Where do I even start?

Where do I even start? I have asked myself this over and over through the years. I think everyone asks how to start or where to start when they want to embark on something new. I have tried to start something new more than I can count on one hand, eek, maybe more than I can count on both hands, but that's not why I am here today. Let me tell you a story of who I was when I took control and who I am now and where I am going.

Just over a year ago I decided to make a change. I took a leap and decided to try and change my life. I failed! I failed miserably. I ordered a fitness program with shakes that I hated. The shakes kept coming and I would drink them upon occassion but the fitness program and I didn't really mesh well. I was a bigger gal than I am now and moving like that didn't happen easily. A couple of months later I got sick and ended up spending some nights in the hospital. It was there that I decided that I needed to make some major changes in my life. I was really unhappy with who I had become. I didn't want to be this huge woman who hated herself anymore. I had dieted over and over and over and over and failed.

When I was released from the hospital I went home and decided to try again. PiYo and I started to get along more and I started blending my shakes daily with fruit, kale, and water. By February I had lost about 15 pounds. That's not a ton but it was a start in the right direction. I knew PiYo wasn't my soulmate workout and I really needed help in the nutrition area. So I ordered the 21 Day Fix. Right before the Fix arrived, I had another round of pnumonia in early February and it really took control of my body. I couldn't eat or drink hardly anything. If it hadn't been for Shakeology and water I don't know if I would have made it through as well as I did. Even my doctors agreed that those daily shakes helped get me through those days when I was sick. It was a very difficult time and I felt like it was taking forever for me to recover. By late February I was finally able to get going again though. All I can say is thank goodness for Shakeology!!!

Hello containers!!! I was skeptical to say the least because I had tried other programs that were based on weighing foods or counting points or calories. And really, how the hell was I going to eat THAT much food every single day? I did it. I modified the workouts and I measured my food using the containers and it was amazing. My children cheered me on by asking "hey mom, how many containers are these grapes?" or "if we have chicken, can you have some? How does that get measured?" or even "how many containers do you have left?" They helped me stay on track. Side note, I didn't finish the three weeks. I made it through 17 days and stopped but picked it up again a few days later and started all over. This happened multiple times. I don't think I have ever done the full 21 days but I have still seen results! I am down over 40 pounds and I am still going at it.

Then something happened, Shawn T came out with CIZE and I fell in love with that workout. I am that girl with no rhythm who tried out for cheerleading in high school and didn't make the team because I wasn't the perfect size and couldn't dance... oops. But I love to dance I just have to practice, A LOT, for it to look right. The thing with CIZE is that it doesn't have to be perfect, you just have fun doing it and you are exercising while shaking your ass and learning these moves that you probably thought you would never know. It's kind of cool. And, it's my soulmate workout. If given the option between CIZE and any of the other workout programs out there I will choose CIZE every time! Yes, even over Yoga which I love!

So, where do I go from here? I have found a couple of programs that I love and the Fix taught me some great nutrition and I am down over 40 pounds BUT I want more. I have a long way to go, even though I am not ready to share that goal number yet, just know I am not where I want to be. The journey has just begun, even though I am a year into it, I still have a long way to go. It's fueling me to make more changes, to push me to where I want to go and to what I want to do eventually. My passion for nutrition and learning has lead me down the road to returning to school to obtain my bachelor degree in Nutrition as an RDN. This will take many years as I am basically starting fresh. Only some of my credits from my previous AAS transferred over so I have a long way to go before applying to the dietetics programs but I am going to work hard to make it happen. In the meantime I will continue on my own healthy journey to reach my goals and become a better person all around for myself, my children, and others.

One more thing, when I originally signed up a year ago, I sign up to be a health coach through Beachbody with the intention on only doing this to get the discount on Shakeology, which if you recall, I didn't like at first. I can't live without that stuff now... it was my saving grace when I was sick. I will be the first person and probably not the last, to say that Shakeology changed my life, for the better. I am at a point now where I feel I can help others, not just myselt, so if you are looking for a health coach, and don't already have one, feel free to reach out to me and I will gladly assist. Making changes, finding out where to start, finding your soulmate workout program, figuring out nutrition and how to change your life for the better, are all things I can help with and they are all things no one should have to figure out alone.

On that note, it's time to make them dinner and get some homework done. Take care!

Jamie Shick