popsugar – GRIT By Brit

GRIT Game Day Workout

September 21, 2015 No Comments

Who’s enjoying football season?! I am! In fact we are hosting a special GRIT Game Day Workout at my studio on Oct. 17th – all of our clients are wearing their favorite team’s football jersey or t-shirt and we are serving treats and goodies throughout the morning. If you live in Dallas, you should definitely join us for a class or 2, CLICK HERE view the schedule and register. We’re all about FUN + FITNESS 🙂

While Summer is my favorite season, Fall comes in a close 2nd mainly because I Iove football and love the crisp weather. That said, today I’m sharing a super athletic, agility cardio workout that will get you sweating and make you feel like superstar athlete!

Before I get to the workout, first I want to express my sincere apologies for going MIA on the blog the past 2 weeks. As you can imagine, being a small business owner is quite a demanding job. Lately I’ve spent a TON of time trying to standardize and document my processes so I can bring on some full-time help! I’m happy to announce that starting next week I’ll have a full-time front desk staff at GRIT Fitness – yay! This means I can go home at 6pm each night instead of 9pm.

Aright, so here’s the workout you’ve been waiting for. I’m calling it my GRIT Game Day Workout because is focuses on speed and agility – 2 skills needed to be victorious on Game Day! Just watch the video to gain and understanding of the exercises, then put on some of your favorite JOCK JAMZ and get to work!

As an added bonus, here’s a throwback to the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Football Field Workout that I created a about a year ago – it’s great in this lovely Fall weather!

Who’s your fav football team?

Have an awesome week! xoxo, Brit

Lifestyle

5 Healthy Ways to Take a Midday Break

June 1, 2015 No Comments

If you’re like me, you often associate taking a break with “taking an opportunity to throw your healthy habits out of the window.” I’ll be honest, in the midst of a demanding day, my afternoon pick-me-up sometimes comes in the form of a sugar cookie. However, I’m trying to proactively plan for my midday lull and have healthy options on hand to help power through my day. Here are 5 healthy ways to take a midday break and rejuvenate:

1. Write Down A Positive Affirmation – You guys know I’m a big believer in the power of positive thinking. When I’m bored or distracted in the afternoon, sometimes I’ll search for a positive quote, write it down and then say it out load. It makes me feel empowered and ready to take on the rest of the day.

2. Enjoy A Healthy Snack – I recently discovered Chobani Flip Greek Yogurt and I’m obsessed. I love that I can enjoy tasty flavors like Almond Coco Loco and Salted Caramel Crunch without compromising nutrition. Chobani Flip Greek Yogurt is a much better afternoon snack than my sugar cookie.

3. Get Active – Go for a 10-minute walk or knock out my super efficient 10-minute Cardio Abs Workout. Physical activity gets endorphins flowing and will instantly boost your mood and energy.

4. Escape With A Novel – Instead of sitting still for hours to enjoy a new book, I keep one in my bag and read it in 10-minute increments. It’s the perfect way to escape from my daily grind and give myself an enjoyable mental break.

5. Enjoy A Glass Of Lemon Water – Lemons are loaded with nutrients and lemon water helps aid in digestion. Also, I find lemon water tastier and more refreshing than regular tap water. Here’s an interesting article sharing 10 benefits of lemon water.

I hope these midday rejuvenation ideas are helpful. Here’s to enjoying healthier options to refresh for an awesome day and an amazing life! “To love this life is to live it naturally.” – Chobani

xoxo, Brit

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Chobani through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Chobani Flip Greek Yogurt, all opinions are my own.

Lifestyle

3 Healthy Ways to Start Your Day #morningwin

February 11, 2015 No Comments

Hello Friends! My mom always says that the first hour of your day sets the tone for the rest of it. I think she’s right. I’ve found that a simple #morningwin can do wonders for my overall productivity and well-being. Let’s face it. Some days I wake up with a case of the “Mondays.” However, if I incorporate these 3 simple actions into the first hour of my day, my outlook instantly brightens:

My morning glass of water – I sleep with it on my night stand

1. Drink a large glass of water – It’s a healthy practice to drink one large glass of water immediately upon waking up. Our bodies burn lots of calories overnight so we need to replenish our water supply. This is especially important if you participate in any resistance/weight training activity. I’ve started placing a large glass of water on my nightstand before I go to bed and I drink it immediately upon waking up. Don’t forget staying hydrated also has detoxifying benefits 🙂

Black coffee + beVita Bites = my go to breakfast combo

2. Eat breakfast within 1 hour of waking up. This one is HUGE. I actually find it difficult to consistently eat breakfast early in the morning; especially if I’m teaching 5:45am spin class (which I do). However, I recently discovered belVita Bites and I love them! Not only do they taste amazing but also they give me enough “spunk” to teach back-to-back classes. (They even come in mixed berry AND chocolate flavors – YASSSS). On most days my simple breakfast solution is 1 cup of black coffee and 1 bag of belVita Bites. It’s the perfect amount of caffeine and carbs to sustain high energy for 4 hours until I’m ready for a mid-morning snack or early lunch. Also, eating breakfast prevents me from binging at lunchtime as I’m not starving.

Trying my best to leave the phone and laptop off for the first portion of my day…

3. DON’T check your phone. I’m still trying to master this one. My first goal is stop sleeping with my phone in my bed (so bad I know). Personally, I find that checking my phone first thing in the morning sets a tone of panic and even dread. To manage stress, refrain from checking your phone the first 30 minutes of the day and THEN start cracking on the “to do” list.

This week, I encourage you to incorporate a #morningwin into your daily routine. Do you have any morning wins to add to my list?

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by belVita through their partnership with POPSUGAR. While I was compensated by POPSUGAR to write a post about belVita, all opinions are my own.

Total Body

Indoor Body Sculpting – My Favorite Winter Workout

January 5, 2015 No Comments

Now that the hype of the holidays has died down, I hope you’re ready to gear up for happier healthier 2015! To help you shake up your gym routine, I want to share my all-time favorite Winter Workout. I LOVE heading to my local gym, plugging in my headphones and moving through these body-sculpting exercises.

There are 3 key reasons I love to the do this workout in the winter as opposed to warmer seasons:

Build Lean Muscle Mass – It’s critical to strength train in the winter. Lean muscle mass increases the metabolism to maintain a healthy body temperature and help prevent winter weight gain.
Show off my workout clothes – Since the workout requires a wide variety of equipment, it needs to be done at a gym. If your gym is anything like mine, it can be a bit of a fashion show. I once got annoyed by the “see and be seen” vibe, but now I don’t mind because I rock my super cute activewear from Target® C9. Better yet, I don’t have to go broke to look fierce and fabulous!
No worries about bad weather – Snowstorm? No problem! This workout should be completed indoors since it has several stabilizing exercises.

I designed this workout to sculpt the entire body, so it consists of 9 sets of exercises (3 Core, 3 Lower Body, 3 Upper Body).

Complete each exercise in a set for 1 minute and then repeat. This means each set of exercises takes 4 minutes. With transition time and a little rest, the entire Body Sculpting workout takes 45 minutes. When done correctly, your entire body will feel tight, toned and very sore the next day – trust me! If you have any questions, post a comment below.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Target® C9 through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Target® C9 all opinions are my own.

Lifestyle

How to do it all: Making time for work, workouts & fun

October 27, 2014 1 Comment

I’m always impressed by women who can “do it all” – workout, kick butt at the office, maintain a social life and look fabulous. I like to think I do decent job of tackling everything on my To-Do list, but the reality is I have to make some trade offs. For instance, I don’t watch as much TV as I did in college. However, I still have plenty of “me time” to hang with my friends, get a pedicure and rock out a cycling class. I’ve found that sticking with my weekly workout schedule actually gives me more energy to execute all of my other commitments . I wrote this post especially for those of you who have everything on your “to do” list. Here are 3 activities that help me “do it all.”

1. Prioritize

My day planner is jammed packed, so I include my workouts on my “To Do” List

In business school I learned that is everything is important, nothing is important. This means that prioritization is the key to identifying what really matters and what kinda matters. My day planner is my life-line for prioritizing. I live by it. That said, my To-Do list can get a little out of control because I write down everything. Each day, I prioritize the things that I really have to get done, and then move the lower priority To-Do’s to tomorrow’s list. This keeps me from feeling overwhelmed and helps me knock out each action one by one. And oh yes, you better believe my workouts are included as high priority (I highlight those in blue).

2.Opt for Active Social Events

Me and my friend Leslie playing giant chess at a local Dallas bar

Kill 2 birds with one stone: Instead of our usual sit down dinner, my friends and I seek out active ways to socialize. This way if we have to work late and miss an evening yoga class, we still keep our bodies moving.

3. Invest in Awesome Activewear

Nothing motivates me to move more than awesome new workout clothes! Recently I picked up some excellent gear from lucy. I love the performance style and versality – I can wear these pieces to yoga, kickboxing and indoor cycling. The bright colors, snug fit, and trendy designs make me feel confident, stylish and strong! Stocking up on high-quality activewear definitely helps me stick to my weekly workout schedule.

While these 3 tips help me “do it all,” I have to admit that it’s not easy. What woman can’t use a little help? Fortunately, lucy is hosting a wonderful “You Time” Giveaway! Each week you can win your choice of a year of housecleaning, babysitting or meal delivery. One grand prize winner will receive all three. This means more “you time” to do the things you really love (like getting in your favorite workout).

This is for you. The ones who have it all…on their to-do list! Let lucy take away the small stuff that stands between you and a good sweat. Giveaway ends December 16th.

Disclosure: This post was sponsored by lucy through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about lucy, all opinions are my own.