"This is real life" - Shaun T.
I've been part of this fitness community for quite some time and I used to think of it as just a great way to get some kick ass workouts in the comfort of my own home. Back in the day, I was very overweight, didn't enjoy group classes and being in the gym was almost painful for me because I thought that everyone was judging me (self-obsessed much?). I would go in wearing the loosest and most nondescript clothing I could find, walk on the treadmill for a bit, do some 'weights' and then leave, hoping that nobody had even noticed I was there. I am naturally a very social person and enjoy being around other people and I would hide this insecurity very well from those closest to me. But that's how I went through my life - pulling my clothes away from my body, lest anyone see how fat I was, sitting with something like a cushion or coat across my stomach, lest anyone see the rolls. I did what I could do to make my body invisible and so developed a way with people that made them feel comfortable being around me because I was all about them! Looking back on that, I feel so sad for that girl.
In strides Shaun T and 'Insanity'. I remember having an episode of insomnia (I've suffered with this for a long long time) and sitting up at 3am watching those infomercials on the telly. Up pops the Insanity promo and, for whatever reason, I was hooked! I saw these regular people on the screen being led, motivated, pushed, encouraged by this (beautiful) man and the things he was saying made me feel as if I could do it too! So, I ordered my Insanity DVD and, about a week later, got to work.
That was honestly the hardest thing I have ever put my body and mind through! I struggled, I fought, I cried, I wanted to quit (so many times) but I completed the program, actually going through it 3 times, and lost the remainder of the weight I had been struggling to lose. I was down 92lbs and I have had so much respect and appreciation for Shaun T ever since! I could never have believed that I would be here now, the strongest and fittest version of me that has ever walked this earth, a fitness coach whose business revolves around helping people get success in their health and fitness journeys using workout programs in the same way I used Insanity. I feel such a desire to be a true partner to my clients so that they can get what I got - a truly life changing experience. It's so amazing to me how things go full circle like that!
So, fast forward to today and, having completed Day 6 "Speed 4.0" of the Shaun Week event, I am feeling so happy, so excited, so inspired, so tired! Yes, the workout was incredible (it really was - watch the video!) but it's so much more than just a workout. This journey stopped being just about getting healthier and fitter a long time ago. For me, it's about being the best version of myself that I can possibly be. And not only for me; for my husband, my family, my friends, my clients and fellow coaches, the people that follow my story on social media. If I can be a good example and inspire even one person to go take positive action for themselves in their lives, I consider that a huge win.
The lessons you learn when you commit to getting through a tough workout are the lessons that stick. When you have to find something within yourself to not give up and to stay the course and to continue to take these committed actions every single day. And to do this is to find success that applies to any and every aspect of your life
It's not just about fitness, it's real life.
