I recently re-started 21 Day Fix and it stirred up some serious emotions. 21 Day Fix, quite literally, changed my life.
Starting with my first-born in February of 2007, I had three babies in three years. Aside from the chaos all those babies added to my household, it also contributed to me not taking care of myself, on many levels.
Levels that I hesitate to share in this forum because it’s straight-up embarrassing. I think any new mom can relate… lack of showering, perhaps a decrease in oral hygiene, lack of movement not related to a child, lack of nutrition.
I bounced back to my pre-pregnancy weight pretty quickly after my first, but after the next 2, not only did I not “bounce back”, I gained. A lot. I made it all the way up to 206.4 pounds. A number I had only seen while pregnant. For me, just crossing the 200 pound mark was pretty devastating, let alone settling at 206.
I was introduced to 21 Day Fix in September of 2014. I was struggling to find a workout that I would stick to and nutrition that I could actually follow.
I had tried Weight Watchers, and lost weight with it, but I found the tracking and tallying of points tedious. I gave up. I had tried something called “The Digest Diet”, which also worked, but it didn’t give me tools to create food on my own. I wasn’t following calories or food groups, I was following a menu exactly and it was more work than I was willing to commit. I gave up.
When I started 21 Day Fix it gave me answers and hope:
30 minute workouts? This sedentary mama decided she could commit to that.
A meal plan that consists of recipes and lists of “Fix-approved” foods? YES! It was exactly what I needed. The nutrition book provided guidance, but also the ability to make your own “Fix-approved” creations.
The very first exercise on the first day of the program is something called “Surrenders”. With weights in hand, you drop down to your right knee, then left, then stand up, eventually repeating on the left. Sounds simple, but I overestimated how much weight my legs could handle, and it kicked my butt. However, after the warm-up there were only 25 minutes left. And the fourth and final round was abs. It was challenging, but totally doable. I have never in my life been as sore as I was that first week.
By week two, the surrenders were already less daunting. While I was gaining weight, I really missed feeling strong and healthy. I was blown away that after one week of doing 30-minute workouts, I was already stronger, noticeably stronger. It was overwhelming. It ultimately led to a 40-pound weight loss.
As I mentioned, I recently started a round of 21 Day Fix after doing many different programs for about a year. As I dropped my right knee to do that first surrender, I remembered how it felt. I remembered how big my stomach felt on my thighs as I was stepping back up. I remembered how demoralizing Surrenders had been the first time and how triumphant I felt after the second time around. I remembered wondering if I was really going to stick with this. Was this going to be my answer?
Turns out, it was.
I had such success with 21 Day Fix, I decided I would pay it forward and become a Beachbody Coach. I was sure there were a gazillion people out there who could relate to my story. While my successes as coach have been slow, hearing people telling me I’m an inspiration, that I’ve helped them improve their health, that I’ve had a positive impact in their lives… it’s a feeling that no paycheck can equal.
Katie Gallagher is a wife and a mother of three. She is a Beachbody coach, home workout convert and Shakeology addict. Her duties at ABC2 consist of directing the final hour of Good Morning Maryland and blogging about fitness and her favorite TV show, “Dancing with the Stars."
