Just One Final Week… to Live…

#FreedomFebruary is coming to a close, and for the last week of February I want you to live it like you only have this one last week to live.

One day, everyday and someday soon, I hope that you wake up and live as if you only had one week left to live. You’d pay more attention to people you came into contact with throughout the day as if it was the last communication you would have with that person, or maybe even any person. You’d be caring & kind to others…and at the same time you’d hold nothing back. You’d be free of any fear, inhibition, embarrassment, & procrastination. You wouldn’t even waste the time to contemplate if others were supposedly judging you, or that you weren’t thin enough, pretty enough, smart enough…you would have had enough of wasting your time trying to be enough for everyone else so instead you’d start spending your time being present, in the now.

You wouldn’t care what the weather forecast was and you wouldn’t let it rule your mood for the day, because it was one of seven days you had left remaining. If it was raining, you’d take a long walk in the rain, without an umbrella, without a rain jacket. You’d delight in the sense of rain drops rolling down your face and the dewy refreshing smell & steamy humidity that a rainy day brings. You’d wake up early just to see the sunrise with all its glory and you’d make sure you were there to capture the last rays of the sunset before it dropped below the horizon. You’d hold all your friends and family close to your heart and cherish the time spent with each and every one. Take these words and apply them to your week.

Apply this mentality to every decision you need to make, in this upcoming week and going forward, and a whole new life will be presented to you that you never knew was there.

You can apply it to any question, like, “What workout will I do today?” Well, ask yourself, what kind of activities would I plan during my final week of life?

Here are a few of mine:

  • Hike to the top of the closest mountain or trail to watch the sunset over the hills
  • Very early in the morning, I’d Stand-Up Paddleboard out past the waves to the calmer waters and watch the sun as it creeps up from below the ocean’s vista
  • I’d Fat Tire Bike the most beautiful, untouched beach until there was no one around except for nature, my dog, and my husband and I (and have an unforgettable picnic!)
  • I’d take my yoga practice to the sand dunes around the corner from my house, and start my yoga session so that it ends with the sunset

You see, once you apply this mentality, you will begin to build a life that is more connected to nature, connected to your loved ones, connected to any and all strangers, connected to the universe, connected to Divinity. A life in which you revel in everything that you have at your fingertips, everything standing right in front of you. Instead of facing life as if you don’t have enough of this or that, you begin to realize that you had everything all along, you just weren’t looking in the right place…

#DAILYMOTIVATION:

Some of us choose our path out of fear & disguise as practicality. What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect, so we never dare to ask the universe for it….

Lesson learned, you can fail at what you don’t want, so you might as well take a chance on doing what you love….

When you grow up you tend to get told that the world is the way that it is, and that you should live your life inside the world and try not to get into too much trouble, try to get an education, a job, a family… But life can be a lot broader than that when you realize one simple thing, and that is that everything around us, that which we call life, was made up by people that are NO smarter than you….
Find out what it is that you want and go after it as if your life depends on it…WHY? BECAUSE IT DOES…. There is no guarantee in life, well…there’s only one guarantee… if you don’t take action there will be no outcome at all, the only outcome will be that you didn’t achieve anything, you didn’t achieve what you want… a lot of people think that failure is a step backward. It’s not a step backward! Failure is a step forward in the right direction. EVERY time you fail, you learn something from it, you gain something from it, that’s PROGRESS in every sense of the word….

— – The Greatness Within, Les Brown

#BEACHBUM BUNS WORKOUT

Rise & Rain Or Shine 21 Day Workout Challenge

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Enough chatter, let’s get straight to the fact of the matter…
Those who workout in the morning tend to be fitter, healthier, and happier…

Why?

1. Fitter & Healthier? Obviously, working out will help ensure better fitness and health…but getting your workout done in the morning before the daily onslaught of surprise errands and overtime work hours that we sometimes can’t avoid and keep you from getting your daily workout in for the day…therefore, those that workout in the morning, tend to have more consistency in keeping up with their workout regimen because they have no excuses.

2. Happier? Starting your day off right, getting your heart rate up, the release of serotonin and endorphins, the sense of accomplishment, not having to worry about how you will fit your workout into your busy day…these are all things that lead to happiness!

3. Better sleep? Yes, because you know you will be waking up early and need to be well rested, you will get to bed on time and earlier than if you didn’t have a early morning workout scheduled.

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There are many more reasons, and I will not bore you or try to convince you. If you want it bad enough, you will join us! Tomorrow, May 22nd, is the start of a 21 Day Challenge. The challenge is simple. Every morning, before you get your day started, I want you to do a workout. Three days will be active rest mornings, in which you will walk yourself (or your dog) for a nice brisk walk. So really, I’m asking you to take part in a 21 Day (18 Workouts) Challenge. Easy right? Yes!

How does it work?

  1. The night before, I will post the following morning’s workout assignment on the Brave Angel Facebook page. So this means you need to go our Facebook Page, “Like” our page, and check the page the night before for your workout assignment.
  2. The next morning (before 9:00am) you will do the workout that was posted the night before on the FB page (or do your own workout).
  3. After you complete your morning workout, you will “check-in” (below the workout assignment posted on our Facebook page) by commenting with your workout achievement for that morning. *Post the # reps of the bonus exercise of the day that you did and your workout duration (Ex: If you did a 45 minute workout and the bonus exercise of the day was Burpees and you did 50 reps of burpees, then you would comment, “50 Burpees/45 minutes”)
  4. The winner will be the one who clocked the most repetitions of the bonus exercises of the day and the most minutes clocked for workout duration.

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What’s your motivation? Whether your goal is to kick your arse into gear, slim down, tone up, release stress, or get free stuff, this challenge is for you!

And just to be nice…I’m going to give a prize to the winner of this challenge!

THE WINNER GETS A FREE WORKOUT TANK TOP OF THEIR CHOICE FROM THE Brave Angel Shop!

So if you want to take part, go to our Facebook Page, “Like” our page, and check the page each night, beginning May 22nd, for your workout assignment!

For a head start in the competition, join me tomorrow morning for a pre-Challenge workout (I will post the pre-challenge workout assignment tonight on our Facebook Page), and I will count the reps & minutes that you clock tomorrow morning toward your numbers for this Challenge (so make sure to check-in after you complete your workout)!

Push yourself, but remember, always modify any workout routine to your preference, skill level, and for your individual health & fitness goals.

Take a look at the newest additions to our Brave Angel Motivational Workout Clothing Line

Yours Truly,

Brave Angel

Brownie Batter Bowl & Burpees

Chocolate, there are just some things we can’t live without!

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Have you ever made brownie batter, and then realized that you’d rather just eat the raw brownie batter instead of baking it, so….you eat 1/2 of the raw brownie batter and then realize you no longer have enough batter to make the brownies, so….you just put the other half of the batter in the fridge for tomorrow!?? Well, after you have eaten the brownie batter, you probably realize how you just undid all of your workouts and healthy eating for the past couple of weeks and then beat yourself up about it…

To quench your brownie batter craving (or chocolate craving, or craving for something sweet and decadent), I have put together the below guilt-free recipe that you can whip up in just 10 minutes. Use this recipe as a foundation to build upon and create your own sweet treats that satisfy your personal taste and cravings. Just make sure that if you add ingredients to this recipe, they are in line with your health & fitness goals!

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Brownie Batter Bowl: *Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Grain-free, Egg-free, Low-sugar
  • 2 tbsp organic Almond flour
  • 2 tbsp organic Coconut flour
  • 1 tbsp organic Ground Flax seed
  • 1 tbsp organic Chia seed
  • 2 tbsp organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
  • 2 tbsp organic Raw Cacao or organic Baking Cocoa
  • 2 tsp of organic vanilla extract
  • 1-2 dashes of Pink Himalayan Sea Salt
  • 4-5 mini spoons of organic Pure Stevia Extract Powder

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Start with 1 cup of water in a small 2-3 quart saucepan. Turn heat on low-medium. Add the almond flour, coconut flour, and ground flax seed and stir until mixed thoroughly. Then add in water (a tablespoon at a time) until a cream of wheat or cupcake batter consistency is achieved. Now add in the rest of the ingredients, adding water as needed to maintain a cupcake batter consistency.  Do a taste test before turning off stovetop heating element. Add salt or stevia to your liking, the more coconut oil you use, the creamy it will be. Pour brownie batter into your favorite bowl. This recipe makes two servings, so either share with a worthy soul or eat half and save the rest for tomorrow! Whatever you do, please don’t eat the brownie batter right before doing the workout below….it won’t end pretty…

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P.S. – you can make this batter and pour it into a cupcake pan and then bake at 350F degrees in an oven for about 10 minutes to make actual brownies. Or make pancakes or waffles with the mix. If you opt to bake the mix or cook up pancakes or waffles, I would add in 1-2 tsp baking soda (and 1-2 more tablespoons of coconut oil – for brownies only) to make the turn out better! OR…you can take the brownie batter (recipe as-is above) and throw it in the freezer and in about four hours you have some pretty amazing brownie batter ice cream…

100 Rep Burpee Challenge:

Warm-up:Do jumping jacks for 1-2 minutes.

Burpee Challenge: Perform 100 reps of BURPEES!! My tip is to do 10 reps at-a-time until you reach 100 reps.

The key to this workout is to take it one move at-a-time. Tackle each burpee with passion, and tackle in sets of 10 reps at-a-time, until you get to 100 reps. Then move onto the bonus round if you dare! Your arms, bum, abs & heart rate will be on fire when you are done!

Bonus round:Grab a jump rope and jump rope for 5 intervals of 45 seconds jumping rope and 15 seconds rest (5 minutes total).

Push yourself, but remember, always modify any workout routine to your preference, skill level, and for your individual health & fitness goals.

Pin below “Workout Roadie” to your Pinterest board so that you can take this workout on the road with you to the gym or at-home!

Also, take a look at the newest additions to our Brave Angel Motivational Workout Clothing Line!

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Yours Truly,

Brave Angel

It Did What? 5 Secrets About This 12 Minute Workout

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High Intensity Interval Training, that’s where it’s at!
Why?

1. It only takes you 12 minutes to do this workout, 12 MINUTES!

2. Instead of only “burning calories” during your workout (like running does), you continue to burn for up to 36 hours post-workout, I like to call it a metabolic boost.

3. It’s a highly efficient workout technique because it not only helps you blast away fat but also helps you build lean muscle mass, and get nice & toned.

4. Because it is only 12 minutes, it helps you keep your sanity. Sometimes a 45 minute cardio & strength routine just seems too daunting to attempt. H.I.I.T workouts are perfect for those days that you are either in a rut, in a rush or just yearning for a change up in your daily workout routine.

5. H.I.I.T. routines are short because they are very challenging. When you’re about half way through each 4 minute segment, you may feel like you just can’t go on, well just push through it, one set of 20 seconds at-a-time, and you’ll get there!!! Just do your best & forget the rest.

Enough talking, now get to work!

Brave Angel – 12 Minute HIIT – Arms, Legs & Abs

This workout involves just three moves, that’s it!

  1. For each exercise move, you will do 8 rounds of the following interval:
    1. 10 seconds rest
    2. 20 seconds all-out max effort
    3. USE AN INTERVAL TIMER, it must be timed exactly. No more than 10 seconds rest or 20 seconds effort!!
    4. 8 rounds = 4 minutes
    5. Rest 1 minute before moving onto the next exercise move/4 minute HIIT circuit
    6. You will challenge yourself to hit 8-10 reps for each 20 second interval.
      1. I used two 15 LB. kettlebells, but feel free to use dumbbells, a barbell, or your dog….just make sure you choose a weight that you max out in 8-10 reps.

This workout takes 12 minutes, post your reps, weight used and how you did in the comment section below! I want to know your results!

  1. Kettlebell Thrusters: 4 minute HIIT circuit (10 secs rest, 20 secs max effort; 8 rounds)
  2. Pike Jumps: 4 minute HIIT circuit (10 secs rest, 20 secs max effort; 8 rounds)
  3. Kettlebell Scissor Crunch & Reach: 4 minute HIIT circuit (10 secs rest, 20 secs max effort; 8 rounds)

Push yourself, but remember, always modify any workout routine to your preference, skill level, and for your individual health & fitness goals.

Pin below “Workout Roadie” to your Pinterest board so that you can take this workout on the road with you to the gym or at-home!

Also, take a look at the newest additions to our Brave Angel Motivational Workout Clothing Line!

Yours Truly,

Brave Angel

3 Reasons Why This Bacon & Buns Challenge is Back in Black This Spring

solo-campingHere in the U.S. we’ve had a rough winter, and all of us are ready for Spring….and along with Spring comes Bacon & Buns!
Why Bacon & Buns?

Well, first of all, warmer weather means CAMPING SEASON! And when I think of camping, I immediately picture (& smell) bacon cooking on the campfire just after dawn, as the sun has just risen and everyone is waking up and rolling out of their tents. After a long winter, I have cabin fever, and can’t wait to spend a weekend camping in the back country with my close friends.

Nothing beats a long weekend with your friends, completely removed from the hustle & bustle of the city, disconnecting from this technologically overloaded society we live in, and just fully decompressing from the monotonous routine of eat, sleep, work, play, & repeat! So yes, Spring & bacon are like peas and carrots. I must note, that I am talking about Turkey Bacon that is……god, Turkey Bacon tastes trader-joes-uncured-turkey-baconso good and doesn’t come along with all the fat that regular pig bacon does, so it is essentially guilt free! You can eat your turkey bacon & have your strong, fit & toned Brave Angel physique too!

Secondly, with Spring, also comes warm weather & your chance to roast those newly toned buns in the sun!

Thirdly, bacon is simple, so I’m going to give you a straight-to-the-point lower body 500 REP BUNS ON FIRE workout to go along with your bacon, check this out!

This workout involves just four moves, that’s it! You will challenge yourself to hit 100 reps for each move. And if you do the bonus combo move, you will have done 500 REPS!!! This workout took me 35 minutes, post your times in the comment section below! I want to know your results!

Brave Angel – 500 Rep Bacon & Buns On Fire Challenge

Warm-up: Do intervals of 10 seconds of plank hold and 10 reps of jumping jacks for two minutes.

Buns On Fire Challenge: Perform 100 reps of each exercise move. My tip is to do 10 reps at-a-time until you reach 100 reps. Then move onto the next exercise.

  1. Donkey Kicks: 100 reps/leg
  2. Prisoner Jump Squats: 100 reps
  3. Donkey Side Kicks: 100 reps/leg
  4. Sprinter Alternating Jump Lunge: 100 reps (1 lunge/leg = 1 rep)
  5. Bonus Combo Move: 100 reps
    1. 10 Reps Plank Jacks + 10 Reps Mountain Climbers (1 knee tuck/leg = 1 rep)

The key to this workout, is to take it one move at-a-time. Tackle each move, 10 reps at-a-time, until you get to 100 reps. Then move onto the next move. Your bum, abs & heart rate will be on fire when you are done!

Push yourself, but remember, always modify any workout routine to your preference, skill level, and for your individual health & fitness goals.

Pin below “Workout Roadie” to your Pinterest board so that you can take this workout on the road with you to the gym or at-home!

Also, take a look at the newest additions to our Brave Angel Motivational Workout Clothing Line!

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Yours Truly,

Brave Angel

 

Reveal Those Abs With This 37 Minute Workout

Yesterday was all about breathing in the fresh Spring air, soaking in the sunshine & torching calories!9300c7fb08994e5e5c
If you are yearning for a simple, straight-to-the-point workout, check this out!

  1. Don’t forget to warm-up: Do some intervals of 10 reps of bodyweight squats and 10 reps of mountain climbers for two minutes.
  2. Make sure to throw on your running shoes, put on some blood pumping tunes, and hit the pavement!
  3. Run for 2 minutes at a moderately challenging pace. Choose a route that has some hills!
  4. After 2 minutes, stop, and do 5 push ups on the sidewalk.
  5. Run for another two minutes at a sprinting pace.
  6. Then stop, drop, and give me 5 more push ups on the sidewalk.
  7. Do these two intervals – 2 minute sprint paired with 5 push ups – until you hit 50 push ups total (8 more sets for a total of 10 sets of these two intervals).
  8. Now run for 1 minute at all-out effort (that you can maintain for 1 minute).
  9. Then stop & do 5 burpees (no push up, but add jump tuck).
  10. Run for another 1 minute at all-out effort, then stop & give me 5 more burpees with a jump tuck.
  11. Do these two intervals – 1 minute all-out effort run paired with 5 burpees – until you hit 50 burpees total (8 more sets for a total of 10 sets of these two intervals).
  12. Now……puke, and pat yourself on the back!

Eat Clean, Train Dirty!I didn’t puke, and you won’t either! Of course, please always modify any workout routine to your preference, skill level, and for your individual health & fitness goals. The best thing about this workout was that it was a perfect way to zone out after a long, hard day at work and bask in the sunshine of Spring….instead of being inside a stinky gym!

Pin below “Workout Roadie” to your Pinterest board so that you can take this workout on the road, literally!

Also, take a look at the newest addition to our Brave Angel motivational workout clothing line!

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Yours Truly,

Brave Angel