Monday Motivation: Decide. Commit. Succeed

HAPPY MONDAY FRIENDS!!! Hope you all had a wonderful holiday weekend.

I am starting new series here at NHerShoes called Monday Motivation. I want to hear your motivating stories from all of you!! Everyone had a story and I want to create a place on this blog to SHARE those stories. You don’t have to have a blog all you have to do is send me an email to nhershoes@gmail.com and I will be posting your stories here on Mondays! Let’s motivate each other friends with the lessons we have learned!

Today’s story comes from my sweet dear friend Carly Jones:

Decide. Commit. Succeed

These 3 words make up the Team Beachbody mantra.

{My sis & I, hysterically laughing on the Jungle Cruise @ DisneyLand. She’s a fantastic fitness instructor, excitedly pursuing her dream of becoming a personal trainer in Colorado Springs.}

For years, my sister (Jenny Jones, an awesome trainer & encouragement) has been driven and committed to a healthy lifestyle. I have learned tons from her over the years and truthfully haven’t been too unhealthy myself. But I haven’t been all that healthy either – some days I would only eat one meal and most days only two. But nutrition & fitness was Jenny’s thing, and I didn’t want to take that from her.

About 2.5 months ago, my good friend Bobbi McCormick was putting together a group of women who, for 60 days, would be willing to commit to a challenge of health and fitness. At this time, I was sick of being hyper conscious of my poor self-esteem and body image. My lack of confidence in my shape was distracting me from being fully present for ministry. I didn’t feel good about myself. And I was over it. After talking with my sis about this chance that Bobbi was offering to her friends, I expressed interest.

Within a week of giving Bobbi my goals of truly just jump starting a healthy lifestyle and toning up my body, I was rear-ended by another driver, which resulted in back injuries including a pinched nerve that severely limited the use of my left arm. I thought, “Well, that’s it. I can’t do this fitness challenge because I can’t even move.”

But Bobbi wouldn’t accept that excuse. Her response was that health starts in the kitchen, and she encouraged me to start by just changing my eating habits. And so I did. As my back began to recover some, I started walking regularly. And once my Chiropractor gave me clearance for intense exercise again, I began the TurboFire workouts. And the results over the past 2 months have been astounding!!!!

I weigh less than I did in college. My muscles are toned. I’ve dropped 2 pants sizes. But more than this I just feel good. Mentally, I am not distracted by wishing I looked differently than I do. I don’t get angry with myself for not eating healthy, or eating too much. Truth is that unhealthy foods don’t even look appetizing to me anymore. I honestly crave turkey burgers and veggie burgers over beef… tho I’ll still get beef every now and then. I know to ask for whole wheat pasta and bread. I eat only half of entrees when I go out… which means I get at least 2 meals out of a more expensive meal, making it more manageable for my budget! I snack on veggies and healthy proteins (like cottage cheese with fruit & almonds). Basically, everything I put into my body counts.

Yes, I feel good. I have more energy and confidence. I have courage and determination. I actually am loving myself enough to take care of my body. I always used to think that I had to run marathons or triathlons in order to be committed. But that’s just silly. I used to think that if I cared so much about my looks it was vain and would just boost my ego. But it’s not.
Being healthy has freed my mind to worship God differently and more fully. It is giving me the confidence in God’s truth that I am beautiful and worthy. It’s making me realize that any “normal” person can feel good about themselves and their health without having to be a marathon runner or super involved in culture of races around the country… that’s just not my thing.

Bobbi McCormick has been passionate about fitness & nutrition since I’ve known her. Her own story is inspiring, and she has helped many friends rewrite their stories to become confident, healthy women.

The accountability of Bobbi’s Summer Beach Body Challenge, the encouragement & expertise of Bobbi & Jenny, and the success & struggles of the other women in our challenge group encouraged me to follow through on this commitment. I can truly say that I have succeeded in my goals of a healthier lifestyle, the result of this is physical, emotional, & spiritual health! Thank you Jesus for this story! Each of us is different, and are driven differently.

But all of us have the ability to be healthy and whole in body, mind, & spirit.
You can do it too!

You can keep in touch about my journey in life by following my blog at whereismybrain.wordpress.com.