5 Acts of Gratitude to Boost Your Mood

As you know, this month is all about gratitude = the quality of being thankful.  I’m so grateful to wake up everyday and do something that I love: share fitness & healthy living with people I care about = YOU!  I’m also grateful for the opportunity to share my fitness business start up story with SELF Magazine.  Woo ho0 – check out my article on self.com!

I’ve found that practicing acts of gratitude makes me a happier person. In fact, studies from University of California Berkeley show that grateful people are less resentful, more optimistic and healthier than their ungrateful counterparts. Also, physically expressing gratitude generates a greater happiness return than simply feeling appreciation. So just in time for Thanksgiving, here are five acts of gratitude to ensure you have the happiest holiday!

  1. Savor the Small Stuff – Whether it’s your morning cup of coffee or hot shower after a long day, take a moment to be present and acknowledge your little luxury.
  2. Say Thank You – Actually pick up phone, call someone and tell him or her how much they mean to you. Not only with they feel wonderful, but you will too.
  3. Love Your Body – Go for a sweat session at your favorite fitness studio. Afterwards thank your body for its physical fitness.
  4. Be One With Nature – Step outside and look around. Appreciating nature’s beauty can quickly lift your spirits.
  5. Acknowledge Your Accomplishments – Make a list of three personal accomplishments and thank yourself for your dedication and commitment. We often express gratitude to others, but it’s equally important to appreciate ourselves.

This Thanksgiving, I encourage you to not only feel thankful but to also express your gratitude!

Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo, Brit

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NYC Wedding Bells

Image: Sippin an Old Fashioned with my classmates/boy buds Eric & Chris. I’m really not a whiskey girl, but I got peer pressured

Hello Friends! Happy Monday. This morning I’m blogging from NYC. I traveled here for a beautiful Manhattan wedding of my business school friends, Matt & Lily-Hayes. The ceremony and reception were held at Rockafeller Plaza in the Rainbow Room overlooking the city. The food was amazing, the scenery was stunning and most importantly I got to reconnect with my amazing friends. Sigh…still on a high.

So get this, for 4 weekends straight I’m either attending a black tie wedding or a formal gala. Today marks 3 down and 1 to go. These fancy festivities started with my friend Leslie’s wedding followed by the Dallas Autumn Ball last weekend. (I actually wore my bridesmaid dress from Leslie’s wedding to Matt & Lily-Hayes wedding. Getting some use out of that bad boy). Next weekend is my last formal event of the year, the Dallas Margarita Ball. I’m excited!

I decided to extend my NYC trip to do some “market research” on new dance cardio studios here in the city. So excited to take 3 classes today and catch up with several of my fitness sistas! I’ve gotta run to another sweat session, but be on the lookout for NYC class reviews coming soon. NYC is a great place and I use Moovit train line maps to help me get around.

Here’s a few photos from Matt & Lily Hayes’ wedding – hope you like. Have a wonderfully active and happy week!

Lots of luv, Brit

Enjoying the gorgeous NYC view during cocktail hour before the reception (Rainbow Room @Rockafeller Center
The lovely bride and groom dancing away on the rotating floor – stunning!
Me and my crew at cocktail hour – Harvard Business School Section B Class of 2010 – we roll deep (wink wink)
My first time witnessing the traditional Jewish chair dance – so fun!
What better way to end the weekend than an all you can eat BBQ brunch at Dino’s in Harlem! From Left to right, my classmates Jenn, Matt (groom), Chris, Eric & Lakshmi
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Black Friday Fitness Gift Ideas – 2014 Holiday Gift Guide

Happy Monday gang!  The holidays are just around the corner – can you believe it?  That means it’s time for my annual Holiday Gift Guide blog post!  I’m super excited about the products that made my list this year.  If you need even more gift ideas, check out last year’s Holiday Gift Picks list and my 2012 list.  I hope you love everything as much as I do – happy shopping!

  1. Living One Love Headbands ($16) – I discovered these headbands at IDEA World fitness convention in August.  I met the owner of the company who personally designs them and she was super sweet.  I like these headbands because they are wide (to cover my giant forehead) and come in TONS of different prints and colors.  I wear one to every single class I teach – highly recommend
  2. 1-yr Membership to Dallas Grit Fitness & Dallas Fit Body Boot Camp ($TBD) – In the spirit of self-promotion, I must include a shameless plug for my new fitness studio opening January 2015! Over the past 3 years, I’ve visited over 100 different fitness studios and reviewed so many classes.  Now, I’m able to offer all of my fav fitness formats and at a single studio – so excited.  We are having a Black Friday/Cyber Monday pre-sale for 1 year memberships. Stay tuned for details! (dallasgritfitness.com)
  3. Lorna Jane Inspirational Sports Bra ($63) – Lorna Jane is another brand that I’ve become a fan of just recently.  Now that I’m 30 and more confident about my body, I rock sports bras and leggings to teach my classes (no shame showing midriff).  Lorna Jane is my go to for sports bras that provide enough overage, support and style to be worn solo as a top.
  4. Nike Free Train Sneakers ($150) – Nike Free sneakers have made my list 3 years in a row – I’m officially an addict.  The reason is that these provide the best support for group fitness classes.  Notice I’m not recommending the Nike Free ‘Run’ sneakers, but rather the training version.   They come in so many super bright colors and styles – perfection.
  5. You are a Badass ($10) – We read this book in my book club last Fall.  It changed my life.  Ladies, if you are trying to make it to the next level in your career, relationship or simply boost your self-confidence, this book will provide the encouragement you need all while making you laugh out loud.  It’s a wonderful affordable gift for your girlfriends.
  6. Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf ($51) – This scarf is everything.  It compliments any outfit and can be worn a variety of ways.  I wore my black vinyasa scarf in a recent Fitness Fashion Friday post, and you seemed to love it as much as I do.  I’ve been searching for the berry/heathered bordeaux (red) color and can’t find it anywhere 🙁  Let me know if you find it.  And if you do, buy it!
  7. Vitamix ($300-$500) – I’ve been wanting a Vitamix for the longest.  I became a fan back when I was doing the Dr. Oz cleanse which required preparing 3 smoothies every day.  I tried to depend on my basic blender, but it took too much time and my smoothies weren’t as smooth as I liked.  I think it’s time to bite the bullet and buy a Vitamix.
  8. Peleton Bike ($1,995) – I’ve always been into cycling, but now that I teach BEYOND Pedaling, I’m really into it.  I just heard about this start-up company in NYC, Peleton, who created this narley home bike that has a live screen to stream classes from your favorite instructors.  How cool is that?  It’s not cheap, so I’ll have to depend on Santa to get this one to me.
  9. Sociologie Wine Pack ($20-40) – First off, how cute is this wine bottle?  The bottle alone is enough to make me want a Sociologie Wine Pack.  Better yet, it comes in 3 refreshing Sangria flavors.  I just tried Socioliogie wine last year and immediately became a fan.  You can buy Sociology at most liquor or wine stores in Texas.  Sorry if you’re out-of-state, Socilologie should be expanding your way soon!
  10. Onzie Two Tone Leggings ($65) – I just got these leggings as sample from the Onzie Winter collection – I’m obsessed.  I’ll show them off on an upcoming Fitness Fashion Friday.  Meanwhile, go get you some.  They are affordable, fit well and look amazing!

What’s on your 2014 holidays wish list?

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Dallas Autumn Ball – So Fancy this Fall

Image: Getting ready! Dress & necklace from BCBG

Hey Friends!  Happy Sunday.   I usually don’t post on Sundays, but I had so much fun this weekend I wanted to share a few photos.  My friends and I attended the Dallas Autumn Ball which is a charity gala for young adults.  Long story short, we had a blast.  We started off the night with a group dinner at Dragonfly in Hotel Zaza.  I’m usually really skeptical of hotel restaurants, but surprising our dinner was super yummy AND we got a complimentary bottle of sparking Rose’ – oh hey!

After poppin’ our bubbly – cheers to the night!
Me and my classmate from Harvard Business School, Ade, gettin’ rachet and ready to party!

After dinner, we made our way to the grand ball room of the party!  There was a lovely step & repeat to pose in front – of course I seized the opportunity.

Posing on the red carpet as we made our entrance – oh so glamorous!

When we got inside, we immediately started bustin’ a move because the Emerald City Band was playing live music all night long.  The open bar was icing on the cake, but I didn’t party too hard.  I had to teach spin at 8am the next morning – priorities!

Wouldn’t be a legit night of fun without a duck lips photo

Altogether we had an wonderful night.  Great food, friends and fun all in formal wear – what more can a girl ask for?  Hope you have a wonderful week ahead.  I’ll catch you in the morning!  xoxo, Brit

Loved my dress and necklace from BCBG. Yay for a for a fun-filled, fancy, fall evening!
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Dallas GRIT Fitness: My 1st Studio – Progress on Site Renovations

Hey guys – happy Tuesday!  So I’m back in Dallas and back to work renovating and preparing for the grand opening of my very 1st fitness studio!  I can’t believe this is all happening.  It’s SO MUCH more work than I anticipated but I’m loving every minute of it.

My studio, Dallas GRIT Fitness, is located in East Dallas at 3821 Ross Avenue.  I’m SO excited to bring the very 1st one-stop-shop for a variety of the most energetic group fitness & yoga classes!  No more having to drop in to 5 different studios to attend your favorite workouts.

Right now, I’m in the thick of of renovations and managing contractors.  We started off by tearing down 6 walls in what use to be a chiropractor’s office.  Talk about manual labor.  I had a little bit of a hiccup last week when the City of Dallas officials stopped by and said I needed an additional permit for the demolition work that was done – YIKES!  We had to stop working for a couple of days until we secured the permit – UGH!  Fortunately, everything is squared away now and we are back in business!

My friend Turner, owner of Dallas Fit Body Bootcamp, did all of the demolition work by himself! Talk about GRIT
Turner knocked down 6 walls on 1 Day #BEASTMODE
During the demolition, the flooring guys came by to give me an estimate on wood floor installation
I almost fainted when I heard the price… maybe I can get wood floors installed barter for classes???
At the end of Day 3 all of the wall were gone and the debris was cleared out. Turner and his buddy Glen literally did magic!

Once we got all of the walls knocked down and cleaned out, we did a mini celebration – YAY!  Then the painters came in and worked their magic.  I decided to go with gray walls and white crown molding.  What do you think?  My biz partner, Tuner, will run Dallas Fit Body Bootcamp in the suite next door.  We’re excited to offer cross-studio memberships and  joint workouts 🙂

Painters doing the final touches on the crown molding
All done with painting yay! Now I need to get a “Dallas GRIT Fitness” sign made to go in the entry way behind the welcome desk

Now that painting is done, the flooring guys will install beautiful maple wood floors this week.

Last but not least, we will wrap up renovations with mirrors, wall art and sound/lighting installations.  Then we are good to go!  I’m having an orientation for all of my rockstar instructors in early December and “soft opening” in late December 2014.  I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the progress.  In the meanwhile, check out the studio website: dallasgritfitnesss.com

So much is happening so fast!

Thanks for being a part of the journey.

Lots of luv, Brit

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Southern Charm Weekend in Nashville, TN

Good morning my friends.  I hope your week is off to a wonderful start.  I just got home from my morning spin class at BEYOND Pedaling .  I had to work off the yummy southern food I enjoyed this weekend in Nashville, TN for Leslie’s wedding.   I definitely had my fair share of mac and cheese, fried chicken and Goo Goo Clusters.  This was my first time to visit Nashville, so I was eager to get a true Tenessee experience.

My Southern goodies and snacks in my welcome bag!

Leslie, my BFF, had the most beautiful “Souther Charm” wedding at the historic Bellemeade Plantation. I was bridesmaid along with our other childhood friend, Bethany.  Immediately when we saw each other, we busted out all of our old inside jokes.  I think I laughed more this past weekend than I have all year.  It was like old times – we didn’t miss a beat.

On Friday night we attended a festive welcome dinner at Sambuca in Downtown Nashville.  Afterwards we went out on the town to enjoy the Halloweeen parties.  As a bridesmaid, I had to be the “responsible” one and get the bride home at decent hour so she could be nice and refreshed for her big day.  Mission accomplished – she was gorgeous as you can see!

Me and Leslie (the bride) at the welcome dinner on Friday night and then getting ready for the wedding on Saturday!

There ceremony was inside a beautiful stable lit only by candlelight.  It was so romantic  and intimate.

The beautiful ceremony at BelleMeade Plantation

I was super nervous about giving the maid of honor toast, but I’m happy to report that it went really well.  My friend Lakshmi gave me some helpful tips for for giving a  solid toast so I’ll summarize those pointers and share them with you ladies in case you have any weddings coming up 😉

Me, Leslie and Bethany’s partying it up at the reception

On Sunday we enjoyed a tasty breakfast and a crisp Autumn stroll throughout the Vanderbilt University campus.  Walking through college campuses in the Fall is one of my most favorite things to do in the world – oh academia, I love you!

After we sipped one final mimosa in the hotel lobby, we said our goodbyes and headed to the airport.

I’m still riding high from my wonderful Southern Charm weekend and now I’m looking forward to a great week ahead.  Stay tuned – I’m preparing lots of Fall recipes, workouts and fitness class reviews for the blog this week and next.

Have a wonderful Monday and Happy November!

Luv, Brit

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

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

Loving my lucy sports bra, Hatha pants and bright tank top!

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.
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10 Questions to Answer Before Quitting Your Job: How I took a leap of faith to start my own business

Image: Over the past 4 years I’ve served over 10 corporate clients, worked for 2 large consulting firms and traveled over 600,000 airline miles. My bittersweet departure from corporate America has come – here’s to the next chapter!

Hey gang. As many of you already know, I recently quit my consulting career to open my own fitness studio, Dallas GRIT Fitness (my dream come true)! My double duty life is officially over. No more weekly travel, no more day-to-day interaction with corporate clients, no more expense account, no more health insurance (yikes). I’m terrified. I’m exhilarated!

To clarify, this was not a knee-jerk decision. I’ve been praying and preparing for this moment for 2 years. I don’t know if everything will work out. I may fall flat on my face. Nonetheless, I feel confident about my transition thanks to the wise insights from friends, family and mentors. I read a job hunting guide that my friend recommended to me, incase my business didn’t work, but thankfully it did. In the spirit of sharing these wonderful words of wisdom, I summarized these insights into 10 questions and my associated reflections.

10 Questions to Answer Before Quitting Your Job

1. What do I dislike about my current job?

Job dissatisfaction tends to fall in 1 of 2 camps:

  1. “I dislike my job because it’s hard”
  2. “I dislike my job because I don’t care about what I’m doing.”

If you fall in the latter camp, this may signal that you should change career paths.

Hardships and challenges are actually good. They build grit and help us achieve long-term goals. I highly discourage quitting your job because it’s hard or because you have to work with difficult people. These are temporary situations and you can control how you handle them. But if you don’t care about what you’re doing, it’s difficult to be passionate about your work.

This Summer I got to hear Jillian Michaels speak at fitness conference and she said, “Work with passion is purpose, work without passion is punishment.” When we lack passion, we lack energy. And we need energy and enthusiasm to be our best selves.

2. Am I emotionally stable?

My dad always told me to never send an email when I’m angry and to never make a decision in a valley. Likewise, it’s probably not a good idea to quit your job if you’re in the midst of tough life experience. I considered quitting earlier this year when I had to work with a leader that I simply did not like. At times I was so angry and frustrated I just wanted to throw in the towel. But now I’m glad that I toughed it out because I was able to reach my savings goals and leave my firm on good terms with a positive reputation.

3. What energizes me?

Contrary to popular belief, I didn’t dislike my consulting career. In fact I LOVED my job the first 2 years. However, once I started teaching group fitness, I realized that I had an excitement about leading workouts that I simply didn’t have in consulting. I can vividly remember auditioning for my first group fitness instructor position. I was more nervous for that audition than I had ever been for any corporate client engagement. I practiced for an entire week and even had my mom come over and watch me do mock auditions in my living room. I initially chalked up my nerves to being out of my element. But the more I taught group fitness classes, I noticed that I spent hours and hours making the “perfect playlist” and brainstorming ways to energize my class. I never put that much voluntary effort into my consulting work. This was that proof that my energy came from my fitness career not my consulting career. I’m learning to lean into the things that energize me and I encourage you to do the same.

4. What is my gift?

I love this quote from Pablo Picasso, “The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.” I believe that our “gift” is any talent/skill that we can share with others to help them live life more abundantly. It’s often something that we are both naturally good at and enjoy doing. Often, you can discover you gift by answering question 3 – find what energizes you!

5. Do I have a vision for my future?

After I started teaching group fitness I knew I wanted to start a fitness business, but I didn’t know what it would look like. It took me 3 years to develop a vision for my fitness studio. Without a vision, it’s hard to prepare. Go ahead and ask yourself the fundamental questions of any new venture: What is my core product or service? Who is my target customer? Who are my competitors? What is my differentiator? What are the industry dynamics and trends?

6. Have I identified my “Champion Friends”?

When contemplating the “big corporate jump” it’s critical to have a solid support group. It’s equally important to avoid negative influences. Overall I’ve found that people fall into 3 camps:

  1. Champion Friends – This is your core support group. Champion friends will support you, love you and encourage you regardless. My champion friends each supported me in their own unique way: my friend from business school (cheerleader), my pastor (spiritual advisor) and my parents (risk managers). It’s a good idea to identify a core group of champion friends and stay closely connected with them during your transition.
  2. Hesitant Friends – These are good friends, however seeing you prepare to take a leap of faith strikes a chord within them. The reason is that deep down they also want to make a leap but haven’t or won’t for whatever reason. Be careful with this group, they may unintentionally discourage you.
  3. Haters – These folks aren’t happy with their own lives, so they can’t be happy for anyone else. Just disregard the negativity and spend more time with your champion friends.

7. Have I prepared and executed an action plan?

In preparation for my departure from corporate America, I literally created an Excel spreadsheet containing “Action Items Before My Last Day.” I included start and end dates for each action and closely tracked my progress. My action plan included things like: meet with a career coach, attend a fitness conference, secure a personal line of credit, research health insurance options, create a financial business plan, etc. I told myself I couldn’t quit my job until the action plan was 100% complete. I highly recommend you make an action plan. It served me well.

8. How much money do I need to save?

After chatting with some trusted advisors, I decided that I needed to save enough money to cover my living expenses for 6 months. I don’t think this is a hard and fast rule, but I highly recommend saving enough money to cover your living expenses for a few months + additional funds to invest in your business. At first I blurred the two funds, which made me think I was in better financial shape than I really was. I was better off setting a personal savings goal in addition to a business investment goal and making the sum of these two figures my overall savings target. Thinking about money is not necessarily something we all want to do, but it is very important. Even if you have already set up a business you should still be thinking about how to keep costs to a minimum and maximize profits. Even small things such as visiting a business energy comparison site could help you do this.

9. When is the right time to transition?

Don’t even think about jumping ship until you’ve completed your action plan and met your savings goal. That’s step one. After you’ve reached that point, it’s just a matter of trusting your gut. There was a very specific time when I knew deep in soul that if I didn’t leave immediately, a part of me would die. The part of me that’s super energetic, vibrant and excited about life would die and I would just be a person who wakes up each morning and goes through the motions. I responded to that gut reaction and gave my 2 weeks notice the very next day.

10. Do I truly believe in myself?

We are so much stronger than we think and we possess more power than we assume. I always say this in regards to fitness but this truth transcends to all aspects of life, including our careers. If you’re going to take the leap of faith to start your own business, you must be confident and you must BELIEVE in yourself! There will be ups and downs and many obstacles on your new journey, but when you work hard, serve others and pursue your passion, the reward will be great!

Wishing you all the best and lots of success.

Show your grit! Luv, Brit

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Bridal Shower, Kickboxing & Pumpkins – OH MY!

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? 

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Fitness Fashion Friday #6: My Lorna Jane Obsession Continues + Product Giveaway!

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!

Work hard, play hard! xoxo, Brit

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