Should I bother with Beachbody?

November 5, 2015 Ashley 0 Comments

I’m pretty cynical.

So the first time I heard about “Beachbody Coaching”, I was admittedly suspicious.

It sounds like the typical too-good-to-be true scheme.

Anything that claims that you can earn money from home by losing weight and inspiring other people to do the same elicits an RDJ level groan/eyeroll/eyebrow-raise combo from me. And I had a right to think so, initially. Between the product pushing, the social media posts, and infomercial-y vids like this, it seemed less than legit. I was seeing it on Twitter. Instagram. Facebook. Youtube. Yawn…. The attempts to sell this service to me instantly reminded me of those girls I never talked to in my teen years now trying to sell Mary Kay products to me out of the blue using a default copy/paste pitch in my inbox. They were all the same – I assumed. Just trying to prize my money from me with their get rich and fit quick schemes, right?

Then, this past year, I slowly started to notice a pattern about this program.

Unlike the unimpressive makeup products (can I refund this water color consistency foundation, please?), these fitness coaches were actually delivering on their claims. Like, in a visible, relatable way. It all started with a friend I had back in high school called Jamie who’d made an amazing transformation through Beachbody. Her weight loss was stunning enough. I mean, she’d always been fit – I even recall that she was an avid swimmer when we were younger. But, then, she’d gained some weight (about 90 pounds, she says) during a less than stellar part of her adult life. Now, lean and healthy again through the BB program (that’s my new abbreviache for it), Jamie had moved on to coaching others so they could do the same. I sat there, reading about how she’s grown (and shrunk) in childlike wonder and disbelief.

Then, tandem to this, I soon saw a similar story unfold with a former classmate Jamie and I both had.

(We’ll call her Jane, ‘cause I didn’t get her permission to use her real one.) Now, this chick’s journey was particularly impressive to me. She’d come from this dark place of genuine despair. She was overweight and trying to change – but had to undergo a hip surgery before the worst of it was over. Her social media posts were always morose. She seemed endlessly depressed. And it was understandable, because ingrained habits you’ve had since youth are so hard to change. People like myself who never stop moving (except to write stuff like this) tend to forget that. I forget that not everyone was forced into sports early or taught how to jog “for fun” at a single digit age. Those who weren’t can’t envisage how fulfilling an active, health filled life can be. Which is why what Jane did next was so jaw droppingly, seemingly unprecedented. Suddenly, I was seeing these myriad snapshots of her slowly shrinking – and beaming with joy. Within months, I’d wondered if she’d had a follow up surgery for a negativ-ectomy after her hip was done, ‘cause her updates seemed much more hopeful, positive, and resonated deeply with me.

So… what had changed? Why was she suddenly slimmer and all silver-linings?

Why, she’d met Jamie.

Yes.

My friend who’d endured a similar yet different experience – rose above it… and passed it on to Jane.

Impressed this “scam” had proven me wrong, I knew I’d need to interview Jamie. And, honestly I should’ve done it a long time ago because this woman is from-another-planet level inspirational. That’s not just because she’s got some sick body karate (and arms to die for) going on, either. In between her coaching efforts, you’ll see an occasional video of her incorporating her baby into her personal workout routines (#noexcuses). She’s overcome a dark, domestically unhealthy past. And, what’s more, she’s still overcoming obstacles everyday – because she has epilepsy.

Now, before you start assuming this’s some native ad for a weight loss program that’s paying me, wait.

Because, even though they should totally pay me for writing all’a this, they aren’t.

Plus they probably won’t once I get to the less complimentary, more honest next paragraph:

There are pros and cons to anything. First, I’ll admit that I’m not sure how I feel about the “shakeology” element of the program. I like to chew my food. Not a huge smoothie gal – but I’m also not saying it’s bad. Just that I haven’t tried it (or seen how much it costs) yet… so I can’t issue my judgmental Gladiator style thumbs up or down. (But I will say that the drank ain’t the main thing about the program, though – so don’t let that be a deterrent; I trialed one of the 21 day ab challenges earlier this year and can vouch for how inspiring it is. Having other people hold you accountable makes you want to keep going.) And, in my defense, I’m not suggesting Beachbody’s the only way. I champion a lotta different stuff on here. In fact, I myself don’t even use BB’s program. It’s not my thing, personally ’cause I’ve found another way that’s working. Some people call Jenny. Some people go to OA meetings. Some join a gym. (Some go vegan and then everything else just kinda falls into place.) However, that’s what programs like Beachbody celebrate – the uniqueness of your personal path. Are you going to spend a little money? Yes. Just like you would for a personal trainer or Planet Fitness membership. The difference here is that you can do it from the comfort of your own home, while remaining connected to like-minded folk making the same journey. So, if you’ve tried all the other routes to no avail like my aforementioned pals, then mayhaps look into and give Beachbody a chance. Since I’m such a diligent reporter, I even sat down recently and picked Jamie’s brain a bit to see what this program’s all about before I lure anyone into it.

Read the full interview with her in article number next.

Oh, and how are Jane and Jamie doing now?

Well, as a testament to Jamie’s amazing capacity to coach aspiring life-reclaimers, I should add this bit: Jane, formerly corpulent – and now a Crossfitter – has also started coaching for Beachbody herself. And I feel like that’s the hallmark of any program worth its weight – the inspirational interaction through transformation. The passing of the torch. (The torch that’ll burn the fat right off your arse.) And of that transformation, as Jane looks back, she shares Jamie’s sentiments about their past selves:

“I don’t even know that girl anymore….”