I was a multi-sport athlete during high school and college. Throughout those years as an athlete, I was good enough to make the team but never the best athlete on the team. And truth be told, that reality was just fine with me. I simply loved the community that fitness provided!

My love for community within the world of fitness led me to step FAR outside my comfort zone to be a Beachbody health coach. I have been using this program consistently for nearly two years, and this program works! It is not a quick solution. It is not a diet. And it is not easy. But here is what Beachbody IS:

It is simple. It is sustainable. It is efficient. It is flexible. And it is effective.

Those five components of the Beachbody program have been essential to me during this phase of my life. Here is the story of my Beachbody journey . . .

I did my first Beachbody program in 2011 following the birth of our second daughter. I was desperately trying to figure out how to balance being a full-time wife and mother, a part-time physical therapist, and a fitness enthusiast. Home fitness videos, which in full disclosure I shamefully copied from a friend, were the solution. But the lengthy time commitment required to complete the workouts proved to be tricky with an infant and toddler to care for, a part time job, and all of the other necessary evils that come with being a responsible adult. I made it through the 90 day video program, successfully  lost my remaining 15 lbs. of baby weight, and then promptly returned to primarily just running to stay in shape. I repeated a similar postpartum return to running following the birth of our third child in 2013. But it was after the birth of our fourth child in 2014 that I discovered I needed a different approach. Re-enter Beachbody.

I had been pregnant or nursing almost continuously since November 2008! It was March 20015. I was 4 months postpartum, and I had the same stubborn 15 lbs. of baby weight to lose. AGAIN! For the fourth time in five years! Maintaining a traditional marathon training schedule was impossible with four children and a husband who was in the midst of a very demanding surgical residency training program. I was in my early 30s and experiencing more aches, pains, and limitations that come with being a sleep-deprived, under-fueled, and overcommitted wife, mother, and friend.

My first Beachbody purchase was the 21 Day Fix Extreme challenge pack. I repeated this program four times in the span of five months. I paired these daily workouts with my very trimmed down marathon training program and found that despite running only 2x/week I was still running stronger and faster. Beachbody’s strength training program, which incorporated stretching, dynamic balance activities, and rest, was proving to be effective.

Beachbody’s nutritional guide provided the tools and knowledge necessary to properly fuel my body. The training in portion control, emphasis on balanced nutrition, inclusion of healthy fats and proteins, and shift in perspective to viewing food as fuel were game-changers. I now eat to promote optimal physical function so that I can attend to the day-to-day demands of being a wife, mother, and friend with more energy. I have been consistently, albeit not perfectly, incorporating these skills for nearly two years not only for myself but also for my family.

Included in the Beachbody nutrition program is their trademark Shakeolgoy, and in full disclosure I was not initially sold on Shakeology. I tend to be a skeptic, and therefore I promptly canceled my automatic monthly renewal shortly after I purchased my first challenge pack. However, after a few months of not having access to this “daily dose of dense nutrition,” I came to the realization that this product was very helpful in my chaotic life, and I missed it. So after ordering my second challenge pack I did not cancel my monthly renewal and continue to utilize this nutrient dense smoothie to fuel my body on a daily basis.

It wasn’t until my second year of using Beachbody that I fully engaged and joined an on-line challenge group. I found great joy and encouragement through striving alongside other women to achieve our individual fitness and health goals, all of which were vastly different in range and scope since we each had our own stories, experiences, beliefs, and circumstances that informed our health journey. The accountability, understanding, and encouragement that I found through this fitness community was outstanding. I had spent the first year of my Beachbody journey going it alone. Yes, I lost weight. Yes, I lost inches off my chest, waist, arms, and thighs. Yes, I improved my strength. Yes, I improved my race pace. But I truly didn’t thrive until I committed to recurring challenge groups. It was in these online groups that I found a community of ladies who were “in the trenches” with me. And this community is what inspired me to take a leap of faith to transition into being a health coach.

So now that you know my personal experience with Beachbody, what have been my actual results? Where is the objective evidence that Beach Body delivers on its mission to “help people achieve their goals and enjoy a healthy, fulfilling life”?

I lost the last 17 lbs. of baby weight.

I lost inches . . . 10.25 to be exact.

And I achieved a life goal that I set when I started running marathons back in 2004 . . . I qualified for the Boston Marathon after shaving over 16 minutes off my previous marathon time. My inaugural Boston Marathon is scheduled for Monday, April 17, 2017!

Beachbody has delivered a program that is simple, sustainable, efficient, flexible, and effective.

It has been simple, although not easy or without sacrifice or periods of poor execution, to incorporate Beachbody into my day-to-day life. It has been sustainable in that I am still actively participating in challenge groups, implementing the nutrition skills included in the program, and completing a workout 5-6x/week through Beachbody On Demand. It has been efficient as I am able to get in a great workout at home in a mere 20 – 45 minutes/day. It has been flexible, offering a vast library of fitness options to choose from, all of which I am able to complete at a time that is convenient with my ever-changing daily schedule. And it has been effective as I met various health and fitness goals as noted above.

Most importantly this Beachbody journey has provided community . . . a  diverse community of ladies who share a goal to be a more healthy version of themselves. I believe that as image bearers of God we are created to live in community and that through community there is joy to be found. My prayer is that “Simply-Katie” can be a community where you can come as you are, knowing that you are deeply loved and of great value as we together achieve healthier lives.