And we have a winner!

The winner of the Bracelets by Breanna giveaway is Abby, from Change of Pace! Abby, please email me with your address (breannadschebell@gmail.com), approximate wrist size, favorite bracelet and I will get that to you this week! : ) 

Thanks to all that have participated, and thanks to random.org for the pick. I will be giving away another bracelet in June, so stay tuned!


A quick recap of my weekend which included family, friends, sun, travel, and trail running :

Its been FOREVER since I ran on trails, and I forgot that its actually my favorite thing to do.

I am glad the husband joined me! We were far from home and found a great park, and even stopped at a farmers market, too. Fresh fruit and veggies = all under $20. score!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. and a great start to the week. I am going to keep this blog post short because I have some leave in conditioner in this head full of dreaded curls at the moment (no joke!!). Before I say goodbye, I want to give a big shout out to my best friend for finishing her first half marathon STRONG AND AMAZING, out in sunny Cleveland yesterday. Way to go Jessica! Now lets train for a full in October.

What did you do this weekend?

Do you like trail running?

Fitness Friday with a little yoga injury

Hey all and HAPPY FRIDAY! Before I tell you about my fitness plans for tonight, I just want to make the disclaimer that I, Breanna, INJURED myself FOR THE FIRST TIME during my beloved headstand yoga practice last night. I was startled, lost balance, and in an instance all of my body weight came off of my forearms, and went onto my head/neck area, I felt a "crunch," sat their for a minute because I knew, shoot, "I just friggin' hurt myself, didnt I?!" This was following an hour long power Vinyasa flow class that I took, so smart...not.

Lessons learned:  1) When practicing headstands, make sure a really cute yellow Labrador puppy is not sniffing around you. My dog loves to be my side EVERY second, this is not safe when getting my yoga on in the living room. She will now be occupied by my husband either outside or in a different room when I am doing yoga at home. 2) Don't practice them when you have exhausted yourself  prior with an hour long yoga class. 3) Take your time. Do not get all fancy pants and try to jump into the pose, or kick up into it. Slowly walk your legs up and rise, warriors, rise. 4) Practice HAND stands : )

I saw this stretch that may help from bissbabyyogi :

So now what? Luckily the pain is not tear jerking, and luckily one of my best friends is a DPT. I am icing and resting for a week (boooo), and am grateful for her friendly, educated advice that she gave me this morning over my panicked laying in bed Facebook status update, you know, one of those Here world, arent you interested in knowing that I just busted my stuff last night?! statuses. But as of right now, I think it might just be a sprained muscle (between the shoulder and spine). Some other friend suggested a chiropractor, but I am not sure I want to take that route yet. But like I said, it could have been way worse. Lesson learned.

Anyways, enough of that. Today is FITNESS FRIDAY! I planned on some shoulders and arms tonight at the gym, but I will skip the shoulders now, and see how my biceps feel. I will go for a light run as long and nothing hurts, and maybe relax with some restorative yoga.

Looking forward to a lot of great things this weekend, including a glass of wine (or two), and look here:

THERE IS LAB WINE. Whaaaaaaaaaaat. This furmama is one happy camper! How cute :) oh and dont forget, the Bracelets by Breanna giveaway ends on Monday!

Have you ever hurt yourself during yoga?

Do you have any healing suggestions?

What are your fitness plans for Fridays?

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!!!

Hey all!! Its giveaway time! One lucky follower and reader will win a free Bracelet by Breanna, design of YOUR CHOICE!

Rules?

Follow my blog! Click "Join this site" on the right hand side and tell me about it with a blog comment!

Tweet this giveaway!
Follow me on Instagram and twitter - and tell me about it on either/or!

and with alll, tell me which bracelet you LOVE!

Giveaway ends Monday. 5/20 p.m. GOOD LUCK!!!!!! 

Wellness weekend, coming up!

Hey all! So as I said before, I am going to be apart of a great event that a friend is putting together in NYC. I will be showcasing my bracelet line publicly for the first time. I am excited, nervous, and ecstatic to be back in NYC, and to spend time with a lot of really wonderful, powerful, women full of positive energy. Do you live in the tri-state area? Stop by and see us!

Wellness Weekend to Present Workshops Focused Around Healing After Recent Tragedies

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Noël O’Donnell 

info@shelivesinspired.com

WELLNESS WEEKEND TO PRESENT WORKSHOPS

FOCUSED AROUND HEALING AFTER RECENT TRAGEDIES

Four-hour workshop to include

progressive speakers, healers, and authors

May 6, 2013, Staten Island – She Lives Inspired’s founder Noël O’Donnell announced that her Self Confidence Series will expand into a Wellness Weekend.  The Wellness Weekend will be held on Sunday, May 26, 2013 from 11am-3pm at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden.  The indoor/ outdoor Wellness Weekend will include workshops in Building P and the Richmond County Savings Foundation’s Tuscan Garden.

“We have an extremely inspiring roster of speakers, authors, and healers who wish to uplift the Staten Island community, especially in the wake of Hurricane Sandy,” said She Lives Inspired’s Founder Noël O’Donnell.  “I hope that participants will take advantage of the empowering concepts presented to them and live happier and healthier lives.”

Wellness Weekend will incorporate different types of alternative medicine and routes to healing including Life and Wellness Coaching, Reiki, Meditation, Massage, Yoga, and Whole Nutrition which have all been shown to promote wellbeing, enhance mood, and improve quality of life.

In addition to the Life and Wellness Coach Noël O’Donnell, the program also features Spiritual Author Blanca Beyar, Holistic Health Counselor Linda Principato, and Crystal Healer Karyn Annette. For an additional cost, Reiki Healings and Massage Therapy will be available. Handmade jewelry by Bracelets by Breanna, Inspirational Books by Blanca Beyar, healing jewelry by Seanora Lopes, and Crystals by Prisms of Light & Vibration will also be available for purchase.

Participants can register on http://www.shelivesinspired.com/events. Tickets to the event are $75 per person. 

For more information and a detailed workshop schedule, please see attached flyer or visit www.shelivesinspired.com.

About She Lives Inspired

Noel created the brand, SheLivesInspired, to empower you to live your best life through holistic wellness, positive psychology, and everyday spirituality. Noël is here to answer your questions and help you figure out what's standing in the way of getting to the place you want to be in life!

About Noël O’Donnell

Noël O'Donnell B.S., CLC, CWC received her Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Purchase College and her Life and Wellness Coaching Certification through World Coach Institute. Noel is also a Certified Reiki Practitioner. Noël coaches men and women who are open to living an inspired life, ready to make positive changes, and willing to invest in their health, wellness, happiness, healing, and personal development. Currently Noël spends her time seeing private coaching clients, motivational speaking, and running group workshops in NYC. Noël also hosts a video blog on YouTube and "Inspiration Station with Coach Noël" on Blog Talk Radio.

Headstands and healthy eats Tuesday

Hey all and Happy Tuesday! I hope that your day went well, mine was busy but no complaints! My week has started off great, actually. Last night I went to the gym and ran 4 miles, as the weather outside was cold and windy and by time I was ready to run, it was dark! Yuck. I hate the treadmill. But I zoned out to the new Daft Punk and Pharrell song...looooove.

Tonight I did a lot of food prepping. I promised myself that I would make sure to eat five small meals a day, and I stuck to it so far.

My favorite breakfast is overnight oats. I make mine with the following:

1. 1/4 cup of whole wheat old fashioned oats
2. Justins almond butter ( a spoonful)
3. 1/4 cup almond milk
4. 1 tablespoon of chia
5. half of a greek plain yogurt
6. handful of frozen cherries and a fresh cut up banana!

I also had a clif bar (which some people say is on the heavier side but its a great afternoon meal replacement snack, and personally my favorite bar), a dark leaf salad, quinoa and kale, hummus, and not pictured 3 cups of coffee (so.bad.), carrots and almonds.

Also, I promised myself Id get up to do yoga at 6 am. Well this DID NOT work. I practiced at 9 p.m., instead. This is going to be hard, I am SOOOOOOOOOO not a morning person...ewww.

I did my first headstand unassisted, not pictured is the point where I actually straightened out, but my hubs  attention camera was not quick enough! I feel great, I have been practicing for a month now, so accomplishing this goal made my night.

Why are headstands important?

• They reverse the flow of gravity. 
• Increase nutrients and blood flow to your scalp.
• The adrenal glands are flushed and detoxified with headstands.
• They reduce the onset and prevalence of varicose veins. 
• Improved circulation occurs with a headstand practice. Because the heart constantly has to pump blood upward to the brain, the headstand gives the heart a rest and reduces unnecessary strain. In addition, while in headstand de-oxygenated blood is able to flow more easily from the extremities to the heart.
• Headstands increase digestive fire and increase body heat. The intestines are cleansed by reversing the pull of gravity, while releasing congested blood in the colon.
• Eliminate your chances of having an ischemic stroke, as scientific evidence shows that this type of stroke rarely occurs in individuals that consistently do headstands.

FYI- Be careful when attempting a headstand. You can easily cause serious damage to your neck/head/shoulders. Proper instruction is a must, slowly, and carefully my friends..


Meals are prepped for tomorrow, and since there is no 6am yoga class, I am going to try to get up and run with my pup instead. I need to get these runs in during the morning hours since its starting to warm up...must.wake.up.before.7am.

Until next time, one love my peaceful warriors.

Are you a morning runner?

What motivates you to wake up early?

Do you prep your meals the night before?

Motivational Monday

So I am starting to follow a routine and blog a new Monday series, Motivational Monday. So every Monday I will update you on my goals and intentions for the week. Then on every Friday-Sunday I will update on what I had accomplished from that list of intentions.

My goal for the week of 5/13 as follows:

Monday 5/13 - Run 4-5 miles

Tuesday 5/14 - Power Yoga 1 hr. 

Tuesday 5:14 - abs/arms @ gym

Wednesday 5/15 - a.m. yoga, 1 hr.

Wednesday 5/15 - Run 4-5 miles

Thursday 5/16 - a.m. yoga

Thursday 5/16 - Leg routine @ gym

Friday 5/17 - a.m. yoga

Friday 5/17- Shoulders/back @gym

Saturday 5/18 - long run 6-7 miles

Sunday- 5/19 Yoga

Also, I signed up for the Under Armour What's Beautiful campaign, where you declare a goal, and document your journey! You also have the opportunity to meet up with other incredible women doing the same thing!
So what will I document?

1) track all of my running mileage - thanks to my Garmin, this is easy! Now I have to wait for my hubby to fix it.
2) Advance in my yoga training - you know what this means? hardcore..
3) run a 2nd marathon, sub 4:45.
4) do an unassisted pull up!
5) sweat everyday! 

STRIVING FOR VICTORY!!!!!  My profile is http://whatsbeautiful.ua.com/profile/25322

Whats beautiful to you?

What are your goals this week?

Is there anything new you are trying to achieve? 

Oh the joys of aging

Hey all! And Happy Monday! I hope you all had a nice weekend, and to you mothers, Happy belated Mothers day! Zev and I spent the weekend moving into our new apartment, and I am telling you - you can say you work out all you want, but moving my friends, kicks your butt! We both woke up on Saturday and did not want to move. Happy to say the hard parts are over and we are now cozy and content in our new apartment. Currently shopping for a new sofa set!

Yesterday we spent the day with my family. I always have the best time at my parents house. Its weird how it works, but I feel like a kid again in the mix of everyone. We laugh, we tease each other ( all in good humor, of course!), we play jokes on each other, the dogs are running around happy, I eat about 2397 pounds of food I do not keep in my own home, etc. Most importantly, we had a really great dinner (cooked by my dad- who should be a professional chef), and lounged around until I was too tired to function and remembered we had to drive a half hour home.

So to my beautiful mother, I hope you enjoyed your day! We love you so much, and everything you do or have done for us is greatly appreciated. You are really incredible, and loved very much. You are a generous, loving, funny, crazy soul. You are the glue that holds the entire family together. And I am not just talking about our immediate family. We love you so much!


Some other updates this weekend :

My husband is now a third year dental student.

I straightened my hair, which rarely happens. I will admit, I look like a completely different person!

and I did not have time to make it to the gym for the last few days, so I decided to pick up the pup and do some quick biceps (im really just kidding here folks, dont worry). Her 50 pounds of buttery love was enough for me. But obviously she doesn't like to be held like that for more than 5 minutes so I opted for some push ups instead :)

I am happy to be back into normal routine, and that this big move is over with. I have decided to buy a month of unlimited yoga 1) because my favorite studio is affordable and 2) I really miss yoga classes. 3) I prefer studio classes. Esp. if its a great studio with great instructors.

I plan to do a 6 am class Monday-Friday. This will set me up for work, and for the day. Plus it'll (hopefully) help me get to bed earlier!

Also, tonight I plan on going for a 5 mile run. Hopefully the weather will hold off...looks like a storm is brewin' (again!). But if it does rain, I will run as long as I can last on the treadmill. I hate the friggin treadmill!

How was your weekend?

Do you prefer to do yoga at home or at a studio?