Skip to content

The Best Version of Yourself

Disclaimer:  All photos are property of Chōsen Experiences and are not to be used without expressed written permission/consent.

You ever have those weeks where you’re just on?  You’re gotten good sleep, you’re been eating healthy and avoiding alcohol, you’ve been exercising a lot, perhaps having great conversations?  For many people, this is the week of Jan 1-Jan 8 as resolutions are still fresh and exciting, but then life returns to it’s former self and one tends to get dragged back with it… but I’m sure you can remember that feeling, I definitely can.

As part of my travels I’ve been making health/wellness a priority.  My lifestyle in New York didn’t always lead to me being the best version of myself, both physically and mentally so as I started mapping out my time away I looked for retreats in cool places around the world.  Places where I could book a week of ‘boot camp’ and then I could explore the surrounding area afterwards.  I know myself.  Right now I need this kind of structure, I need a schedule, I need someone helping me- I can always find something else to do besides work out, I can always make an excuse for one or two unhealthy meals/snacks… I was looking for a place where these temptations simply didn’t exist and I’d have no excuses for a poor diet or skipping workouts.  Enter Chōsen Experiences.

UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_39b1
The Bali location… A great introduction to the company!

 

Initially I thought it was going to be a fitness bootcamp, but 5 minutes in I realized it would be much more than that.  And now that I’ve attended 5 or their camps in 3 different countries, I truly see what John and Robin (the founders) truly set out to do.  Help people live their perfect lives, remind them how it feels when you’re mindful about everything you do- from what you eat, to how much you sleep, and balancing physical/mental activity with the appropriate amount of ‘active rest’.  Really it’s just about making (not taking) the time to really take care of yourself.  It doesn’t hurt that all their locations/accommodations are beautiful and that their operation is the absolute definition of turnkey- making this the biggest no-brainer of a ‘vacation’ in my mind.

134a1bfd-5e1d-4a1b-a0ba-6537e0748047
Starting our days off right!
CHOSEN 17 OCTOBER-78
Learning new Crossfit skills/techniques
CHOSEN 17 OCTOBER-191
Every day wraps with a Yin Yoga session just before dinner…

 

I’ll admit, it’s a little expensive, but it’s an investment in yourself and you absolutely get what you pay for…  although if you think about what you’d generally spend on a proper vacation, it’s really not all that different.  On top of that, with Chōsen you have: Every meal designed/prepared using well-sourced local ingredients by an International chef, Guest hosts/trainers who are a collection of former Olympic Athletes, Global Life Coaches, Nutrition experts, Yogis, etc, Properties are that all beyond 5-star, etc…  Honestly the attention to detail that has been paid to everything from the Personal Journals they designed, down to the T Shirts and Water Bottles they give out truly shows how committed they are to making this experience truly special for those that attend.  You literally pay for the week and do no more thinking.  Everything, and I mean everything is taken care of for you.  And it doesn’t stop there…

1ff50601-06d3-464c-83e2-72096b31313a
Every meal is a balance of Fat, Fiber, and Protein and designed to with the day’s activities in mind…
IMG_5916
All the ingredients are locally sourced and the meals are inspired by that specific location’s cuisine/culture…
CHOSEN-27
Zero processed sugars, additives, or otherwise unhealthy ingredients!
Chosen - Daniel Lopez Perez- 121
Perfection…

 

Yes, Chōsen aims to introduce people to (or remind them of) this concept of a ‘perfect week’- fitness and nutrition are cornerstones of everything here.  Spend any amount of time with John and Robin though and you’ll soon realize how much they care about developing a community.  It’s not just that you attend for a week and never hear from them again- these two have poured so much of themselves into this company and care deeply about each and every attendee.  There’s actually a pretty intensive application process to become ‘Chōsen’.  Which is nice in that it’s not just anyone with cash can attend… they know people are investing a lot of time and money and how one rotten egg can tarnish everyone’s experience.  They do a great job of vetting the attendees so not only will that one week be amazing, but that the community they’re developing will exist well past that week and consist of global, like-minded people that are all interested in improving themselves, each other, and the world.  The Network Value of the Chōsen community is hard to even fathom with all of the amazingly talented people who have attended over the years- and I’ve found everyone to be super helpful as I’ve traveled the globe and reached out to other alumni (most of whom are people I’ve never met or seen outside of the Facebook group).  And it’s only getting better…

UNADJUSTEDNONRAW_thumb_39fe
Just an average Tuesday…
Chosen_Iceland2017_hikeandworkout-72
Teamwork makes the dream work!
IMG_1941
A crew of inspirational/motivational people makes even the hardest workouts seem easy!
IMG_0223
Robin and John, the founders of Chōsen Experiences (and now two very good friends of mine!)

 

Time to let some photos do the talking… But before I do I want to sincerely thank John, Robin, Josh, and the entire Chōsen family for helping with my transformation, both physically and mentally!  Anyone keen on attending, let me know!  Happy to answer questions or make intros… You won’t regret it.

Much love and bliss,

B

 

Bali

8bcf86de-4eca-4d85-8b17-d6e315113049
Getting out of my comfort zone, rappelling down 20 meter waterfalls!
2a290ce1-175d-499c-a9b5-7eaf36130758
Enjoying the power of nature…
b971c738-c770-460b-aa51-63938a780f83
Take a leap of faith!  What have you jumped off lately?
CHOSEN 17 OCTOBER-77
Strength/Fitness Coach Taylor kicking our asses (in a good way)!
CHOSEN 17 OCTOBER-104
Being present is important in Every aspect of life…
CHOSEN 17 OCTOBER-132
My best LBJ impression!
IMG_1937
Ha!  I’m famous!
CHOSEN 17 OCTOBER-167
After the day’s activities, it’s time to slow down…

 

Guatemala

IMG_0017
Our ride out to the property!
IMG_0018
Me and Johnny!
IMG_0059
Arriving in style!
IMG_0060
Not a bad way to start the day…
IMG_0065
Even if some of the volcanoes are starting their mornings off as well!
IMG_0243
Maybe the best bathroom ever…
IMG_0127
This hike was an asskicker, but the view up top was worth it!
IMG_0131
Squad
IMG_0152
“Active rest” is an important part of the week!
IMG_1550
Have I mentioned the food yet?  Un…Real!
IMG_0266
Yes, life is indeed good!
IMG_0265
Teamwork again!  Oh yeah, there’s a volleyball court… so much fun!

 

Iceland

Chosen_deplar_drone
Home for the week!
Chosen_Iceland2017_bikesandaxes-2
Still pushing ourselves with daily fitness activities…
Chosen_Iceland2017_bikesandaxes-18
The Network Effect, what an awesome, diverse, intelligent, and inspiring crew!
Chosen_Iceland2017_bikesandaxes-29
At one with the universe…
Chosen_Iceland2017_sunset-30
The sunsets were epic!
Chosen_Iceland2017_sunset-23
Grateful…
Chosen_Iceland2017_northernlights-17
And the nights weren’t too bad either!
Chosen_Iceland2017_hikeandworkout-19
On top of the world!
Chosen_Iceland2017_hikeandworkout-25
Together, anything is possible…
IMG_1591
Just taking it all in…
IMG_1594
Ryk Neethling, South African Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming! (…and all around nice guy)
Chosen_Iceland2017_horses-26
Seeing the country in many ways…
Chosen_Iceland2017_horses-39
Trying new things like horseback riding!
Chosen_Iceland2017_flyfishing-10
Another first for me, learning to fly fish!
Chosen_Iceland2017_flyfishing-7
Solid technique… this was probably right before I ‘caught’ myself!
Chosen_Iceland2017_bikesandaxes-32
A day of canyoning…
Chosen_Iceland2017_bikesandaxes-33
Lampin’ in the river!
Chosen_Iceland2017_bikesandaxes-43
More local activities- Axe Throwing!
Chosen_Iceland2017_canyoning
Let’s hit some class 4/5 rapids!
Chosen_Iceland2017_canyoning-4
Before we got wet…
Chosen_Iceland2017_canyoning-53
Away we go!
Chosen_Iceland2017_canyoning-40
Beautiful scenery!
Chosen_Iceland2017_canyoning-25
On the river…
Chosen_Iceland2017_canyoning-21
Getting wet!  I think this rapid was called The Terminator…
Chosen_Iceland2017_swimming-8
Since we have an Olympic Swimmer with us, we do a pool workout.  But first, some breath work.
Chosen_Iceland2017_swimming-29
You do what this guy says…
Chosen_Iceland2017_swimming-21
Proper technique…
Chosen_Iceland2017_swimming-55
Not a bad place for a pool…
Chosen_Iceland2017_swimming-61
Jump in!
Chosen_Iceland2017_hikeandworkout-38
The world is our gym!
Chosen_Iceland2017_hikeandworkout-65
Keep that back straight!
Chosen_Iceland2017_hikeandworkout-44
Different weights, different movements, keep the body guessing!
Chosen_Iceland2017_hikeandworkout-47
Next member of the Avengers?
Chosen_Iceland2017_hikeandworkout-36
Nature…
Chosen_Iceland2017_northernlights-7
Crille, the official photographer, captures this epic self portrait with the Northern Lights!  Follow him on Insta @raskal

bmw22oz View All

Just a guy on a hero's journey...

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. Log Out /  Change )

Connecting to %s

%d bloggers like this: