What a wild month it's been! TODAY's #startTODAY series followed Hoda Kotb, Jenna Bush Hager and Craig Melvin as they embarked on a health and wellness journey to change their lives for the better. They each had three coaches, guiding them through workouts, food plans and how to be just a tad bit more mindful.
Of course our TODAY viewers wanted to join in on the fun — and thanks to our new "Ask the Coaches Advice Line," they could! This month, we launched our first SMS-based hotline where our audience could send in questions via text message to the #startTODAY coaches.
Facebook chats are great, but for #startTODAY we understood that for many, the subject matter was personal and private. So, each of our coaches hosted a “shift” on the advice line, offering guidance and assistance in their area of expertise.
Check out a few examples of the inspirational advice our coaches offered! And don't worry, we've kept the identities of all of the senders completely private.
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Bob Harper
When Bob Harper wasn't kicking Craig's butt in the gym, he took time out of his crazy schedule to lend some fitness advice to TODAY viewers, too. Life lesson learned: If you don't like to run, don't do it! But you still have to exercise somehow.
Joy Bauer
Joy Bauer had a busy month! She created meal plans for all three of the anchors (Hoda was on a Mediterranean diet; Craig went vegetarian; and Jenna learned how to cook!), helped create healthier versions of their favorite foods and helped TODAY viewers following along at home learn how to eat and cook healthier meals! Nutrition advice from Joy Bauer is priceless.
Andy Puddicombe
Craig Melvin found Headspace founder and mindfulness coach Andy Puddicombe's advice to be "life changing" — and our fans did too! Puddicombe helped them to realize meditation and mindfulness isn't a huge commitment. You can start with as little as 10 minutes a day!
For every shift, we received more messages than the coaches had time to respond to, so we apologize if you reached out and your question was not answered. We are looking forward to using this technology again on this and other TODAY series in the future — so stay tuned!
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