About Me
My Before & After
About Me
My name is Debbie Gjerde, and I am a mom to two wonderful children. I graduated from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo in 1988 and earned my degree in Business Administration. In 1989, I married Chris, my college sweetheart. After I graduated from college, I returned to my prior career working in the travel industry. I had my daughter in 1993 and my son in 2001, and I was a stay-at-home mom after my son was born. I volunteered a lot at my kids' schools and also held board positions in Parent Club since I always enjoyed supporting teachers.
After volunteering for several years, I decided to follow my passion in helping people with their health and fitness. I became a Beachbody Coach in October of 2014 after falling in love with the programs. I LOVE helping people with their own health and fitness, and seeing them reach their goals. It brings me more joy than I could have ever imagined. Hearing they have been able to get off of their high blood pressure medication, lower their blood sugar, and fit in their old jeans is very fulfilling. It was very reassuring when my doctor praised the programs as well.
I attended my first Beachbody convention in New Orleans in July 2017, and it really changed my whole perspective of what Beachbody is about. Not only do we help others with their health and fitness, but there is a bigger picture. People are not only transformed on the outside, but on the inside too. They gain confidence, find happiness, and get control back in their lives. There are not too many jobs that do all of that!
I joined a group of like women who have the same vision as myself, and we are led by an inspirational leader, who provides all of us with tools to help people while becoming successful women ourselves. It is an amazing support system and a positive environment, where you can learn and grow. It allows me to mentor others and grow this business of helping others.
After many years of working in the travel business and volunteering in schools, I finally have found my calling. Not only did it help me with my health and fitness, but I have been able to help others too. I get to do something that fulfills my heart and gives me a lot of joy. It helps me to LOVE LIFE and know it is never too late to get started
Growing up, I was a terrible eater. I ate a lot of junk, drank sugar filled soda all the time, and absolutely hated to exercise and dreaded PE in school. Those bad habits caught up to me later in life, because as you get older, your metabolism definitely changes!
In the summer of 2014 before turning 50 years old, I ate like there was no tomorrow on a cruise vacation and came home to have foot surgery. I couldn't walk well, much less exercise for EIGHT weeks. I was adding on the pounds and it was very frustrating to feel like there wasn't anything that was helping. I joined Weight Watchers and tried other weight loss options, but I would always put the weight back on. Part of me just wanted to throw in the towel.
By September of the same year, I was scrolling my newsfeed on Facebook, and I read a post from a person I knew that said, "Doesn't your body deserve 21 days to make it a priority?" and in my head I thought "YES, IT DOES!" but I had no idea what it was about. I just knew I COULD DO ANYTHING FOR 21 DAYS. I messaged her, and I dove right into the 21 Day Fix program. I joined her Facebook accountability challenge group and I was committed! The accountability kept me from cheating, and I stayed on track NO MATTER WHAT! I ate on plan, had plenty of food, and It was life changing! They say it takes 21 days to make or break a habit, and it is true! I was learning to break some bad habits and picked up some good ones, and I thought, "if I can do this, others can too!"
My Favorite Beachbody Program?
My favorite program so far has been 21 Day Fix, because it was the first one I did and it really changed my life. The portion control containers, which represent the different food types, are so helpful in knowing how much to eat. The 30 minute exercises each day were quick and doable. The most helpful part was being in a Challenge Group with my Beachbody Coach where I had to stay accountable. It guided and encouraged me every day to keep going and stay on track, and it also gave me recipes and tips to help me. Being with other people on the same journey helped a lot, and for the first time, I was not only seeing progress but it helped me keep going!
