About the Journey

I've always wanted to write a blog, but was worried I didn't have the time to keep it updated or that no one would be interested. Really, they were excuses.

But all that has changed. 

When I started this journey and later became a coach, I found that others were genuinely interested in what I had to say because I've been through it. I've pushed my mind and body in ways I never thought I would, and am proof that these programs work! I have a totally awesome (yes, I grew up in the 80's) coach myself and wanted to pay that forward by helping other people along their path to getting healthy.  

I frequently get asked questions about getting started, challenge groups, 21 Day Fix, Shakeology, recipes and all things Beachbody. 

So I thought, "well the universe is sending you a sign, start the blog already. Tell the people what they want to know." 

Then a good friend told me that it was part of my life's plan...so, well here I am.

So, how did you get here, you ask?

Or maybe you didn't, but if you're gonna check out this blog, you're should probably know a little bit about what led me here.

I've been on this roller coaster ride to get fit for some time now. As a kid, I was a string bean. Like really. So naturally thin that my bones popped out of my skin in places. And I was always tall. Tallest girl in my class. Sometimes the tallest person in my class until about the 6th grade.  

I peaked out at about 5' 7", was no longer boney, still thin, but took on some of my mom's curves. I was blessed with a high metabolism, I guess, because I didn't do anything to stay in shape. I just was. 

I never exercised on purpose, was never a part of organized sports and definitely didn't watch what I ate. My parents enjoyed food, including the infamous "pogey bate" (that's what my ex-Marine dad used to call junk food) and they passed that yumminess down to me :-) As a kid, I spent a lot of time outdoors. So I was active without trying to be.

THEN, I got an office job during my senior year in high school, went to college and have pretty much worked full time in an office setting ever since.  

I started slowly gaining weight after about a year of sitting behind a desk because I was't active, still ate whatever I wanted, and didn't go out of my way to find things to do that involved speeding up my metabolism. 

As a matter of fact, I didn't even really realize that I should be. My parents never really stressed the importance of exercise and getting fit wasn't necessarily the "movement" it is today. 

I got married in my mid-20's, had a baby at 30 and gained a TON of weight. All during my 20's & early 30's, I flip-flopped between fad diets, never really exercised at any consistent rate and never really lost the weight after I was pregnant.

Then, my mom died and my whole world came crashing down. I was 32. I became a totally different person, and not in a good way. Mom died from congestive heart failure and other heart-related complications. And even though I was in a complete fog the year after she died, I finally realized I needed to do something about my weight...not only for me, but for my little daughter who was only 16 months old at the time.

I managed to lose about 50 lbs, again fad dieting...and slowly, but surely gained it back. 

Fast forward to Feb 2016.

I had once again let the weight creep up. I wasn't feeling great physically or fitting into my clothes, which took it's toll mentally. I had seen numerous commercials and social media posts about 21 Day Fix, but I found excuse after excuse NOT to do it. Until one day my Facebook friend was tagged by her Beachbody coach for all of the fab progress she had made on 21 Day Fix. It was like the final straw that got me off of my butt.

I sent my friend a message, asked her some questions about the program and her coach and decided to contact Julianna Dill (totally awesome coach mentioned above). That call truly changed my entire life. I jumped in, joined a challenge group and never looked back. 

Since I started 21DF, I've completely changed my mind, body and spirit...honestly and truthfully. I learned about portion control. I learned about preservatives and that just because things are labeled "healthy" for you, doesn't always mean that they are. Some contain things that can't be processed by your body, so it just stays there...and you gain fat, among other health-related issues. 

I learned that discipline gets you through the days when you don't feel like working out or eating right, and trust me, we all still have those days. I started to look for ways to be active during vacations and completely rethought the food I offered at family gatherings and parties. I learned to plan ahead in order to stay on track. 

As I embraced this program and educated myself through the help of my fit family challenge group, my coach, Beachbody Blogs, Pinterest, and even Autumn Calabrese herself, I began to see that a healthy lifestyle doesn't mean I have to deprive myself or stop "living." And I've even enjoyed cooking more, finding ways to "clean up" everyday recipes and making time to workout.

It's all about that balance.

The bottom line here, friends, is that I'm living proof that a cleaner, healthier lifestyle works. And you don't have to cut out everything you love in order to make it work. Life's too short to deprive yourself. Make good choices 90% of the time and the other 10% won't totally deter you.

I'll leave you with a quote from Autumn during a number of the workouts..."Don't wish for it, work for it!" You get out of it, what you put into it.

And if you made it this far down the page without falling asleep...THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for sticking it out. :-)

21 Day Fix - Here's the Skinny

The 21 Day Fix program was created by trainer, Autumn Calabrese, and features an eating plan and a 30-minute-a-day workout regimen. It's name is based on the principle that it takes 21 days to alter habits, but you can do it for as long as you need to reach your goals. 

It teaches you about portion control using color-coded containers, clean eating and learning to be disciplined about working out. But that's not to say it's rigid. 

One of the main reasons I like 21 Day Fix, and recommend it to people just starting out, is because it can be tailored to just about anyone's lifestyle. I mean, you can still drink wine and eat chocolate (within moderation) which are HUGE wins in my book :P.

Here's what you get:

• Consists of workout DVDs (A different workout for each day of the week + 1 bonus workout + a 10-min Ab workout)

• Eating Plan Booklet

• Color-Coded Portion-Controlled Containers

• 30 Days Free Beachbody On Demand (allows you online access to the workout videos, eating plan, at least one video of the other Beachbody programs to try them out and many other fun things)

Workouts

• Workouts are only 30 minute workouts every day of the week which includes warm up and cool down

• You'll workout all 7 days

• They are easy to follow, yet still challenge you, no matter your fitness level

• You only need 2 sets of dumbbells (one light and one heavy - whatever weight your comfortable starting with...Target and Walmart sell them pretty cheaply) + a yoga mat, which is optional

• There's a person named Kat in every workout that shows you how to modify every move you do. Kat can be a savor when you first start out, lol, and even still after you've been doing it awhile

• Your butt/legs will be sore the first week (like hard to sit on the potty sore), but by week 2, your body seems to adjust

Eating Plan

• Built around the portion-controlled containers and clean eating principles, limiting processed foods

• The guide walks you through it step-by-step, telling you what types of food you can include for each container

• Easy to adapt when going to restaurants and when traveling

• Allows for treats (including wine and chocolate) and cheat meals

• The keys to staying on track with the program are planning and prepping, even if you're only doing it for the next day (I typically plan my entire week worth of meals and prep work-week breakfast, lunch and snacks on Sunday. But that's just what works for me. Others do theirs the day before)
• Another must is...engaging your coach! Thats what we're here for!!!
• There's a free iPhone/Android App that helps you keep track of the different containers you're eating every day

Beachbody on Demand (BOD)

• Allows you to access the workouts and eating plan booklet for the program that you purchased online which is perfect for traveling. If you have an iPhone/iPad, you can even download the app

• Allows you access to at least one video from the other Beachbody workout programs, so you can try them out before you buy them and there's always a workout of the day from the different trainers

• Autumn now has a new cooking show called FIXATE , where she walks through different recipes, but the first few videos go into more detail about the portion-controlled containers and how to use them. She also goes into some detail about raiding your pantry and prepping. The FIXATE cooking show is exclusively available on BOD

• If you want to check out FIXATE (or any of the workout programs on Beachbody on Demand) to learn more before you buy anything, you can create a Club Team Beachbody Membership account for 30 days. After 30 days, you'll be billed quarterly, unless you cancel it. Once you create your account, click on Beachbody on Demand in the left hand navigation. Sign in using the Club Membership credentials you just created

Shakeology

Along with 21 Day Fix, I also drink Shakeology. Its not something you have to do in order to be successful with this program. In fact, I didn't do it for the first month, because I was skeptical of all things shakes. Plus, let's face it, it seems expensive. 

Over the course of the month, I learned more and talked to my coach and people in my challenge group, then decided to give it a try. I realized that it equates to about $4 a day and actually saw my grocery bill decrease. I also learned about ways that I could defray the monthly cost. 

I haven't looked back...

I'll be writing more about Shakeology in the coming weeks, but you can learn more in the meantime and definitely reach out to me if you're interested in trying it or have questions!

Challenge/Accountability Groups

You'll hear these referred to in both ways. They are basically the same thing. A coach or group of coaches in the same line, use secret Facebook groups to connect people doing Beachbody programs. 

Secret means the only people that can see your posts are the people that have been added by a coach to the secret group. These posts will not appear on your personal Facebook page.

We share ideas/recipes, encourage each other and reach out when we're struggling. Being a part of a challenge group is totally optional. As a "challenger" you absolutely DO NOT have to post at all, but it's highly recommend that you at least be a silent observer. 

These groups are so inspiring that you may find yourself posting even if you didn't think you would! They can really help you stay on track and are designed to motivate and inspire. Sometimes just knowing you have people out there that are doing this with you makes all the difference.

Ready to Sign Up for 21 Day Fix?

You can purchase 21 Day Fix + Shakeology together or just the 21 Day Fix program. 

Don't think 21 Day Fix is right for you? 

No problem. Check out all of what Beachbody has to offer for any fitness level and preference. 

Still not sure? 

I'll be happy to answer any questions you have or help you determine what works best for you. Send me a message using the contact form to the right!

This Blog: Real Talk

So now that you're here, reading this, and I've told you more about me and what led me here (see post About the Journey), you might want to know more about what else you can expect from this blog:

1. I'm keeping it real over here. Everything that I'll write about is straight from my life's adventures and what I've seen work for others. So you may not always agree or may have had a different experience. And that's ok. That's the beauty of this crazy life...we're all different and have a lot to share with the world. I'd love to hear your perspective as well!
2. Hi, I'm Leah and I'm human. Which means I make mistakes, have bad days, succeed, accomplish goals and fall down just like everyone else (well, I might "fall down" physically more than most people, but that's because I'm clumsy and is another story entirely). And I plan to write about that. So you get to hear the good, the bad and the ugly. :-) Feeling lucky, right?
3. There may not be a consistent cadence to when I post. I'll try, but as I've mentioned before, I'm a full-time working mom and wife with a busy schedule (like pretty much every other person you know) and sometimes life just gets in the way.
4. You'll likely find grammar mistakes, punctuation errors, run-on sentences and the like. As much as I try to proofread and make sure that everything presented to you is of the most-perfect, the reality is I'm not perfect and I'm constantly on-the-go. See #'s 2 & 3
5. There will be a hodge podge of different stuff. Along with writing about my journey, I'll post recipes (usually developed by someone else), tips for getting started/staying on track/eating out at restaurants/vacationing/meal planning & prep...basically anything and everything that comes up. There are certain things the people starting out want to know, and you'll find that here. There are things that folks doing it awhile want to know...you'll find that here too. And if you have questions, you can always reach out to me and I'll help you through it. Then, it will likely end up here as a post so others can benefit.

I'd love to hear from you. 

• Ask me questions...because you're likely having the same question as another person out there.
• Tell me what you like and don't like about this blog or want to know more about. All I ask is that your comments are constructive. There's enough negativity out there, let's be kind to one another.
• Tell me what's worked for you. Again, this is all from my experience. Share something fabulous that you're doing.

Hopefully, you find this as a useful tool as you go along your journey, but at the very least, you'll know that there is a whole community of people that are right there with you, having the same questions, looking for new ideas and trying different things.