I have been repeatedly reminded lately, that the more you share with people what a TRUE mess you are, the more people realize you are human and are more approachable.  People who know about things I have been through in my past, say things to me like, “You are amazing!”, “How did you get through all of THAT and still come out with a positive attitude?”, or “You are SO strong!  I could never do what you have done.”

Honestly, I have to take it day by day.  Sometimes hour by hour or minute by minute!  And when I look around and see what others go through, I really don’t think I have a lot to complain about.  It really has been a pretty good life overall, with a few REALLY CRAPPY things thrown in to make me stronger.  I have definitely been through some rough spots, but I figure there was something to learn, because I am still alive.  Life is rarely easy, but as the saying goes, “Most things that are worth it, are rarely easy!”

Most people don’t follow me and want to work with me just because I have lost 148# in the past.  Honestly, I would say more of the people who want to work with me, do so because I am not ashamed or afraid to tell you that I still have struggles.  That right now I am FAR FROM my lowest weight of 149#!  That I am going through menopause and that MENOPAUSE SSSUUUUUCCCKKKKSSSS!!!!  That I still battle daily pain and keep going anyway!  And that I have no intention of quitting just because right now I am not the best ever version of me IN ONE WAY!  I AM however, stronger than I was yesterday both physically AND mentally!  I have done a LOT of soul searching through this process(I have not had an alcoholic beverage or cheated on my meal plan even once in the last 73 days!), which also means I have spent a lot of time alone.  Some may not understand the journey I am on right now, but they don’t have to.  They just have to respect it as mine.  I am still me and I work hard every day to be MY best and help others do the same, but I had some stuff to work through.  And then we have the whole sudden death of the best cat in the world to throw me into more stress, but I am still going strong!

If you follow me on IG ( @bodybybrendat ) or Facebook (Body By BrendaT ), you know that the reason for all of this recent soul searching has been that I have been doing 80 Day Obsession in an Exclusive Team Beachbody Coaches’ Test Group.  And since this is MY blog, I am going to take a few lines here at the end of this post to celebrate some things and smash some people’s crappy opinions about me not getting the results that I should be, so I must be cheating!

1 – I have lost 20#.

2 – I am now wearing 3 pairs of pants that would not go up over my wide hips 2 months ago.

3 – I deal with pain EVERY DAY anyway, so it might as well come from lifting heavy weights! 😉

4 – I am PROUD of myself!

5 – This is the first REAL progress I have seen since starting my battle against out of control cortisol levels and Adrenal Fatigue almost 2 years ago!

6 – I have learned that stress, especially prolonged stress, can cause weight gain!  And that resetting your body AFTER stress can take time!  And that being patient and not giving in to a self-loathing mindset is HARD!  But worth it if you can just find enough positivity to surround yourself with to make a go of it!

7 – And I am learning, even though I have “known” it forever, that Comparison IS the thief of Joy!  I am not having the same progress that some of the others in the Test Group are having, and I admit that sometimes I let that discourage me. But I continue on my path and do my best to trust the process.  I have been battling some issues for a long time, and some new stress still worked its way in to this chapter of my story, but I deal with it as best I know how(right way OR wrong), and move forward.  Having ANY progress at this point is a miracle to me since I have been stuck for SO LONG!

So, I WILL celebrate MY progress!  I WILL stick to MY journey!  And YES, as always, I welcome EVERYONE to join me.  We can be on our own journeys TOGETHER!  And POSITIVE support helps.  I was lucky enough to be part of a group that is full of the support that I needed at this time.  And I would love to be that support for you! ❤

In fact, I have a support and accountability group that I would love to add you to so that we can help each other as we work towards our goals!

Message me at bodybybrendat@outlook.com for details of what you need to do next if you want in! 🙂

15 Years since I heard your laugh.

15 Years since I hugged you last.

15 years since I saw your face.

15 years since you left this place.

15 years ago a hole in my heart went dark.

15 years ago I saw just how much you left your mark.

15 years ago I questioned God’s reasoning.

!5 years ago I realized you would miss my wedding.

15 years have passed since you left my side.

15 Years have passed since I laid you to rest in your dress that you were to wear as Mother of the Bride.

15 Years have passed since I received a call that would change my life forever.

15 Years have passed since you left for your home with our Savior.

I just want you to know that I still miss you every day.  And that I pray that I make you proud of me in Everything I do.  I am better for having known you and even if we were not Mother and Daughter, I still would have wanted to be Your Friend!

I Love You Mom! ❤

People often ask me, “What MOTIVATES you to do what you do?”

“What makes you want to get up at 5AM, to do hour long workouts when you are going to be teaching fitness classes that evening?”

And my favorite, “WHY do you do it?”

My answer, “Because I am not dead yet.”

There will always be a new goal.  Most people’s lives are not lived in a straight line.  There are twists and turns, ups and downs, sometimes full on downward spirals!  But you have to work through them.  There really is no other choice.  I had to learn VERY young that life was not always going to be sunshine and rainbows.  You have to see the light at the end of the tunnel and RUN!  Run as fast as you can towards the light!  Sometimes the light is deceiving, and takes you backwards, but you learn that until you are where you want to be, you must keep looking for YOUR light!

So where am I at NOW?

The last 7+ weeks have been hard!  I’m not going to lie and say that they haven’t been.  I am striving to do my very best while participating in a Beachbody Coaches Exclusive Test Group for 80 Day Obsession.  The only workouts I missed was when I was down with the flu and couldn’t stay awake for more than 20-30 minutes at a time for 3-4 days!  But I jumped back in after I rested my body and got right back to it!  I would have let that kill my fire in the past, but NOT THIS TIME!

I am determined to see what I can do with this program!  I am determined that going back to this type of program, is going to be what “fixes” me. You see, I have been fighting adrenal fatigue and getting my nutrition back on track in a BALANCED way for a long time.  I have experimented with so many other “Nutrition Plans”, the fads, the restrictive, the ones that take away whole food groups, you name it.  They weren’t for ME!  I am not saying that they won’t work for anyone, I am saying that they don’t work for me!  So all I can teach and advise on, is what I believe works best, which for me, is losing at a moderate pace with proper nutrition and exercise.

So WHY did I stray from this way of eating in the first place, you ask???  Because after going back to a few bad habits and going through some stress and depression that took my focus elsewhere, I decided to test some of the popular theories, and I ended up screwing up my metabolism so bad, that it has now taken over a year to get it fired back up!  And going back to fueling my body with good clean foods in a balanced way is simply what works for me!  Am I dropping HUGE amounts of weight and reaching my goal in record time?  Nope.  And I am fine with that!  I am almost 47 years old, have had hormone and weight issues for most of my life, and menopause is not making things any easier! But I keep going.  I could use it as an excuse, but where is that excuse going to get me?  I am at times depressed, cranky, and bloated, in pain most of the time, and I work long hours.  But I want to be better.  So I WORK to make it better!  Because I know the one sure fire way to never see progress, is to do nothing!

So, my Call To Action for you is this –

If you are ready, SERIOUSLY READY, to work on your health and nutrition, whether you are local to me and want to come to Phoenix Fitness with Body By BrendaT, or work with me online through a Beachbody program, I am here to help!  The nutrition program that I am going to put you on will be the same!  To get the BEST results, you need the total package-

1 -A Fitness Program

2-A Nutrition Plan

3-Accountability

And yes, I will expect a commitment to ALL THREE!

Does that mean you never get to have a day off from exercise, or a drink out with friends, or a slice of pizza again???

Absolutely NOT!  But I will expect the level of commitment for the level of results you desire!

SO, What are your GOALS?

Email me at bodybybrendat@outlook.com so you can join me on this journey as soon as today!