Posted on October 26, 2021 | Awesome Foods

Caffeine, why it’s good for you.

Here are The Top benefits of caffeine.

(from high quality coffee beans, green tea, black tea & cacao)

The benefits of coffee are so huge, I gave coffee beans their own page CLICK HERE for “why coffee is awesome”

#1 Increases your ability to burn body fat ( when you are active)

Increases the human body’s levels of adiponectin ( your hormone that moves belly fat from your belly to be more easily burned off when you are active). Adiponectin also works as an appetite suppressant. Less hunger = less noshing.
People who drink more coffee and caffeinated teas have higher levels of adiponectin and lower levels of inflammatory biomarkers. Scientists at Stanford concluded in 2019 that caffeine is able to defend against age related inflammation.
Caffeine increases a body’s metabolic rate from 3-11% (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition). Caused by an increase in the burning of fat
Scientific Reports Journal. Scientists from School of Medicine at University of Nottingham discovered that coffee increases the activity of brown adipose tissue “brown fat” . Brown fat is more metabolically active ( it burns more fat). The brown tint to the tissue’s cells is due to these cells having more densely packed mitochondria!

Next up in benefits with coffee and tea is the

#2 Polyphenols!

coffee has the most polyphenols

What are Polyphenols? Naturally occurring compounds in plants that protect against pathogens and radiation (disease causing pollutants and sun damage) .

When you ingest polyphenols your colon utlizes most of it to protect your body from free radicals ( anti cancer) and create more friendly bacteria in your gut (better digestion and brain health)

#3 Green Tea has L Theanine & Catechins!

Catechins = Antioxidants in green tea that increases the rate at which body fat gets burned for fuel ( speeds up fat burning when you move)

L- Theanine – Green Tea contains Theanine. The Amino Acid that increases activity of GABA (your brains neurotransmitter which reduces anxiety and helps you feel calm and centered. L Theanine Icreases Alpha brina waves, enhances focus and creativity.

Black tea and green tea come from the same plant. What makes black tea different is the fermentation. TO make black tea , the leaves are rolled and then exposed to air to trigger fermentation. This reaction causes the leaves to turn dark brown and allows flavors to heighten and intensify.

Black tea also helps the body burn fat for fuel ( thermogenic)

#4 Black Tea Lowers Cortisol/ Reduces Stress

“Black Tea has been proven to reduce stress levels . Study published in peer related journal psychopharmacology, found that drinking 4 cups of black tea each day for 6 weeks directly lowered cortisol levels. ( From Eat Smater pp.195 by Shawn Stephenson)”

So there you have it, four big ass reasons to keep caffeine in your lifestyle. Just make sure and consume the highest quality caffeine. (BEST matcha, coffee beans, chocolate, black tea..)

Posted on October 15, 2021 | Uncategorized

If not coffee…

This is for people opt out of coffee for whatever reason. If you’re on the fence CLICK here for coffee benefits. If you are most sure that coffee is not your thing, read on:

My first recommendations are options that contain caffeine. There’s a truckload of super healthy benefits to caffeine (when it’s from high quality coffee beans, tea leaves & chocolate) . The benefits of caffeine are below my top 3 options for you. Enjoy!

#1. Japanese Matcha Green Tea. Caffeinated Breakaway Matcha

When opting for Green Tea, choose Japanese and Matcha. Japanese green tea has more antioxidants than China sourced. Matcha is green tea that is less damaged and less oxidized. Shade grown and more carefully extracted.

The top brand to go with is Breakaway Matcha . I have a monthly subscription and use “Blend 93” . They make it super easy to find the match for you.

This company is obsessed with quality. You will get more clean caffeine and polyphenols as well as amazing nutrients from their shade grown leaves such as, zinc, vitamin C, E, B1, B2, B3 & B6 (these 4 B’s help with cellular integrity, lowering stress & metabolic processes). ALSO Matcha has L- Theanine, This nutrient helps you feel more centered and relaxed. This is because it can cross your blood brain barrier and increases GABA ( your neurotransmitter that helps you reduce anxiety)

The next best brand on store shelves is PUKKA. Click here for Amazon link

Matcha is great anytime up till about 4 hours before you go to bed. 3 cups a day is ideal

#2. MUD/WTR

Mud Water is nutrient packed ground goodness that has caffeine ( Cacao content). It also boasts a bunch of super healthy spices and mushroom extracts

Ingredients: Cacao, Masala chai, Turmeric, Himalayan salt,Cinnamon,Chaga,Cordyceps Reishi & Lion’s mane

These boost your immune system, decrease inflammation and boost your energy & focus. Just click on this link to their site for all the benefits

If you can’t have Caffeine:

#3 = PUKKA tea TURMERIC ACTIVE. CLICK here for Amazon Link

Turmeric, Ginger and Galangal

This blend is his in antioxidants and anti inflammatories. Great for brain health and fighting cancer.

This is my favorite Tea brand ( besides Breakaway Matcha). Responsibly sourced and great flavors.

The benefits of caffeine . Click on MORE (below)

Posted on September 1, 2021 | Strong Moves

Micro Workouts + caffeine!

(Scroll down for Full workout video ) + CLICK HERE for why matcha or coffee is advised before you move!

Wouldn’t it be awesome if you could move for 90 seconds and get the same results that come from a half hour workout?

You can. It’s called a “microworkout”. Do it now:

Scroll down! I have a video and steps to show you exactly what to do. You won’t even have to change your clothes!

Wait, Wait! FIRST, KNOW WHY.. Make sure and Read below the quick science on why micro workouts work so well:)

It’s all about lowering your stress hormone, Cortisol.

Cortisol makes your body create fat. If you already have a stress packed day AND you cram in a hard workout over 20 minutes, you are creating even more cortisol. Hello bad sleep, belly fat, exhaustion and brain fog.

Our human bodies were designed to handle very short bursts of stress (run from a tiger, hide in battle) We were not designed to handle prolonged stress (stressful work emails, world news, bad traffic, drama at home.. NOW put a hard workout on top of any one of these things and you are in an uphill battle with cortisol surging inside of you.

Here’s how we fix this: Drop the long workout. Do short movement breaks often throughout your day. Take 90 seconds every 2 hours = 5-6 move breaks OR 4-6 minutes 3-4x in your day. ** I put a CAVEAT below if you have plenty o’time and have little stress in your days

Okay! The video is below. To burn the most body fat and get better brain health- drink a double americano or green tea before you move. CLICK HERE for they why and what to have

If your day is stress packed make the moves easeful. Your body does not need more stress put on it (hello major setbacks). I have examples in the video for you:)

If you are having an easier day- make the moves more vigorous (Sprint up a hill, Do 5-10 pushups) Just make sure you stick to the formula: 1 strength move, 1 cardio move, 1 easy rotational move. It’s all in the video for you!

CLICK HERE for 3 more micro workout videos!

Now Take action. Do these 4 steps shown in Video:

Stop working for 2 mins. Drink coffee or green tea then..
Give your body an easy rotation through the spine.
Choose a high strength movement (ex: push up, plank shoulder tap, knee plank renegade row, 5 Kettlebell Deadlifts…) +
One NON-Impact cardio move. (Impact on your joints btwn hunching over your screens is no bueno)

Repeat #2-4 until you’ve reached up to the time amount you can take – up to 4 minutes. Repeat this 3-6 times more today. The more often you do it, the less time each break.

Our bodies will create good changes when we do movements we can FREQUENTLY and CONSISTENTLY Sustain. It’s time to change, my friend. I’m here with you:)

** caveat!

IF your body is used to longer workouts AND you can sustain those without adding more stress to your day, keep them! ADD in these micro workouts if you’re wanting to see even more results.

THE BIG takeaway here

IF you are frantically trying to keep up with your day AND cramming in a workout, chances are you are working against yourself by creating more cortisol. If that’s the case with your longer workouts – take them out and add in Micro Workouts.

** If you have time to do the longer workouts AND you want more results AND you have the time without adding more stress- then you can ADD the Micro workouts with the longer workouts.

Don’t America this, my friend. More is not better. High quality and less stuff is better:)

BELOW = Journal backed SCIENCE on why “MICRO- WORKOUTS get more results

*Stay tuned to my Instagram and Group FB page for more nuggets of goodness:)

Posted on July 28, 2021 | Awesome Foods

Easy Tikka Masala

From Danielle Walker’s Against All Grains Cookboook
2.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs (raw), cut into 2- inch cubes
3 cups tomato puree
1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2.5 tbsp garam masala
2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Place the chicken, tomato puree, onion, garlic , garam masala, salt, ginger, paprika and cayenne in the slow cooker. Toss to coat the chicken
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.

** make ahead tip: place the contents in a resealable bag or airtight container. refrigerate for 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months, defrost overnight in a fridge and simply do step 2 🙂

You need to add a widget, row, or prebuilt layout before you’ll see anything here. 🙂

Posted on July 28, 2021 | Awesome Foods

Crockpot it up!

Summer may seem like a weird time for crock pot recipes, but really it’s the perfect set up. You spend very little time in the kitchen and you don’t use your stove/oven. Win, win!

The best part is you cook once, with very little time of your own then you have a great meal for 2 people for 2-3 meals. I often cook one recipe and have it for 3 dinners (Sat, Mon & Wed.. my longest days) I can reheat it and have a kick ass dinner ready in just 4 mins.

Simply reheat on the stove top then serve it over raw spinach, chard or kale with goat cheese, walnut and avocado.

Here are 2 crock pot recipes that I use super often in the summer. CLICK on each below and enjoy!

Chicken Tikka Masala

Ropa Vieja

Serve these up instead of using your outside grill. Two carcinogenic compounds (HCA’s + PAH’s) are formed with open flames and dry air.

** Pro Tip! Double the recipe – If you don’t have 2 crockpots- put the raw ingredients in a large freezer ziplock bag- simply freeze it until you are ready to cook again. Take it out of the freezer on a busy work morning, let it cook for up to 9 hours on low (no need to be home) and whallah, you’re set!

Posted on July 17, 2021 | Uncategorized

Patterning. My best (and most time efficient) tool to reach ANY goal

If you want to be great at ANYthing, you must do it A lot, right?!

This is patterning. The video above is what I do 8x a day right now. I simply drop down to the floor or ground once every hour and do 1 rep of this push up. Please enjoy “boobs out” from my coach Andrea U-Shi Chang:)

I love patterning, it takes up less of my time (rather than a full hour workout, you take 20 seconds – 6x a day)

Our bodies and minds get better results with patterning. The repetition in little bursts stays with us better.

Think of teaching a kid new words and using flashcards, you have the photo on one side and the word on another. You do just a few, so the kid doesn’t get bored or throw a fit. But you do them 2-4 times throughout the day. Then once they’ve got it – you pick harder words to keep them moving forward.

Here’s how YOU can use patterning to reach ANY GOAL.

Pick One thing (Keep it super practical)
Do that one thing the same way (Keep it consistent)
Do it VERY often ( Keep it frequent)

Do your one thing, the best you can, over and over. Increase the challenge every 2-3 weeks. The video above is my pattern work right now to reach my goal of a one arm push up by Jan 15th 2022. Please enjoy my coach, Andrea U-Shi Chang yelling “boobs out” 🙂

If you want to join me on better push ups CLICK HERE for my step by step instructional video

Below are the exact steps for you to reach ANY goal with patterning.

Patterning works for ANY goal.

Let’s say you want to lose weight.

Start with ONE thing within that goal. Fasting is a great start= Try to stop eating 3 hours before bed and waiting longer till your first foods the next day (a good window is 12-14 hours).

Now pick how often (how many nights) that is TOTALLY realistic for you to do. For me that I can only nail a 14 hour fast window 4 nights a week.

Now do that for 2-3 weeks, then up the challenge. Up your fasting window OR keep that pattern and ADD your next nutrition habit, more greens at dinner:)

Here’s a NON fitness pattern example for you:

You want to save $1000 a month. But that’s totally unrealistic right now.

One thing = You can save $100

How often = you can set aside $100 once a week. Set up an automatic weekly transfer for that $100. That gets you moving forward the best you can right now.

Change it in 2-3 weeks 3 weeks change that weekly transfer to $103 or $108

You’re a smart human, you get the jest of this. Just remember, to keep moving forward you must up the challenge every 2 -3 weeks.

My next step is one arm out to the side long with 3 fingers touching – and doing 1/1 ten times a day. I will keep sharing my progressions on Instagram (Burn Brighter Coaching) for you:)

Please leave a comment below! Let me know what your one thing is, and let me know how many times a day or week you are wanting to do this.

Posted on July 17, 2021 | Awesome Foods

Ropa Vieja!

Slow cooker recipes are perfect for summertime dinners. Your kitchen doesn’t get hot AND it’s a much better for your body than grilling

Next time you have guests over for a summer dinner, try this Ropa Vieja It’s great with a cucumber and goat cheese salad! enjoy!

Recipe from Danielle Walker’s Against All Grains

2lbs flank steak, cut into 6 pieces
2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
2 jalapenos, seeded and sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 (18-ounce ) can diced tomatoes
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano leaves
2 tsp ground cumin
1 bay leaf
2.5 tsp pink himalayan sea salt
1/4 cup green olives

Place all of the ingredients except the olives in a slow cooker, with the beef on the bottom.

Cover and cook, undisturbed for 7 hours. Add the olives and cook an additional hour

Once done, shred the meat with 2 forks and return to the sauce before serving.

**pro tip – double this and have extra for 2 extra evenings for you and yours. (put ingredients in an aritight container, keep in fridge and put it in the slow cooker) – cook it for your friends and the next day or a couple later- simply toss in the crockpot to make more.

I often do this and simply reheat in a pan quickly for a busy night dinner. I add about 1.5 cup spinach to the Ropa Vieja 1 min before it’s done to get in more veg then Add some gluten free toast, with avocado (my fav is Food for Life, seed muffins) .

Whallah! Enjoy:)

Posted on June 30, 2021 | Strong Moves

See the body you love. My 2 daily steps

CLICK HERE for my summer salad dressing recipe

This is my body at 42 years old. This is not easy for me to show myself without a shirt or more make up on. I hide my body often.

When I look in the mirror I see a thick midsection, a soft belly, circles under my eyes & lines at my neck. I am my own worst critic

I’m saying “enough!” to this bull shit self talk. I’m seeing all this because I choose to believe all this. “You will always find the evidence for what you choose to believe” IN-Q

I should value and appreciate my body! I have 4 strong & full functioning limbs, a healthy brain, great friends, true love in my life and a job that gives me purpose. It’s time to change this daily pattern. I’m making a daily practice to turn criticism into adoration.

To undo years of shitty self talk, I must be consistent with my body positivity practice. That’s why I made this 2 step daily practice.

I’d love for you to join me. I’m kicking this off July 1st and I’m challenging myself to do this every day till Aug 1st ( 62 days forms a new habit into an automatic behavior)

“Bre’s LOVE MY BODY RESET Plan” July 1,2021 – Aug 1 2021 (at least)

Step 1: State this quote each morning “You will always find the evidence for what you choose to believe” IN-Q

Step 2: Look at my body in the bathroom mirror and say new beliefs (appreciations) about the parts I judge:

Soft belly – Thank you for taking time to enjoy hot chocolates (my recipe here) over deep talks and slow walks with good friends
Thick midsection– Thank you for strong muscles to keep my back safe and strong so I can move well and calm my mind.
Arms – Thank you for snuggling in bed with a person you love. I love your for picking up healthy fats to keep my mood happy & brain healthy .
Eyes and Neck – Thank you for the years of deep concern you’ve held for others.You’ve seen a lot and felt a lot.

If you want to stop judging your body .. do this daily for a couple months with me. Let’s feel stronger & enjoy summer more! I will put some check ins on my Instagram page @Bre Brighter / burnbrightercoaching

I’ll check back on my FACEBOOK GROUP SUPPORT PAGE to see how this is going for you. Check in there for weekly food and exercise tips!

Here are The Top benefits of caffeine.

(from high quality coffee beans, green tea, black tea & cacao)

The benefits of caffeine . Click on MORE (below)

** caveat!

*Stay tuned to my Instagram and Group FB page for more nuggets of goodness:)

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