LONG POST AHEAD, but I’ve been encouraged to share things about myself that others may not know. I’m turning my “mess” into my “message”. Most people who “know” me, I’m sure, assume I’ve always been a lucky person, had life made, and seem to have it all together. My “mess” began shortly after getting married and moving to Johnson. Having grown up in Wichita and having been a “city girl” my whole life, being in Johnson was a completely different world for me. In Wichita, I went to school full time, worked full time, and thrived on being busy. I was always surrounded by people and never liked sitting around. Once we moved to Johnson, I was 9 months pregnant and immediately “thrown” into Mommy mode. I began to experience emotions and behaviors I had never experienced before. One, country life was WAY different than city life. Two, I went from having all my friends in Wichita, to no friends in Johnson. And lastly, I went from having my family, to no family. (I did have my in-laws which was a saving grace, but it didn’t replace my feelings of being home-sick and being 4 hours away from my family). Keegan is a farmer, as most of you know, and his job requires him to work MANY hours. I was completely unprepared for how lonely the transition was going to be. Even though I was blessed to not have to work, I found myself holed up at home with babies, never really getting out and making friends. This transition went from one extreme to the other. I became lonely, depressed, and began dealing with anxiety. I found myself becoming an emotional eater. I’d eat when I was sad, I’d eat when I was happy. I’d eat when I was lonely, I’d eat to celebrate being around other people. Food would make me feel better, but then I’d feel guilty for being a “glutton”. I started exercising off and on simply to give me something to do, but never really got anywhere with it. Fast forward a few years and I finally got a job as a preschool teacher once my first 2 girls were a little older. I loved it! Even though working with children was stressful at times, I felt like I was doing something important and I was making something of myself. That job lasted 2 years and ended when we were expecting our 3rd child. Once again, I went back to being a stay-at-home Mom and this time around things were a little better. I was adjusting to living in Johnson, and could finally consider it HOME! However, I noticed anxiety returning, and bad eating habits coming back. But this time, there were MAJOR self-esteem issues popping up as well. I would get angry when Keegan got to hang out with friends, because I was tied down with kids and unable to go out. I began to inwardly see myself as a nobody. On top of it all, I began having health issues – IBS, constant nausea, panic attacks, and always exhausted. I kept thinking “God, when is it MY time? I’ve given all my time to my kids and my husband, I constantly feel sick, when is it MY time? When will I feel happy, feel healthy, feel NORMAL?”. I started exercising again hoping that maybe it would get my body back to normal. I always heard exercising increases dopamine, so maybe that would make me happy. Exercise can help ease symptoms of IBS, so maybe I would feel better everyday. I started eating better, sticking to exercise, and running 5K’s. I was feeling better, as well as losing some “Mommy weight”. Yay!!! BUT (there’s always a ‘But” when things start going good!)…I started having some heart palpitations, shortness of breath, dizziness, and exhaustion, among other symptoms. I went to the doctor, had some scans, and waited. During that waiting period, my Mom was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. She had a double mastectomy, and while I was caring for her post surgery in Wichita, I got the call saying they found a possible abnormality with my aortic heart valve. REALLY?? What’s next? Long story short, I went to a cardiologist, and I was experiencing Vasovagal symptoms unrelated to my aortic valve. (At this point in time, there are no concerns with it, but it will have to be dealt with later on in my life.) With just having gone through this and my Mom’s breast cancer ordeal, I decided I really need to focus on my body, and getting myself healthy. My Mom was such a BIG influence in deciding to start eating clean and getting back on track. I went on to figure out I had gluten sensitivities, which I believe it what caused all those “IBS” symptoms in the past. I started eating a Paleo diet this past March, and since then I’ve had almost no stomach issues! I was also starting to differentiate between hunger and my “emotional eating”. I was realizing that I had turned to carbs (mostly filled with gluten) when I was needing comfort, but those foods were the ones making me feel worse! I began losing weight as well once I started eating clean, and really got back into exercising to aid in the physical changes I was seeing. I was liking the new me, and my husband was noticing too. He wanted to get in on this! He suggested the T-25 program we both had seen advertised. I remembered seeing a friend of mine on Facebook, who was a Beachbody coach, talk about it. We let a couple weeks go by, but I started “stalking” this friend’s page and seeing how much she loved being a coach. It’s like a light bulb went off in my head. I was like hey, I could do this – I could share my journey of changing to clean eating and how it helped change my life! So I signed up as a coach and my husband and I started T-25. We also started drinking Shakeology! We were hooked on this healthy living and exercising. We felt amazing! I then decided I wanted to take it to the next level, and start prepping for a bodybuilding bikini competition. I am now currently 4 weeks away from my first show!! I tell you all this for one purpose. I had a journey. I wasn’t always the “poster child” of health and fitness (I’m still not haha). We all have obstacles to overcome. Since becoming a coach, I have begun building relationships with people that I never had a chance to do earlier in my life. I have made so many friends with fellow coaches within the Beachbody family who encourage me and understand my journey. I love that not every coach out there is perfect. They all have their struggles, and turn to other coaches for advice/help. I love that there are many coaches still on a weight loss journey of their own, and sharing that journey with their customers too. Perfection isn’t required in this business and it’s fantastic!! Since becoming a coach, I am more confident, and more excited about where my future is taking me. Other than my children and husband, this is the first time in many years I have put my heart and soul into something, and loved every minute of it! I don’t wake up dreading my day and the tasks set ahead of me. I wake up every day hoping to see a new friend request or a new customer alert on my coach page. Why? Because it’s one more chance for me to help change someone else’s life. To help guide them and show them there are options out there to help you start feeling better. What I love about Beachbody is it’s not all about the sale. They truly are about relationships – taking people to the next level with their health and fitness. I encourage you to watch this clip I posted. This is Carl Daikeler, the CEO of Beachbody, sharing just yesterday at a Leadership conference about his goals for the rest of this year into next year. He truly has a passion for people, as does this company. If you have any questions about coaching, contact me! It has been one of the best decisions of my life, and I know you would feel the same way!
Posted on: Sun, 21 Sep 2014 22:09:18 +0000