When I first met Liz, I knew she was special. Just hearing her voice on the other end of the phone, I knew I had found a soul sister. She loved Jesus, she loved fitness, she loved her family, and she loved people. I’ve worked alongside her for four years now, and it has been a tremendous joy to watch her shape more than bodies. She shapes hearts toward Christ, starting with her own. I know getting to know her will bless you as much as she has blessed me and countless others.
Here’s Liz’s story:
I haven’t always been into fitness. In fact, when I went away to college, I gained more than just the Freshmen 15—I gained the Freshmen 30! I was not comfortable in my own skin and had very little self confidence. When I had to get measured for a bridesmaid’s dress for my best friend’s wedding, I had to pay MORE for my dress because it had to be made in a bigger size. That was my wake up call. I began to research how to eat clean and I started working out. I lost the weight, but more importantly, I learned how to treat my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit!
I had accepted Christ as my Savior when I was a teenager. However, as I got older, I wasn’t living my life for Him. I missed Him and had an empty space that only He could fill. So I started attending a Bible study with my husband and we began reading our Bibles daily. We both decided to be baptized and truly commit our lives to Christ before we started our family. Best. Decision. Ever.
After years of exercising to “lose weight” or maintain my weight, I was getting bored with my workouts. I wanted to do something physical to really challenge myself, so I started doing triathlons. I wanted to make sure I was fueling my body as best I could to be strong and healthy for my race, so I did a Google search on nutrition. That search led me to Michelle. In one of her YouTube videos, I heard her talk about Shakeology and how it made such a big difference in her heath. I could tell from her videos (I watched tons of them in one single day) that she could be trusted, and so I reached out to her to try this Shakeology that she spoke so highly of.
I knew from the beginning of becoming a Beachbody coach that I wanted to help people, but I had hesitations about “selling” stuff. I wasn’t even on any kind of social media when I first met Michelle, so I had to learn all about that in order to be able to help more people.
But this business really isn’t about selling anything other than selling the importance of a healthy lifestyle & offering others the very same tools I use to stay fit. I’ve been coaching for 4 years now, and my greatest success is helping women feel good about themselves and find their purpose in Christ. Some of my challengers have lost 100+ pounds. They are not only changing their lives, but their family’s lives as well. So again, my purpose isn’t to sell. My purpose is to daily lead with the intention of serving others.
What I love most about being a coach is that it allows me to pursue my passion in fitness and help others lead their healthiest lives possible. I love that it’s helped me meet a group of like-minded women who encourage me and inspire me to be better on a daily basis. I love that it’s allowed me to help the women on my team find their passion and their sweet spots. I love that it’s allowed me to blend my passions for faith and fitness and share Christ’s love with women who are trying to learn how to treat their bodies as temples of His Holy Spirit, too. I love that it’s allowed me the freedom and flexibility to work from home, and leave my job as a former middle school English teacher so that my family can come first!
I am a Jesus girl who wants to share God’s love with others and honor Him in all that I do and say. I treat my business like a business but still keep my family as my #1 priority. My life verse is Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
I love being a part of Team Iron because I have the opportunity to learn from Michelle and I have developed a bond with many of the women on Team Iron because we are like-minded. Iron sharpens iron is not just a team trademark; it’s how we operate on a daily basis.
One of the things I think about often is how Michelle has taught me to pray,
“God, fill me up so that I can give it away to my family, my team, and the women who need help on their own journeys.”
One of the best parts of being a coach that I did not expect are the amazing friendships I have made! And quite honestly—when I first became a coach, I was excited to enjoy my 25% discount on Shakeology. I never dreamed that it would allow me to one day leave my job as an educator so that I could pursue my passions. Forever grateful for that!
If I could go back and tell myself one thing when when I was a brand new coach, I would tell myself to fail forward. Don’t worry about it being perfect. Just focus on serving people and sharing your heart, and the rest will follow.
I will forever be grateful that God allowed my path to cross with Michelle’s. She has taught me SO much. Her friendship and mentoring is one of God’s richest blessings in my life.
A little bit about my personal fitness journey:
I am currently completing my first round of P90X! One of our very first programs ever created!! I have done P90X3, but I was honestly a bit intimidated about doing P90X because the workouts are a bit longer. But if it doesn’t challenge me, it doesn’t change me! I love the mix of cardio, strength training, and flexibility (and as a Group Exercise instructor, I enjoy getting ideas from his workouts to use in my own classes!) TurboFire is my favorite Beachbody workout! The music. Chalene. The choreography. It gives me a great endorphin release and makes me feel strong and happy.
I use Shakeology usually as a post workout fuel for breakfast. It’s fast and convenient. And tastes amazing. I was a serious “ice-cream-a-holic” before Shakeology, and it’s honestly taken away my cravings for ice cream. I make it super thick and creamy so somedays I even have to eat it with a spoon which tricks my brain into thinking I’m having the real deal. It’s also totally cleared up my eczema that plagued me for years and gives me lots of energy!
Stay connected with Liz:
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Liz & Michelle at the 2014 Team Beachbody Summit.
Hey, Shari!Yeah, it’s pretty easy to fall off the wagon if you are triyng to eat 100% perfectly. I usually hit around the 90% mark, although I have already tightened things up for Phase II.One of the best ways to make up for a lack of perfection when it comes to nutrition is to crank up the intensity on the workouts to burn off some extra calories. I just did Plyometrics last night and I jumped around higher and longer than any of the previous plyo workouts, and it was awesome. My legs are really sore today, but it was worth it! Great job on sticking with it, Shari!