The benefits of being a Beachbody Coach

Wow!! It's been quite awhile since I last posted. Apologies :)  Instead of going over all the excitement from the past few months (I may delve into this later), I'm going to post about the BENEFITS of being a coach. One thing that I'm always asked when people find out that I'm a fitness coach is, "Does that stuff actually work?? How much weight have you lost?" They're very interested in exact numbers, which I can somewhat understand, but I want people to see that there's so much more than just pounds lost when it comes to one's fitness journey and deciding to become a coach.

So here's a few benefits that I've personally experienced....


1) Confidence
I have SO much more confidence in myself. I now have stronger belief that I can achieve my goals, finish that challenging workout or fitness program, or face whatever hurdle is in front of me (fitness related or not). Before, I was way too insecure or down on myself. I frequently had negative thoughts like, "I can never do that" or "That will never be me" or "Others are just lucky, and I'm not." These workouts and the amazing and inspiring community that is Team Beachbody has taught me that I CAN do whatever I set my mind to, and why shouldn't I be able to? Isn't it at least worth trying?


2) Strength
I have increased physical strength and endurance. I get less winded running up the three floors of my house. I'm able to carry heavier groceries with more ease (20lb kitty litter boxes no longer make me huff and puff!). Since I LOVE to travel, it's also easier for me to carry my luggage around airports and up and down stairs. Not only am I physically stronger, I am MENTALLY stronger. This ties into my increased confidence, since I feel better about myself, I also have more mental resilience. Things that used to bother me or set me back in the past no longer have their powerful hold over me. Granted, I still get my feelings hurt and sometimes dwell too much on negative things, but it happens less frequently. 

3) Discipline
I now know, with 100% confidence, that I will not die if I work up a little sweat or don't eat that piece of chocolate. I'm more disciplined and stay on track more easily (not to say I'm perfect 100% of the time, because that's not true. But much improvement has been made).  Once I learned that being healthy is a LIFESTYLE and not some passing fad or temporary phase, it becomes a priority and a daily thing. I learned that living healthy makes me FEEL better (and stronger and more confident etc...), and this gives me more determination to stay on this path.


4) Happiness
Due to 1-3 above (and I won't lie, #5 below), I am a HAPPIER person. Not only this, but since one major part of coaching is HELPING others, I am able to follow my passion of making a positive difference in the lives of others. And for me, this is where it's at. I love being able to motivate, inspire, and help others achieve their goals (whatever that goal may be). When my coaches and clients "get it," I get chills! It makes me want to cry because I am so happy for them. I personally feel that life has handed me a full bucket of great opportunities and people in my life, and I feel like it's my responsibility to pass that on and help as many other people as possible. Following my passion and dreams makes me a happy girl.


5) Smaller pants
Once I started eating better (and drinking my Shakeology every day vs sporadically) and working out, I noticed the pounds started dropping. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a work in progress (but honestly, who isn't??).  I crunched the numbers today, and I found out that once I was CONSISTENT in these healthy habits, I was able to drop 10 pounds of FAT. When I learned that I could easily pull down most of my pants (fully zipped and buttoned up), I realized that I truly was shrinking and it was time to go shopping! (picture below is SOME of the pants I've had to donate since they passed the "pull down" test!)

6) Fatter bank account
When I first signed up as a coach, I figured it'd be a great way to keep me accountable with my own fitness/nutrition and provide a fabulous path to truly HELP others change their lives (plus, a discount on Shakeology and fitness programs?!? YES please!!). The added bonus is that by doing this, I've been able to help fatten up my bank account. Is there a better "job" than this?! Get paid to help people get healthy, while getting healthy yourself? I can't imagine a better win-win situation!


So those are only a FEW of the benefits I've experienced in my own life from coaching in these few short months. I'm eager to see where else this path will lead me and what else I'll learn about myself in the process! 


Questions or comments about coaching or your own fitness and health? I'm here to help! Feel free to post below or check out www.kimmielong.com. Don't forget to connect with me at www.facebook.com/Kimmie.Long19 

The "After College" Years

So I eventually graduated college one spring, got a job, and moved into a new apartment. I was never really taught how to cook growing up, and it definitely wasn't a skill learned during my college years. I knew the basics of how to boil water and read how much time a frozen dinner had to be microwaved for, but that was pretty much it. I figured that since I work in the health field, I wanted to be the image of health, which (to me) meant being fit and thin. I wasn't really sure how to go about this mission, especially since one of the ladies I worked with would often bake DELICIOUS cakes throughout the week and leave them in the employee lounge. Then after work, I'd be famished from trying to eat minimally at breakfast and lunch, so I'd often drive to the nearest "fast food" type place (ie Qdoba, Jimmy Johns, Chipotle, Panera, etc). Was I telling lies when I said I never ate fast food because the places I went to didn't have a drive-thru? Hmm...

Well, summer came around, and I was feeling pretty bored with my lackluster life. I wasn't sure how to handle all the time on my hands after graduating since I no longer had professional fraternity and social sorority meetings, in addition to all the other clubs and organizations and volunteer work I did as a collegiate. Sure, I had friends and a social life, but it's not like we saw each other every day anymore since we no longer had classes together or lived only a 2 minute walk away from each other. Shopping became an expensive habit. So, I joined a gym near my apartment complex. I was too embarrassed and shy to try to use the weight machines, and I hated treadmills and stair steppers, which means I only used the elliptical (and sometimes the bike). Obviously, doing that for a few months ends up being quite repetitive and BORING. I also came down with a horrible case of bronchitis that fall, and I was left with an awful cough that refused to go away. Do you think I went to the gym while having trouble breathing and feeling sick and tired and coughing 24/7? Uh, that's a big fat NO. So I stopped going to the gym and gave up.

Fast forward a year. A friend and I made plans to go on a cruise. She was way thinner than me and was one of those people I thought was crazy for actually LIKING to work out and go running. I refused to be seen in a bikini next to her unless I had a total body transformation (we even made jokes about wearing modest swimwear in the likes of this: http://www.modestswimwearsolutions.com/swimsuitpictures.htm). Through her co-worker, I was introduced to the idea of a Shakeology cleanse (which we thought would be a great idea to help us lose those last couple pounds and feel confident while sipping drinks poolside). This was my first exposure to a company called Beachbody.

Being the Google-Freak that I am, I immediately went online to learn all that I could about this Shakeology and Beachbody company (Did I want a body that was ready for the beach? Heck yes!). I liked that they were home workout programs and figured that would be ideal for me. I wouldn't be self-conscious about getting all gross and sweaty because I was in the privacy of my own home. I wouldn't care if I couldn't complete the workout or had trouble with moves because there was nobody else to judge me or compete with me. Plus, the Slim in 6 program I purchased promised a great body in only six weeks! (The cruise was about 8 weeks from that point). It was perfect timing!

I completed the program, and I definitely saw a change in my body (was that almost a six-pack shining through?). Unfortunately, as per usual, I didn't work on my diet as much as I worked on my body. So while I saw results, they weren't as dramatic as they could have been had I followed the included diet with the program. But hey, I figured any improvement was better than nothing, so I took it.

After the cruise, there was nothing worth trying to maintain my new body over, so I gave up (again) and stopped working out. I just didn't see the point in getting all sweaty and pushing my body if there wasn't a a superficial reason behind it. Plus, by then it was fall/winter and that means layers and baggier clothes to cover up my wobbly bits. Bad logic? Of course.

Obviously, by this point, I was in a cycle rut. I assumed this would be my unwanted future. Luckily, little did I know, there would be a "Revelation" coming my way :)