Great news friends! I’ve been invited to be an official member of SELF magazine’s #SELFMade Blogger Collective. Hard work certainly pays off. Now you can read some of my super special blog posts on self.com – yay! There are several other fabulous women who have joined the movement, including #SELFmade celebs like Jessica Alba, Rosario Dawson, and Allyson Felix! I screen shotted a pic from Jessica Alba’s Instagram (below)
I’m #SELFMade because for the past 3 years I’ve been juggling a full-time consulting career, teaching group fitness classes and blogging. There were many days I reached absolute exhaustion and wanted to quit everything, but I’m glad I stuck it out. Hearing your success stories and knowing that I can make a positive difference in the lives of others makes everything worthwhile.
From your comments and emails, I KNOW that you’re #SELFmade too. Thanks for sharing your gritty stories and continuing to work hard to make your dreams come true. Join the #SELFmade movement by sharing how you’re #SELFMade on Instagram. You can even be entered to win a trip to Hawaii from SELF Magazine! Visit their Instagram profile @SELFMagazine for more details.
Good afternoon friends! Here’s a HIIT workout I designed to really kick our butts into gear. HIIT stands for high intensity interval training – it’s the most efficient way to burn calories and strength train at the same it. This workout is quick and effective. No equipment required so you can do it in your living room, just like I did. It’s the perfect solution for days like today when my schedule is completely full with teaching classes, making playlists, meetings and writing blog posts.
As an added bonus, my mom came over this morning and helped me make this instructional video. Yay! Now we can sweat together 🙂 I hope you enjoy the workout. Let me know how it goes!
Last but not least, the winner of my Lorna Jane product giveaway is Lisa! She works hard as full time as a nurse and a single mom of 4 and plays hard by incorporating extra time playing with her kids. Congrats Lisa! Email me your mailing address to brit@gritbybrit.com and your prize is on it’s way.
Wishing you a wonderful rest of your week! Lots luv, Brit
Happy Monday my friends! I hope your week is off to wonderful start. I taught an indoor cycling class this morning and now I’m at my neighborhood Starbucks sipping away on my grande bold coffee and working away on my blog. This was a big football weekend in Dallas. Our city hosted the Red River Shoot Out (Texas vs. Oklahoma football game) so every bar and restaurant was filled with the energy of football enthusiast. I loved it!
Enjoying the poolside view at SiSu Dallas on Friday night!
On Friday night, my friends Andria, Ashley and I went out for happy hour at SiSu Uptown Dallas. They have beautiful outdoor pool bar, as you can see above. We mixed, mingled and sipped our drinks while enjoying the lovely Dallas skyline. The weather was absolutely perfect – cool enough to wear jeans and cute scarves but warm enough that we we’re weren’t chilly. I didn’t stay out to too late because I had a teach an 8:00am cycling class at Beyond Pedaling on Saturday morning.
Me and my bestie Leslie at her bridal shower this weekend.
After my cycling class on Saturday, I co-hosted a bridal shower for a my childhood best friend Leslie who’s getting married in 2 weeks (pictured above). We’ve been friends since we were 12. Just for a little Monday chuckle, I’m also sharing a pic of us when we were 13 – haha (see below). We’ve come a long way. She’s gonna kill me when she sees this post. Oh well, I value our friendship and am so grateful to have a friend who loves me unconditionally, flaws and all. We had a wonderful time eating yummy brunch food, playing games and sipping mimosas. After the bridal shower I was super tired, so I laid low and chilled at my bachelorette pad for the rest of the day.
Me and Leslie over 15 years ago – the mini pony tails around the hair line (yikes!) – haha
On Sunday, I did my usual: Wake up early > eat a big breakfast > Church/read some inspirational books/watch OWN Super Soul Sunday > teach afternoon Turbo Kick. I’m so happy that my class has been growing. When I first took over this class, only 10-15 people would show up each week and now our class has grown to 25-30 attendees. I love the energy of the class and that everyone works so hard. We have a lot of fun and, of course, I blast the music to keep things lively 🙂
Post Turbo Kick Selfie (I was spent!)
After kickboxing, I stopped by my parents’ house to watch the Dallas Cowboys whip up on the Seattle Seahawks! How bout dem Cowboys?! I also enjoyed my mom’s Sunday dinner – yum! I love a free meal. When I got home last night I worked on my blog, lit my pumpkin scented candles and sipped some hot Lemon-Ginger tea (wonderful for digestion BTW). It was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend.
My little pumpkins (gifts from my friend Lew) alongside my pumpkin-scented candle
How was your weekend? What are your workout plans this week?
Yo yo my friends. Yay for the weekend. You know what time it is – Fitness Fashion Friday! In case you can’t tell, I’ve been really into Lorna Jane lately. I just discovered the Australian activewear brand this Summer when I was in California for IDEA World Blogfest. I won a $500 Lorna Jane gift card while I was there and I’ve been hooked ever since. This brand has the quality and luxurious feel of Lululemon and the vibrant, inspirational spunk of Nike – perfect balance. I’ve been spending way too much time at the new Lorna Jane store in Dallas, so I figured I’d make a blog post out of my latest shopping experience and styling session….
The friendly stylists and vibrant store decor making shopping at Lorna Jane a wonderful experience!
So I stopped by Lorna Jane after work on a Friday afternoon and was instantly greeted by Angelica’s bright shining face. Angelica is part of the the management team at Lorna Jane Dallas North Park and she is wonderful! P.S. I love the saying on her shirt (above) – Why Not? That’s very gritty – I like 🙂
So much cute to stuff to try on! Decisions decisions…
Angelica helped me pick out 5-6 complete outfits to try on. I love that many of the styles are coordinated so you can mix and match pieces without being too “matchy matchy” (although I have a guilty pleasure of overly matching my clothes). I also like the inspirational quotes and sayings that are printed on the Lorna Jane tops and even on the bottoms. As a fitness instructor, it helps me stand out and energize my group when I have big bold words like “Run Girl Run” on my clothes. Also the Lorna Jane basic black tights are amazing! They fit super snug and are made of a really thick material that sucks everything in (in a good way). In fact, my fellow fitness blogger, Julie from Peanut Butter Fingers, included the Lorna Jane pants on her list of favorite workout capris/tights. There’s nothing like a killer pair of tights to make me feel super sexy and fit!
How can you not feel energetic when you have “energetic” written in silver sparkles down your leg?
I tried on so many cute outfits in variety of colors and styles including this cute cut-out lime green tank top (above). I ended up buying the black cut-out tank instead, but it was a hard decision.
During my styling session I was impressed to learn that Lorna Jane leads cool community building and philanthropic initiatives like “swap shop.” Swap Shop allows you to bring old clothes back in the store and donate them to the salvation army. In exchange, you get a store credit. How cool is that? They also host “Active Living Day” where they sponsor free, high quality workouts all over the nation. Lorna Jane hosted free, on-site spin classes from Beyond Pedaling in Dallas this Fall.
Vests have officially made a come back #trust
When it was time to decide on my purchases my stylists, Angela and Angelica, gave me their honest opinions on what looked best. I appreciated having them around because they got me out of my rut of “black capris and bright tank top.” For instance, I bought these cute polka dotted booty shorts (see below). I ended up spending my entire $500 gift card and I’m so happy with everything that I bought. Obviously I’m an activewear junkie and I love almost all activewear brands, but I’ve officially become a HUGE fan of Lorna Jane!
Posing with my Lorna Jane stylists, Angela & Angelica (AKA the A Team)
And now that we’ve come to the end of today’s post, what better way to kick start the weekend than with a giveaway?! Today I’m giving away this adorable Lorna Jane inspirational note pad + blue leopard print headband. To participate, just post a comment sharing how you “work hard and play hard” in your everyday life. I’ll pick a winner next Wednesday, October 15th! ENJOY 🙂
Post a comment to win this adorable Lorna Jane headband and inspirational notebook!
Hello friends! Hope your day is going well. SO…I finally finished a big project I’ve been working on for a quite some time. After I reached my 2 year blogiversary this March, I decided to put together my top workouts, detox tips and nutrition advice in to a best in class 4-week shape up plan. I’m finally done and my first GRIT by Brit 4 Week Shape up Plan is ready for you to download. Yay!
I really hope that this is a community effort where we can share our progress and encourage each other to be our healthiest, best selves. That said please email me at brit@gritbybrit.com if you have any questions about the plan. Also, I highly encourage you to team up with some friends and do the plan together. There’s power in numbers! Share your workout photos and healthy meals on Instagram and Twitter with hashtag #GRITshapeup – I’ll start doing product giveaways for my favorite pics!
A core value of GRIT by Brit is “FREE” – I believe that we don’t have to be wealthy to be healthy. That said, I made my printable GRIT Shape Up plan 100% accessible to everyone. Just enter your email address in the subscription box to the right (below the search bar) and a link to download the plan will be sent to you. If you have any issues downloading, send me an email (brit@gritbybrit.com) and I’ll help you out. Be sure to keep us updated by posting pics or updates with hashtag #GRITShapeUp. I can’t wait to hear your success stories. Show your GRIT! Lots of luv, Brit
Happy Humpday! So first order of business, today I’m announcing the winner of my 2nd GRIT tank top giveaway – Congrats JanellMarie! Here’s what GRIT means to her, “Grit is the result of feeling my innermost, deeply seeded, pit-in-the-stomach raison d’etre. Grit means respecting and taking care of myself as a complex, accomplished woman who is rising up to the occasion of life. When I feel that grit, I know I’m centered and overflowing with love and drive.” I thought JanellMarie’s definition was very eloquent and compelling. It made me wanna get up and get after it! Thanks for sharing girl – email your mailing address to brit@gritbybrit.com and your tank top is on its way.
Moving on to today’s post… On Monday night I had the awesome opportunity to preview a new group fitness format called Core Fusion Extreme (CFX) at Exhale Spa . Exhale historically specializes in mind-body fitness formats like yoga and barre. However, with CFX they are spicing it up and adding High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) to the mix.
To celebrate the launch Exhale hosted a fabulous party in partnership with great sponsors including Honest Tea, Kind Bars and Luke’s Locker (our local sporting goods store). We also jammed to music from a live DJ, free hair styling from a local salon, snacks, wine spritzers and product giveaways. Most importantly there was a step and repeat banner for photo shoots – YES! You guys know I love to be in front of the camera 🙂 Needless to say, I enjoyed myself before my workout.
Enjoying giveaways, music, and great company during the CFX Dallas launch party!
When class time arrived, I joined the long line of girls (and 2 guys) as we filed into the intimate barre studio which is now equippd with TRX ropes, boxes, medicine balls, heavy weights and gliders. Our instructor, beaming with energy, welcomed us to CFX and explained the method. Essentially this workout is an high intensity interval circuit that rotates you through 5 workout stations. At each station, you complete 2 different exercises for 40 seconds each. The instructor builds in 2 active recovery segments between stations during which you do core stability and flexibility training. After going around to each station twice, we wrapped up the class with ~5 minutes of lying ab work. Then we cooled downed with a quick stretching sequence. The entire workout is 1 hour and I would estimate that you burn 500-700 calories if you go all out. I heard that the stations (and the overall workout) are the same for the entire month then change at the start of the next month.
(left) Showing my GRIT on the TRX doing pistol exercises. (right) in the back corner doing plank work with floor gliders
So as certified fitness instructor (and your friend), here’s my “real talk” about CFX:
Pros
Pleasant overall experience – beautiful studio/facility/equipment
Great variety of fitness equipment and unique exercises that you wouldn’t typically do in a gym or group fitness class
Well informed, energetic instructors
Effective workout that gives you a lot of benefit for 1 hour of your time. Note: HIIT provides both cardio and strength training simultaneously AND blasts calories
You sweat a lot – good things come to those who sweat 🙂
Cons
You have to sign up early or you will be on a long waiting list for a spot in class
The workout can seem a little redundant because you have to complete each station twice, but the energetic instructors and good music make the time fly by!
Overall, I was very satisfied with my CFX experience and I know I got a good workout because my quads are still sore. If you live in Dallas, Exhale is offering free classes for the rest of the week! If you don’t live in Dallas, CFX should launch in your city pretty soon. Hopefully you get to take a class. If so, feel free to post a comment and let us know how you like it!
Posing after class with my energetic CFX instructors!
Happy Tuesday friends! Today I’m sharing a story from my new Dallas “fit friend,” Ariana! We met this Summer when she attended my PiYo classes at the W Dallas Hotel. We instantly hit it off given our love for hardcore workouts and bright workout clothes (see pic of us in PiYo class on Instagram). I was inspired by Ariana’s dedication coming to class every Saturday and the fact that she always rallied a group of girls to come along with her – talk about accountability! As we got to know each other better, Ariana shared her healthy lifestyle journey with me. I was instantly energized by her story, so I asked her to share on my blog today! I hope her story encourages you as much as it encouraged me…
Ariana’s Healthy Journey: Connecting with a Positive Community
Ariana’s Before & After Photos
My name is Ariana Michelle and my life has always been very adventurous. I love traveling and a good challenge. I’m a packaging engineer in the cosmetic industry and just moved from New Jersey to Dallas to be closer to my fiance! We met 2 years ago in Turks and Caicos!
My before picture was taken in March right after I moved to Dallas. I’ve always struggled with food. My family knew me as the garbage disposal…I was such an athlete that I thought I could burn it all off. After college, that wasn’t the case anymore, and real athletes don’t treat their bodies with diets full of ice cream and bagels! It’s taken a really long time to listen to all the advice I’ve been reading about for years. I have lost 20 lbs since then and countless inches. I was a size SAD, now I’m a size SASSY! Never give up, your journey will take time! I wish I had listened back then and stopped eating all the foods that made me sick. Without the right foods I wouldn’t be such a ray of sunshine!
My biggest motivation was striking out on my own. The move to Texas was really hard! I didn’t know anyone. My fiance still lives 6 hours away, and so I had to learn to cook for myself! I needed a community, a place to call home, and friends who enjoyed the same things I did. I was tired of having acne, not fitting into my clothes, and I knew if I was going to make new friends I first needed to feel confident in my own skin. So, I decided my health would be the #1 priority in my life. I found community in all different fitness groups!
Ariana & the Tone it Up Babes! Being a part of a healthy community increases accountability!
I set out to make some goals for myself! The Tone It Up (TIU) BIKINI SERIES was extremely helpful to set goals. I challenged myself with different cardio workouts like Turbo Fire, and T25, and TIU running routines. Each week, you have to keep yourself accountable, and remember that every small change yields large results! An easy goal to start with, I added something green to each meal. The following week I added more cardio. It’s so important to go slow and have a vision for your journey or you will be overwhelmed and give up. It’s the sum of your choices that makes a radiant person. Goals are the key to loving life!
Did I have set-backs? Yes! It has been a two-year journey to get where I am now. Between a devastating breakup, the loss of a dozen friends who were once my support system, and family struggles, there were times that I wanted to focus on other things, and help everyone else. But the biggest thing you can do for your family is to be a constant example of positivity. It took a long time for me to find a job in Texas, and then I was finally able to get connected to a great group of girls! I dove right in, making sure that I had a new support system if I was feeling helpless or tired. My journey would not have been possible without my #tiusisters and #teamuproar
I’m going to continue to follow the Tone it Up Plan and my new lifestyle for life~ eating the right things at the right times is going to help me keep up with my kids (someday ;)! I always tell my friends that each day adds up, so even if you only have 20 minutes to be active, that makes 140 minutes per week. I take it day by day, and set goals each morning. I never feel guilty for indulging once in a while because what I do 85% of the time keeps me right on track.
Ariana now feeling good, looking great and still staying connected to her fitness community
You can keep in touch with Ariana on Instagram @Fitgirlmechanic or email at arianamichellefitness@gmail.com
Hey friends! Happy Monday! I hope you had a good weekend. Mine was pretty decent. I did my usual routine of teaching indoor cycling at Beyond Pedaling on Saturday and teaching Turbo Kick at 24 Hour Fitness on Sunday. I also went to a beautiful wedding on Saturday evening for one of my college friends from Cornell. As a pleasant surprise, I ran into one of Turbo Kick students at the wedding! She happens to be a friend of the bride – small world! We had a blast, danced our booties off and ate a lot of wedding cake. Good times had by all. Unlike last weekend, I didn’t do any shopping this weekend (tear), but I did get some much-needed time at home to rest and rejuvenate. Did you do anything fun this weekend?
Yesterday my cousin, Juliette (AKA my “sister” because we spent every waking moment together as kids), sent me this hilarious video of her daughter, Violet, doing “post-dinner burpees.” Violet is almost 2 years old. Violet’s got GRIT. Juliette and her husband, Todd, are cheering Violet on as a she has blast doing the exercise that most of us dread. Check out the video below for a little Monday morning chuckle. Mom and dad are still working on her burpee form, but if that’s not raw talent I don’t know what is, haha. You can get awesome recipes, words of wisdom and humorous reflections on Juliette’s blog, A Life Less Tragic.
So… this week I’m personally going through a MAJOR life transition, which I’ll elaborate on next week once it fully registers. In the meanwhile, I’m focusing on some positive weekly goals to help me stay emotionally stable, productive and healthy. I wrote down these goals in my day planner and after looking them over, I figured it’d be a good idea to share on today’s post. If these goals help me (potentially), maybe they can help you too…
In case you’ve never tried Lemon/Cucumber water, you can get the details here – it is naturally detoxifying and tasty!
I hope you have a wonderful week and strive to achieve these gritty weekly goals for yourself.
Image: Inspirational Leggings and Sports Bra from Lorna Jane (disregard my ugly corn on my pinky toe – I ain’t flawless)
TGIF! You know what that means, it’s time for Fitness Fashion Friday (FFF). This is a milestone FFF edition – post #5. I’m a sucker for inspirational quotes, so of course I love activewear that’s covered in motivational mantras. “Name it and claim it!” “Speak it into existence!” – these are just a couple of my mom’s old country sayings. If I could put them all on tank tops and sports bras I would. In the meantime, I’ve been rocking’ this inspirational Lorna Jane activewear. I wore the pink sports bra to teach my cycling class yesterday and I feel like it energized the pack – my class was jamming’! What do you think?
Before you head out for the weekend, don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a black & pink GRIT tank top. Just post a comment sharing what “GRIT” means to you. I can’t wait to read your responses. Also, if you looking for a way to kill time this Friday, you can peruse through the first 4 Fitness Fashion Friday posts:
Good morning friends! As promised, I gathered all of your comments from my GRIT Tank Top Giveaway a couple of weeks ago and summarized them into the graphic below. I have to be honest, at first I did this for selfish reasons as these quotes became my morning motivation. I was so inspired by your definitions of “GRIT” I just had to share the goodness. Now you can print, Pin or post this graphic anywhere you like. Also, HUGE thank you to 8 Wonder Women who shared what “GRIT” means to them…
On that note, let’s keep the gritty goodness going. I’m hosting another giveaway for this black GRIT tank top (pictured below). Just like last time, post a comment answering the question, “What does GRIT mean to you?” I’ll read through all of your inspiring words and pick a winner – will announce next Wednesday (Oct. 8). Enjoy!
