being a Weight Watchers Leader so much for the past few years and I was set on getting back to it. But the reality is, a lot of things need to happen in order for me to be a Leader again. I need to get back to my own goal weight first, which will take months of hard work - it's work I'm ready to do, but it's not easy, and it won't happen overnight. Plus, it would mean needing to find a Weight Watchers center that needs Leaders, and making those meetings work with my ever changing schedule with Disney. That's an obstacle that is much harder to overcome than my weight because it's something I don't really have control over.
Meanwhile, something came onto my radar that I was very intrigued by: a Beachbody program called 21 Day Fix. The program combines 30 minute daily workouts with a simple nutrition plan centered around clean eating. And when I say simple, I mean simple. The nutrition plan comes with color coded containers for different food groups (green for veggies, purple for fruits, etc.) and guidelines on what goes into each container. Once you understand what food goes in what container, the premise is easy: if it fits into the container, you can eat it. The 21 days is so that the workouts and the clean eating become a habit. It's not a cleanse, it's not a crazy crash diet, it's not one of those things that makes you cry and binge eat cake later.
I wanted to try it. I wanted 21 days of easy nutrition and short, doable workouts. What I really wanted was 21 days of results - something I hadn't been seeing in months of half assed running and sometimes kinda showing up to the gym.
What I got was even more than that.
I decided that if I was going to resolve to get back to my goal weight this year, that I needed to go all in. So not only did I buy 21 Day Fix, but I bought the Challenge Pack for 21 Day Fix, which combined the workouts and nutrition plan with Shakeology, a superfood shake created by Beachbody. I've wanted to try Shakeology for years and could never get over the sticker shock of it being $130 for a month. Then I realized that my Dunkin' Donuts budget was more than $130 a month. Well, damn. That's sobering. So I quit Dunkin' Donuts (I'm so sorry, DD) and bought Shakeology. And I didn't just buy the Challenge Pack. I made a decision that I have been toying with for years.
I've already met my New Year's Resolution to get back into the health and fitness industry and to help people lose weight. I'm now officially a Beachbody Coach.
Was this a tough decision to come to? Absolutely. I have known a lot of Coaches over the years who are like pushy car salesmen. I don't want to be a pushy car salesmen. But I've also known Coaches (like my personal Coach) who aren't pushy. They're caring. They're supportive. They're encouraging. And THAT is the kind of Coach that I wanted to be.
I miss being a Weight Watchers Leader so much, but with my schedule and current location, it isn't feasible. I want to become a fitness instructor, but I'm still a work in progress. Beachbody lets me coach while still being a work in progress. In fact, I think it makes me a better Coach because let's face it, I'm not perfect - you all know that. I've got pounds to lose and bad habits to break out of. But I'd love to lose those pounds and break those habits with people I love by my side, and I'd love to help those people do the same. So if you're interested in joining me, in making 2015 the year that you see progress - please reach out. If you're not interested, don't worry - this blog will have Beachbody stuff added to it, but it will also still be filled with running, sarcasm, and silly pictures. But get ready for some serious progress pictures too. 2015 WILL be my year!
