How do I motivate myself to workout and why Beachbody?

This morning as I was sitting on my patio doing my daily devotion and having some quiet God time, I got to thinking about why I'm doing this thing called Beachbody and I felt compelled to share it.

Do I workout because I love it? Absolutely not. I've been a sporadic exerciser all my adult life (I was not into sports as a kid but I did take dance classes for many years). I would start exercising because I felt fat or lazy. Then I'd start to feel good again and quit for a while until I felt fat and lazy again. I did better when I had a daily routine that didn't allow for deviation from my getting to the gym every day. One chink in that routine and I'd fall off the wagon. Maybe you can relate?

When I was younger, I never had to worry about it too much. If I started to put on weight, inevitably, something would happen to stress me out, I'd stop eating and lose the weight. Yeah, I don't eat when I'm super stressed. So, a break up with a guy, job troubles, etc meant I could take off those 5 lbs fast. In fact, when I met my husband I was probably at my lowest weight since college but I didn't lose it by doing anything healthy. Then I got married. My husband is a big guy and likes to eat. He likes to order appetizers and drink beer. I tried to keep up with him. Bad idea!

Would I rather sit on the couch, watch TV, drink beer and eat french fries than work out? You bet! And I'd do that. The first picture below is me after such a season (July 2012). I was at my heaviest, going on 140 lbs. You may be thinking, you were not fat. True. But I was heavy for me (and that dress was sucking things in like you wouldn't believe) and I felt like a whale. I didn't even want to weight myself so I don't really know my exact weight when I started my diet. You can see it in my face (I have a picture somewhere that it's even more obvious but I can't seem to find it right now).

Feel like you can't start? The hardest part is making the first move. When my husband and I and one of our friends started talking one night about how we all needed to lose weight, we made a bet. We each had our goals and whoever didn't make their goal had to buy dinner for the others. Yes, I know, food as a reward, probably not the smartest idea.

However, it motivated all of us and we ALL hit our goals. How did I do it? Working out every day and counting every calorie that went into my mouth. I lost 20 lbs in 3 months. The second picture is me after that, at my skinniest in years.

After working really hard to lose that weight, I got tired and lazy again and stopped being so consistent. I gained back about 10 lbs and that's where I sit today. I realized that while my weight loss was effective, it wasn't super healthy. Yes, I was counting calories but I wasn't watching the kind of things I was eating. Since then, I've learned so much more about processed, sugar/sodium filled foods that may be low in calorie but are not good for your body.

I find it hard to watch what I eat enough to lose weight. I like food. I like food that's bad for me. But I like food that's good for me too. Over the last few years I make so many healthier choices but I also go out to eat too much. I know that and it's a bit of a trade off for me. But, I want to look good in my bathing suit, I want to wear shorts without showing off my cottage cheese legs and I want to wear sleeveless tops and not worry about my arm fat waiving in the wind.

A couple of years ago, I finally decided to give this beachbody thing a try. I'd heard people talk about P90X and Insanity and I could never make a 60 or 90 day commitment to working out every day. Who has time for that? Not with a full time job and a family. Then I heard about T25 - 25 minutes a day. Hmm...maybe I could do that. So I gathered up a couple of friends and asked them to do it with me. They all said yes but I'm the only one who ever did the program. Luckily, my Beachbody Coach, was running a challenge/accountability group and I was part of that. Knowing I had to report every day whether I did my workout or not definitely kept me going. I didn't want to be a quitter. 60 days of T25 and I had the best calf muscles of my life and I was able to run a 5k without stopping (No, I never trained with any running). Wow!

I was hooked on this Beachbody thing. So I decided to try a different program with P90X3 (30 minutes per day). Also loved it. However, I wasn't part of an accountability group this time. I finished the program but wasn't as motivated to keep going at the end. I felt like I was in good shape so it was ok to slack off a little bit. Well, a little bit turned into 8 months of inactivity. All that progress I made was lost. How depressing!

The longer you go, the more excuses you make about being too busy, too tired, too out of shape to start. The hardest part is just starting. I knew I needed something to motivate me that was bigger than me. For me, that was becoming a Beachbody coach. If being in a challenge group motivated me, just imagine how motivated I'd be if I had to inspire and motivate others. So, I took the plunge and purchased the 21 Day Fix challenge pack and signed up as a coach.

Not only has it motivated me to work out every day but drinking Shakeology every day has CHANGED HOW I EAT. I'm fueling my body with good stuff and it craves more. I eat so much less junk now and I don't even want it. Shakeology also gives me more energy and it's having other great effects like improving my skin.

So, do I love working out now? Nope! Don't get my wrong. I love how I feel when I'm doing and I love the benefits but during the workout, it can be torture. But, most days it's 30 minutes or less and I don't have to leave the house. I can do anything for 30 minutes and it's easy to fit into my day no matter how busy it is or how tired I am. Plus, I am inspired by the other Beachbody coaches I've come to meet since I signed on. I've never been part of such a positive, motivating and encouraging work environment and it's so refreshing. I hope I inspire a few of you every day. That, and motivating and encouraging my challenge groups is what keeps me going and pushing play every day.