What does January 1st mean to you?

I can remember this exact time last year so well.  I was struggling with my weight and making every excuse imaginable for why all those extra pounds were sticking to me from both pregnancies.  I thought I was eating healthy, I was counting calories, I was going to the gym when I had time…but it just HAD to be that my metabolism changed.  I couldn’t think of any other reason why nothing was working.  So I hid behind my long bulky sweaters and stretchy leggings and kept saying I would make some changes once the holidays were over.

{This picture!!  This dang picture!  Are you sick of it yet?  The dirty mirror, the stain on my shirt…if only I knew the traveling this photo would do over the last year I would have taken a different one.  But hey….it’s real, and I’m so glad I have it}

I saw a Groupon for a juice cleanse.  Perfect…I have never had an all liquid diet before so that would definitely kick start things right?  I think I told everyone I knew that I was going to be doing a juice cleanse to hold myself accountable.  I was basically banking on it being the game changer.  I quit by day 2.  I was starving, I had a pounding headache, and I just needed to chew something!  I felt pretty defeated and just belly flopped right back into the holiday eating for comfort.  I was out of ideas.  January 1st.  January 1st.  January 1st.  I hung that date over my head thinking some miracle was going to come into my life at the start of the year and suddenly I would find the motivation I was missing.

I’m pretty sure it was almost a year ago to this very day that I was scrolling through Instagram and saw my friend Jenny posted a before and after photo of her husband after doing the Advocare 24 Day Challenge.  It was quite the noticeable difference and all I could see jumping out at me was that it only took 24 days.  Well I couldn’t survive 2 days of my cleanse, so I’m not sure why I thought 24 days would be an attainable goal, but I reached out to her.  I just had to know more.  That one day changed everything for me.

I ordered everything I needed as a Christmas gift to myself (since Greg didn’t want to put that under the tree and call it a “gift” from him, but it really was) and still held tight to that January 1st start date.  I held this idea a little closer to me because I didn’t want to fail again after telling all my friends about my awesome juice cleanse.  “Oh I’m just doing this month long challenge thingie”, I would say.

Turns out that “thingie” would end up being one of the most impactful decisions I have ever made in my life.  Sounds a little dramatic right?  Awesome, you’ve lost 30lbs Lauren…your husband has lost over 50lbs…we get it, congrats!  It’s so much more than that to me now.  Our health has changed, our interests together as a couple have changed, my “job” has changed, our extended family has lost SO much weight right along with us, our friend’s lives and waistlines have changed, I have made new friends all across the country, been reunited with old friends….all because of this one (seemingly) small decision I made a year ago.   It actually makes me emotional just thinking about it.

{a year can make all the difference}

I know I have always been a “people person” but this year has really opened my eyes and my heart to how much it means to me to help others.  I mean really what in the world do I know about weight loss and fitness….not a whole lot.  However, I do know that I can encourage you, think of you, listen to you, cheer for you, and maybe, just maybe, inspire you a tiny bit.

So guess what….January 1st, January 1st, January 1st.  Anyone else have that date on repeat in their heads this year, just like I did last year?  Well I have that date in my head again this year, but it’s not for me…it’s for you.  3 months ago I started a private Facebook group with my friends Jenny and Samantha so several of us could all do a challenge together and have one another’s support.  You guys, it was awesome.  Don’t believe me, check out THESE results everyone had.  Here we are today 150+ members strong {which totally blows me away} and the friendships, support and results have been incredible and we are all ready to do it again.  I am there EVERY DAY for anyone that has a question, needs some encouragement or just wants to chat :).

I asked for a show of hands who is in for a 24 Day Challenge starting January 1st and let me tell you, you will not be alone in this journey.  You and about 50+ of your new best friends will all be there doing it together.  Checking in every day, sharing recipes and workouts, providing support, encouragement…a good laugh or two.  No question is a dumb one, no topic is off limits, and everyone is an equal no matter what stage you are at in your weight loss or fitness journey.

Now for some of the technical stuff.  All this jibber jabber and some of you may still not even know what the 24 Day Challenge is.  You can watch a great video HERE and it will tell you what is involved.  Everything is included in your challenge bundle, and once purchased I will send you an e-mail saying hi, send you some other fun info I have put together to make things easier for you, and of course, send you an invitation to the Facebook group.

I’m done reading….sign me up!! <—-click

I feel so connected to this time of year because it brings me right back to how I was feeling, and how I knew I was at a fork in the road.  My kids and husband are my entire world, and I always put myself on the back burner {let’s be honest this still hasn’t changed much}.  It was time to do this for me, and grab hold of something that I had all the control over…this wasn’t up to anyone else.  I made a commitment in my mind, and that mental shift was the most important thing to fuel a change.  Why can’t I feel, look, and BE my best in my mid 3os and with two kids under my belt?  I couldn’t think of anymore excuses because I didn’t have any.

{weeee Mama’s got her energy back!!}

I’d love to extend my hand to you and pull you in to tell you how much this will change things for you {because I know it will}, but that will only happen when you make that choice for yourself, and I mean REALLY make that choice.  January 1st really doesn’t mean a thing…it’s just another day.  But, this time it’s a date you can boldly mark on your calendar as one you can count on.  There is a group of amazing people scattered all across this country ready to take on the challenge again, and share a wealth of information and even more of themselves with you.

Maybe January 1st isn’t the day for you, but just know I’m in this for the long haul so I’m ready to help you out when YOU’RE ready!  I’m so excited to hopefully get to meet you, or maybe reconnect with you if we have crossed paths in the past.  If it isn’t clear how important this challenge is to me, I hope I’ve made it clear just how important you guys are to me.  Now let’s kick some 2014 butt together! xo

Ok now I’m really ready…I want IN! <—click