Monday, October 1, 2012

Never in my wildest imagination...



“So what’s the big deal with this Ultimate Reset by Beachbody?” ”It’s just a cleanse right?” “Cleanses are so temporary and they don’t work!” “I don’t want to drink prune juice or some ‘magic potion’ for short term results."

These were all things that either I thought or that other people said to me while I was doing the Reset. Let me start by saying that I was the biggest skeptic when it came to cleanses because I have researched many of them. Once I started to research the Ultimate Reset I realized that it is much more than a “cleanse”. It is a legitimate mental, spiritual and physical RESET!  It is a cleanse of the mind and a cleanse of the body. It is not a ‘you’re running to the bathroom every 20 minutes’ cleanse.  It is not anything like that as a matter of fact. 

During these past 21 days I learned more than I could have ever imagined or would have learned had I not done this:



  •  I learned that I am way more capable of accomplishing anything than I allow myself to give myself credit for.
  •  I learned to accept compliments and not let my past demons creep up on me and tell me anything otherwise.
  •  I learned that I do not need coffee; I just like the taste of coffee. Your body does AMAZING things when it is nourished and fueled with the proper foods. (This took a few days to realize after caffeine withdrawal and headaches had dissipated.) P.S. I tried decaf today and I couldn’t even drink it…the taste disgusted me.
  •  I learned that I need to drink more water every day.
  •  I learned the difference between thirst and hunger.
  •  I learned that when you take time to mentally recharge and fully commit to this, amazing things can happen!
  •  I learned that I have truly found my passion of inspiring others in their health and fitness journeys!

Yes, I learned all of this from doing the 21 Day Ultimate Reset!  I knew I was strong before. As you know, I’ve battled MS for 3 years now and even though I am repeatedly told by doctors that I am fortunate that I am not in a wheelchair, I keep going because I CAN and there are others out there who are much worse off. I have done other things in my life that I have set my mind to and if you know me, you know what those things are, but this…THIS…was the one of the most mentally and spiritually fulfilling things I have ever done!

There was a time when I looked at myself (refer to the before picture above) and I saw eyes so empty. I could not believe I had let myself go so bad when I was pregnant. Yes, I was pregnant, but for me, it was unacceptable and it was a barrier for me that I had to overcome. I would look at my hips and look at my pre-pregnancy pants and think, “Where is the nearest Salvation Army because there is NO STINKIN’ WAY these hips will EVER fit into these again!” I wasn’t happy with myself and that would trickle into other pieces of my life; my job, my marriage, my relationships…

Well I kept those size 4’s even though I was fitting into a size 16 at the time and they now fit:) I've said it before and I will say it again; I did NOT do the Reset for the weight loss. My WHY’s were:
  • To learn healthier eating habits (DONE)
  • To have more energy (DONE AND DONE)
  • To clean out my system and see if it has an effect on my Multiple Sclerosis flairs  (DONE)
  • To take a break from exercise and internally treat my body the way it should be treated and to mentally get on track spiritually (DONE)
The weight loss was an added bonus. That does make me happy, but not NEARLY as happy as my spiritual transformation and my mental transformation.  I have so much MORE energy too and that is WITHOUT COFFEE folks!!

Things don’t bother me that bothered me 21 days ago. 

There is nothing you cannot do if you want it bad enough! If you don’t want it bad enough then you have more room in your mind for excuses to creep in.

Yes, I missed exercise, but I enjoyed giving my body a well-deserved rest and I thoroughly enjoyed my brisk 20 minute walks and having some 1-on-1 time with the Big Man Upstairs!!

There is power in food. I needed to retrain myself to eat to live and not live to eat. Of course we do need to let loose every now and then and splurge, but if we are aware of what we are eating and how that food serves our body, those eating experiences can be just as enjoyable. The recipes in the Reset were amazing! There were some that were okay, but 90% were fantastic and I will continue to eat them.  I was literally Googling the health benefits of some of these foods while I ate them so that I could know exactly what that food was doing FOR me not TO me. Know what I mean? Eating became a very different experience and for me more enjoyable!

It was not easy! There were times…many times that I wanted to quit. I even posted in our private FB group that I was going to quit (this was the first Saturday). The people in that group kept me going and I didn’t give up! We were at our friend’s house and I brought my roasted veggies in the pan all ready to cook. She had made a delicious smelling and looking pasta dish. I looked at my roasted veggies and was actually ANGRY that I couldn’t have the pasta and I don’t even eat pasta!! I was more upset that I couldn’t drink a glass of wine. So, in essence, I was mad that I couldn’t give my body something it didn’t need.

I also went to 2 fall festivals, a golf tournament with open bar and a nice food spread and a wine tasting event also with a great spread of food and of course, beer and wine. I stuck with food that I brought in a bag with me and my water.  Not fun at the time, but well worth the reward.

I can now look back and appreciate the weight I was at when I first had Nicholas (203 pounds). I can appreciate why I let myself get there, but I won’t be doing that again if God blesses us with another baby.   

The Reset was an intervention of sorts for me. God called me to do this at this time for a reason. I realized my calling in life through this experience; reaching others through health and fitness and helping them see what they are truly capable of mind, body and spirit. In my weakness with food, I have been made stronger. It is typically through our weaknesses that we find our strengths right…..

Never in my wildest imagination did I think I would get "it" back even though I titled this blog "Getting it Back" back in January when I started the blog, but I DID! I got IT back and so much more! The Ultimate Reset is done for me right now, but I am just beginning!

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