Meet "Fit" Laura

I am a 29 year old mother of Jonah (1 year), and wife to Joseph. I'm also a Reading Specialist. I teach 7th grade reading in rural Western Pennsylvania. Fitness has always been a part of my life. I played sports (basketball, track, and cross country) all through high school and college. Those days, I was exercising so much that I could pretty much eat what I wanted and not really gain weight.

After getting pregnant with, and having my son, I had about 30 lbs. to lose. I began exercising and lost some of the weight. Eventually, I reverted back to the one thing that always seemed to keep my weight down, running. I had this (incorrect) notion that unless I ran or got at least 45 minutes of steady cardio, I wasn't getting good workout. Boy was I wrong. I spent 3 months waking up at 4:30 a.m. to run with a local running club. I only lost 3 lbs. before completely plateauing. I was 8 months postpartum and still had about 15 lbs. to lose.

That's when I discovered Beachbody programs. What I loved most about them was I could do them at home, in 30 minutes, and I didn't have to leave my son. My first program was Insanity Max 30. I lost a few pounds with this program, but I did not commit to the meal plan or join a challenge group. I did start drinking Shakeology at that point, and I started seeing the benefit of Beachbody programs and I began doing some more research.

I decided I needed to join a challenge group and get serious about my eating. I was still holding on to baby weight and I felt horrible, ugly, depressed, and uncomfortable in my own skin. I messaged a girl on my Facebook (who I barely knew), but who I knew was a Beachbody coach. I asked her if I could join her faith based challenge group, and she was happy to let me join. I decided to start the 21 Day Fix in July of 2015.

From doing the 21 Day Fix and being part of that Challenge Group, I learned so much about what clean eating really was and what it was not. I learned about portion control and that many of the foods I thought were healthy (granola bars, flavored yogurt, cereals, etc.), were not, and that I was eating nearly all carbohydrates in my diet. I started experimenting with cooking (God bless my dear husband), and little by little, the weight started to fall off.

My son recently turned one. I now weigh 3 pounds less than I did when I got pregnant with him. I feel energized. I can wear clothes I had when I was in college, and I understand what my body needs (and doesn't need) to be healthy and fit.

I love my teaching job and I have no intentions of quitting it. However, I have come to LOVE Beachbody programs as well because I have seen, firsthand, how using them the way they were intended WILL produce results. I had to sign up to be a coach because if I can help just one other person get the same results I have, then it is worth it to me.

Fitness is and has always been a part of my life. For many years I kept it all to myself, afraid of what others would think. I recently started my own Fit N' Faithful Challenge Group and I have gotten so much joy from seeing other people reach their health and fitness goals. I"m not ready to share my passion because it is part of me and I can't keep it to myself.  Don't hesitate to contact me because I'd love to help you on your own journey!