Team Beachbody Guest

I’d always considered myself a healthy person. After my 1st child at 22, I readily ‘snapped’ back. My 2nd child arrived with severe mental and physical disabilities, and my 3rd with Asperger’s Syndrome (high functioning autism). Soon, a 4th came. While my 5th baby kicked inside me, I held the hand of my disabled son as he took his last breaths and died of leukemia. By the time I gave birth to my 6th child, at 32, I had no ‘snap’ left – mentally or physically. My hormone levels were in the toilet, and I began gaining weight. Crushing fatigue and depression brought my life to a grinding halt. I had my 7th child at 35, and hit rock bottom. In spite of all the joyful things that filled my life, I could barely face my days.

The doctors couldn’t explain my condition, but prescribed numerous medications to help with my symptoms. Every day I needed thyroid, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, Wellbutrin, and Adderall just to crawl out of bed. No amount of sleep was ever enough, and I did not have a single dream for 10 years. My body seemed to be aging at a rapid pace. My hair, nails, and skin thinned. My muscles shrivelled. I lost energy, ambition, motivation, and joy - I nearly lost hope.

After years of personal study and tests, I discovered that I did not produce enough stomach acid to digest my food properly - especially proteins. I was so protein deficient that I lacked sufficient amounts of amino acids to make the neurotransmitters required for proper brain function. Without that function, my pituitary was not being sent the signals to stimulate my endocrine system. With time and the right supplements, I finally recovered enough to leave behind my medications. I had dieted off most of the 40+ pounds I’d gained, but my body was a flabby, weak disaster area. I didn’t just lack muscle tone, I lacked muscle PERIOD! I looked alright dressed, but I knew what was lurking underneath. I still felt completely ‘used up’. The energetic, fun side of me seemed dead and gone. I would lie on the couch in the middle of the day, and think, “I’m only in my 40s. I can’t feel this OLD yet!”

I ended up sobbing at the doctor’s office begging for something to help me feel better. She looked at my chart…looked at me…and asked the question I did NOT want to hear…”Are you exercising?” I said I’d been walking. The truth was I’d only gone 4 times in the last month. It wasn’t the kind of exercising she meant, and I knew it. She wrote me a prescription, but I knew it wasn’t going to make me feel the way I wanted to feel – healthy and happy.

On the way home, I had a painful moment of personal honesty, and finally admitted that I hadn’t taken good care of myself in years. Regardless of the progress I had made, my diet was terrible, and I never got any meaningful exercise. I knew if I was not willing to at least try eating healthier and working out, that I was nothing but a whiner. I didn’t like how that felt, and it wasn’t the example I wanted to give my children. I knew I needed to take more responsibility for the things within my control. I made a list – “10 THINGS I AM SICK OF!”: control-top pantyhose, mom butt, flag arms, angling myself in photos, the “pants dance”, cavities, feeling like death on a soda cracker, dropping my kids at the pool without going in, sucking in my gut, and more than anything else, hearing myself COMPLAIN about all of it!

I understood that to regain my youthful shape and metabolism, I had to build back the muscle I had lost due to inactivity, medications, and aging. But summer was coming, and I didn’t want to spend time away from my kids at a gym. Plus, I hated feeling ‘on display’ when I was exercising. That night, I came across the P90X infomercial. It wasn’t the first time I had been impressed by the transformations. I watched Tony and thought, “This man is exactly my age. It must feel great to be that fit.” My former experience with weight training told me the program would work. And, because I have ADD (along with several of my kids) and quickly grow bored with routine, I was attracted to the variety in the workouts. But, the thought of devoting an hour of my day to working out seemed completely unreasonable. I thought “An hour a day? I’m already behind on life. I can’t devote that much time to working out.” Then I realized I was watching the same infomercial for the third time! I could not deny that if I had time for that, I had time to devote to my own fitness. I ordered P90X, joined the Beachbody.com website, and took photos.

The ironic thing is that even though I now spend more than an hour a day working out, I still get more done, because I feel so much better and have so much more energy. I haven’t lost anything by devoting time to fitness – I’ve actually gained!

I’ll admit that on the day I put in that first DVD and pushed ‘Play’, I began to seriously question my own judgment! I could only lift myself a few pitiful inches on the pull-up bar, and I managed some pathetic push-ups on my knees. It was an astonishing display of athletic ineptitude! But I knew any program that didn’t challenge me, wouldn’t give me dramatic results. I kept logging in to WOWY and pushing ‘Play.’

After trying to diet ‘my way’ (aka ‘the wrong way’) and bonking a few too many times, I learned to eat a healthier more balanced diet. As I asked my body to perform and build muscle, it asked me for better foods with which to fuel itself. I came to the realization that I’d been treating the wonderful body that had given me seven beautiful children as if it were my enemy. For years, my poor body had been struggling to cope while I fed it on a steady diet of garbage food and inactivity. I had been blaming my body for my misery, when the blame was largely my own. I suddenly felt sorry for my body as if it had been someone else, and I felt ashamed for how irresponsibly I had treated it. As I began to listen to my body, changing my diet became a natural transition, instead of feeling like a punishment. The better I treated it, the better I felt. I finally learned to do my part.

Now in my 3rd round of P90X, I’m in the absolute best shape of my life. My body is lean, muscular, and limber. My husband shakes his head in happy disbelief when he looks at me.

I cannot remember the last time in my life that I felt this good. And that is really the best part. I found the fun part of me again! I want to hike in the mountains with my husband, and jump on the trampoline with my kids. I want to play with my family again. It had been so long, that I’d forgotten how wonderful that felt. It’s really nice looking good. But do you know what’s even better? Feeling good. I finally have the strength and energy to be the active wife and mother I want to be. I have a smile on my face for my family again. In the end, THAT is the best thing getting fit has done for me…the real “X” in P90X.

Before P90X, I could not imagine ever enjoying exercising again in my life. Now, I cannot imagine ever enjoying my life without exercising again. Funny how that sneaks up on you. I’m coaching others to help them accomplish what I have, because this feeling is too good not to share! And that prescription I got? I framed it. It hangs on my wall to remind me of what I’ve accomplished, and the responsibility I have to treat my body like the precious gift that it is.

If you're finally ready to have the healthy and fit body you've always wanted, I'd love to help you make that happen. If you click the "Join Team Beachbody" button at the top of my page, you can become a member of this site and get me as your personal coach. Please don't wait any longer. Every day is a gift and an opportunity to move one step closer to your dreams. Take that first big step today toward a healthier and happier life. We're all here to help, and you CAN do it! : )

Coach Michele/0007kids
0007kids@gmail.com


lds New Mexico Ritter Michelle