Beachbody Coach

Hey, everyone! I recently became an Independent Beachbody Coach and I'm absolutely loving it so far! I've been using Beachbody products for years now (think the workouts TurboJam, P90X, Insanity) and I love that I can have a fitness career, while staying in shape myself! No commute, and I get to work my own hours! It fits perfectly while I am attending college online for the summer! If you guys are interested in being a coach, too, I'd love to have you on my team. Or, if you guys are interested in getting any of the workouts or Shakeology, I have an online store for both!
http://beachbodycoach.com/mrsamynielson
http://shakeology.com/mrsamynielson

How's THIS for motivation?

When David Smith was ready for change, he really changed. For those who are still waiting for the "right moment" (NOW) or to "find time" (There is not "finding time." People who want the life change BAD enough, MAKE time for it. It has to hold a very high priority for you. You have to love and respect YOURSELF and your health enough that the changes and work put in are worth it. Because they are.) 
I really get fired up over stories like this. Thank you, Health Habits for posting such an incredible story. 
Enjoy,
A

Before: 630 lbs....................................................After: 229 lbs

This story is for all of those people out there who have already given up on their New Year’s Resolution to finally lose that extra 20 lbs.
Maybe you gave up on the diet because there just wasn’t enough time in the day to prepare healthy meals to take to work.
Or maybe, you had to take the kids to hockey practice and had no choice but to stop at Timmy’s and grab a double double and some Timbits.
Or maybe, you just needed a motivational kick in the pants to keep you on the straight and narrow.
Consider this story your kick in the pants.

Your New Weight Loss Hero: David Smith

In only 26 months, David Smith managed to streamline his body from a gargantuan 630 lbs to a trim and fit 229 lbs.
And it wasn’t easy.
Losing 401 lbs. of body-fat is a very complicated experience.
David didn’t get to 630 lbs. without picking up a whole bunch of emotional baggage along the way.
His transformation involved a lot more than burning off body-fat.
In his own words:

‘I had been overweight all my life.
‘I would have sticks and stones and dog mess thrown at me and I would be spat on.
I’ve had a broken arm and black eyes because people didn’t like me because of my weight.
‘It got so bad that I didn’t want to leave the house and I didn’t even feel comfortable in my own backyard until it was dark out.

‘I felt like I deserved as much pain as possible and I wanted to kill myself.

But one day, he took the first step and reached out for help.

He sent an e-mail to Chris Powell, fitness correspondent for Good Morning Arizona, a local news broadcast on KTVK, in Phoenix.
Powell paid Smith a visit. “We were both probably thinking: what are we getting ourselves into right here? There would be no way I’d have anything in common with this guy,” Smith said.
Powell, a former Cosmo magazine bachelor, was socially confident. But now he was trying to get through to this painfully shy man.
“I didn’t know what 600 pounds looked like,” Powell said. “He couldn’t really look me in the eye. He was just so broken. He really didn’t know what to say or what to do.”

Despite their initial awkward meeting, they made a deal.
Smith committed to losing the pounds and Powell agreed to stick with him as long as Smith didn’t give up.
And 26 months later, David Smith was 401 pounds lighter.

‘The first few months were really hard, Chris would be telling me that I was doing really well and I was losing weight – but when I looked in the mirror I saw someone weighing more.
‘To begin with the training was really tough, at my heaviest I struggled to walk five feet without becoming out of breath.

‘Slowly, though, I got better and managed to do more and more and the flab was literally falling off me.

Conclusion

David Smith lost 401 pounds.
I am sure that he had lots of excuses not to eat right or exercise.
And still, he lost 401 pounds.

Big Losses Stem from Small Changes

When I began my journey with Weight Watchers over two years ago, I have to admit that I was a little overwhelmed. Coming from a family where we ate mainly for comfort, we didn't think twice about portion control, or so much about what should be fueling our bodies to be healthy. My goal was to begin to look at food as FUEL and not as comfort. I feel like whenever I had a problem in life or was stressed out from the day, my best friend would always be right at home, waiting for me in the pantry or the fridge. It had to stop. I started making changes, like making sure I was getting some form of fruit and vegetable in at every meal/snack. It became like a game, crossing off squares on my daily food journal for Good Health Guidelines. Some days, I'd challenge myself to get at least 2 servings of fresh fruit in during breakfast. It gave me a fantastic start to the day, and ultimately set the mood for staying on track. I've noticed that I'm always looking for ways to be more active throughout the day, getting better at reading the whole nutritional label, and trying new foods that were always kind of scary to me. I've learned that I like a lot of foods that I thought I didn't, such as asparagus, eggplant, papaya. 
I've made it a personal goal to get outside and take a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood (along with my regular exercise daily). The fresh air really helps to clear my head and I love feeling like I'm part of something bigger. I look forward to those walks; I seem to do the best thinking when I'm out at away, just me and my iPod. 
These little changes are definitely what has helped me get to where I am today.