Update 3/10/20. Have you been asked to try Shakeology – or become a Shakeology Beachbody Coach? I have – several times. I've been asked to try this product so many times from so many different people that I decided to write this Shakeology review so you know the facts. Is Shakeology safe? Will Shakeology help weight loss? These are the questions I will address. As always, I'll link to the research so you know I'm not making stuff up. I don't have a dog in this fight. I only want you to have the best information available -free from testimonials, and internet hype – so that you can make the best decision for you. Also, see the review of Ultimate Power Greens as well.
Also see my review of vegan chocolate Shakeology.
Shakeology is one of the products sold by the company, BeachBody. Beachbody markets many health and fitness products, probably the most popular of which the P90X workout by Tony Horton. If you want to know how Shakeology tastes, check out my Shakeology Taste Test.
What Does Shakeology Mean?
The suffix ology means “the study of” so Shakeology literally means “the study of shakes“, In this case, it's a health and weight loss shake that contains various fruits, enzymes, vitamins, protein, etc.
It's a catchy name and gives the impression that there is some science behind Shakeology. But, when I entered “Shakeology” into the National Library of Medicine website, I found no published peer-reviewed studies on this product.
Most health and weight loss shakes don't have any research to back up what they are saying but I wanted to double check just in case because the name of this product stood out to me.
On the Shakeology website, I noticed a reference to a study that drinking Shakeology can lower cholesterol levels but there doesn't appear to be any published studies to back up this claim. At the bottom of the website (Shakeology.com) I see a reference that says :
“In a 90-day study, participants replaced one meal per day with Shakeology, ate a balanced diet, and exercised moderately three times per week. Total cholesterol was reduced on average by 30% and LDL cholesterol was reduced on average by 38%.”
But, this doesn't seem to be a published peer-reviewed study. Questions I asked myself included:
- Who were the people in this “study”?
- Were they men? Were they women?
- Did they have normal cholesterol or high cholesterol?
- What was their LDL levels before the study?
- Did exercise play any role in the outcomes?
They don't tell us any of this information – and this is important stuff to know if we are to analyze how effective shakeology really was.
Fruits contain soluble fiber and Shakeology has a lot of different fruits, so the study outcomes kind of make sense. But, would the same effect be seen if people just blended up some fruits themselves?
I don't know.
Losing weight can also reduce cholesterol. So, did cholesterol and LDL levels change simply because of weight loss, rather than because of Shakeology? I don't know because it doesn't look like the subjects were compared to those who did not use Shakeology.
Shakeology Ingredients
There are a LOT of ingredients in Shakeology. Below you will see that I copied the ingredients from the Shakeology.com website (I used the chocolate version) and separated them into different sections to make this review easier.
| Total Calories | 140 |
| Calories from fat | 10 |
| Total fat | 1 g (2% DV) |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg (5% DV) |
| Sodium | 100 mg (4% DV) |
| Total carbohydrates | 17 g (6% DV) |
| Dietary fiber | 3 g (12% DV) |
| Sugars | 9 g |
| Protein | 17 g (34% DV) |
The total calories are based on 1 scoop (48 grams) mixed with water.
This doesn't look too bad to me. In fact, the calories, protein, fat, etc. are similar to other popular protein mixes. A scoop also has 135 mg of the sweetener, stevia.
Super Fruit Blend
Shakeology also has several types of what they call Super Fruits. Here is the list:
| Acerola powder (fruit) | Cordyceps |
| Camu-Camu powder (fruit) | Maitake powder |
| Pomegranate powder (fruit) | Reishi powder |
| Bilberry powder (fruit) | Citrus bioflavonoids |
| Blueberry powder (fruit) | Rose Hips powder (fruit) |
| Lycium (Goji) powder (berry) | Schisandra |
| Açai powder (berry) | Suma powder (root) |
| Acerola powder (fruit) | Gingko powder (leaf) REMOVED |
Update. Here is my review of the camu camu fruit research.
We are not told how much of each fruit is in Shakeology, only that the total of everything equals 2075 mg (or about 2 grams). I'm OK with that given that small amounts of phytonutrients (plant nutrients) tend to pack a big punch when it comes to health.
In the list you will noticed citrus bioflavonoids. This is technically not a fruit but rather a plant-nutrient (phytonutrient).
A couple of ingredients in this list did stand out to me. One is ginkgo. I suppose they added ginkgo to Shakeology because it has some antioxidant properties. But ginkgo also has anti-blood clotting properties that in theory may interact with blood thinner medications. There is also evidence that – in mice – ginkgo causes liver cancer. I'm not aware of any human evidence of this.
Ginkgo may also interact with medications used to treat:
- seizures
- diabetes
- cholesterol
- depression
Ginkgo is listed as the last ingredient, so I'm guessing there is not a lot of ginkgo in Shakeology but I felt this was worth mentioning.
Given that Shakeology has probably not been clinically tested in people who take prescription medications, I personally would prefer they remove ginkgo from Shakeology just to be safe.
Update: Ginkgo has been removed Ginkgo from Shakeology according to this page of the BeachBody website.
Cordyceps also caught my eye. In some circles, cordyceps is touted to improve aerobic exercise performance. But there isn't much proof that cordyceps works and some research that cordyceps doesn't help exercise. See this video for more insights.
Shakeology also contains acai berry, which is one of the principal ingredients in MonaVie reviewed previously. For more information on acai also see Acai Berry A Review Based on The Facts and The Acai Berry Diet.
Nondairy Probiotic Blend
Shakeology also contains several probiotics. These are basically friendly bacteria. They are as follows:
| Bifodobacterium longum | Lactobacillus bulgaricus |
| Lactobacillus acidophilus | Lactobacillus casei |
| Lactobacillus acidophilus DDS-1 | Streptococcus thermophilus |
Probiotics appear to have a wide range of potential uses such as helping irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and diarrhea.
People who have immune deficiencies like HIV should be cautious with probiotics and consult their doctor before using.
We are not told how much of each bacteria is in this blend but only that its total is 150 mg. Often the amount of probiotics in a supplement are reported as colony-forming units (CFU). People may want to ask how many CFUs are in this 150 mg.
Tip. ask “are the bacteria alive now?”. Sometimes the probiotic bacteria are alive when the product is made but die off the longer the product is not used. This can reduce their effectiveness.
Proprietary Enzyme Blend (135 mg)
| Amylase | Lipase |
| Papain | Protease |
| Cellulase | Bromelain |
| Lactase |
What is an enzyme? It's basically a protein. What happens when protein reaches the stomach? Its digested. Our bodies treat enzymes just like protein from whey, soy, chicken, etc. It breaks the protein up into amino acids, absorbs the amino acids and uses them to do whatever it needs – whether it be help to build muscle or repair a cell in your pinky finger.
While I can sort of see how enzymes might help those who have digestion problems, I never understood why healthy people needed enzyme supplements.
Other Ingredients in Shakeology
| Ashwagandha powder 100 mg | Grape seed extract (seed) 50 mg |
| Barley grass 100 mg | Green tea decaffeinated extract 50 mg |
| Kamut grass 100 mg | Holy basil powder (leaf) 50 mg |
| Oat grass 100 mg | Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) 50 mg |
| Wheatgrass 100 mg |
Ashwagandha
Sometimes called “Indian ginseng” this herb appears to have several effects like helping the immune system. Most effects, however, have not been well studied. One warning that is sometimes mentioned (but hard to corroborate) concerns pregnant women: ashwagandha may cause premature birth of the unborn baby. For 
Ashwagandha for hypothyroidism
Barley Grass
A few studies suggest that barley may lower cholesterol and LDL. As such, this may be one of the ingredients responsible for the observations in the Shakeology study mentioned above. Shakeology is said to be gluten-free.
Grape Seed Extract
This is a popular antioxidant and is mostly studied in people who have heart disease. Shakeology only contains 50 mg of grape seed extract which is less than that used in grape seed extract research.
One study noted that taking grape seed extract (1000 mg/day) along with 500 mg of vitamin C increased blood pressure. Shakeology does not contain this much grape seed extract but I thought it was worth mentioning if any readers have high blood pressure.
Holy Basil
At least one study has noted that holy basil might lower blood sugar levels after eating. As such it may interact with diabetes medications. Holy basil may also interact with blood thinner medications.
Amaranth
I could not turn up much on this ingredient. Some research hints that amaranth can lower cholesterol levels.
The Shakeology Clinical Trial
Thanks to someone who left a comment, I became aware of a Shakeology clinical trial posted on YouTube (the video has since been removed). The study was commissioned by BeachBody and administered by Medicus Research.
Medicus is a Contract Research Organization (CRO), which means that they are contracted by various pharmaceutical, and supplement companies to do research on their products.
According to the YouTube video above, this was how the clinical trial was designed:
- The study contained 50 people and lasted 90 days.
- Medicus researchers measured people's weight, BMI, and various other health factors including cholesterol and AIC levels.
Tip. Hemoglobin A1C is a measure of how bad diabetes is getting. Having 6% or less is usually considered normal. The higher the number, the higher the average blood sugar level is – which basically means diabetes is getting worse.
- Everybody drank 2 Shakeology shakes per day ―one for breakfast and one for lunch each day for 90 days.
Tip. From the video, it appears that people used Shakeology in place of foods they might ordinarily eat. This is important. Keep reading.
- The people did not alter their diet or exercise program (except for drinking Shakeology in place of food at breakfast and lunch).
Study Results
According to the video, Dr. Udani, CEO of Medicus Research, notes that:
1. Statistically significant reductions in the desire to eat lunch were noted after drinking Shakeology for breakfast.
Since hunger, after lunch, was not mentioned in the video, I take this to mean that drinking Shakeology at lunch time had statistical significant effect on the desire to eat at dinner.
2. The video notes that the average weight loss was 9.3 pounds. The greatest weight loss in the study was 24 pounds after 3 months.
3. The average reduction in total cholesterol was 7% after 3 months. The greatest reduction was 50% in some of the participants.
4. Hemoglobin A1C (A1C) was reduced by an average of 5% after 3 months. Some of the people experienced as much as a 19% reduction in A1C levels.
What the video does not tell us:
Here are some things that I was unable to determine from the video:
- How many people in the study were men and women?
- What were the ages of the people in the study?
- Did the study participants have any health problems (high cholesterol, elevated A1C, etc.)?
- Were the average reductions in body weight, A1C, and cholesterol statistically significant?
- Did Shakeology have different effects on body weight, A1C, or cholesterol levels in men vs. women?
- Was there a placebo group? Having a group in the study that did not drink Shakeology would make these results more meaningful.
Toward the end of the video Dr. Udani says ” say:
“The results we are seeing are only due to Shakeology.”
That's a powerful statement. How do they know the results they saw were not simply due to weight loss?
By drinking 2 Shakeology shakes per day (in place of breakfast and lunch) people have reduced their total calorie intake for the day. Reducing calories also can also:
- Reduce body weight
- Reduce cholesterol
- Reduce A1C levels
Based on what was stated in the video, I don’t think we can tell if these values decreased because of Shakeology or simply because the people lost weight.
Dr Udani also states the in the video that the study is valuable because “it isolates the effect of shakeology,” In my opinion, the study, as depicted in the video, doesn’t do this because there is nothing to compare the effects of shakeology to.
For example, in my opinion, a better study would be:
- Take those same 50 people and randomly give them shakeology ―or nothing at all ―to see how they differ from each other after 90 days.
Or
- Randomly give the people either Shakeology or something that had similar calories to see what happens after 90 days.
Of course, I would have to see the actual study to know exactly what happened. My comments are based on watching YouTube video alone.
I hope BeachBody Coaches will let me know if this study ever becomes published in a clinical journal so I can make more informed comments. Until that happens, I'm of the opinion that the effects discussed in the Shakeology Clinical Trial video are simply the results Shakeology causing weight loss – and it's the weight loss that is causing reductions in cholesterol, body weight and A1C levels, rather than a direct effect of Shakeology itself.
I believe almost anything that causes people to lose weight can also cause reductions in cholesterol and A1C levels. See the “Shakeology and Weight Loss” section below for more about this.
Shakeology Side Effects
For healthy people yes, Shakeology is safe but for people who may not be healthy, here are some general things to think about. This list is not complete
- start with less than recommended for the first week
- stop taking at least 2 weeks before surgery
- if you take any medications such as blood thinners talk to your doctor
- Pregnant or nursing – ask your doctor first
In June 2013 the website, Consumerlab.com found lead contamination in Greenberry Shakeology. They found 12.7 micrograms of lead per serving of Shakeology. Beachbody, the maker of Shakeology, responded to this by stating:
“While they seek to inform consumers, they may be actually misleading consumers by not distinguishing between harmful heavy metals and those that are naturally occurring in plants, vegetables and minerals.”
Consumerlab, on their website, fired back stating:
“Lead contamination of plants generally occurs to do contamination of the environment in which they have grown – often caused by industrial pollution or proximity to roadways, where in the past, cars used leaded gasoline. “
So, it sounds like Beach Body is saying that lead is a natural occurrence while Consumerlab is saying, the lead is present because the plants used were contaminated by the environment in which they are grown.
Here is a link to the Dr. Oz Show website shows Beach Body response to the Consumerlab findings.
In 2015 Consumer Reports noted that Shakeology had been reformulated and they no longer detect lead. Shakeology is now in the “approved” category. For more on this, see my Vegan Chocolate Shakeology review.
Other Meal Replacement Shakes
Other meal replacement reviews worth looking at
Shakeology And Weight Loss?
In the Shakeology program, people are instructed to replace one meal a day with Shakology. They are also supposed to exercise 3x a week and eat a healthy diet. This is similar to the reasoning behind other weight loss plans you've probably already heard of. For example:
- SlimFast: drink 2 shakes and eat a sensible dinner
- Special K diet: eat 2 bowls of cereal and eat a sensible meal
If you read my review of Right Size Smoothies, you may remember that the Right Size Smoothie plan was to replace 2 meals with 2 smoothies.
So, the idea behind Shakeology for weight loss makes sense; just use the shake to reduce the calories you eat.
The same thing is also true for many of their competitors like the Isagenix Shake
So for people who don't have the time to eat well or make their meals, I can see how something like Shakeology (or similar weight loss shake) would be attractive. People are more likely to do things that are easy.
How Does Shakeology Taste?
Does Shakeology taste good? I had a chance to try Shakeology thanks to a friend who gave me some samples. Here are the results of my Shakeology taste test.
Also, see the Vegan Chocolate Shakeology review for how it tastes.
How Much Does It Cost?
When I wrote this review, the cost of Shakeology was $119.95 a month (30 servings). This comes to about $4 per shake. You may be able to get it cheaper than this if you are a Team Beachbody coach and have other Beachbody coaches selling products under you on the pyramid. As such, some people may become Beachbody coaches as a way to get Shakeology cheaper.
Who Makes Shakeology?
Shakeology is made by the company Beachbody also known as Beachbody LLC. Beachbody is not only is behind Shakeology but a wide range of other fitness-related products ranging from P90X to Insanity to name a few.
According to the Better Business Bureau, BeachBody LLC is located at 3301 Exposition Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90404 .
Their contact number is (800) 998-1681.
What is a Team Beachbody Coach?
These are the people who often sell Shakeology and other Beach Body products. Team Beachbody Coaches may or may not have a background in fitness, health or wellness. On the TeamBeachBody.com website it says only that:
“You don’t need to be a fitness or weight-loss expert to become a Beachbody Coach. You just need to be ready to commit to changing your life.”
That's a little vague, so do ask about the credentials of a Beachbody Coach before you take any specific health advice from them.
The name Beachbody Coach is actually smart marketing. Instead of calling the people who sell Shakeology (and other Beachbody products) Beachbody distributors, they call them “Coaches”. It's like Walmart calling their sales staff “Associates”.
To be a Team Beachbody coach, people pay $39.99 to start. Beachbody coaches receive a commission for sales they make. Fortunately, Beachbody coaches do not have to buy Shakeology or other Beachbody products before they sell them. Team Beachbody coaches also are used to help people reach their fitness goals. The extent to which they can help would depend on how smart -fitness-wise they are.
Remember Beachbody coaches don't have to know anything about fitness, health or wellness.
Beachbody coaches also try to recruit others to become Beachbody coaches. They in turn, receive commissions on what their recruits sell.
So, Team Beachbody has a multi level marketing aspect. I'm not against MLM companies but it does by nature give incentives to coaches whose main goal is to recruit new people rather than selling the product. This ultimately might dilute the quality of the coaching service.
So Does It Work
Despite the hype, Shakeology is just a low-calorie meal replacement shake. If you follow the plan, you'll likely lose weight. But that's because of your eating fewer calories. Don't believe the hype. It's all about eating fewer calories.
Here are less expensive options
What do you think?
Tara, wow that recipe sounds pretty complete! I’ll have to try it. Thanks for posting this 🙂
Hi Joe, Been awhile! lol…So im back after a few weeks of making my own shakes…hands down I say you don’t need a product like shakeology to get what you need. Here’s what I use and I know I’m getting a great result. Yes, it fills me up, yes, I’ve shed a few lbs. Yes, it works great for digestion and regularity! Also, gives you more of the daily energy we should normally have when we consume generally healthy foods all day as opposed to sandwiches or fast food type food for meals or junk food for snacks like doritos or chips/cookies thru out the day…
1 apple, 1 banana, 1 orange, 5 baby carrots, 2 leaves of Kale, 1 large leaf of swiss chard, handful of spinach leaves, 1/2c blueberries, 4-5 florets of cauliflower, 1/4c dry oats, (tbsp honey is optional)…variations can include more or less of other berries…and of course I mix with 1c raw whole milk for added benefit!….vanilla rice milk is fine too…throw it all in a blender and enjoy 2 grande size Starbucks cup fulls…!!
Its rich and delicious and no horrible “green” shakeology taste! Your getting all the fibrous material that you should be getting from your fruits and vegetables as well as lots of them…Not to mention the cost is like a fraction of shakeology…c’mon its fruits n veggies, we all know they cost little and can go a long way!
Karla, ohhh ok I thought I missed something for a second.
Yes epidemiology research can take a VERY long time to finish.
The China study sounds interesting and a lot like the Framingham study which has been going on for about 50 years.
Oh sorry, it is a book I am reading right now. It was released (I believe) in 2005. It is the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted, called “The China Study” by T. Colin Campbell (PhD) and Thomas M. Campbell II. It is pretty famous 20 year study on utilizing nutrition to help reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity. (New York Times said of The China Study “The study can be considered the Grand Prix of Epidemiology”.) Some of the information is startling. I feel I must have digressed from the conversation. I was using it as an example of a really great comprehensive study, and the generous time-frame it actually takes to be thorough.
Karla, What china study? is there a study on Shakeology conducted in China? Where can I find it?
Research does take time but it normally doesn’t take 20 years especially if its on a supplement.
Oh… sadness.
I wonder if you contacted product development and told them you were trying to do an unbiased review if you could chat with them and find out about research. It could currently be in process. I know that takes a long time. I believe The China Study was twenty years in development.
Hi Karla, I didn’t call them. I wouldn’t know who to call who had any “power” to make it happen and honestly Beachbody is full of smart people. I shouldn’t have to bring it up to them. I know its already crossed their mind.
Are there any Beachbody coaches here who can shed light on any Shakeology research that’s being done?
So what did Beachbody say when you called upon them to commission it’s own study and get it published?
Cindy, I just watched the video thanks for passing it along. Ultimately I dont know what the motives of the doctors were. I can tell you that doctors do sometimes tout supplements that, to me, leave much to be desired.
The thing that did jump out at me is I didn’t see any dietitians talking about Shakeology. They more more about nutrition than doctors.
Few comments on the Shakeology video just to play devil’s advocate :
I looked at the comments by Dr Platt who says its a fact that the ingredients in shakeology lower cholesterol. He did not say that shakeology lowers cholesterol. Just because the ingredients do something does not mean the product (shakeololgy in this case) does the same thing.
Dr Platt also said ” we can reverse heart disease” . Again, he didn’t say Shakeology does this. He didn’t because there is no proof that shakeology reverses heart disease.
This is why I call upon Beachbody to commission its own study and get it published.
Dr Mark Richards is also on the video. Hes a plastic surgeon talking about nutrition. I’ve talked plastic surgeons who dont remember the difference between HDL and LDL. I’d rather hear an RD talking about nutrition than a plastic surgeon.
Dr Richards also said that Shakeology gives people “a lot of protein”. It only provides 17 grams (there are 28 grams in 1 ounce). That’s not a lot to me.
Dr Christensen says “it tasts so good”. To me it tastes terrible.
I often find it ironic that people say to me “doctors dont know nutrition” when they refute something about a supplement- but often tout doctors who say something good about a supplement.
Again I appreciate you passing it along to me. if you turn up any others, do let me know.
Joe,
There is a video of over 30 doctors that drink/recommend Shakeology for various health benefits. I think that will help answer your question posed from Karla’s response. I can’t imagine all of these doctors were paid to say these things. Have you seen this?
youtube.com/watch?v=QeEsMx5yZ3Q
I wonder too! Did this happen to anyone else out there? Please let us know! We are curious! Thanks for your hard work, Joe!
Karla, that’s very interesting. I wonder if anyone else who has taken shakeology has also had lowered blood pressure and cholesterol.
Hi Joe!
No, they did not lose weight. They have no weight to lose. Other than those issues, they were in really great health. And their diets were very good (because of food allergies, they ate what the doctor recommended). It was very perplexing.
Thanks for your unbiased review. I think you should tell Beachbody! They should address those issues you brought up!
Appreciate your time and energy!
Karla
Hi Karla
Im glad you like it. Did your family members lose weight when they were using shakeology? if yes then it was probably the weight loss that caused the decrease in blood pressure and cholesterol. While it may be possible shakeology did something, we know that weight loss can indeed reduce both blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure in many people.
I have not contacted beachbody. My intention was to give people an unbiased review so that they could make an informed decision. While I have my own opinions about how shakeolgy is marketed, If people want to use it that’s fine. I really just want to give people some things to think about and let them make a choice that is right for them.
Joe, I LOVE Shakeology! I am more biased perhaps, because I have family who have gotten off high blood pressure medication and my father in law now has his cholesterol in check as after using it. They did not change their diets and have not begun to exercise yet, so I guess with my family at least, these ingredients and the way they are mixed worked really well. Have you contacted Beachbody about your issues with the product? I know it is really new, so they would probably really appreciate your input! All I know is something in that product works really well!!
Joe,
I absolutely agree!
All Beachbody coaches have to be aware of the difference between recommending and suggesting. What I personally do suggest that I know of a product that has gotten people, including myself results and that it is something they may want to talk to their doctor about trying.
Even certified nutritionists should be making sure that people run any of their recommendations for diet or supplementation by their doctor.
Paul,
It makes sense for the beachbody coaches to say how great shakeology is (because they get commissions) but for someone who is on a budge, it does not make sense.
If money is tight that $119 a month can be better spent on food (not starbucks I’ll grant you that some people will do this and I dont agree with it).
While I am not a lawyer -nothing can be further from the truth actually – Im glad beachbody has forms for people to take to a doctor but I do believe this is more to protect Beachbody than to protect you or other shakeology distributors. An attorney can of course shed far more light on this issue than I can.
If I understand things correctly, none of those beachbody forms will protect that personal trainer if he /she is ever sued. Personal trainer liability forms usually stipulate that if you recommend supplements and bad stuff happens that you are own your own.
Having said that, I am thankfully not aware of anything bad resulting from people taking shakeology. I think the likelihood of this happening is pretty remote in healthy people.
I only want fitness trainers to know about this because some people may sell product after product and may eventually find something that is not so good (safe).
Joe,
Beachbody not only tells all their coaches that clients should consult their doctors they provide a letter for clients to take to there doctor with some information and a link to the Shakeology website for further information. As for all the people saying how great Shakeology is being Beachbody Coaches. That is because it is the smart thing to do, as a coach you get a 25% discount on all Beachbody products and the ability to make money sharing them with others. It just makes sense.
Sommer, I apprecaite your words. As a personal trainer, remember that your personal trainer liability insurance will NOT protect you if anyone has side effects from supplements that you recommend.
Does beachbody tell personal trainers about this? In healthy people shakeology is safe but as I mentioned ginkgo can interact with some medications and while the risk is low, I just dont know what happens if people combine shakeology -or any supplement- with medications.
I say this not to scare anyone but to point out a fact that fitness trainers often dont think about when they recommend supplements.
I’m curious, who are you certified by?
I am a personal trainer and a beachbody coach. I agree that health and weight loss takes a comprehensive approach. I don’t believe in quick fixes, magic pills or liquid diets. There is no substitute for eating healthy and exercising…and that is what I like about Beachbody. They preach the whole package. They have all the tools…real fitness programs…heart pumping, dripping sweat exercise. The kind I teach at my boot camps and in my classes.
They provide a plan that people can afford (I will be the first to admit that personal trainers can break the bank for people). They stress the importance of learning what a healthy plate looks like and fueling your body properly. There aren’t too many companies out there when it comes to MLM that do that…MonaVie, Juice Plus, Herbal life…none are the whole package. All the gyms I have worked at have failed to address nutrition properly because it is out of their scope of practice…but it’s over half the battle when it come to a weight loss journey.
As for the MLM design, I think it is an ingenious plan when it comes to changing lives. I have directly and indirectly changed the lives of thousands…something I could have never done by myself, working 8 hours a day at a gym…which I have done. There are only so many people I can train in a day. But I can support and help thousands by building an amazing team of coaches that are dedicated to being the support system for the many that are doing the programs such as P90X. Something I have come to learn as a personal trainer…we all know how to eat healthy, we know we need to workout but we don’t have the support to get us through the tough times.
Many need a little extra support to stay on track. So, my coaches might not have a fitness background and they don’t pretend to. But they have a lot of heart and they support and check in on their customers which is the missing link for so many. I hear over and over…”thank you for believing in me before I believed in myself”. It’s an amazing thing:)