*....Slinks in through the back door*

Hey...So. It's me. 😬 I feel like I have to explain to you guys my whole disappearance and why I fell off the wagon (if my last post before this one doesn't predict my downfall, then I don't know what does). But you know what? I've been working out, reading my personal development and drinking my Shakeology for a month now (the shakes for 2 months) and I feel so much better and am just ready to MOVE ON and get over it. There's no use in beating myself up because everyone slips up. And if I make myself feel guilty every time I make a mistake or go through a rough patch, it's all going to become negative and I don't need that. Plus, I already apologized and talked to the people that cared the most about my health journey and the people that I felt like I ditched and we are all back on track. It's not about the mistakes, it's about being able to pick yourself up and start over. 

My health and fitness journey (mentally and physically) is so extremely important to me. The stress and anxiety and frustration and garbage that came along when I let go of my goals was awful. And it just felt like "bad things keep happening to me! When is it ever going to get better??" And then a lightbulb went off and I realized that nobody is going to take care of me, but me. The more I let things just happen to me, the more out of control I am going to be. 

It's kind of a double-edged sword because I want to be less of a control freak and I understand that I can't control the world. Nothing turns out the way you expect and it's just stressful to put that much pressure on yourself. However, I also need to be assertive with my life and guide it in the direction that I want to go in a positive way.

So it's one step at a time: First I started my shakes again. Then the personal development books. Then the workouts. Now I'm back to running a Challenge Group so I have the support system of others to keep me accountable. And now that I feel more positive and better about myself in general, I'm able to start branching out to other goals, like getting a bike to ride every day instead of driving. And to get outdoors and go hiking or camping a few times each month. Eventually I'll be working on bigger and bigger goals that will be more long-term.

But for now, it's the baby steps that count.

**If you EVER feel like you need help getting back into a positive attitude, figuring out your life goals, or want to see how a Challenge Group can help you reach your health and fitness goals, please reach out to me! Helping others seriously benefits me, too. I'm here for you and I'm human.**

I know you can be overwhelmed...and you can be underwhelmed... But can you ever just be "whelmed?"

**This was originally typed on Friday, July 18th, but never posted.  I think it's worth posting to show that everyone has a point where even little things can get to be just a little too much.  Or just as an explanation for where I disappeared to over the weekend.**

You know what I hate?  I hate when you are completely overwhelmed by everything, but then when you try to justify it to someone else...you can't.  And then you just feel like you're being a baby.

"Get over it," you tell yourself.  "It's not that big of a deal."

But sometimes you just need time to reorganize, reevaluate, and regroup.

Today is one of those days, and I am happy to say that I called in to work and I have the day off.

So with being so overwhelmed, I have felt like I have zero time to accomplish anything.  My new work schedule has completely thrown me off for some reason (I'm not sure why, it's the same number of hours I was working during the school year), I'm planning a bridal shower which is TOMORROW, my phone mysteriously landed in the toilet yesterday and is now completely busted (the water was clean, don't worry), which means I can't reach anyone without being at home and on the computer, I feel like I haven't actually talked to my husband in days, and we have no food at home!  Scratch that...I just haven't been home to make any food in several weeks.

I'm not going to lie, I've only worked out once this week.

I've been trying my best to eat well, but I come home exhausted every single night, so I haven't been on my game 100%.  And here's where you're going to think I'm totally insane, and something that has convinced me that I'm at the end of my rope: two nights ago I was so tired after work that all I wanted was McDonald's.  I haven't eaten at McDonald's in months, but it sounded so good for some reason, and there was no way that I was going to cook dinner.  So through the drive-thru I went, came home and completely demolished a Big Mac and some fries and was happy...for a little while.

When I woke up the next morning, I was not myself.  I felt ok physically (no stomach ache, just bloated), but mentally I was not all here.  I was unhappy, I was anxious, I was stressed and I actually cried.  It's like hardcore PMS (Hormones in the meat?? Wtf, I have no idea!)!  Honestly, I still feel that way and it's been a day and a half now.  So anyway, that stupid hamburger is the straw that broke the camel's back and so here I am at home.

So I guess this is me declaring a mental vacation, although it won't be a total vacation because I still have a lot I need to do this weekend.  But I'm going to be taking care of some things that have overtaken my normal priorities, which means I won't be available much for a couple of days.  Don't worry, I'm still alive!  (Just a little frazzled.)

Raspberry Jam

My grandpa has the most amazing backyard.  I don't know why I call it "Grandpa's Backyard" because it belongs to Grandma too, but I guess I always imagine him working out there, trimming, watering, picking fruit, falling out of the big cherry tree, falling of the back porch roof....Haha, I don't know how he has survived back there, but he has.  

Grandpa is 88 this year.

And the backyard is so beautiful. It's quiet, and peaceful.  Shady in the right places and sunny where you want it.  And what I love most about it is that it's like walking through Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory, except with fruit!  Everywhere you walk around his yard, there is some sort of fruit tree or bush or vine in front of you with something ready to be picked and popped right into your mouth.  Don't wash it, that ruins the texture.  Plus, you don't have time; Grandpa's going to walk around the corner and catch you any second!  I've been busted and scolded many times for eating things without asking...But how can I help myself?!  He has an apple tree, three (maybe four?) plum trees, three types of cherries (tart little pie cherries, and one tree that has black and Rainier cherry trees fused together!), blueberries, there used to be grapes (I don't think they're there anymore?) and the best of all, the Queen Mother of Grandpa's Backyard, his pride and joy: the raspberries.

On Father's Day last month, much of the Brooks' side of the family, down through great-grandchildren, were over at Grandma and Grandpa's to visit and celebrate all of the dads.  It poured rain.  But guess where we were, bundled up under tarps and tents, happy as can be?  The smallest grandchildren running through "The Secret Pathway" that leads behind the flowerbeds along the fence, asking to be picked up so they can reach that one plump red raspberry, and finding perfectly good cherries that had fallen to the ground and had miraculously been spared being eaten by birds or worms.  Cousin Logan, who is now a father of 5, found a small rickety ladder, stood on the very top rung, and risked death to fill his pockets with cherries and then placed them on the table for everyone to have one.

No one was scolded that day.

There are two promises that are kept every year: Grandpa's raspberry jam and Grandpa's raspberry pie.  Grandma loves to tell everyone that she taught him how to make raspberry jam, but he completely took it over and now he gets all of the credit.  I'm smiling just thinking about them while I type this.

And after all of that, I'm not even going to give you Grandpa's Raspberry Jam recipe.  With all of that history behind it, you had to have guessed that it's a secret...

But I did find something pretty close.  Something that gives me that warm fuzzy feeling and that I could also sit and eat with a spoon.  And it happens to only have three ingredients (four, if you choose) and is a nice, clean recipe.  You're welcome.

Clean Raspberry Jam

2 cups fresh raspberries

1 cup blueberries (or just another cup of raspberries)

1/2 cup honey

2 tbs. lemon juice (adjust to desired level of tartness)

Heat a small saucepan over medium heat.  Place berries into pan and stir until warmed and they begin to burst.  Add honey and lemon juice.  Stir until everything has broken down into a well-combined mixture and the mixture has begun to simmer.  

Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Let cool and then pour into a jar.  

Don't forget to try some right away, while it is still warm, on a piece of buttered toast. ;)

Square One: What Is Clean Eating?

I am a firm believer that You Are What You Eat.  This saying has become somewhat of a joke, however, we all know that when we eat junk, we feel like junk, and when we eat well we feel well!  So what's the hold up?! Why do we continually find ourselves grabbing quick snacks, sugary treats, and greasy hamburgers? Because we are turning into...Zombies!

When we are hungry, tired, upset or bored, we tend to go into Zombie mode.  We stop thinking about what we can do to to solve the problem in the long-run and just find a quick fix.  It's like we're out of our minds for a moment!  And unfortunately, those zombie foods that we tend to choose end up causing us to feel even MORE like a zombie (tired, hungry, upset, etc.) and the vicious cycle continues!

But I have found the zombie antidote.  And you will be happy to know that it doesn't involve cutting off your head. :)

It's WHOLE FOODS!  Not the grocery store, although they have plenty of good stuff there, but I'm talking fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, nuts, seeds.... Single ingredients that come from the Earth and are meant to be eaten, not created in a zombie lab and then fed to you via flashy commercials or cheap prices.

Clean eating is all about whole foods and nourishing your body.  It really is simple if you can pull your head out of zombie mode long enough to whip something up with your whole ingredients (and the cool things is that some of them don't have to be made into anything! Fruits, veggies, nuts and seeds can often be eaten as they are!).

Here are a few simple rules for eating clean:

#1. FOOD IS FUEL-
   This is the most important thing to remember.  When you eat, you are energizing your body.  Your body needs protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and yes, fat.  And it needs a good combination of all of those things, not loading up on one and completely avoiding another (I'm looking at you, Fad Diets).  When your body is lacking something, it will retain some things (water, fat, etc.) and overuse other things to try to compensate.  Be sure that you are choosing to eat things that your body can USE and that you are getting a good variety of foods.

#2. Check the labels- 
   Here's a task for you: Go find your favorite packaged snack or meal and check out the list of ingredients.  THEN, pick one that you don't recognize and Google it.  What the heck is it?  You might be surprised to find out where some of those ingredients came from, what else they are used in, or what the effects can be on your body.  If you do not recognize the names of some of the ingredients in your food, it is probably not a clean food.  But here's the cool thing: how many ingredients are in a banana?  ONE.  A BANANA. BOOM. DONE.   That was easy.  Clean eating is all about knowing what's in your food.  If you don't know what it is, don't eat it!  If you can make it at home, you are better off buying a few extra items and making it yourself (you'll probably end up with more than the packaged stuff gives you anyway, AND I guarantee it will taste better).

#3. It's YOUR body, learn to listen to it- 
   All in all, clean eating is personal and totally up to you.  Some people consider cheese and dairy products unclean.  Some people won't eat anything that's not organic.  Those are your decisions to make.  All you need to do is give your body proper nutrition from natural foods that come from the earth, and then just wait and listen.  If you are properly fed, you will be able to understand what it wants on a regular basis.  Trust me when I say that after eating clean for even 2 to 3 weeks, you will begin to stop craving fast food, junk food and processed food.  Not only that, but when you DO eat that Zombie stuff (because you will..."One won't kill me," we think to ourselves), you will NOT feel well later on.  It's that zombie antidote taking effect... ;)

I am in love with food and teaching people about eating clean.  I encourage you to try eating clean for a couple of weeks and see how it goes.  And if you are looking for support, email me about joining my online Dreamlife Fitness group where we work on health and fitness goals all the time!  Please comment if you have any questions!

Aha Moments

This week has presented a couple of "Aha! moments" to me, and I have to tell you that I couldn't be happier. I have been waiting to figure out WHY I'm doing this whole Beachbody Fitness Coaching thing and why it has meant so much to me right from the start. And you may be saying "Who cares why you're doing it? If you enjoy what you're doing then just do it!"  Well because it has become more than just working out and eating clean. It has become my reminder to stay positive. It has become my personal development. It has become my system for goal-setting. It has become my future. These are all things that meant a lot to me BEFORE Beachbody, but they are now at the forefront each and everyday and I am so thankful for that.

I have always been an anxious person. Always. I have never been diagnosed with anxiety, but I can guarantee that one year ago, if I had gone to see a doctor during one of my moments, he would have prescribed something to me. Everything causes me to worry. And they are things that do not even directly effect me now, but I worry that they might someday: illness, global warming, having children before I'm ready, hating my career, divorce, my friends and family dying, that stupid zombie "bath salts" guy who ate a dude's face off (I seriously thought about that every day for MONTHS afterward). When I was 13, I vividly remember sitting up in a hotel room on New Year's Eve of 2000, my parents downstairs at a party, my brother already asleep, and I cried for the entire last hour of 1999 because I was afraid of Y2K. And I can't even talk about the year 2012...that entire year was was one giant anxious breakdown because of the Mayan's prediction of the world ending.  Haha, yeah, it's funny, NOW...  And it sounds so ridiculous to type out. I understand that those are all things that, even if they were real, I wouldn't be able to control. And I also understand I'm a grown adult and should be able to talk myself out of those things but I can't. Once I hear about some sort of disaster or horrible possibility (bee deaths, anyone??), my mind just grabs onto it and won't let go. It plays over and over like a song stuck in my head, my stomach knots up and I'm useless for the rest of the day, sometime longer.

And then I finally figured out some anxiety triggers: Too much caffeine (more than one cup of coffee) will quickly drive me into a downward spiral. And the news. I'm not allowed to watch the news anymore and THAT'S OK WITH ME (a bunch of Negative Nancys and Debbie Downers).

So NOW you're thinking, "Ok, so what the heck does this have anything to do with all your fitness and Beachbody stuff?"

Well, I am creating my perfect future. :)

I realized, JUST THIS WEEK, that aaaallllllll of those things that I had anxiety about were all in the future (I even remember crying to my dad when I was 5 because I didn't want to grow up; this has been a lifelong thing). Yes, we all die eventually, I get it.  And sometimes bad things happen.  But if I take care of myself, (exercise, get proper, well-rounded nutrition with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, unprocessed foods) I can do my best to avoid getting sick now AND in the future (not to mention that eating well and exercise boosts my endorphins and just overall makes me happier and feel good about myself).  On top of that, I am helping people who count on me to be there for them, to be a beacon of positivity and hope, and that keeps me constantly focused on the silver lining.  By reading personal development, which is a huge pillar of being a Coach, I am setting goals for my future to make it EXACTLY what I want it to be, and instead of wasting my time sitting around and just thinking about it, I am DOING something about it now, in the present, and moving toward those goals one step at a time, by living in the moment, not "someday".

All of those scary "What Ifs" ("What if I get cancer?" "What if I never get to travel to Europe?") are quickly becoming less and less scary, and more and more exciting ("What if I participated in a triathlon next summer?" "What if I was able to pay for us to visit New York, London and Paris by next Spring?").

And here's another Aha Moment for ya: While I was away for college, when my anxiety was at its highest, I gained 10 pounds (might not sound like a lot, but I'm not a very big person to begin with).  And would you believe it that I did not even realize that until this week when my friend saw a few old pictures of me from that time and she said, "You look so different!" I thought that 136 was just my normal, adult weight now and was actually SHOCKED when I began working out and pounds started coming off.  I figured I would gain muscle and stay the same weight, I had no idea that I actually had weight to lose!  I'm down to 127 now and have maintained that for the last 2 months. I thought that my body wasn't physically capable of dipping below the 130s.

This "Beachbody Fitness Coaching Thing" is so much more than just T25, P90X, PiYo or Shakeology.  This is my ideal me.  This is who I want to be and the direction that I want to go with my life.  My happiness, my goals, my future and my NOW are why I am a Coach. I am happy.  I am healthy.  And I am ready for anything (even zombies. Have you seen my biceps lately?).

French Toast and Fake Yoga

This weekend Trevor and I are on a mini-vacation as we house and dog-sit for a friend. It's comfy and cozy, we get dogs to play with, and the bed is ridiculously soft.

I actually packed boxes of food to bring over because I had just gone grocery shopping a few days ago and also just picked up our organic CSA box from Hood River Organics (love them... If you live within the Columbia River Gorge and are looking for some quality organics, check them out and tell them Breanna Whittle sent you! ;)  ). So anyway, I didn't want anything to go bad and figured it would help us eat well and not buy junk food while we're away.

This morning we had some amazing French Toast using items I brought from home and a few spices I found here. Yummy, easy, and fairly clean eats!  I used almost entirely organic ingredients, but of course that's up to you. ❤️

Clean French Toast

Serves 4

8 slices whole grain bread

3 eggs

1 cup almond milk

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tbsp vanilla extract (OR 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tbsp hazelnut extract)

1/4 cup maple syrup

butter or coconut oil for pan

Whisk together all ingredients (except the bread of course, silly). Heat butter or oil in pan on medium heat. Dip a slice of bread entirely into the egg mixture and place in the pan, continuing with more slices of bread until there is no more room in the pan. Let cook until golden brown (approximately 4 minutes) and then flip to cook on other side until golden brown. Remove from pan and decorate accordingly (butter, peanut butter, syrup, fruit, anything!)

Continue process with the rest of the bread, greasing the pan between batches. 

This afternoon, my friend Richelle came by and we spent some time at the park practicing our yoga (which we are both new at...very new). We were calling it Fake Yoga until we realized that we actually could do some legitimate poses! We were both pretty proud of ourselves and both have some goal poses that we are going to work on. I just can't wait for my PiYo workout to get here so I can get even more flexible and toned!! And Britny and I have been doing some serious planning for the PiYo Test Group and are so excited to get going! *One more week, one more week, one more week....* And we're still accepting members for our Test Group that starts on the 30th!

And noooow for some cuddle time with dogs that don't belong to me! :D

- B❤️

PiYo Launches Today!!

I'm just so excited I can't even...

The build-up to this program has been so huge that I can't believe it's going to be available today! This is going to change the face of yoga and Pilates, and I get to be one of the first to try it!

PiYo is Chalene Johnson's latest workout creation and it is INTENSE! I have had the pleasure of testing out a few of the routines between a Beachbody event and private lessons from my friend Britny who is certified to teach the classes. It's amazing... If you can imagine yoga, Pilates and cardio all synced together into one perfect workout, this is it. It focuses on strength, flexibility, balance, stretching, cardio,...everything you need for long, lean, toned, sexy muscles.

And the great thing is that PiYo is low-impact and can be modified for ANY experience level! So if you are a beginner, the moves can be simplified, and if you are a pro, they can be made more challenging.

This program is SO NEW that it hasn't even been released yet! It will launch today (June 19, 2014) at 12pm PST, and you can bet that I will be sitting by my computer READY TO GO at noon! 

To kick off the launch of the program, Britny and I will be hosting a PiYo Test Group for a few people who want to be the FIRST to try it out! This is going to be a Challenge Group (follow the link for more info about what a Challenge Group is) and we will all be doing the PiYo workout and using Shakeology for 60 days starting on June 30th.  And, lucky us, the Challenge Pack is being released at its sale price of $140 (regularly $160)! That price will include EVERYTHING that you need to get started with us on the 30th (inuding your Shakeology and a meal plan).

To order your PiYo Challenge Pack and to join our PiYo Test Group, visit www.beachbodycoach.com/breannawhittle at 12pm PST/3pm EST today, choose "Buy a Challenge Pack" in the banner at the top of the screen, and select PiYo. If you have ANY questions about how to purchase PiYo or about the Challenge Group, email me at breannasdreamlife@yahoo.com and I will be more than happy to help!

I'm so pumped to do this!!

-B❤️