Teddi Mellencamp, the newest addition to “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” has made a career of holding people accountable.
“My definition of an accountability coach is someone who helps monitor your health and fitness goals,” Mellencamp, 36, recently told Page Six. “I’m trying to empower my clients to plan ahead and stay committed to their initial intentions.”
But with New Year’s resolutions fresh on everyone’s lips, the daughter of rocker John Mellencamp warns that a “New year, new me” mentality is a setup for failure.
“People say, ‘I’m going to tell myself to do this and I’m going to do it every day for a year,'” she explained. “Of course that’s not gonna happen, and of course things are going to fall off the tracks and then you know what you’re gonna feel? Guilty.”
Mellencamp launched her business because she had struggled with her weight, first when moving to LA at age 18, and then again when having her two young children.
“I was still significantly larger than I had ever been,” she said of trying to drop the baby weight the second time around. “I realized I’m complaining to my husband, I’m complaining to my friends, and I’m not doing anything about it, it was that moment where I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m looking for someone else to change something that I need to change.'”
“Then I became that person,” changing her mindset and making a career out of motivating others to stick to their goals.
She’s currently coaching 35 women personally, while coaches that work for her are helping 200 other clients this month. Their progress is documented on Instagram.
For those looking to get a jump on their fitness goals, the workout guru (whose business is appropriately named LA Workout Junkie) suggests setting obtainable goals — specifically, something enjoyable that doesn’t have to cost a lot of money.
“I wouldn’t set a goal of going to CrossFit every day because I don’t like going to CrossFit,” she explained, noting that her favorite workouts consist of outdoor running, hiking and hitting up celeb-favorite class Rise Nation. “Set things that you don’t have to be obsessed with doing, but that you enjoy so you start to develop a habit and start to like it.”
Before you know it, Mellencamp insists, “things will start to change.”
“You don’t have to worry about being motivated, you have to be committed,” she told us, adding, “Even if you say, ‘I’m going to go to the gym for 30 minutes because I worked a long day,’ guaranteed, after two weeks you’re going to go for 45 [minutes], because once it becomes a habit it becomes easier.”
As for Mellencamp’s own routine, she starts her day with a full glass of water, has no carbs at dinner and stops eating three hours before bedtime. She commits to an hour of exercise daily, which can be as simple as walking with her children in a stroller.
Now, watching herself on TV, which she admits is “kind of hard,” she puts what she teaches her clients into practice.
“What I can kind of live with was ‘I was me,’ and as silly and cliché as it sounds, I was accountable to the person that I am and I think you’ll be able to see that as the show progresses.”
And as for her icy dynamic with Erika Jayne?
“Let’s just say it’s gonna get good,” she told us.
“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST.