The Brave Program by Mark Avens

🌟TOP 5 LESSONS FROM WORKING OUT WITH MY SON YESTERDAY. 💪

I’ll admit, after hearing that we are the only father and son members at our new gym yesterday, I was a filled with mostly pride, but also disappointment.

Disappointment in fathers.

Getting to spend quality time with my son, lift some heavy sh*t up and down, push each other beyond our limits and give fist pounds after completing a tough set…

Why more dads are out with the boys on the golf course and not carving out this kind of invaluable time for with their sons…

I’ll never know.

Not only did we get a chance to bond…

We also had some great conversation.

Here are 5 takeaways.

1. Seeking out success in life requires risk. Risk of failure, risk of losing your friends, risk of what your family might think, risk of being comfortable, etc… There will always be a risk attached to the level of success you pursue, but the biggest risk of all if you choose to not chase after your God given potential…

Is the risk of regret.

2. You have to be “In the room”. If you want to get ahead and be successful in any area of your life, in your fitness, your finances, your relationships, your spirituality…

You have to connect and surround yourself with other like minded people who share similar values, who are focused and who can help support you and keep you accountable.

3. Nobody but you can take away your ability to focus. The ONLY 2 things you can control are what you focus on and where you put your attention.

What you focus on will grow.

4. To find your true strength and potential, you must continually push yourself to discover it. If your limiting beliefs and deep rooted fears aren’t addressed it will keep you from achieving your dreams and goals.

Change requires becoming aware of those beliefs, eliminating the weakness and emotions attached, and upgrading yourself by taking action.

5. To become the best, you will have to learn a lot of lessons about always being prepared to change direction, trusting your gut…

And refusing to get sucked into other people’s opinions of what it means to succeed or fail.

Feeling that Real American Pride today. How about you? 🇺🇸

Welcome back to Coaches Corner!

In this continuation episode, join me and my BRAVE coaches, JoAnn and Jennifer, as we dive deeper into the questions we frequently hear from our clients in the BRAVE coaching program.

Whether you're curious about the best snacks for weight loss, new ways to prepare vegetables, or which exercises are best suited for you, we've got the answers.

Tune in for more expert advice and practical tips to enhance your fitness journey over 40 - and become BRAVER Today Than You Were Yesterday!™️

Am I the only one that feels this way?

Maybe it’s my age, how I was raised, or a little bit of the wisdom I picked up over the years… idk.

We are living in some crazy unsettling times.

Or as my wife would refer to it as like we’re living in Bizarro episode on Seinfeld. (Episode 137)

When did it stop being ok to simply live our lives and do “normal stuff”…

Like going to the grocery store without feeling like you need a PHD in food science or you’re going to die.

Why can’t an apple just be an apple?

And whats the purpose for why they are trying to make you eat meat in a lab?

Or like go for a walk outside without worrying about what they are spraying in the air to manipulate the weather and mess with Mother Nature.

Or how about feeling like they’re going to try and force us to wear masks and lock us down again.

Sorry if I went there.

But enough is enough already.

And don’t get me started about the collapse of trust in the entire education system.

Let’s just say, if I had young kids right now, it wouldn’t be a question… they would be 100% home schooled.

Notice how pretty much all of the conspiracy theory’s are being proven true?

And why does it feel like there isn’t a day that goes by without you hearing about another disaster, war, or major event that we should all be up in arms about?

Ok, I think I’ve made my point.

Uktimately, I know it’s been an incredibly challenging few years for so many of us, myself included…

And regardless if you tend to be the type of person who would rather just go with the flow and fall in line with whatever is going on around you (even if you know deep down it’s wrong)…

Or you’re more like me who’s more strong willed, prefers to think for themselves, uses common sense, even if using common sense isn’t all that common…

Doesn’t it just seem like none of us can say or do what we feel deep down is the right thing anymore without being criticized, ridiculed, or hurting someone's feelings?

Heck, I’m probably offending a few of you right now, might even get flagged because it doesn’t fit FB’s agenda. LOL 🙂

Keep your mouth shut about it and you’ll be criticized or judged for not speaking up…

Open your mouth, speak your mind and before you can even finish your sentence, you’ve offended at least one person in the room.

Regardless of what might appear happening in the world right now, or how many bad people are doing bad things in it…

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past several years, you know bad things happened, and bad things are happening now.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if our world and the beautiful people could put aside our differences for a moment, come together in peace and harmony, regardless of your different values, beliefs, and opinions…

Wouldn’t it be incredibly less stressful to our minds, bodies and spirits if we could actually be exactly who we are without someone being offended, wanting to shut us up, or cancel us…

I know there is a lot of darkness in this world that exists, and you most likely know deep down too.

You probably also believe like me that we’re never going to get to a place where we all agree on everything or live in complete harmony with each other…

That type of utopia is not what I’m talking about.

Personally speaking from someone who was raised to think for myself, be truthful, live a life of integrity, be kind to others, and do what is right…

What boggles my mind is why these basic values seem to be slipping away from all of society…

Almost to the point of being offensive to others.

I just don’t get it.

For now, I guess I’ll just keep relying on my faith and trust in God and his promises…

I’ll keep my eyes focused on His guidance and provision, not the worlds…

I’ll keep my ears listening to what He wants me to do, not what the world is telling me to do.

I’ll keep my promises to stand firm in my belief that the life God is shaping for me is the best life that can be shaped.

Shaped in a way so that I can;;

Love people even if I don’t agree with them.

Love people regardless of how much money or power they have.

Love people no matter the color of their skin.

Love people whether they are healthy or not.

Love people who are both simple and difficult…

Basically love all people.

So I am going to choose to do my very best to choose love.

No matter how hard it is.

I Love you.

-Mark

Your loved ones need YOU.

As an unapologetic man of faith, who loves Jesus…

To me, Christ is the epitome of love and to all who call themselves Christian, we are called to try every day to be the same.

We’re not expected to be perfect.

We’re expected to simply keep loving

And keep trying.

So do just that.

Keep trying!

God wants you to keep trying…

Because your kids who depend on you need YOU...

Because your grandkids who want you to get down on the ground and play with them need YOU...

Because your spouse who wants to love a self-confident you NEEDS YOU.

And they don’t just need a mediocre you…

They need the absolute BEST YOU!

So, What’s that worth to you?

To me it’s everything!

It’s why I try my best to show up everyday and keep trying.

And I know the only way I’m going to be able to do that is if I take care of me first.

“But Mark, that sounds so incredibly selfish.”

No it is not.

Taking care of YOU first is one of the most selfless things you can ever do.

Prove me wrong.💪

In today's Coaches Corner episode, join me and my BRAVE coaches, JoAnn Latta and Jennifer Kaiser, as we tackle the most common questions from our clients inside the BRAVE coaching program.

Whether you're over 40 and looking for advice on meals, staying on track, or other aspects of your fitness journey, we've got you covered.

Tune in for expert insights and practical tips that can help you achieve your health and wellness goals - and ultimately become BRAVER Today Than You Were Yesterday!™️

How can you not be grateful?

Gratitude is strong enough to shield you from negativity.

Gratitude makes you at least 25% happier.

Gratitude has the capacity to recalibrate your brain.

Gratitude eradicates stress.

Gratitude has sufficient enough power to heal.

Gratitude grants you the ability to improve your sleep.

Gratitude promotes self-confidence and performance.

Gratitude enhances the law of attraction.

Gratitude strengthens relationships.

Bottom line…

Gratitude makes life better.

Be more grateful today and watch your world become not only better….

But GREAT! ❤️

What’s really hard.

“Getting up a half hour earlier to try and squeeze in a workout is hard.”

So is barely crawling out of bed because of all the aches and pains from being out of shape.

That’s hard.

“Avoiding fast food restaurants and ordering uber eats is hard.”

So is not being able to walk up a flight of stairs when you’re 50 without having to catch your breath.

That’s hard.

“Being disciplined enough to shut down the kitchen and not eat a pint of Ben and Jerry’s at night is hard.”

So is not being able to fit in half your wardrobe or that little black dress you want to wear for New Years..

That’s hard.

“Dealing with hot flashes and hormone issues is hard.”

So is trying to deal with hot flashes and balancing hormones carrying an extra 57 pounds of fat on your body.

That’s hard.

“Investing into yourself and getting the exact help you need from an expert that could drastically help you with all these things and potentially change your life is hard.”

So is going into dept with all the expenses that accrue for bigger clothes, more medications, surgeries, therapy, etc…

That’s hard.

What it all boils down to in life is decide which hard you’d prefer.

And this choice is 100% yours.

Like I’ve been telling my kids since they were young…

Every choice you make for yourself and your health will have a consequence.

You can make good choices in life that will result in good consequences…

Or you can make bad ones.

Even if you choose to do nothing…

Doing nothing is a choice.

The choice is yours to make.

So, choose wisely.

Oh and if you think your choices won’t have a significant impact…

On you, your life…

or the lives of the ones you love…

You are sadly mistaken.

Your choices matter.

It matters a lot.

But nobody is going to change your choices for you.

Sure, experts like me and programs like I offer can help guide you, encourage you, and keep you accountable to the commitments you make to yourself…

But the only way this can happen is if you commit to yourself and make the decision to save yourself and your health by picking the right hard.

Choose wisely.

Hope this helps.

-Coach Mark

❤️ [22 Years of Marriage Recap] ❤️

Here's 22 TIMELESS lessons from 22 years of marriage.

1. Say I love you. Every single day. 8035 day streak of saying I love you to each other. We’ve never missed a day.

Words matter. These are my 3 favorite!

2. Kiss. On the lips, the cheek, the hand, the forehead, and anywhere else she’ll let you. Haha!

Kissing is the best! Kiss your spouse more. In fact, Go kiss your spouse after you finish reading this post.

3. Keep it spicy. Always! Wanna keep things hot and spicy in your marriage, you’re gonna have to become spicy. Just like a hot fire needs oxygen to burn, so does your marriage.

Breathe life into your marriage. Spend time together, support them, brag about them, flirt with them, keep dating them, pray with and for them.

4. Go ahead and fight… just don’t go to bed angry. Settle it before bed.

My great Aunt Edith taught me this years ago, it works and it’s even biblical too! “Never let the sun go down while you’re still angry.” -Ephesians 4:26.

5. Get fit. Of course for all the obvious longevity and health benefits.

But let's face it… S*x is way better when you look and feel smoking hot, and have more confidence.

Go ahead and keep the lights on!

6. Value yourself. Self respect and love is one of the most valuable assets you can have to ensure respect and love from your spouse.

Value yourself and watch how priceless you become to your spouse.

7. Respect your spouse. Value their thoughts, opinions, emotions, and beliefs… even if you don’t always agree.

Because I can tell you first hand, there will be many times when you won’t agree. And you don’t have to agree to show your respect.

8. Forgive them. Your spouse is not perfect. They will make mistakes, just as you will too. Be ready to forgive than to expect forgiveness even when you mess up.

9. Share your dessert. It’ll help you with lesson #5.

And you don’t have to get all “Shmoopie” about it. IYKYK. Just be sure to get 2 forks with that chocolate cake and give her the last bite.

10. This one’s for you married men. When you get in a fight with your wife, regardless of the reason or who’s right, never forget these 6 absolutely priceless words...

“You’re right, I’m wrong, I’m sorry.”

Repeat after me:

You are right.
I am wrong.
I am sorry.

11. Make MORE time for your spouse. If you want your marriage to stand the test of time, it’s going to require you make more time for your marriage.

One of the best parts of our marriage, even after 22 years, is that we really enjoy spending time together. If you don’t, there’s probably something else going on there and I’m no therapist, so we’ll just leave it at that.

12. Pray. Why? Cause it works! You don’t have to be a super Christian or bible thumper to pray for your marriage.

You don’t even have to have God all figured out either. I honestly still don’t. But what I do know is that God already knows your thoughts anyway, so good or bad, you might as well start talking to him directly.

13. Date night! We’ve cherished these since our kids were little and now we have date days.

For the past several years now, It's been a non-negotiable for us every Thursday. 1-1 time together is important and why we make it a priority.

Listen up parents with young ones…contrary to what the world tells you, your kids do not need you 24/7.

14. Pursue a higher standard. You want to look, feel, and be a power couple together… Set your expectation bar high.

Put down those Doritos, turn off Netflix, get out of those sweatpants, get your ass up off the couch and stop making excuses why you can’t still look and feel smoking hot for your spouse…

Regardless of your age!

15. Go ahead…Brag on each other. Not on occasion…Do it all the time.

Be your spouse's biggest fan. I know not everyone's love language might not be words of affirmation, but words really matter… especially in a marriage. So make your words truly count!

16. Be more patient. (This has always been my struggle) and while I still have a long way to go…

At least I can say I’m a work in progress and trying my best to be patient with myself as I learn how to be more patient in my marriage.

17. Look ten years ahead. Want your marriage to last another 10, 20, or more years…Seek out other older married couples with similar core values and who you admire.

Watch how they treat each other, and find out what they have done.

Then simply do more of that.

18. Say yes. If your spouse wants to improve themselves physically, mentally, professionally, or spiritually by investing in themselves…

Just say yes!

*Shout out to my incredible wife who has always fully supported me for investing in myself heavily over the years to better myself and our lives together.

19. Stay strong. The devil has been and will continue to come after all strong and healthy marriages.

And will not stop at trying to disrupt or distract it from being great. You and your spouse must stay strong and stand firm against the enemy, this upside down world, and any attack that try’s to take you out.

You want your marriage to last...you better be strong enough to handle what’s coming.

You better be prepared to fight!

20. Go ALL IN.

All in with God first, then your marriage. Not your kids, and your career, and your hobbies, then your wife. I’ve seen too many marriages crumble due to a misalignment in the order of priorities.

Be convicted to do whatever it takes in your marriage and for your marriage to thrive.

And don’t forget to ask God for help.

21. Wake up with a smile. Enjoy your life and live it well married. Have fun together and don’t worry about what others think.

If you have a great marriage, chances are many will be jealous because they simply don’t. Over 50% of marriages end in divorce, so I suggest smiling more of your still married.

Lastly and most importantly…

22. Put God at the center of it all.

This was and continues to be the single most important lesson that has made my marriage better than I could have ever imagined.

Learning how to put God right in the middle of it has made it what is today.

You see, I wish I could take the credit for being an amazing husband and having the best marriage in the world, but I can’t.

I owe it all to Him.

I’m so very grateful that God taught me how to keep my eyes focused on him, keep him at the center of my marriage, and in return He would provide exactly what I needed for my marriage to keep working.

22 years and 22 lessons later…

I am grateful our marriage takes work.

I am grateful we work hard for our marriage.

I am grateful our marriage works!

Happy 22nd to my smoking hot wife who literally took my breath away 22 years ago when she said “I do”

Thank you for loving me.

I love you. ❤️

Thinking about setting up a home gym?

Think again. In this episode, I reveal the TOP 10 REASONS why you might want to reconsider.

From the significant expenses and limited environment to constant distractions and lack of motivation, we cover all the cons that come with having a home gym.

Tune in to get the full picture and make an informed decision about your fitness setup, and help you on your journey to become BRAVER Today Than You Were Yesterday!™️

You can have results or excuses.

You can’t have both.

Honestly, it blows my mind that even after 5, 10, and even sometimes 20+ years of struggling with their weight, some people continue to choose to hang on to excuses over results every single day of their lives.

For the record, when you choose excuses, you automatically opt-out of any possibility of the desired result.

Excuses are toxic.

Excuses are cancerous.

Excuses are kinda like a festering disease that eats away at your most amazing self and pushes you closer and closer to a life filled with limitations and mediocrity.

Screw the excuses.

The only way you’ll win is if you choose results.

100% of the time.

I wasn’t motivated to go to the gym this morning.

But I went anyway.

Because I knew, If I didn’t, there would be an excuse waiting for me in my mind to let me off the hook.

Listen to me right now.

If you can eliminate your excuses, I promise you, you’ll win the battle with your weight and start winning more in life!

Remember... results require a choice, and the only thing stopping you is YOU.

Choose wisely.

Coach Mark

I woke up at my usual 4:30am, finished my quiet time with the Lord, completed my deep work and finished hitting back and biceps in the new home gym all before 7:30am.

As I was going through my schedule and working on getting back on track after being away in Florida for a few days…

I took a few moments and some deep breaths to just pause and reflect back at the journey I’ve been on as a coach and entrepreneur.

It started December of 1995.

I became a personal trainer.

After working as a trainer while pursuing my degree in physical therapy that took me the better part of 8 years to achieve, I decided after just a brief 5 years working in my field, that I wanted to go all in on fitness instead.

Fast forward through the next 20 years where I owned 3 different personal training businesses that helped transform thousands of peoples lives…

and a year of transition where I almost gave it up completely to go into ministry full time, God set me straight and put me back on the path He knew would be best suited at the time for me.

Almost 6 years later, I wanted to share with you 6 amazing things going online has allowed me to do:

1. I got to invest heavily into my wife, and give her and our relationship and marriage of over 21 years the time it required to be as it is today… Solid.

2. Being able to learn how to become a better father whose desire is to raise free thinking adults with both of my incredible kids who are now 20 and 18 years young. It sure hasn’t been a perfect ride, but it has been purposeful and for that I am eternally grateful.

3. Having time, location and working towards financial freedom has provided me with the opportunity to serve thousands of people with the one objective to help transform their lives for the better.

4. Being able to navigate through the crazy past couple of years in our world and help guide people all over the world through the distractions in order to discover and develop a healthier and fitter body, mind and spirit, has been a pure honor and undescribable privilege.

5. Being able to invest in myself heavily with coaches, mentors, and learning, so that I can continually get better and bring what I learn to serve others better.

And last but not least…

6. Be the kind of man God wants me to be so that I can love and serve others the way He wants me to.

Now, that’s a quick overview of where I was and a taste of how it’s been going for me lately.

Through this process, If I were to go back and give my younger self some advice, this is what I would say:

1. Mark, When you feel beat down, worn out, overwhelmed, doubtful, and wanting to quit when things in your business aren't going as planned..

Take a deep breath or two.
Reframe your thoughts.
Refocus your mind.

Talk to a person you trust who you can express yourself with and share your struggles with, someone you can rely on who won’t judge you and will always show up when you need it most.

2. Mark, remove the EGO because all you’re doing is Edging God Out and that’s not you. You are a man of faith who believes in yourself because you know how much God believes in you.

Time doesn’t stop for anyone, and while it may not grow on trees, you can always make more money. Never stop investing in yourself, not so much that you can get to where you want to go faster..

More because you are setting the best example for family, friends and clients when you constantly invest in yourself. Keep pouring into your cup and you will never run out to pour into others.

And those who choose to follow you, will look up to you and invest back in you.

3. Mark, you might be over 50, but stop rushing to make things happen so fast. Stop being so damn impatient. Trust the process and trust God that his timing and your timing may not always match up.

Be where you are when you are there.

Be present and when you start worrying about the future and where you want to be, don’t forget to take another breath and look back at how far you’ve come.

That’s just a few tips I’d pass onto myself and everyone reading this.

For all of you that have supported me since I began my coaching…

And all of you who believed in me enough to invest in me over the years…

From the bottom of my heart, Thank you so much for your support!

I’m excited for the next season of life and all the lessons that await.

Hope you all have a wonderful and blessed rest of the week!

Be Brave.

Mark