Why I Became A Beachbody Coach

My decision to become a coach was based off an offer for a free t shirt.  I was never part of a team growing up.  I didn't play sports, I didn't seek out group projects.  I had my friends and really didn't see the need to embarrass myself by attempting some sort of physical activity. 

As I got older I continued to avoid team activities because I figured I could do things just as well on my own.  I don't like to depend on people for my own success. 

Then I saw Mindy Hord post an offer for a free Team Relentless T-Shirt when you signed up to be a coach.  I had observed her success, she worked with this great team who really seemed to care about each other.  It made me think maybe being part of a team wouldn't be so bad.  Plus I would get a free shirt.

I was at a place in my life where I finally saw the benefit of a team.

I weighed 227 pounds, the heaviest I had ever been.  I had tried to several times to lose weight on my own and had been unsuccessful.  The idea of having support was appealing, especially because those on the team were not perfect.  They were also a work in progress.

That's why I joined Beachbody but why did I become a coach?  Because....
1) I wanted that T-Shirt
2) I wanted the extra support of all the other coaches
3) I wanted the accountability of choosing to make my journey public
4) The 25% discount was and still is appealing
5) And being able to make extra income by sharing my story and helping others achieve their goals really spoke to me 

Now that I have been a coach for about 5 months I see that all my above reasons are great and totally true and worth it, but the best part is how I am learning to trust.  I am trusting other people.  I am working on my personal development.

And through all that I am building relationships.  I am truly part of a team, I can see the appeal of a team now. 

I am able to help others who have the same struggles that I do.  This truly has been and I believe will continue to be one of the most rewarding opportunities of my life.

If you could relate to anything that I have written I urge you to reach out.  You may not be ready to be a coach, not everyone rushes into things like I do; but you may be ready for the support.  :o)

My Review of the 21 Day Fix

This was me on Day One.  When I put in the first workout I thought that I was going to die.  The workout was hard!  The first move of the first workout kicked my booty, literally, kicked my booty.  

The food part was not as hard as I expected it to be.  I am going to be honest, when I saw the containers I thought for sure I would starve.  The containers are pretty darn small.  But it is fun having these color coded food containers.  

Low and behold though it wasn't so bad....I didn't starve, quite to the contrary.  I was full all day and on some days didn't even eat all my containers.  Who knew that when you ate the right amounts of the right foods you would be full?  Oh, everyone but me?! :o)

The workouts are fun! And I actually looked forward to doing them.  They are 30 minutes so you are done before you really even know you started.  Autumn is also GREAT about saying the right thing at the right time to keep you going.  

Now I am going to be 100% honest.  I am a junk food junkie.  I love chips and dip, candy, processed food.  And I did slip up, my eating was not perfect, but it was a lot better than it has ever been in the past.  

Even with not eating 100% according to the plan I still lost weight, several inches and I feel WAY better than I did before.  I love that I have more energy, I feel lighter, and more toned.  I also feel a lot stronger and that I am capable of more than I was 21 DAYS AGO!  

I would say that this program has really changed my life.  I love it and will continue to incorporate the workouts into my day and I will use these containers probably forever!  

Thank you Autumn for creating this program.  If you have any questions about it or if you think you might want to do it, please let me know.  I would love to help you have these amazing results too! 

My Relationship With Food

When I was young my family did not have a lot of money.  My mom was and still is a master at stretching a dollar.  She can turn $20 into meals for a month.  Her ability never ceases to amaze me.  And the things that she makes are often very healthy. 

You would think that this would have rubbed off on me, nope.  Not even kinda.  I go to the grocery store and my bill is at least $100 and I go home with nothing to eat, and no clue how to make anything out of what I have.  I must say, since starting with Beachbody my eating habits are getting better and my grocery bill is getting lower. 

Prior to Beachbody I was a processed food junkie.  If it had artificial colors and flavors I was eating it.  Some meals when I was in high school were color coded.  I would have nacho cheese Doritos, orange hostess cupcakes, and an orange soda.  Yep, I was a health nut!  In my 20’s I was no better.  I would buy whatever was cheap, easy, and quick.  By the time I thought to eat, I was HUNGRY!  I had to have food NOW!  There was no time to prep or cook.  And heaven forbid I actual plan ahead. 

Now I am able to plan my meals a little bit better, not great but I am making progress.  I am able to at least prep veggies and meat at the beginning of the week and it is ready to do something with when I get hungry.  Having those healthy food options available in the fridge helps me to stay focused on my goal of getting healthy. 

Luckily I wasn’t around my dad long enough to be too affected by his rule of CLEAN YOUR PLATE.  And my mom always taught me that you don’t have to eat everything on your plate.  It is ok to have leftovers.  Unfortunately when I started buying my own food I felt that I needed to eat it all.  I hate having leftovers because I won’t eat them.  I don’t know why but I worry that the food will go bad even if it is in the fridge.  I may forget how long it has been in there and I may get sick.  Crazy, I know. 

But it created in me the need to eat everything that I prepared.  This is not a great thing when you prep a pound of pasta at a time.  I could eat it, and I would eat it.  And then I weighed 227 pounds.  

Now I am using Beachbody’s 21 Day Fix Program that is teaching me about portion control and proper portion size.  The first time I made pasta I was “surprised” to learn that a pound of pasta was not the proper portion.  My little yellow portion control container held much much less.  But guess what? When I paired that with veggies it was enough!  Go figure. 

The moral to the story, no matter what your childhood was like you can change your relationship with food.  I am making changes all the time, mostly for the better.  I fall into old habits sometimes and I have to snap myself back before I go too far down the rabbit hole.  The support that Beachbody and my coach have given me has helped me to learn new habits and gain better control over my eating. 

Take a minute and think about your relationship with food.  What is good about it?  What could use some improvement?  What would you like help changing?  What feels hopeless?  Trust me, I have felt hopeless, but there is always hope.  There is always another chance to make a better choice.  :o) 

Who Do I Think I Am To Help You?

I am a Beachbody Coach and to many that means that I know everything about health and fitness.  That is not the case.  I am not at my goal weight.  I am not a certified trainer (yet).  But I do have a passion for helping people achieve their health and fitness goals. 

I am a regular person.  I don’t have a special back story.  I was never abused as a child, I didn’t grow up thinking I was worthless.  For all intents and purposes I have had a pretty boring life.  Don’t get me wrong, I do of course have my struggles.  I struggle with eating.  I struggle with money.  I struggle with relationships.  But I have found that through my activities as a Beachbody Coach I am beginning to see why I struggle, and a way to make a change.

A huge part of what Beachbody has done for me is make me look at who I am.  How did I get to this place?  I am all about instant gratification.  I want it fast, I want it now.  Whether it is food, clothing, muscles….if I want it, I want it NOW.  I do not mess around thinking about things.  I just act.  In some ways this is good.  Its how I became a coach.  I just said, huh, looks like a good way to be held accountable and to make some money.  I’ll do it!  

Well that got the ball rolling and I found out that yes, I can make money, and yes, I can be held accountable.  But I also learned that there is more to it than that.  I am becoming more self aware and I think, becoming a better person.  Beachbody promotes Personal Development.  It is one of the 3 Vital Behaviors that they suggest each coach participate in.  I have been reading and listening to personal development programs now for a few months and I am learning so much.  

I think that it is making me more attractive to people, and the right kind of people.  I am spending more time with those that lift me up instead of those who bring me down.  So that is who I think I am, I am a REGULAR person who wants to help other REGULAR people be the best version of themselves.  I want to help YOU set, meet, and surpass your goals.  I know you can do it because I am living proof that regular people can do great things.  

5 Things About Me

For those of you that don't know me my name is Joni.  I am 31 years old, almost 32 and I live in a small Northern Californian town.  I love to travel but this is my home.  Here are 5 things that you may or may not know about me....

1.  I am overcoming an irrational fear of Big Spoons.  Not like serving spoons but of the larger of the 2 spoons that comes in the silverware set.

2.  I pretty much ALWAYS have my TV on.  I like to have the noise in the background.  Sometimes I will really watch a show from beginning to end without doing something else at the same time.

3.  I have trouble finishing things that I start....I never thought I had ADD but SQUIRREL!

4.  I love office supplies, I get really excited in a Staples or Office Depot.  Its almost an addiction. 

5.  I love taking photographs and being in nature.  But I am also afraid that I will someday be murdered in the woods.  It makes the being in nature part a bit harder.

Happy Veterans Day

Thank you to all those who have served in our military and those currently serving. No matter how one might feel about our government it is important that we ALWAYS support and respect our troops. Thank you for all that you do!

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