Taryn Brooke - Pilates and Wellness

And just like that, your girl is officially a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTP)!

What a wild ride. I’m still kind of at a loss for words on what it feels like to have a year’s worth of hard work wrapped up in a neat and tidy bow, but it feels good. If you had told me heading into this about ALL of the obstacles that would appear during this year, I probably would have convinced myself not to do it. But to be here, standing on the other side with so much new knowledge and experience, I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Having this title and knowledge means so much to me because it truly aligns with what I believe in…that each and every one of us has the power to heal and feel amazing through taking care of ourselves. It’s different for each and every one of us, but involves considering multiple elements of wellness: finding whole, nourishing foods that work for you, optimizing digestion and your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar, AND prioritizing movement, joy, and rest. In this new role, I feel exited and equipped to help you figure out exactly what that equation looks like.

On the horizon, mid-July I will be opening the doors to my online practice and accepting one-on-one clients! I am also chipping away at the structure for a group program/guide that will most likely be centered around stress/burnout. More details to come.

Today and everyday, I feel so grateful to have this space, this community of amazing friends, and this platform to share. Good things are coming. 😊✨

20 Min Arms, Abs, and Glutes Pilates Flow is up on Youtube! 🍑 No props needed for this one, just a mat and some space. One of my favorite workouts that I’ve done in awhile. 💕 I love pilates so so much because you can work hard and challenge your body in a way that FEELS good and is so low impact on your joints.

URL: https://bit.ly/20minAAA or follow link in bio.

This is just a taste of what I do in my full length zoom classes! DM me if you’re curious about grabbing a spot.

Cute clothes and free workouts?✔️✔️ Go visit the page to see my newest 10 minute Core Flow on their IGTV and the do yourself a favor and shop around. I’ve been a LACAUSA fan since my days working at Anthropologie, and they continue to be one of my favorite brands because their clothes are simple, comfy, and ethically made here in LA. 🙌🏻 Plus they just seem to always get the cuts and colors right.

Head over to their page to try the workout and let me know what you think! ✨ @ North Tustin, California

Celebrating you is the greatest gift. 💌 While I haven’t been a part of all 29 years, I have been around for the last 8, and I feel like the luckiest girl. You have the biggest heart. You take on challenges fearlessly. You never cease to amaze me. And I think you’re really funny. Happy Birthday to the best friend/partner/husband/puppy daddy/EVERYTHING I could ever ask for. ❤️
ALL Paris photos cause a girl can DREAM 🌥

LOL swipe to see if I successfully got Louis to come over and give me a kiss.

Anyways, I’m brainstorming what I want to bring to you on YouTube this week. I’ve got a new, fast-paced 20 minute pilates flow headed your way once I take my final exam - should be up Wed/Thurs!

What about props? Light weights, bands, blocks, balls, gliders? Let me know what you have at home, I’m full of ideas and ready to get creative. 😊 For me, pilates is so centering because it combines precise movement with breathing and choreography…its almost impossible to be distracted/anxious/stresses while following along. I want to do everything I can to help you find even just a few minutes of peace right now.

If you haven’t already checked out my channel, search Taryn Killion on YouTube! ❤️ Newness is right around the corner! @ North Tustin, California

Things that bring me comfort right now

-time spent outside in the sun
-warm baths
-cooking without any distractions
-breath work
-time spent teaching pilates
-taking deliberate breaks from work + studying
-working in the garden
-doing one task at a time
-being with Tyler
-making coffee in the morning

I feel like comfort is such an underrated and healing feeling/emotion. I’ve always had a fear of being too “comfortable” in terms of contentment keeping me from pursing big goals. Where does the line exist between desire for self improvement and self contentment? (I could go ON and ON about that topic) But I’m finding that mindset isn’t serving me in this current climate. Comfort is healing. Comfort is peace personified in an experience. Comfort is needed to be able to recharge. It is completely acceptable (and necessary) to seek comfort in the face of the wild and ever changing unknown. And so today, and everyday, I am allowing myself to rest into the feeling of comfort.

What do you feel like is bringing you comfort these days?

When your Friday work meeting on zoom has a wig requirement. 💁🏻‍♀️
Honestly so thankful for anything fun right now. This week was a roller coaster of emotions for me, as I’m sure it was for everyone reading this. Wherever you are at on that ride today, I hope you can find a little more joy and a little more peace. Just keep hanging in there. 💕

This is a celebratory pancake stack!! 🥞 Here’s the deets…
GF pancake mix topped with homemade probiotic coconut cream and frozen organic wild blueberries and coconut chips. Oh and a liiiittle dash of maple syrup. YUM.

Feels SO good to finally be on break after passing my term 1 exam with . These last few months were not easy, I spent many a late night asking myself WHY I decided to take on so much at once, but now that I have time to breathe for a sec I’m feeling so grateful.
Grateful for what this season is showing me about myself, my passions, and my work ethic.
Grateful for how alive I feel. I feel like I am doing what I am meant to do. It’s scary and painful at times and forces me to face my fears head on, but the growing pains are worth it.

I plan on spending the next two weeks recharging and keeping myself in this positive groove…there is too much good on the horizon to not be excited.

A photo of myself on the day I turned 27. ✨
Most years I’m pretty melancholy around my birthday. This year it snuck up on me, buried underneath studying and work and Christmas gift buying…but when I finally popped up to take a deep breath and celebrate, I was honestly tackled by love.

This weekend felt like one big warm hug. Like exactly the kind of encouragement I needed right now. I am still basking in the glow of how lucky I am to share my life with so many incredible people. Every single one of you light up my life.

My wish for 27 and beyond is to continue keeping my heart open to feeling it all. To see, seek out, and prioritize every single drop of love, glimmer of hope, and ounce of abundance that exists so freely in my life, yet I can often lose sight of. It’s all here, and it’s all a gift. 🎁

Maybe its the time change or slight drop in temp, but my body is 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 roasted veggies. 🥦 Brussels, cauli, sweet potatoes, broccolini….I want them ALL. Today’s lunch that I whipped together would also make an awesome side to bring to a Thanksgiving/Friendsgiving and it was seriously the easiest. Here’s what you need…
•Brussel Sprouts
•Avocado Oil
•Chopped Pecans
•Goat Cheese
•Balsamic Dressing (I just googled how to make my own and used ingredients on hand, so easy!)
•Sea Salt
Steps:
1. Get 2-3 tbs of avocado oil nice and hot in a pan while you quarter the Brussels and then toss them in the pan. (🚨FYI your body can’t absorb all the nutrients in your veggies unless there is enough fat present to act as a cofactor!)
2. Sautee for a few minutes and then toss in the pecans. Keep stirring until the Brussels are lightly browned and the pecans are toasted, should only take a few minutes at medium heat.
3. Move to a big bowl, crumble and stir in goat cheese and a sprinkle of seas salt. Lastly, drizzle with your Balsamic dressing. Easy as that!!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝘀𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂.

A reassuring sentiment for this time of year when it feels like everything has been suddenly put on fast forward. When the struggle to find extra hours leaves you wishing daylight saving time could be a weekly thing.

But continuing off of last week’s “yellow car” theme, what is meant for you might not always stand blatantly in your path or whack you over the head. It might be there in the periphery, waiting patiently for you to slow down for a sec and enjoy the view. It might be just around the next corner, right as you feel ready to throw in the towel. But 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲. I promise.

As a chronic “must have everything figured out-er”, having the patience to wait, watch for, and accept whatever is meant for me can feel like a form of torture. As I sit here organizing all my next steps for whatever this week will hold, I start to see little nods and waves from all the good things in my life. From the fullness, the wholeness…all the things that thankfully did not pass me by.

Happy Monday friends.✨Sending you a deep breath and a moment to see all the good. ❤️ @ Jardin des Tuileries

✨FOOD + MOOD✨

Does your mood designate what you eat? Or do you think it could be the other way around? Believe it or not, what you are eating (or not eating) can have a direct connection to how you feel emotionally and help uncover ways to feel better.

Try keeping a food + mood journal for one week to see if you can tie any eating patterns to physical/emotional symptoms. 𝗡𝗼 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗻𝗼 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗯𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴. In one column, jot down what was in your meal, approximate time, and any water/drinks you’ve been consuming. Second column, mark down how you feel and when. Bloated, cranky, energized, anxious, mellow, all of these notes are clues. At the end of the week you can look back and start to piece together how certain foods + eating habits might be affecting your system.

For me, elimination diets feel overly restrictive and send me right back to a mental space of obsessing over food. Using this tool, I’ve been able to see how I need to balance my blood sugar daily (which helps with my anxiety!) and pinpoint a gluten sensitivity (gives me a runny nose every time).

Do you think a food + mood journal might help you out? Let me know if you try, I’d love to know what you figure out for yourself!

If you can believe it or not, this week marked one year since the start of my blog! While writing, shooting content, and making new recipes has been so fun, to me this represents a year of a few other really amazing things…

A year of growing, shifting, and changing in all ways big and small.

Of sharing the good and the bad, and feeling really freaking supported along the way.

Of talking together about what it means to love and care for ourselves…through food, movement, thoughts…building our beautiful lives one puzzle piece at a time.

Of connecting with every single one of you that are walking this path right there with me. While this modern world does it’s best to make us feel alone, we do our best to bring it all back together.

Friends new and old, thank you for being a part of this with me. ❤️ Looking ahead, I have a feeling the next year will be even more magical. ✨

Need a little dinner inspo tonight? 🥗

This is my favorite salad ever, and it’s so so easy...
-grilled salmon
-mixed greens
-air fried chickpeas
-sliced sweet onion
-1/2 avocado
-chives
-homemade miso dressing (Shared the recipe a few weeks back, I’ll link it in stories!)

SO simple, tasted amazing, and best of all I 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 amazing after I eat it. ✨

What’s your go to easy dinner?? Knowing me I’m gonna eat this 5 days in a row and then get completely tired of it. 😂

Crash landing into this Monday with an overwhelm of 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨. My energy has been off lately. Blame it on jet lag, blame it on a cold, blame it on the stars, who knows, but the reality is that I design my feelings and my reality. I allow what gets to take center stage and what wins my focus. To me, this updated bit of stoicism hits the nail on the head…

✨Easy to spot a yellow car when you are always thinking of a yellow car.
Easy to spot opportunity when you are always thinking of opportunity.
Easy to spot reasons to be mad when you are always thinking of being mad.
You become what you constantly think about. Watch yourself.✨

Changing your thoughts can sometimes feel like turning a really large ship, not something that can happen on a dime. It’s the repeated attempts to flex that muscle, to realign your sights and look for that yellow car, and before you know it, that’s all you can see.

Let me know if you needed this just as much as I did today. Legit just took 5 minuted to make it my phone background. @ Tustin Foothills, California

Finally got my butt to the Irvine Farmers Market after weeks of wanting to go and it did not disappoint. Literally everything you could want in one place, tons of organic produce (with minimal to no packing if you are trying to cut down on that sort of thing), ethically sourced + grass fed meats/seafood, treats, snacks, plants, cute baskets, music, and really pretty flowers. It was a little reminiscent of the markets we saw almost daily in Paris. Now you know where to find me every Saturday morning.

Farmers markets can be intimidation and expensive, but I have really felt inspired lately to dig deeper into learning about where the food we eat is from and sourcing as locally as possible. While I may not be able to afford 100% organic/locally sourced for everything, it’s about experimenting with small swaps, watching for deals, and getting to know and love local vendors. Finding ways to create a more meaningful relationship with my food from start to finish. 🌱

Excuse the language, but our time in Paris showed me that I need to 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟•𝐜𝐤 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 Like a lot.

Those unrealistic standards you are holding yourself to? They aren’t giving you an edge, they are just making you miserable and keeping you from being present.

That “timeline” you feel so exhausted trying to keep up with? It’s not real. There is no race, there is no finish line. The ones who actually win are the ones enjoying the ride.

Think that your achievements are your only value as a human being? (Heyyy Enneagram 3’s 👋🏻) What about those moments spent with those you love? Or loving on yourself? Or just noticing the beautiful light in the trees? The most valuable.

These are all works in progress. Things that I should probably tattoo on my forehead or at least write on little sticky notes all over the house. Being out of my element, on an opposite time zone, with barely any wifi, and no set routine made me aware that it 𝘪𝘴 possible to breathe, let go, enjoy, and life still rolls on.

Here’s to all my people just trying to be a little kinder to themselves. 💕✨

Paris, you have been so good to us. This trip was truly a break in every way. I felt like I was actually able to press pause on the whirlwind that has been my brain lately and clear my mind. It felt good to forget the rules, forget the schedule, and just be.

Leaving feels a lot like when you start to wake up from a really good dream and try to will yourself back to sleep. I can feel bits of reality tugging at the seams. As the familiar patterns and anxieties circle, I refuse to go back to business as usual. I don’t quite have the words to articulate all the feelings now, but I’m sure they will come to me once this long day of travel is over.

Until we meet again. 🇫🇷

P.S. I will be putting together a Paris highlight and a roundup of recommendations once I get back to reliable WiFi.

Just happy to be right here, right now. ✨🇫🇷

Repeat after me - 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐲𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐈 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞.

When facing something new, or challenging, or scary, what does your internal dialog sound like? Is it gentle and understanding, the way you would support a friend? Or is it sharp, judgmental, and unforgiving? I caught myself this showing up as the latter this week.

Actual quotes from my mind:
You look gross today.
You really think you can pull that off?
No one is listening or caring.
You’re not focused enough to make an impact.
WOW you have the biggest legs in the room.

𝑶𝒖𝒄𝒉.

Things I would never say to someone I love, yet slipped out so easily in my own commentary. I’ve worked hard to have more self-compassion and feel the improvement most days, but notice that fear and stress bring back old patterning. Each time I feel the sting of these words I try to take a deep breath, a step back, and replace them with something new.

Look how hard you are working, maybe you need some rest.
Don’t overthink, just got for it and trust.
The right people will hear you.
Just take it one step at a time.
Look how strong you are.

It’s not easy. External programming, internal imbalances, and the sheer overwhelm that is the world right now is doings its best to make us hard. Stay soft, stay kind. I hope you find yourself at the end of this week in a place to love yourself a little more. ❤️
@ Tustin, California

Today marks day one of my 9 month NTC program with . ✨ I’m feeling all the emotions…excited, exhilarated, nervous, and determined. One of our pre-term assignments is to narrow down our “why”…to really focus in on what drew us to the program in the first place. I could feel a canned, generic answer bubbling up, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was just saying what I thought people wanted to hear.

Why am I doing it? I get a very clear image of myself at about 16. I was a slave to any diet I could google or find in a magazine that promised weight loss. I had a strict list of foods that were safe, and frequently worked out until 2am to negate whatever I consumed for the day. That girl didn’t understand that all of these things were just causing her body to work against itself…more stress, more fatigue, more pain.

I’m doing it for her, and anyone at any age that once had or continues to have a complicated relationship with food. So much healing, both emotionally and physically, has come from learning how to use food as medicine. Learning to love being in the kitchen making tasty and nutritious meals and getting to share with those I care about has been wildly empowering. So that, I would have to say, is my why.

⭐️PILATES 101⭐️ - all my best advice, tips, and insight on where to start and how to get into Pilates.

To say I'm a fan of Pilates is an understatement. I started doing Pilates when I was 14 as part of my recovery from a back injury and haven't stopped since, so it's practically in my DNA at this point. I've been teaching full time for just over 2 years now and realize that there is a lot of curiosity and intimidation around it. Those that love it swear by it, and those that have never experienced it are mystified by it. Hopefully, I can give you some insight and maybe even get your butt in a class with me!

Visit my Link in bio to check out the new blog post cover allll of it. 🔗

Happy Monday people!✨TURMERIC ROASTED ROOT VEGGIES - wanted to give you a new quick and easy side to throw together that packs an extra anti-inflammatory punch (thanks turmeric + black pepper!) I get especially into roasted veggies when fall rolls around, but let’s face it, roasted veggies are amazing all year long. This is a great recipe to double for meal prepping purposes to have leftovers for the week as well. You can also get creative with the veggies, I think cauliflower, butternut squash, and turnips would all taste amazing cooked this way.
http://www.taryn-brooke.com/2019/09/09/anti-inflammatory-turmeric-roasted-root-veggies/
Also, all images on my blog are now pin-able to ! I love Pinterest and use it often to organize recipe ideas so wanted to make it convenient for those of you who love it as much as I do. As always, you can save this image on IG as well for easy reference later. Gotta love options!

This post is for the 91% of you that are ready for pumpkin season.
🎃 PUMPKIN SPICE GREENS SMOOTHIE 🎃
You heard that right. So simple and yummy and I swear it doesn’t taste green. Here’s the deets…
•1 cup unsweetened non dairy milk
•1 serving vanilla protein powder
•1 heaping tbsp of almond butter
•1/4 c pumpkin puree
•1/2 frozen banana
•handful of frozen spinach
•1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
Blend until smooth and there you have it! Healthy fats, greens, fiber, protein, and vibes all in one place. 🌱

When I gave up on trying to lose 10 more pounds…
My life got lighter.
When I stopped equating my self worth to the number written inside my jeans…
My confidence skyrocketed.
When I gave up keeping a daily tally of my flaws…
I started to befriend the girl I saw in the mirror.

It wasn’t overnight. It wasn’t easy. There’s no instruction manual or how to guide to treating yourself better. It exists in habits, intuition, and a willingness to change. A willingness to recognize what is no longer serving you and the self awareness to turn that energy towards the good. I say this as someone who spent years hiding behind perfectionism and high expectations as a way of masking really unhealthy behaviors.

Now, being in a place mentally where I accept every part of myself I feel like I’ve won back my life. Every day is a chance to be a little more me and bring a little more good into the world. I still see glimmers of the past, but they just remind me of how far I’ve come and that growth is not a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. It’s a commitment I am proud to keep.

Having one of those days where it’s all paying off. ⭐️ My energy is amazing and my spirits are high. If you’ve followed me for a bit, you know that feeling good takes some work for me both physically and mentally, and that’s been a major catalyst for my interest in wellness. Today, I’m feeling so grateful that I’ve put in that work…

For each night I’ve gone to bed early, prioritized my rest, and given myself permission to relax.

For the extra greens on my plate and the extra time in the kitchen to make sure I can have food prepped for a long day.

For taking the time to listen to my body, my symptoms, and my needs, and using them as an intuitive roadmap for my next steps and choices.

For breaking up with my snooze button. Starting my day off on the note of keeping a promise with myself and never looking back.

To me, this is wellness. The many puzzle pieces that shape what it looks like to feel good in order to show up fully every single day for the job and the people I love as well as MYSELF. It’s making a daily commitment to not being last on my own list.

I want to know one way you put yourself first. Is it self care? Is it taking time outside? Calling a friend? Big or small. And if you can’t think of anything, let’s change that. 💕

Say hi to my new favorite EASY and insanely delicious lunch - Miso Salmon Salad.🥗 Threw this together in 15 minutes including making the dressing from scratch (now that I have some prepped it would literally take 5 min). Used goodies from my most recent outlet haul for the majority of it and some of my pantry staples for the dressing which I will now be making in bulk cause its that good.

Here’s what you got….mixed baby greens, sliced mushrooms, diced green onions, (would have added avocado but mine wasn’t ripe yet 😭) and a can of wild caught salmon topped with my homemade miso dressing>>>
3 tbsp Avocado Oil
1 1/2 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
2 tsp white Miso Paste
Splash of Toasted Sesame Oil
1 tsp Coconut Aminos
Whisk together until fully combined and enjoy! Makes enough to dress two salads or double or triple the recipe and store in the fridge for later like I did.
Benefits of making your own dressing means you can use high quality oils and leave out the unnecessary sugar, while keeping all the amazing flavor.💕

It took me about almost two months to get the courage to actually order these shorts. I feel like biker shorts have been everywhere lately and I loved the idea as a cooler alternative to my everyday legging, but I had it burned into my mind that there was NO CHANCE a girl with thighs like me could pull these off. Nope, no way. But I had a coupon and the color I wanted was selling out so I pulled the trigger. And when they came I was honestly scared to try them on. They looked so cute off my body, and I wasn’t ready to have my day ruined by what I saw in the mirror. So I took a deep breath, reminded myself of the stellar return policy and put them on. Lo and behold...I liked them. And they seemed to like me back. They are the comfiest thing ever and I’m left wondering why I chose to torture myself. I know there will be future trends that just aren’t for me, but I’m tired of old mental scripts dictating my life...when it comes to shorts and when it comes to many other things. How many things have I seen as “not for me” that I was just bypassing because of fear. I’m excited to see where this mentality, and these shorts, will take me from here. ✨