You don’t have to be great to get started, but you have to get started to be great! ~ Les Brown

This time last year I remember boarding the Auto Train on our way home from vacation. It was going to be a long journey, 18hrs from Orlando to Virginia, so it gave me lots of time to think and plan for the kids going back to school and the long list of projects I had been putting off. There was a long list of things to do around the house and lots of stuff that the kids and my husband needed, and training and projects to complete for work….and I was exhausted! Not just because we were returning from 9 days at Disney, but because I was just physically and mentally drained! Battling rheumatoid arthritis had taken a toll on me. Although I finally had the disease under control, it had left my body weak, aged, sore and terribly overweight – obese was the term my Dr. used!

As usual, I put myself last. That list was never ending and it was creating stress for me. I was just growing older, becoming more weak, suffering more pain and gaining more weight – and struggling harder and harder to get it all done. No matter how hard I tried, I would always be pecking away at that list, day after day, doing things for everybody except myself. I felt unimportant and miserable. I decided that to take better care of my family, I needed to first take care of myself. For the first time ever I made myself a priority. It was not selfish, it was a necessity. My desire to get healthy and fit became stronger than my excuses.

I put the to do list aside and really started to focus on becoming well. Not about losing weight – but about improving my health and getting fit – there’s a difference. When the goal is to lose weight, we look for a diet. Diets have never worked for me. There’s always a start and an end to a diet. And we all know what happens when you reach the end… those vicious pounds come back, and they bring friends! So my new “self” to do list looked more like this:

Until this point, I made some small steps in the right direction. I enjoyed walking and swimming. I started 21 Day Fix but never completed the program. I eliminated gluten from my diet because it was causing inflammation and triggering my RA. I knew I had to make changes but I just wasn’t consistent and I certainly wasn’t committed to my health. I didn’t have the time, money or the energy for fitness.

I ordered that 21 Day Fix program a couple of months earlier form a girl in Pittsburgh named Melanie Mitro. As the train rolled on, I began reading more about the 21 Day Fix program. I turned to Melanie’s blog “Committed to Getting Fit,” and discovered that the 21 Day Fix program, like all Beachbody programs, followed a proven formula

Fitness + Nutrition + Support = Success. 

The more I learned about Beachbody, the more I became convinced that I needed to follow their proven system and stick to it. I filled out an application that night to join one of Melanie’s challenge groups. I had no idea what it was but it was one of those things that can’t hurt to try. Looking back, it was a good decision. Committing to that first Beachbody program and to that challenge group has led to so many good things in my life. I am mindful about the way I eat, fitness has become something that I enjoy, and I am grateful for the opportunity to pay it forward by helping other people.

Fast forward to today and I look and feel better than I have in a very long time. I mentioned in a Facebook post yesterday that I reached 2 important milestones last week.
#1 is that I am half way to my goal weight!  To me, that number isn’t as important as how much better I feel. There’s no end to this journey. Eating healthy foods and daily fitness are just part of my day and always at the top of my to do list. Being healthier, stronger and having more energy means I can get so much more accomplished. Beachbody fitness programs are not “one size fits all.” The system that worked for me is not the answer for everyone, but having a coach and participating in challenge groups is key to finding your own fit formula. Why? Because everyone chooses the fitness program that they like best. Everyone works out at their own pace and in the comfort of their own home. Everyone is working towards an individual goal. The coaching and online group just offers a support system, accountability and motivation to make sure you finish the program victorious! A coach will help you select a program and fit it into your life the way it works best for you! What I love most about being involved with this company and about Beachbody coaching is the focus Beachbody gives on treating everyone as an individual. Everyone matters, every sweat matters. You are not just a coach or a customer, you are part of a team.