Tuesday, December 16, 2008

What sets Team Beachbody apart...YOU & ME :)

It's true. Back in 2003 when I bought Power90 from an infomercial, I thought I was buying a program that could help me maybe lose some weight that had crept on. I thought I was buying a program that was an "easy bet" because of the money back guarantee. And while those things are true, what I got was something so much more valuable than what I could have ever imagined. I found lifelong friends. :) Friends I would have NEVER met because of where we lived, and the differences in our lifestyles, but they are treasures to me just the same!! HOW COOL IS THAT?? Let me share some of my friends with you :

Nina: I "met" Nina in 03 on the Beachbody message boards. I'd never been to a message board in my life, and haven't participated on any other boards since finding Beachbody's, and I just LOVED Nina right from the start. Going through a divorce at the time, selling her home, and taking important steps to improve her life in the midst of hardship, she was a strong woman, funny, sassy, told it like it is, and one of the most loyal friends a person could have. She chose not to have kids (see how different we are?? :)), and has 'adopted' my 6 to play the role of "Aunt Faux" to them; she sends them gifts, and fun little things in the mail to our family from time to time. She is like family to me, and I love her dearly. So much so that I had KC pull the van over on the side of I-5 just so I could hug her in the parking lot of her town's taco bell on our way up north! :) This Christmas, as we head to my parents, she may be coming up to join me for a day or so. :) (I know you'll read this Nina, so that is my strong admonition to COME!!!) :)

Dale: he and I met on the boards years ago and clicked from the start. Dale is an ER doc, and is a husband and father of four who lost a lot of weight on Power90 and ripped it up with P90X. Lucky enough for me, he has his own little plane that he likes to fly every chance he gets, and occasionally has flown to So. Cal just to spend some time with me and some of our friends here in LA. He has integrity to spare, and has become a very dear friend to me. We used to only email one another, but once we changed over to phone calling (once we realized that neither one of us were scary :)) we just talk away like you do with an old, close friend. :) I highly value his input, and he is a great encourager to me.

Judy: we met through the boards years ago and started corresponding through emails. Judy was a business woman with a husband and one daughter who was close in age to my youngest (at the time). She was looking to lose some weight like I had been, and we found a nice balance in one another. Judy is quiet, sweet, genuine, and intelligent. She's a great sport, and somewhat of an observer, who then always has valuable input on what she's observed. I on the other hand, am the opposite of Judy - I'm loud, gravitate toward the hub of the action, and make my observations from a close perspective. Whereas our personalities might not have brought us together in a room of people, getting to know one another through the boards and emails over the years, we've become great friends and work so well together as "yin and yang" and I wouldnt trade her quiet, stable support for anything.

Tammie: For years Tony (Horton) would tell me "Traci, You've GOT to meet Doug and Tammie - they are a GREAT couple and I think you'd be fast friends!" Now THERE'S a friend who knows you - when they know who you'd hit it off with. :) And he was more than right. Tammie and I have known one another for two short years but it feels like MUCH longer. She emails and calls just to encourage me and share some love! :) She is funny and so incredibly sincere; the world would be a better place if we just cloned her about a million times. She's my prayer partner, and is one of those friends that you know would do whatever she can do to help. She raises the bar for the example of servant leadership, and my life is all the better for being able to call her friend. Again....a friendship that was birthed from a connection to an online fitness company - amazing.

Anne: a message board friend for years, back when I hosted the MyBeachbody site, Anne was my right hand woman!! With TONS (and I mean TONS) of questions coming in to ME ALONE (this was prior to coaching) I was overwhelmed with trying to answer them all and Anne would answer as many as she could just to help me out. She lives in Nebraska with three sons and a great hubby, and has a HILARIOUS sense of humor! Her one liner emails to me make me laugh outloud oftentimes; we should all have a friend bringing to our life what Anne brings to mine. :)

Joey: he's young (late 20's), single, no kids, and going back to college to be a teacher. He was a pharmaceutical salesman for years who was a bit discouraged, and dare I say cynical by what he'd seen in his field. He's got that east coast edginess that I so appreciate (west coasters know what I'm talking about - east coasters are probably thinking "We're edgy?" :)) and is a guys guy: playing lacrosse and coaching it too. I doubt I've ever seen another dramatic change in a person as I've seen in Joey- he lost 49 lbs and in so doing got his purpose and excitement about life back! He is one of the most encouraging, fun, focused, excited, positive guys who wants to help and serve, that I've met, and if I cant find a way to marry him into my family, I may end up adopting him. :) (though I already have a Joey - this could pose a problem) ;o)
Yes, I am fit. Yes, I am as healthy as I've ever been. But its these friends; the RELATIONSHIPS I've built with people all over this country that make the Beachbody Experience truly unique and so special. :) They encourage me, love me, make me laugh, care about my kids, and know when its my birthday. They know who my favorite trainer is (its Tony :)) and know that I cant dance hip hop to save my soul, no matter how much fun it is to try. :) They know how tall I am, how old I am, my kids' names, and went through the whole process with me when we adopted our youngest kids. There are countless other people whom I've developed lasting, solid relationships with; I just wanted to give you a snippet of what being in Beachbody's community has brought me and so many others.

And I want that for YOU. Its WHY I'm a coach. Its why I answer emails (even though I oftentimes fall pathetically behind) and phone calls and encourage people! Cuz these workouts will get your body into shape, but hopefully you'll walk away with some lifelong friendships that will touch your life on a far deeper level than you can imagine! :) Its The Beachbody Way. :)

Do you know that these very people listed above, and many other people just like them hang out on those message boards? :) Every day (or nearly) they are posting - all these years later - seasoned customers and newbie's posting their first ever post - because in the midst of changing our lives, we were solidifying relationships with people. Still are. Relationships that will last. :)
***I, and those listed above, have started a 90 day fitness journey to March 14, 09 when there is a Team Beachbody Summit; where people will come from all over the country to gather, work out with the company's trainers, and learn what the company is doing to spread the word in a massive effort to reverse the trends of obesity!
Two things:
1. Join us as we post our daily accountability on a message board thread I started. Here's the link: http://forums.teambeachbody.com/groupee/forums/a/tpc/f/5102991471/m/3251082051?r=5781013051#5781013051 Everyone is welcome, and the board is a safe, clean board. Check it out - its a GREAT motivator and easy way to connect to other likeminded people!
2. I'd love if you came to the Summit so we could meet as well! :) Coaches are the ones who buy the tickets, so if you want to come, just let me know and we can make arrangements for me to purchase your tickets for you!
JOIN US as we stir up a Team Beachbody Revolution...one relationship at a time! :)
xo
TRACI