GRIT Ultimate Body Burn Volume 1 Making the Video

June 12, 2012 2 Comments

The word of the week is = PROGRESS! GRIT Ultimate Body Burn Vol. 1, my total body workout video will be released very soon! Last month I posted an article to express my excitement and gratitude after finishing the video shoot. Since then, we’ve made even greater strides in post production. This entire project has been a transformational learning experience – it’s amazing what we can can accomplish when we break a LARGE project down into SMALL tasks. Words can not express how eager I am to share my fitness tools with you! But for now…back to working on this client deck (gotta love Excel and PowerPoint). Lots of luv! – Brit

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjZR1ClWFbE]

GRIT Ultimate Body Burn Vol. 1 is a total body, high intensity 30 minute workout set to endorphin-pumpin’ music. With full time job and demanding travel schedule, I was eager to create an effective and efficient workout that could be done in my busy schedule. Inspired by years of athletic training, sports conditioning, dance and teaching Turbo Kick, I developed an extreme, 30 minute total body workout that meets all of my fitness needs.

This at home fitness method utilizes 1 pound hand weights to maximize calorie burn and guarantee intensity. Kick boxing, athletic drills, plyometrics, Pilates, anaerobic intervals and resistance training are also incorporated for a complete, exciting workout that hits every major muscle group while keeping your heart rate elevated. You can get it all – effective, fun total body fitness and time to handle your busy schedule!

COMING SOON!

Just for Fun

5-minute Healthy Breakfast Ideas

June 3, 2012 6 Comments

The week before last I worked from home – yay! On Thursday morning, I made and ate breakfast immediately after I woke up. I was so proud, I took a pic of my breakfast and posted it on Twitter 🙂 This got me thinking, “I’m going to commit to eating breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up for the next 5 days. Not only that, I’m going to take a picture of my meal and post it on Twitter for accountability.” Well, turns out that what our parents say is TRUE, breakfast IS the most important meal of the day. Studies show making breakfast a daily habit can help you lose weight – and keep it off. Personally, I felt the following changes/benefits that week:

I wasn’t starving at lunch which helped me make better food choices
My digestion was more “regular” 😉
My energy level was higher during the day, especial during my workouts
I felt lighter and leaner

Based on my fitness experience and nutrition knowledge, I have created a formula for what I consider to be a complete “GRITTY” breakfast:

GRITTY Breakfast = complex carb (whole grains and/or fruit) + protein + KICK

FYI – a “KICK” is little bit of caffeine to get my body going full speed. Remember all the benefits of Coffee that we learned about earlier?

Below, are pics of all of my breakfast meals that week. All were prepared in less than 5 minutes, making them excellent options for those of you rushing to work in the morning. Try out the breakfast challenge for yourself. You may just take on a new healthy habit!

Thursday

Greek yogurt + mixed berries + 1 crumbled crunchy granola bar + hot green tea

Friday

photo (2) — Quaker instant oatmeal + 1 large orange + black coffee

Saturday

1 Van’s whole wheat waffle (comes frozen, just put in toaster) + peanut butter + strawberries + hot green tea

Sunday

photo (3) — 2 crunchy granola bars topped w/peanut butter + 1 apple + hot green tea

Monday (up in the air, breakfast at the airport before a 6am flight…the life of a consultant)

breakfast AA — 2 small apples + 1 small bag of almonds (not pictured) + black coffee

Just for Fun

5 Tips to Spice Up Your Workout Routine: Variety is the SPICE of life and the FUEL for fitness

May 8, 2012 3 Comments

multiple-relationships-lucky-guy-club-2.s600x600 — NOT this kind of variety 😉

Hopefully you’ve found a workout that you absolutely LOVE , which is GREAT! I’m a firm believer that you’ll never consistently exercise until you find a workout that you TRULY enjoy and that makes you FEEL GOOD about your body! However, it’s critical that we constantly change up our workout routines. This doesn’t mean we have to give up the exercises we love, but we DO have to SPICE things up. So you are probably wondering…

WHY SHOULD I VARY MY WORKOUTS?

Avoid the plateau – Our bodies are super efficient – WE ARE STRONGER THAN WE THINK WE ARE! Once our bodies get use to a certain workout, they don’t require the same amount of energy (calories or strength) to get it done.
Prevent injury – If we do the same workouts all of the time, we run a significantly greater risk of chronic injuries (shin splints, etc.) Changing it up makes us work a variety of muscles and develop balanced strength and endurance.
Stay interested – New workouts keep us engaged in exercise. High mental and emotional engagement makes us more energized meaning we work harder and reach greater fitness levels.

BRIT’S 5 TIPS TO SPICE UP YOUR WORKOUT ROUTINE

Title_Boxing_Company — Burn up to 1,000 calories in 1 hour of Title Boxing!

Do 3 DIFFERENT types of cardio exercises every week – At a minimum, its most important to ensure that you get 3-30 minute cardio workouts in each week. However, you can maximize results by doing a variety of cardio workouts. For example: Monday – Treadmill, Wednesday – Elliptical, Friday – Boxing class.
Add Intervals – Intervals in terms of speed and incline/resistance are a great way to keep your body in the “cardio zone” and make sure you don’t get complacent. For example: when on the elliptical, ride at level 5 resistance for 3 min then level 10 resistance for 1 min, continue alternating for 30 min to 1 hr.
Power walk instead of running/jogging – Power walking is not as natural of a movement as jogging/running which means you have to engage more muscles. This is a great way to shock your body and even burn more calories – add light hand weights for an extra burn!
TRX Suspension Resistance Training
Switch up your resistance regimen – Instead of your usual back/biceps and chest/triceps workouts that you have been doing for years, change it up! Try the new TRX suspension training or an endurance body weight routine (like several posted on this site). Remember, if you do what you always done, you’ll get what you always got!
Get moving with a group – Working out with a group makes you push harder and leverage the energy of those around you. I encourage you to try some of my favorite group exercise classes: Title Boxing Club, Boot Camps (any one), Bar Method, Cycle classes and TurboKick.

Just for Fun

Drink Coffee to Control Weight and Make Better Love ;-)

April 19, 2012 9 Comments

G’ Morning, GritBrit fans! As my still sleepy eyes gaze around my room this morning and squint away the bright NYC sunshine seeping through my blinds, my half-awake brain remembers that I need to get working on a guest nutrition post I promised Brit. I have been brainstorming ideas all week, but at the moment, all I can do is think about one thing: coffeeeeeee!

And that’s when it hit me. I’ll post about COFFEE! Just give me a moment to finish this cup….

Yum. Okay. Now, let’s chat about java 🙂

coffeeheart — A cup of joe can serve you well

First, you may be thinking, what is this nutritionist pumping up coffee for? It’s true, coffee has historically been a controversial topic in the nutrition field. Stunted growth, jitters, and even heart disease are just a few of the ills that were said to be linked with too much joe drinkin’.

But times are a changing, folks, and that’s old news. The latest research about coffee proves otherwise. Keep reading to learn more about why coffee is, in fact, GOOD for you (*in moderation*), and how to drink it to get the maximum benefit for your bod!

What are the benefits associated with drinking coffee?

Increased energy levels
Improved athletic performance
Improved brain function
Improved mood
Alleviation of constipation (ewww)
Improved sex drive (yay!)
Reduced post-workout muscle pain
Protection from certain cancers, Parkinson’s Disease, and Type 2 Diabetes
Coffee contains very few calories and high levels of antioxidants

What IS moderation?

2-4 (8 oz) cups.

How do you recommend drinking coffee?

Time? Morning is best to avoid any interference with sleep. It is also fine to spread your intake throughout the day if you prefer — just make sure it’s not creeping past 3-4pm, and isn’t totaling a quantity greater than the above recommendation. Coffee-ing (okay, I this isn’t an actual verb) about 30mins before exercising can also provide an awesome boost to your workout.

Milk? Skim milk, low-fat milk, soymilk, or none = all good options.

Sugar? Skip it, and avoid the excess calories. If you need some sweetness, opt for a sugar substitute (these do not cause cancer – that is a myth!). I personally like Splenda.

Disclaimers:

*Coffee is not a sleep replacement. If you find that you need coffee to stay awake throughout the day, you may need to re-work your sleep regimen.

*Many of the claims and suggestions contained in this post are not applicable to those with caffeine sensitivities and certain medical conditions such as heart irregularities, GERD, etc.

Questions? Comments? Leave ’em, and let’s chat. I’m am happy to clarify any/all of your coffee concerns!

ENJOY 🙂

Just for Fun

Are you getting short changed in spin class?

April 15, 2012 No Comments

GRIT 001 — Me getting ready for ride #2 during cycle instructor training

Happy Sunday – I hope this posting finds you joyous and well! Today was a personal accomplishment because I officially became a certified indoor cycling instructor – woop woop! That said, I learned a lot of useful info about spin classes and calorie burn in general, so I just wanted to share some of these nuggets of wisdom with you guys. Hopefully, these facts will help you get the MOST out of your spin classes in the future 🙂

Turn up the resistance – speed DOES NOT equal calorie burn! In an effective cycle class, your legs should spin between 60-90 rotations per minute. If you are cycling way above this, turn your resistance up! When your legs are flying and your booty is bouncing around in the saddle, the bike is just propelling you and you are getting short changed on calorie burn…not a good look!
Don’t always trust the heart rate monitor. Several factors affect our heart rate including hydration, stress, diet, room temperature, etc. Therefore, just because your heart rate is in a certain zone, doesn’t necessarily mean you are working that hard. In many cases, heart rate monitors over count calories burned and you are deceived : (
Use a breath test. The bottom line is this, the harder you work, the more calories you burn. Therefore, use the breath test to quickly and effectively measure your exertion. Below are the 4 levels you should think about. If you are trying to burn as many calories as possible, strive to spend at least 20-30 minutes of your class in zones 3 and/or 4. You should never be back at Level 1 (breathing regularly) after the warm up.

L1 – Breathing regularly
L2 – Breathing fast, but comfortable
L3 – Breathing heavy, uncomfortable
L4 – Breathing very heavy, very uncomfortable – sucking air!

GRIT 002 — Whole class with our instructor after we got certified (that's me in the back with the shiny forehead, hehe)

Just for Fun

Drinks “weighing” you down?

April 9, 2012 13 Comments

Brit’s beverage epiphany: About this time last year, I had just finished working out and as I was leaving the gym, as usual, I bought a Gatorade. For some reason, this day I read the nutrition facts: 200 CALORIES IN 1 BOTTLE?!?! Geez, I just rode the elliptical for 45 minutes and I burned 450 calories. So drinking this Gatorade basically means I’m going to wipe out almost half of my work out! From that moment on I decided – “I’m OFF Gatorade, yall can keep those.” As a matter of fact, I’m done “drinking” calories. If I have to budget my calories, I’d much rather spend them on eating some good food – AMEN?

The facts: You have to burn 3,500 calories more than you consume to legitimately lose 1 pound. The drinks on my “BAD LIST” carry anywhere from 90-220 calories, so if you consume about 3 a day, you could pack on an extra 600 calories! That equals about 1 whole hour of moderate/high intensity cardio at the gym! Or potentially an extra pound every week, assuming you don’t burn it off. Is it really worth it?

Commentary: Below is a list that I put together for myself to help me weed out “bad drinks.” I kept it realistic and included some alcohol and juice options on the “GOOD LIST” even though they aren’t calorie free. At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, “What do I want more, this Dr. Pepper or my long term fitness goals?” Just making simple adjustments to your daily habits, like committing to only “GOOD LIST” drinks, can help you drop quick pounds. Try it out and see for yourself because you work too hard to let your drinks weigh you down 🙂

Just for Fun

2-week plan to nix 10 pounds

March 29, 2012 3 Comments

I put this plan together to help me get ready for a wedding, during which I wore a very curve hugging bridesmaid dress. I had great results, so I thought I’d share with you guys. If you need to lean up really quickly, below is my official 14 day plan to get it right and tight. I like it because each element is actually a healthy habit as opposed to starving myself or taking diet pills. It worked for me, see if it works for you!

EACH DAY DO THE FOLLOWING 5 THINGS: