#AtoZchallenge - JNL Fusion Transformation Time!

JNL Fusion - The Right Time for a Fitness Makeover

When I first made the switch from being a dreadmill minion to slinging weights around in the gym, I became a little obsessed with fitness magazines. Watching my own body transform was amazing, but so was learning about different types of workouts. Somewhere along the way I fell in love with Jamie Eason. I picked up every magazine she was in, did every workout she recommended, and told myself if I worked hard enough, one day I could have a physique just like hers.

There were a few minor issues with this plan. First of all, she's 5'2. Honestly, we can really stop there. As much as I love Jamie and still follow her on FaceBook and Twitter, I think it's safe to assume I will never be a 5'2 fitness model that has never struggled with weight issues. I'll always love Jamie Eason's nutrition and workout advice, but I just don't identify with her story.

Now, I'm not saying you must have an inspirational role model to succeed in your goals, but it certainly doesn't hurt. I've always been that girl that loves making vision boards and having mentors. It's nice to connect with someone else that's been through similar struggles when you're fighting your own battles.

Enter Jennifer Nicole Lee.

I first read about her on bodybuilding.com when I was looking around the site for something new in 2011. This was right around the time Jamie Eason's LiveFit was launching, so after reading a little info about how JNL had created a home workout for moms, I downloaded all the LiveFit info and jumped into my new workout.

The LiveFit program was HARD. I was in the gym for an hour to an hour and a half nearly every day of the week. I was lugging a huge suitcase of a lunchbox to work every day. I was determined to succeed. At one point, we were going on vacation and I was so freaked out about not eating the right foods and amounts of protein, that I made meatballs and froze the equivalent of half a side of beef to bring with me. I got a gym membership for the week we were out of town.

I was not playing around, people.

But I also wasn't exactly overjoyed with the program. It was too much for me to keep up with. Even though the FaceBook group I was a part of was highly motivating, I ended up not finishing the 12 week schedule on time, and then decided not to do the carb cycling phase at the very end because I wasn't at a place physically were it made sense. The LiveFit trainer has done some amazing things for a ton of people -- it just wasn't right for me.

And of course, in true merry-go-round style, at the end of all that high energy, daily hours-long gym time and whirlwind insanity, I jumped off and landed squarely on my couch, where I sat for the next couple of months, wondering why I couldn't ever seem to stick with a program. At this point, I was still in a really defeatist mentality! It's amazing how much I changed through the course of 2012 while working with my rockstar online trainer.

Again, enter JNL. But this time, I listened. This time, my brain was prepped and ready to listen to new possibilities.

A couple of weeks ago I was contacted by Danny J (The Sweaty Betties). She shared some info with me about JNL Fusion and a new supplement line coming out by BodyFX. Because I'm a research junkie, I immediately googled my heart out to learn everything I could about JNL. It only took seeing her picture to remember her as the same "mom's home workout" chick I had seen over a year ago on bodybuilding.com. I found it a little amusing that I had toyed with starting her workouts back in 2011, and here she was again, popping up on my radar.

I also learned:

• She is her own success story -- losing over 80 pounds on her own after having her kids.
• She created the workouts on her JNL Fusion DVDs.
• She's 5'9! Yay! Almost as tall as me. I don't know why I always check out the height of my fitness role models, but dude -- it really matters to me!
• She is UBER motivational.
• She's really chatty, y'all.
• Her workouts are short and powerful. 3 rounds of 30 seconds of weights backed by 30 seconds of plyo-style cardio for each exercise set. Totally my style of workout -- lots of movement, plenty of variety! I am stoked to try them out!

(Here's a quick example of her Fusion style workouts!)

And lucky for me, after that original meeting with Danny J, I decided to jump in with both feet, become a Founding Charter Coach with BodyFX and begin a brand new chapter in my journey to my healthiest life possible. This means my JNL Fusion DVDs are in the mail headed my way and I'll have the full line of supplements to try out before they become available to the public in May.

It also means I will be able to help many, many other people stay motivated on their own journey for optimal health. It's already begun, and I just can't believe how many blessings have been falling all around me in the last few weeks.

All because I was open to possibility. All because I decided to release my fears. All because I finally decided to say yes to something new, instead of doing my usual duck-and-cover approach to the unknown.

I could not be more excited. I've read up on this new protein powder and the rest of the supplement line and am so happy to finally have found something that is free of artificial ingredients, that has adaptogens to offer the metabolic repair my merry-go-rounding body needs!

So here's the accountability part of the plan. The reason Jes and I decided to start this whole blog to begin with -- we want off the merry-go-round and on the road to success -- and the best way to do that is to put it all out there.

When my DVDs arrive, I will weigh, measure, and take pictures (eeeek). I'll blog weekly to let you know how my workouts are going and what I think of the exercises -- and I promise to be honest about both my successes and my stumbles along the way.