Stress Less

Posted on November 27, 2019 | Stress Less

Resolutions don’t work

I’ve resisted this fact for years, but it’s totally true. Humans do not accomplish things well when we go from thoughts to action.

(ex: I wanna lose 10 lbs, so I’ll eat less and go to the gym more)

We start out well, but soon we get distracted, lose motivation…become inconsistent.

Turns out ALL humans do this and there’s new science behind why we have such a hard time achieving goals and breaking old habits.

There are 2 experts in behavior change that bring us the science on what is happening AND teach us what we can do to stop struggling with our goals .

Dr. Jud Brewer and Danielle La Porte

Dr. Jud Brewer – CLICK here is a neuroscientist with an APP (UNWIND) that gets people to break bad habits

Danielle La Porte- CLICK here is a business coach that has online courses and guide books to keep you on track better.

For the past 8 months, I have been using both Danielle La Porte’s Desire Map planner AND Dr. Jud’s Unwind APP weekly.

I cannot highly enough recommend these. every human that wants to accomplish ANY goal and just FEEL better daily should tap into these.

CLICK HERE to learn about Dr. Jud’s UNWIND APP

CLICK HERE to learn about Danielle La Porte’s DESIRE MAP guide book and online courses.

Posted on August 22, 2019 | Stress Less

Dr. Jud Brewer. Doc with THE tool to nail your goals

You know how you have that ONE thing you really want to get done, but you just can’t seem to just do the work you know you need to do? Congrats, you’re human! We all do what we want rather than what we should.

Great news is there’s an APP that gets us to finally stick with doing the work we MUST do to get what we really want.

UNWIND APP, from Psychiatrist & Neuroscientist Jud Brewer. SCROLL DOWN for link to free 28 day trial.

So you can get a feel for what Dr. Jud is all about Here’s his TED TALK on making changes that stick

UNWIND APP click HERE for FREE TRIAL

Here’s a sneak peak of the work he gives in the first module

The Feedback Loop. I detailed the steps below for you (this is a game changer for me!)

STEP 1: – write out this template

then plug in YOUR STUFF (mine is above)

This is your new habit loop!

What you will do to stop falling into old habits that are holding you back.

Here’s mine (below)

I’ve been practicing this daily & it’s working!

When I feel overwhelmed. I

1. STOP

2. Step away from my computer and phone

3. Breathe

4. Name it to tame it – SAY what I am feeling

5. Get fresh air (step away from my workspace) for a minute and let myself FEEL that feeling for 2 mins.

Then I say how I wanna feel (my twist) – ex: “calm, decisive, grateful”

This has helped me move on -I’m more productive and created some online videos that teach people how to feed themselves better daily. Watch out for that!

I can’t wait for this all to happen. I just gotta keep practicing my new GOOD habit feedback loop!

No GO, Draw out your own Feedback Loop and get UNstuck 🙂

Happy New Year, 2020!!

Posted on July 26, 2019 | Stress Less

Danielle LaPorte. Desire Mapping, A better way to get what you want

If you’re someone who loves setting goals, but often finds you fall short.. guess what – you’re normal!

Turns out, this whole approach of stating what we want and then taking action does NOT work well for most humans.

Danielle La Porte believes we’ve been doing things backwards. She says we’re starting our goal setting process all wrong and it’s kinda wrecking us.

This woman knows her stuff.. she’s one of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, been featured in Forbes magazine as a business coach, and has written 4 books.

She’s has a simple explanation + tools for us to use. Check out this video below with Marie Forleo.

Below this video, please find the 3 step process I use from Danielle’s system

Here’s the trick: Start from your heart.

STOP acting from your head. Going from Thoughts to Actions just doesn’t work.. our heads get in the way. FEELINGS first, then Strategy.

“It’s not the particular achievement or getting the thing that’s really driving us.. What we’re going for is the FEELING we want to feel when we get what we want” – Danielle La Porte

TRY this simple 3 step process

1. Write out your ” Core Desired Feelings”

This is 3-4 words that clearly state how you want to feel at all given moments throughout your day (Your daily GPS) Here’s mine:

Whether I’m at Trader Joes, doing research, on a run, out for happy hour, having a difficult conversation, cleaning my house… I want to feel Released, Totally worth It, Tuned in & Wild.

Each of these words hold a lot of meaning for me.

Now come up with 3-4 of your own.

2. Write these out – Put them in your phone & 4-5 pieces of paper to put all around you- Wallet, glovebox, satchel, gym bag, fridge door, bathroom mirror.

3. Put these words to EVERYTHING you do. How you order at happy hour, how you approach your workout, how you show up for people in your life, how you do your work, how you pick out your Netflix show.

LET YOUR CDF’s be your GPS!

Feelings FIRST, Perception SECOND, Thoughts THIRD…

Your feelings determine your perception and THAT drives your thoughts into action!

Now as you step up to that next thing you know you gotta do, but don’t really FEEL like doing – pull out your CDF’s .. will this thing make you feel any of your CDF’s?

green juice over muffin
5 min meditation over social media
moving outside over grinding through computer work
research for work over happy hour with a friend

It’s been a total GAME CHANGER for me I’m staying more on track to my goals than I’ve ever been before. I’m way more decisive & ease-fullly driven. That’s huge.

Feelings first, THEN strategy. Go from 1. Your Heart (how you feel) THEN 2. Your PERCEPTION (how you want to view things) THEN 3. Your Thoughts then you take action with that next best step

I hope this helps you and you totally enjoy it. If you need someone to keep you on track and accountable .. that’s my bag. I’m keep people challenged, on track and super accountable, while you enjoy life more!

Coach Bre

206-310-9079

Posted on July 19, 2019 | Stress Less

ONLINE Coaching Programs

For the busy adult who needs someone to come to them!

Someone to meet them where they’re at, literally.

Hand them the healthy foods they need to eat and the best workout moves, so they can get stronger.. feel awesome in less time and with way less stress!

Simple, quick, challenging and totally doable. That’s how I roll 🙂

I’ve created 2 ONLINE Coaching Programs ( CLICK Here for IN Person Coaching @Magnuson Athletic Club )

These are weekly video modules I drop straight to your inbox every Monday morning.

All you need to do is Choose your Level… Then CLICK, WATCH & DO

Every weekly lesson delivers

Weekly recipes ( High Anti-Inflammatory = free of gluten, grains, cow dairy & sugar)
Weekly video workout you can do anywhere.

2 LEVELS to choose from

1. Burn Brighter Signature Program – The FULL SheBang! CLICK for Details

For the curious student that wants to know WHY.

Video tutorials explain why each week’s foods & workout will get your body to drop fat, gain strength and make you feel more awesome!

2. Stay Brighter– Just the Facts, maam! CLICK for Details

No Tutorials on the why’s. We keep it simple with NEW weekly Recipes + body-weight workouts.

Sure you’d like to know why.. but let’s get real -you have enough on your plate & there’s no way you can fit in a 20 min video lesson.

My #1 goal is to meet people where THEY are at.

First Understand THEN Upgrade.

Check out each level. Choose which feels best

THEN reach out to me for a complimentary 20 min phone consult.

Students often add on side support options. This is so you can have your best set up to stay on track!

In person Nutrition Coaching @ Magnuson Athletic Club

15-30 min weekly (or 2x monthly) check ins- Body Stats ( I use the InBody CLICK for details )

Body Fat, segmental analysis, good ‘ol measuring tape for circumference measurements. We analyze both to see what is and is not working.

Then we set up a detailed plan for 1 or 2 weeks, so you know exactly what to buy, order, eat & do.. Daily!

+ Workout homework you can get done ANYWHERE.

Phone Coaching- A weekly (or twice monthly) 30 minute check in.

Same as IN Person.. just no Body Stats. This keeps you accountable and knowing exactly what to do to keep moving forward with totally practical challenges (foods + workouts) you can for sure nail.

In Person Personal Training-AT Magnuson Athletic Club

CLICK HERE for small group class times + personal training info

Posted on November 28, 2017 | Stress Less

VIDEO! The #1 tip for a great holiday season

Okay – so I love the holidays, but maaan the social calendar can fill fast!

How do you keep up with all those meetups and parties? I know I can feel like I’m dragging myself from one thing to the next and just trying to keep up with it all.

Do you do that?

STOP! Stick to this simple rule – If it’s not a Hell YES! – It’s a Hell NO!

Face it – no one wants you showing up feeling obligated or exhausted. They invited you because they love the FULL you. So if you can’t bring that/ Can’t show up as your best self- then let them know! I mean they are your people, right?

SO dump the excuses, tell them you’re just not up for it and make a time to meet up some other time!

IF it’s something you KNOW you Really should show up for – and it’s a Hell No- then ask yourself this: “Will I be better for going to this”

That’s exactly what I had to ask myself tonight before I head out to my divorce support group. It’s rainy, cold and I don’t feel like tlaking about feelings.. but will it make me better – Hell YES it Will! So I’m going.

Take Care;)

Posted on October 17, 2017 | Stress Less

PODCAST. How to deal with a breakup and NOT wreck yourself

I’ve always been known as a straight shooter. So I’m gonna stay true to that here for you.

Two weeks ago my husband and I decided to end our marriage of ten years.

We somehow stayed calm and pretty darn respectful of each other as we both agreed we are better apart, while we’ve been living like single people for some time.. It still completely sucked.

Why am I sharing this with you? Good question:)

Because I know when sucky stuff happens, we humans can get so caught up in the mess of a situation and feel super lost and alone. This is a one way ticket to Hot Mess Town. I’m not going there and neither are you:)

What does seem to help is to hear that other people have felt the struggles and pain we feel (in any situation) It’s also super helpful when we know we’re totally normal and that there is a next step forward to a better place.

This is exactly why I love Oprah and Inspiring Sports Dramas:)

To keep myself on track and accountable I’m going social with my journey. My entire purpose as a Health Coach is to help people stay victors in their daily life and not allow themselves to be victims.

Honestly this is as much for me as it is for you. I figure if I literally have to SHOW UP each week and DO THE WORK I know I need to do, I’ll stay on a good path. So I’m starting here–

At Step #1

Get Some Freakin’ Perspective!

My better perspective right now is all thanks to some kick ass people experts I listened to last week. A super easy way to get access to Experts is through Podcasts!

Dr. Katherine Woodward’s Podcast with Lewis Howes on “Healthy UnCoupling”

Somehow I came across this episode on my 5 hour road trip to move back to Seattle and find a new apartment for my dog and I. So timely. This episode on Lewis Howe’s School of Greatness, made me snap out of my angry, emotional state and calm the F down.

Dr.. Woodward is a godsend. She showed me that I can turn this whole divorce thing on it’s head. To stop looking at a break up as a shame filled event. To stop the pints of ice cream, alcohol and Tyler Perry movies.

I know that I am really lucky to have found the man I spent the last 13 years with. He was the right person for those years. We both know that we will each better lives separately. And that great stuff lies ahead for us both. THANKS to this podcast I have better PERSPECTIVE and can see that now:)

I’m gonna keep plugging into inspiring podcasts this week. Lewis Howes has a knack for finding awesome experts that I know will keep my head up and eyes forward. So I’m gonna keep it simple and plug into a few more School of Greatness episodes.

Lewis Howes- School of Greatness CLICK HERE for iTunes Podcast

I can’t wait to hear Pro- Surfer’s Mark Mathew’s on “Facing Fears and Bouncing Back” Perfect for my next dog walk 🙂

Posted on August 8, 2017 | Stress Less

3 steps to get ANYONE be more healthy

You know how some weeks you get the same message over and over again? Maybe you see it on billboards on the way to work, hear it in songs during your day, possibly even people around you are talking about that very same topic… it’s like the universe is trying to tell you something, right?!

Most often it’s something that you MUST start paying attention to, ignore it and you’ll be sorry

That’s exactly what happened to me last week.

It started with a few frustrated clients (2 ladies and 1 man were frustrated with their spouses. Another woman is struggling with her overweight father) They were all super irritated that their loved ones weren’t doing anything to improve their health. For some it was getting pretty serious. One woman’s husband had his second heart attack about a month back and already was back to eating fast food, working long hours and skipping any exercise in his day.

All three clients were exhausted from trying to get their partners to be more healthy.They had tried it all; therapy sessions, nutrition books, workout videos, healthy grocery shopping, hired them trainers, watched every health documentary on Netflix, taken them to yoga and gotten up early for walks. None of this was working for ANY of them. In fact one lady took her dad to Whole Foods and on the way home he asked if they could stop at McDonalds.

Within a couple days, 6 stressed out people had asked me about what they should do to get someone they care about to be more healthy. I promised one person I would come up with a super solid plan for her to start with by Aug 10th.

Once I started working on the plan ( THIS BLOG POST) I realized I was going through the same thing. I was super frustrated with my husband’s food choices. As I started working on this plan I realized I was gonna have to do some work myself.

Now I should say that being frustrated with my husband’s nutrition is nothing new. In fact 14 years ago when we first moved in together, I tried getting him to walk with me in the morning. The first (& only time) we did this he stopped at a coffee shop, bought a mocha and then lit up a cigarette 2 blocks later. No joke

Now, I have to share he quit smoking 8 years ago. He’s lost 70 lbs, walks at least 6 miles a day and doesn’t even drink coffee anymore.

Great, right?!None of this has to do with me. I know that for sure. In fact the more I let go and stopped trying to get him to do stuff, he started doing it on his own.

So why all of a sudden am I frustrated with his foods?

For the past few months the pizza guy delivers at least twice a week, empty bags of Doritos fill our trash and Jiffy peanut butter is happening by the spoonful. Why is this happening, and why the heck can’t I get him to quit these crappy foods? My entire life is based around health and fitness.

This is super frustrating! In fact I full on punched an empty pizza box a few days ago. Then I took my dog and I on a walk. I put in my headphones turned on one of my favorite podcasts. I needed some good vibes and Gabby B does it for me every time.

I turned on her show ( Gabby Bernstein’s Add more ING to your life CLICK HERE to open ) Within 8 minutes she gave me just what I needed to hear.

A slap of reality.

“People are our Assignments, They will keep coming back into your life and give you the same lessons over and over, until YOU do the work needed to move on”

Gabrielle Bernstein

This quote was exactly what I needed to hear. All this forcing and fighting people to get healthier wasn’t working for any of us! I realized that the problem was actually me..and possibly my clients, we had been doing it all wrong. We needed get to work on ourselves for them to work on themselves.

No don’t you worry, this is not some vague, hippy drippy blog post. I’m all about getting and giving exact stuff to work with, just bear with me.

I remembered what got Jimmy to finally drop the lbs, nicotine and fast food. It was 3 simple things!

Then I thought back to what got me to get myself more healthy years ago – SAME 3 things!!

Then I thought back to my biggest success stories with clients I had worked with. The people that had the most awesome transformations followed the Same 3 steps:)

Before we get to these 3 steps. There’s one game changer you can do/ MUST DO right now:

Focus on yourself. The 3 steps will ONLY work once you do this.

My clients and my husband only started changing when I started working harder on MYSELF. When I went back to school for nutrition, upped my certifications, worked super hard on my own health- that’s when they all happened to transform and BE more healthy.

so First DO THIS:

Look at what you can do right now to challenge yourself.

Maybe there’s a half marathon you wanna train for, maybe you wanna do a pull up, try out yoga or stop eating treats after dinner. Heck maybe it’s on a whole different level.. maybe you wanna read more books or actually get to bed earlier every night. Pick one challenge and work on that. Don’t try and reason with this- just do it ( thank you Nike)

My challenge: Get to 3 yoga classes a week, Read for an hour a day and stop eating by 7 PM. All of that is doable, but definitely challenging for me.

What’s yours? Pick it now. Go with your gut and decide, then we can move on

Now, THE 3 steps that will get ANYONE to be more healthy

SILENCE AND SPACE. Everyone around them needs to shut it and back off.

Seriously.. No one can change anyone else, we all know this. This is ALWAYS where things go wrong.

The more you force people, shove info at them and talk AT them, they do worse. Always! It’s exactly why my husband is drowning himself in crappy cheese and going through Jiffy like a pregnant woman. He’s working on opening his own business and I am all up in his grill on a daily basis with questions and opinions. I need to shut my face, listen more and give the dude some space

That’s exactly what I did in our mid 20’s. I stopped pestering him, gave him some breathing room and did more of the stuff I enjoyed (nutrition classes, kettlebell,yoga & hanging out with girlfriends).

One we give people space and understanding, then they can move onto steps 2 & 3. The biggest game changers!

2. A HUGE “WHY”

Everyone has to have a super huge reason to change, your WHY. This has got to be the one thing that makes you do all the stuff you need to do to be everything you really want to be. It’s got to be something that strongly pulls at you, makes you cry and get upset about.

This is not, I wanna look good in a bathing suit, fit in my old jeans or even I wanna feel better. NOPE your why has to be SUPER SPECIFIC thing that slaps the sense into you.

It’s gotta make you get your ass to the gym before it’s light outside, say no to pastries and turn off Netflix earlier.

I know for myself I ONLY did the hard stuff/ stuff I knew I had to do

(dropped the alcohol, sugar, wheat, dairy, picked up more weights, meditated and more time for family)

once I found MY WHY

My nephew, Noah.

He came to live with Jimmy and I after his mother (my sister) suffered a psychotic break and put Noah in serious danger. He had watched her struggle with depression and mental illness his entire life.

The day this photo was taken he floored me with this question:

“Are you gonna get sick and sad too?”

WHOA. that hit me like a ton of bricks. That was the WHY I needed.

I promised him I would do everything I possibly could to keep my brain healthy, stay happy, strong and keep us both safe.

We decided to take control with everyday stuff. Foods, fresh air, exercise, meditation and not stressing out our brains with too much screen time or too much work.

Now, 5 years later, we live within 2 miles of each other and we keep up the same habits. He could back off the screen time, but we both have a freakishly huge WHY.

Only when we find our strong WHY will anyone do what they need to do FOR THEMSELVES.

3. A Support Crew

We all wanna be seen and understood. We’re human!

To actually be able to do the work and keep going you must have the right people and environment. My husband only got healthier when he stopped touring as a bass player in a band, he found some awesome friends that drank less and loved getting together to play board games and cribbage. Yes I was there for him, but one thing that actually gets people to change is them finding their own support crew.

My support crew is definitely my friends from kettlebell and yoga classes.

Ya gotta find your people that Inspire you and motivate you to do more. Jimmy’s got his game night buddies

I have my workout buddies. Totally different Vibes – but they all walk fiercely with strong hearts and clear visions of what they stand for. Some just have more muscles:)

I really hope this helps you today.

People are OUR assignment, we have to wake up and do the work OURSELVES if we want anyone to move forward and be more healthy

-Thank you Gabrielle Bernstein! gabbybernstein.com/

This is what I’m gonna do for my husband

1. Start doing more of what I love

Show them how awesome I feel, from doing stuff for MYSELF. (get to more yoga, create new recipes, read more)

2. Back off and shut up

listen more, let them see what they need to do for themselves and ASK what I can do to help.

3. Find and Stick by my WHY

I actually need to spend more time with Noah, get more strict with my sleep time and stop eating after 7PM.

4. Plug into my Support Crew

Just planned a trip to visit my original crews at

Kettlebility, Shefayoga

And Fuelhouse in Seattle

I’m also gonna make more plans with my yoga friends and do more workouts with fellow coaches here in Spokane.

What’s your plan?

Leave it in the comments! Can’t wait to hear it

Save

Posted on August 5, 2017 | Stress Less

Schedule it!

Here is your BEST FIX to actually getting the healthy meals made and the workouts done!

SCHEDULE IT!

“If you don’t schedule it, it DOESN’T Exist!” – Marie Forleo

RIGHT NOW.Take out your calendar and your phone

First
Find a great day this week to cook for 1 hour. Not gonna happen? Then pick two seperate days at 30 minutes each. Schedule that right now.

Second
Find 5 days this week that you can work out for AT LEAST 15 minutes. Unlikely? Then pick 5 days that you can get in at least 5 minutes. Schedule those times right now.

Third Step
Set alarms on your phone. Set an alarm to go off TEN minutes before every workout time. At that time you’ll stop whatever you’re doing and go change.

Fourth Step
Set an alarm to go off 15 minutes before you start cooking. At that time you’ll go get your recipes, start taking the foods so you start on time and enjoy the process.

Great! You’re all set.

Now just make sure you stop everything you’re doing and do the work when your alarms sound.That email, text, errand or Netfix show will be there when you’re done…
The precious time for yourself will not!

Posted on December 10, 2016 | Stress Less

2 things to do to eat less tonight.

So many people I know eat super great..until the sun goes down. Then all bets are off.

It’s like a colossal crash and burn after a full day of picking great foods and killing their workout, so why do they do this over and over again?

Great news.. You are completely normal if this is you. I too used to find myself taken over by the pantry once I got home, before my jacket was even off I was elbow deep in some crunchy snack.. and it sure as hell wasn’t celery.

Even if it was a healthy choice, like cashews or fruit, I would eat too much.. and often I would do this before dinner, or when I wasn’t even hungry, it was just some crazy ritual I had developed.

After some research while I was in my Nutrition Program, I found the reason why this kept happening to me and my clients.