Hunched over with my hands firmly placed on my knees, sweat dripping off my face and trying desperately to catch my breathe, I noticed the tears of joy and accomplishment streaming down my face. I couldn’t believe it was over. I couldn’t believe I completed it. That! That right there – that’s when it all sunk in. I DID IT!! I FLIPPING DID IT!

In the beginning I thought it would take FOREVER. But it didn’t. It flew by. I thought it would be hard. I was right, it was! I thought I wouldn’t keep up, but I did-most days. I started out as a beginner again as I have so many times before. I was very weary of starting over. But this time, every day, without fail, I showed up. I did it for myself. I did it for my family. I did it because I really needed to. I did it because I found myself in a place mentally, physically, and spiritually I never wanted or desired to be. I earnestly wanted to believe in myself and my body again as I had lost all hope in both.

In late November 2020 I received a call from my daughter, Tosha, saying how she joined an online fitness group called Beachbody a few months earlier and was really loving it. My first thought was, “Good for you!” Those groups are not for me, never have been, never will be. I’ve “tried” them before and have failed every time.”

Tosha continued to share about her success thus far and I immediately took notice of her tone and the excitement in her voice and thought, “Hmmm, maybe there is something to this after all.” You see Tosha had her second baby in May and wanted to lose those post pregnancy pounds and thought she’d give Beachbody a shot. She clearly was having great success, had now bonded with the girls in the group, and recently decided to become a Beachbody Coach herself. I had noticed not only the physical changes in Tosha prior to her call, but her overall countenance, confidence, and zest for life was at an all time high and I was simply blown away by that.

I was so happy for her and thought how great it must be to be part of a community, but I had convinced myself the only people in those groups are young and fit and I no longer identify with either of those categories. 🤪 At the end of our conversation she asked me if I would like to join her group for the month of December and try a free bootcamp. My heart was a full on “YES!” in support of her and her coaching but my mind was a full on “NOOOOO!” because I didn’t believe it would change anything for me.

At the time of our call I was 53 years old, post menopausal, exhausted ALL THE TIME, lugging around an extra 30 pounds that I had gained effortlessly after turning 50 with no hope of it ever coming off despite being active. I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and SIBO which has proven to be challenging at best. My mental state and emotional state had both gone in the tank and my physical self, well, that was at the very bottom of that tank. All of it was ugly and all I wanted to do was absolutely nothing – which is not like me. I knew I was in a bad spot and needed to get to the root of all of this, but it was like walking uphill in cement shoes every single day and I simply lost hope of anything ever changing.

Ultimately I signed up for the December bootcamp. I began working out reluctantly, but consistently. I started tracking my food, taking before and after pics posting them every week, weighing myself daily, taking my measurements regularly, and posting #SweatySelfies. All of which are EXTREMELY out of my comfort zone. It was very overwhelming at first and I felt like I was drowning in all things Beachbody. As I continued on, it got easier and I quickly realized I was not only having fun and enjoying it, but started to CRAVE all the things! The women in the group weren’t there to criticize, but rather to encourage, support, and cheer each other on! We were all in this quest for better health together and it no longer mattered how much older I was than most of the ladies, if I were in “great shape” or not, or how well I did my workout that day. What did matter was that I showed up, remained consistent, and did the work. As the December boot camp started to wind down, I noticed something.

CHANGES!!

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-changes! (insert David Bowie song here lol)

Yep! That’s right!! Changes! And lots of them! Changes in my body AND my mindset.  They were small subtle changes, but nonetheless they were changes for the positive! YAY! Finally!

One morning I hopped on the scale and was astounded! IT MOVED!! I even moved the scale around the bathroom a couple of times because I thought it was wrong. 🤣. I have not seen the scale budge in over three years unless it was going up. I was in shock and disbelief! Even though I could actually SEE the progress I still had moments of wondering if this was really going to work long-term.

During the last week of our December bootcamp, Tosha mentioned she and a few other coaches were starting a new bootcamp in January using the newest Beachbody workout called, “Nine Week Control Freak” (#9WCF). This time I didn’t hesitate. I immediately said, “YESSSS!” Tosha laughed and walked me through the process of getting signed up and my equipment ordered so it would arrive on time.

Start date for the new program was set – January 4, 2021. I COULDN’T WAIT! I was like a little kid at Christmas time just counting the days until the BIG day – LOL!! I was all in 100% , no wavering, no more excuses!!

We started #9WCF on January 4, 2021 and ended March 6, 2021. 

I was overwhelmed with emotion because deep down I knew this wasn’t going to be a quick fix but instead it was going to be a process. A process I chose to embrace with everything I had – no matter what. I made my mind up that I would show up and finish this thing to the end. The workouts were tough and hard as hell some days. There were a few times the workout would kick my tail and ended with me in tears because my body hurt or my mental energy was spent, and sometimes simply because I couldn’t believe I actually did what the “pros” did. Then on other days I would be so pumped because the workout was so satisfying and made me feel accomplished like I could do anything I set my mind to. The support and accountability I received from my group was the ultimate game changer for me. Daily and weekly check-in’s made all the difference in the world. The very thing that I did not wanna do and that I was dragging my heels on in December was the very thing I looked forward to every day in January and still do today.

My victories over those nine weeks seem to be endless. I lost 12 pounds and 8.75 inches overall. Say…whaaaat?

• 

I still can’t believe it! Truth be told, I still move the scale around the bathroom “just in case” because I can’t believe something finally got that extra “fluff” to budge. While that “something” was that fact that I showed up and did the work, the bigger “something” was the shift in my mindset. My mindset HAD to change in order for me to experience real change; not only in the area of fitness, but in all areas of my life.

Let me repeat that, my mindset HAD to change!!

As I pushed play every day it was as if both my mind and body were in complete sync and things seemed to come together all at the same time. As my body got stronger, so did my mind. My NSV’s (non-scale victory) surpassed my scale victory’s by a long ways. I got my joy back, my body got stronger, I moved up in free weights, and I began to sleep better and feel better overall. My consistency with exercise catapulted a change in the kitchen as well while learning to navigate through celiac disease and now SIBO. Now, I no longer dread eating because I began to look at the foods I COULD eat and how I can use them as fuel for my body rather than just shoving anything down the hatch and, fingers crossed, hoping it won’t tick off my gut. That opened the door to something I really enjoy and that is cooking!

All of this has definitely been a process. I think its safe to assume most people don’t like going through process. I know I don’t. We like the beginning or the end, but not too thrilled about the the middle part. It was so nice to know I wasn’t going through this alone. My coach and daughter, Tosha, was there every step of the way. She is amazing! Tosha has encouraged me and helped me maneuver through all of my dietary and gut health issues, flare ups, trial and error with my nutrition even though it was all new to her, she was willing to jump in with both feet ready to help. Her support on both the hard days and good days didn’t go unnoticed. We have made sure to find something to celebrate every single day even when it doesn’t appear that there is anything to celebrate. Her patience with me while learning how to use the Beachbody program was stellar and it had to be frustrating for her, but again, she jumped in and walked me through it all and now I can do that without help lol – well mostly! My husband was and still is my number one fan and had an abundance of encouragement for me every single day. I soaked it ALL up and used his words to fuel my workouts and squelch any temptations I might have had with my nutrition. He believes in me and makes sure I know it – like REALLY know it. He is always eager to hear all about my workouts and happily listens to every detail. That unconditional love and support is something I will never take for granted. What a gift!! My daughter-in-law, Ashley, also joined us and she, too, was a wealth of support for this old girl. She was on the ready with suggestions or would offer other approaches to things that otherwise might have proven to be a road block for me. I am grateful for all her support as well!

I hope my little story of how these last few months have changed my life encourages you and inspires you to go straight at those things that might feel too hard or seem unattainable. You’re not too old, you’re not too young, you’re not too fat, too this or too that, life is about the process; not the destination.

YOU ARE YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM. YOU ARE YOUR BEST SOLUTION! So it’s up to YOU to choose which side of the coin you are on. – Autumn Calabrese

My Beachbody journey doesn’t stop here. I have started another round of #9WCF and will continue to embrace this process as it is now a lifestyle and if feels ahhhmazing.

If you would like to hear more about Tosha’s story or are interested in finding a Beachbody coach, check out Tosha’s Instagram: Instagram://toshahenderson

And don’t forget: YOU CAN DO HARD THINGS!