Jen "FIT" Smith

ominated the first 12 years or so of my life really took a toll on my self-esteem. Much of my high-school and early university years were consumed by fad diets, a mild eating disorder, and continuous yo-yo dieting. I did manage to lose about 40 pounds once I hit university, but 10 years later after I had my first child, I packed on 60 more. This is where my journey with Beachbody began. After gaining so much weight with my first pregnancy, I needed help. Caring for an infant, and learning to be a mother consumed my life. I did manage to start exercising when the baby napped using my friends Insanity DVDs, and I was able to get about half the weight off on my own. But then I hit a plateau. My motivation dwindled, and my self-esteem took another blow. That is when I found my Beachbody coach, and my life changed forever. She immediately added me to her online fitness support group, and the encouragement I received from her, and the amazing online community she created was what I needed to keep me accountable, and shed the remaining 30 pounds I was carrying. And then came baby number two in 2015 (my kids are only 18 months apart)! Despite the fact that I had made a promise to myself to have a healthier, more active pregnancy, those plans were sidelined when my beautiful mother was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia when I was a week or so into my pregnancy – I didn’t even know I was pregnant at the time. I spent the next 8 months essentially living at Princess Margaret Hospital, as my mother fought the battle of her life, which she ultimately lost a month before I had my baby girl. It was the darkest period of my life to date. Once she passed and I had the baby, I gave up on myself – both physically and emotionally. At four months post-partum, I was at the same weight I was at 9 months pregnant. So once again, I reached out to my coach and the online beach body community she created, because I needed their support, encouragement, and motivation. It took me 15 months to lose the weight, but I did with the help of Beachbody. For me, health and fitness is no longer a hobby, or something I engage in strictly to shed weight. At 37 years old, I had my own cancer scare just a few weeks ago, a mere year after my mother passed away. This experience fundamentally changed me. I will never take my health for granted ever again, and this is the primary reason I have chosen to become a Beachbody coach. I truly want to help people lead healthier, more active lives. I am a teacher by profession, so the idea of helping others the way my coach helped me, is what drives my desire to coach.