Sometimes life hands you these crystalized moments. Moments that you’ll remember forever and know exactly what you were doing/eating/wearing/listening to when….
For me, the first time I learned of Beachbody wasn’t one of those moments. I vaguely remember being on FB reading something about my friend loving her Beachbody workouts or something along those lines. It was nearing summer, so I just thought she was referring to working out to get ready for a summer trip to the beach. At some point, I started asking questions about this whole Beachbody thing and the conversations started.
A few FB conversations later, I was beginning to hear a little voice in my head encouraging me to get more involved. Do a Challenge Group. Get the Shakeology. An army of excuses and I politely told that little voice to buzz off. It was too expensive. I wasn’t an “at home business” kind of person. I don’t have a lot of weight to lose. I was going to be away for two back to back vacations--surely that wouldn’t be compatible with a program like this.
Then one day, I had it…the crystalizing moment. Getting ready for work, I put on a pair of black linen pants and looked in the mirror. I was really disappointed. I had had it. I was done saying that I didn’t need to lose that much weight or I’m not too bad. Enough of that; I was disappointed and knew I could—and SHOULD-- be better. Weight loss doesn’t have to mean you have 50 pounds to lose; it could be as little as 5-10 pounds that would make a big difference. That day, I finally acknowledged the little voice in my head, dismissed the army of excuses, and reached out to my friend—and she became my Coach.
It wasn’t quite so instant. Several more FB conversations later, I was finally on board (God bless my Coach’s patience and persistence). Together, we addressed my hesitations-- a mix of uncertainty about the expense and being afraid that I wouldn’t stick with the workouts because they were done at home. At home…you know, where everything else that distracts you is? Then, another crystalizing moment: If it was that easy to ignore them, (smack forehead here) then it’d be equally easy not to ignore them. And so it began!
I committed to a Challenge Group that was starting on August 6 and realized the 90 Day mark would coincide with my Heart Walk. How’s that for timing!? I won’t lie; it made me a little nervous, but I hit the ORDER NOW button and knew there was no going back. I completed my “Getting to Know you” document for the group and ordered my Challenge Pack—I chose TurboFire as my first workout. At the suggestion of my Coach, I registered as a Coach myself at this time. “I’m only doing this to get the discount,” I convinced myself. I chuckled at her insinuation that I’d be Coaching one day. Really? Me? Little did I know….
Before long, my materials had arrived and I was eagerly pouring through all of them. I reluctantly took my before measurements and pictures; a very sobering experience, framed beautifully by my Coach: “These are your goodbye pictures,” she said! That was all it took to see them differently. I set my goals—not entirely sure what was realistic or “acceptable” and gave myself a pep talk.
The night before the first day of our Challenge my Coach posted a motivational message that delivered; I was fired up. Her faith in me, her firsthand success and her support were palpable. It was, indeed, go time.
I can’t tell you that I remember Days 1-30 with stunning clarity. But what I can tell you is that I was faithful to my workouts, active in the group and never short on questions for my Coach. I really liked the workouts from the beginning; Chalene is fun, funny and so uplifting. The daily posts from the leader of our Challenge Group and check-ins from my Coach, other ladies in the group and myself made all the difference. I was no longer in this alone; I had a real support group waiting to comment on my post or give me a virtual high five for pushing through a particularly tough workout. What’s more, I found that by being the one giving the high fives, I was helping myself in the process.
I struggled a bit with the Clean Eating piece, so I modified. I drank my Shake daily and really worked to improve my food choices. Pasta became a once a month option rather than once a week. Garlic bread was replaced with extra salad and I really made a conscious effort to drink more water---something I always thought I did well until I really paid attention to it. I wasn’t hell-bent on trying to look like Chalene overnight---or ever, for that matter---so I did what worked for me and helped me achieve my goals.
My Day 30 pictures and measurements weren’t all that substantial in their difference from day 1, but then I had (yep, you guessed it) another crystalizing moment. I started to realize that I was gaining far more than I was losing; not weight, but confidence. Pride. Happiness. Don’t misunderstand; I was all of those things before, but they were somehow more noteworthy now. And I knew my body was changing; the number on the scale is just that—a number. It’s not the defining characteristic of anyone. We are measured by far more than our weight—or at least we should be.
Just before I hit the 60 day mark, I checked off one of my biggest goals on my list; I ran the Great Race. Every step. I ran every step. This was like fuel to a fire; I couldn’t believe it. When I crossed the finish line, I was laughing and crying all at the same time. I didn’t achieve my goal time, but I didn’t even care; I didn’t walk a single step. I firmly believe it was my workouts that gave me the stamina, endurance and belief to make it happen. Coupled with great running partners and the incredible support from the Challenge Group, I made it!
I took a few days off to let my legs recover---they gave me no choice! They were whooped!---then got right back to TurboFire. I had a few days here and there that I wasn’t at my best, or I missed a workout that was scheduled. It happens. One of the biggest differences I experienced with this group was that I learned to let go of the shame and frustration. Miss a workout, sure, that stinks. Beat yourself up over it for days, that stinks more---and gets you nowhere. I learned to be nicer to myself and to be more flexible. That doesn’t mean that I let myself off the hook or took it easy; there’s a difference. I got better at understanding that sometimes a sick kid, a hellish commute that takes every last shred of patience and energy or a screaming headache that Advil won’t even touch will be what derails your day’s best laid plans. Chalk it up to a miss and rededicate yourself the next day. Make a Shake and curl up with your favorite old afghan; do what you need to do to get your mind right and attack the next day, determined to be your best.
Even as our group began to lose members and the boards grew quiet, I grew more determined to be a voice in the discussion. I figured that our leader wasn’t giving up on me; I wasn’t quitting on her. And then, another crystalizing moment; it wasn’t about keeping up with/for our leader, but it was about being the best Amy I could be. I was becoming a better Mom and wife in the process, too.
By Day 60, I was seeing real results. Numbers were changing and so was my body. I could tell a difference, and so could others. I began to see my body differently. I talked about my experience and signed up two ladies to start a Challenge Group. And while it sounds terribly cliché, it really did happen “just like that.” Once they signed on, I freaked out a little and went to my Coach…my superhero….for guidance She helped me get the girls all situated and agreed to host the Challenge Group, inviting me to be as involved as I wanted to be. I could hardly believe that a few offhand comments here and there were enough to interest and persuade two people to get on this ride with me. Imagine what I could do if I was armed with more information and a laser-like focus!?
As the countdown to Day 90 grew closer, things at work got even more ridiculous. There were long days, late nights, demanding clients and looming deadlines and goals. I felt like a contestant on WipeOut, being pummeled with obstacles as I navigated a challenge course. And now I had two ladies “depending” on me to boot. This was serious. I buckled down, gritted my teeth and refocused my energies on finishing what I started. And I remembered a quote I had read once; “The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it.” If I could succeed during this hectic time, I’d be set!!
At the end of my 90 days, I was shocked to see the results. Those pictures I didn’t want to take on Day 1? They were a fantastic measure of my progress. Better than I had imagined. I’m still a work in progress, and really hope I always will be. We can always get better in some way, right? Beyond the physical, it was the emotional and the mental results that I had achieved that inspired me. I began slowly letting go of the guilty feelings I had about putting me first now and then—I embraced that. I encouraged my daughter to workout with me; it’s terribly adorable to watch her little arms “reach and pull” and there’s not much cuter than hearing her repeat commands or sing the songs from the workouts. I stopped waiting for my husband to encourage me to work out; I just went and did it. I started thinking in new ways and found out that I was capable of more than I thought I was. I even had people tell me I inspired them. What? Me? Surely that can’t be right.
But it is. I know at least one person who I inspired; me! I’m proud of what I’ve done and excited about what’s next. I now know that I can do this and I want to help others as well. I’m humbled by the varying ways we can do that; we all have our own ways of reaching and influencing people. My approach may not be yours and vice versa, but we do what works for us. And all the while, we have people cheering us on, celebrating our successes and picking us up when we need a lift.
My final crystalizing moment of this phase of the journey came on Day 90. As I stood on an empty street outside of Heinz Field, where hours before, 10,000 people had been gathered for the Heart Walk, I realized that I am already a coach. I’m already doing all of the things we need to do—motivate people who aren’t truly accountable to you, inspire them to set big goals with solid plans to achieve them, remind them why they’re doing this in moments when that’s hard to call to mind, and celebrate with them when they succeed. This is what I do at work every day; if I can combine that with Beachbody training, I can only imagine greater success on both fronts.
I’m Amy Rayman. I’m a Wife, a Mom, a fulltime employee and I completed a 90 Day TurboFire Challenge during a very busy time in my professional life. I lost over 10 pounds and 11 inches so far I’ve gained a desire to help others achieve the goals they’ve set for themselves.
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