Rippling Through the World

Hey everyone!  I just got this note from a good friend and fellow coach of mine, and wanted to pass it on to you!  We don't always stop and think, or have the opportunity to physically see how we affect those around us.  But when we do get that opportunity, it is a huge encouragement to continue on our journey and commitment to help others make better choices along with us!
 
By: Josh Spencer

It's very odd. This morning I was awaken not because of a noise or that I was ready to wake up, but rather because I began dreaming about how many lives have changed because of one decision I made back in 2008. That decision, as many of you may already know, was to do something about my losing control of my weight and the effects that came with it such as low confidence. I was beginning to go down a path that I couldn't accept, but being the person I am, I knew I that I could change that path with some commitment and hard work. After searching for a while, I came across P90X, and it literally did change my life, helping me lose 25 lbs, 10% body fat, and gain back my confidence, but there was something more that came out of it, something that I feel was planned for me from the day I was born. That something was to pay it forward and help others change their lives through health and fitness. I knew that I personally could have a great impact on a number of people, but I didn't realize the power of the ripple effect and the thousands and thousands of lives that would be changed in just a few short years, all because of one decision I made to change my own life.

So what sparked my dream? I was at the mall the other day and out of the corner of my eye I see a friend of my mom's who has been going through P90X. At first I didn't recorgnize her, but as I looked harder I realized it was her, but she was much smaller than she had been the last time I saw her, which was just a few months before. No, she didn't get shorter, but she had lost a TON of weight! When I waved to her, she ran over to me with this HUGE grin on her face and gave me the biggest hug I had ever had! I have known her for a long time and have NEVER seen her smile this big or be this happy before. It was evident that something has changed within her and a new fire was lit because that smile never faded and the entire time she talked to me she had an unbelievable excitement in her voice! We started walking and talking and she was sharing some things with me that just about brought tears to my eyes, that gave me goosebumps. She had told me that she had lost almost 50 lbs in just a few months using P90X and Shakeology, all thanks to my parents recommending it to her and supporting her every step of the way. She couldn't stop talking about the different ways her life has improved and about the new outlook she has on life, and then shared that she wants to lose another 40 or 50 lbs, which I'm confident that she will accomplish, and I even told her to make it a goal to lose that weight by the end of the year. There is NO doubt that she will do everything in her power to reach that goal!

She then started talking about how she has shared her new lifestyle with her kids and this is where it really hit me, she went on about how one of her boys suffered from ADHD and how changing his diet allowed him to get off of his medication. At that moment I realized that the reason her son is now going to live a better life is because of her decision to do P90X. I then began thinking about how she probably would have never started P90X if it wasn't for my parents recommending it to her, but then I went back a little further. My parents would have never done P90X or began living a healthy lifestyle if it wasn't for me recommending it to them, and I would have never recommended it to them if I never went through P90X myself. POWERFUL stuff! I see the impact that one little decision I made back in 2008 is having on the world! What's crazy to think about is how long it took to convince my parents that they needed to change their own lives, especially my dad. I saw him eat crap food day in and day out, and when I say crap food, I mean a diet that consists of literally nothing healthy. His daily diet included foods (if you can even call them foods) like pizza, ice cream, candy bars, waffles with syrup, and sugary cereal. I swear that he was borderline diabetic because he would literally crash if he didn't have his sugar fix for the day, and he would never go to the doctor to get it checked out. No, my dad wasn't obese, but he was overweight and I can assure you that his insides hated him. I knew that if I didn't try to help him that he might not be around too much longer, and I couldn't accept that. For months on end I tried to get him to change his ways but he wouldn't listen. Finally, I was able to get through to him, letting him know exactly how I felt and that he was being selfish by not taking care of himself, and at that point he decided to commit himself to P90X, Shakeology, and a healthy diet. He ended up losing almost 40 lbs and is now in the best shape of his life, not only on the outside, but on the inside as well. Him and mom now live a healthy lifestyle and have the exact same passion that I do to help people, so they are paying it forward as well, and that's why mom decided to help her friend. What's amazing is that the same thing is going to happen to her, a ripple effect will begin, and there is no doubt she will go on to help out thousands of people lose weight and begin living a healthy lifestyle.

I do have to take a minute and talk about the importance of support in all this. If I wasn't supported from my coach, Barbie, the way I was, I'm not sure I would have gotten the results I did. If I wasn't here to support my parents day in and day out, they might not have been able to stay committed to the entire program. If my parents weren't here to support their friend, chances are she would have given up after just the first week. How do I know this? Well when talking to her the other day, she began mentioning how during her first P90X workout she could barely make it through any moves, and there were some exercises, like Ab Ripper X, where she couldn't even do one rep. She said she called dad up, telling him she couldn't do this, but dad told her that he had been there before and that she needed to just keep pushing forward, and she did. A few weeks later she wasn't experienced the weight loss she had expected and the same type of situation came up. She was frustrated and called up my parents once again, and they told her that she needed to be patient and that if she kept focusing on completing the workouts and eating healthy every day, that she would continue seeing results, and she did. Because of support, we are where we are today. It's one thing to recommend something, but without support you can't change the world.

I have an overwhelming passion to help change lives, all going back to my involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters back in high school, and I am truly thankful that I have been put in this position to where I can help people change their lives through health and fitness. Every day I wake up I look forward to talking to someone new, supporting them, impacting them, helping them change their own life. That's what being a Beachbody Coach is all about. The most fulfilling experience is what I experienced above, hearing feedback about how someway, even if it was indirectly, I have been able to help someone improve their life. The more people I'm able to help, the greater the ripple effect, and the closer we get towards ending this terrible trend of obesity.

Just remember that it isn't just your life that gets changed for the better!  Its all the lives of the people you surround your self with also, the people you love!  Make today be the beginning of your transformation, weather it is losing weight, getting in the best shape of your life, or eating healthier to live better and longer.  Stop putting it off till tomorrow, because tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
Email me to get your change started today!  NateEvans@BeachBodyCoach.com