Team Beachbody Guest

As I look back over the last four years, I am really amazed at the twists and turns my life has taken and where I am today. I am a mother of three great little boys, all under the age of 3 and I have a wonderful husband and family that I'm very proud of, something I appreciate more as each day passes. However, I still found myself really insecure and unhappy.

While my friends were doing the college thing, I had fast forwarded from a carefree teenager to a life of family responsibility, and somewhere along the way, I lost myself. A large part of the problem was all the weight I had gained during those pregnancies. I felt fat, sloppy and forgotten. One night, while I was up late feeding my son, I saw a commercial on TV for Slim in Six and decided to order it. The next morning I was kicking myself for getting sucked in by an infomercial. But when the videos came, I figured that I had 30 days to return them (because I was sure that they wouldn’t work!) and so with nothing to lose, I gave it a shot. But in the next six weeks, I felt like I had started living again. From there I went on to Power 90 and lost over 50 lbs on those two programs alone!

I was so proud of the progress I had made. I lost a lot of the old, dead worn out baggage along with that fat and was beginning to see a beautiful person hiding underneath it all. Desperation had pushed me from behind and hope was pulling me forward. I realized then that I had completed a goal and needed to set another one. After my third son was born, I started P90X. I had lost the weight and now I needed to tone my body. P90X took my fitness to a whole new level.

My confidence has gone beyond just knowing that I'm in the best shape of my life, it has given me the courage to take some exciting steps toward a career in fitness. I live on a farm in rural Pennsylvania, and in my first week of starting an exercise class in my home, more than 18 people signed up ! They are so excited and admire what I have accomplished. More importantly, I have given them hope.

But even with confidence, there are still things out of my control. This past year I lost my dear grandfather to cancer. In the past, I would have distracted myself with food and bad habits, but instead, I used my new fitness to raise money for others who are fighting cancer. In memory of my grandfather, I entered a triathlon and raised money for a good cause. But just 2 months before the event I had the worst injury of my life. One doctor said that I needed surgery because I had torn 8 muscles away from the back of my leg. Doing a triathlon, or any exercise for that matter, would be out of the question. But "second opinions" later, there was a chance that I could avoid surgery! A local physical therapist and I went to work to teach the muscles to move again as my leg began to heal. We started with only 6 weeks left and no guarantees that I would be ready for the triathlon. The week before the race was the first time that I was allowed to jog on a treadmill, but for only a mile and with a lot of pain. Everyone told me to just forget it, but I kept thinking how tough my grandfather was when fighting cancer. With that and my new confidence I was going to do this! Surrounded by family and friends cheering for me every step of the way I completed the whole course!

It scares me now when I look back and realize that it would have been so easy to miss all of this and just continue to let myself go. I know now that it’s not just about looking good. It’s about giving myself permission to be happy! I carry myself differently now and I often find myself smiling for no reason. Regaining my sense of self-worth has made me feel beautiful on the inside. That is obviously starting to show on the outside because it is something that even a 3 old is able to see!