belly fat – GRIT By Brit

Your Flat Tummy Plan: 3 Days 3 Killer Core Workouts

February 6, 2014 No Comments

#TBT Enjoying warm weather in Martha's Vineyard last year with my "Fit Friend" Brittany - 2 Brit's in 2 Bikinis ;) — #TBT Enjoying warm weather in Martha’s Vineyard last year with my “Fit Friend” Brittany – 2 Brit’s in 2 Bikinis 😉

Hey Gang! While it’s FREEZING outside, I can see the little light at the end of the tunnel that is Spring Break. Despite being 29 years old and not having a true Spring Break, I like to still prepare my bikini body – hehe. That said, I’ve been digging through my workout repository and have pulled my 3 fiercest, most effective AB workouts…

Now, the plan is to do 1 workout every other day for the next 6 days. So do 1 workout, rest/do cardio, do the other workout, rest/do cardio…and so on. Got it? The idea is to give your abs and core one day of rest in between workouts so your muscles can repair and gain strength. Overworking your abs without adequate rest prevents you from gaining the full benefits of the workout. Alright… let’s do this!

Grit by Brit AB Workout #1:

ABS for Days Vol. 2

CLICK HERE for full instructions & photos

Grit by Brit AB Workout #2:

Tight Tummy, Sexy Stomach, Cut Core

CLICK HERE for full instructions & photos

Grit by Brit AB Workout #3:

Six Pack by Summer

CLICK HERE for full instructions & photos

Enjoy your Spring Break Abs ! (cliche’ I know – hehe)

Peace out, Brit

Abs

Best ABS Ever!

April 28, 2013 3 Comments

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIO6IGNcPqM]

Sick of crunches? Search no more. Here’s a fun, fierce ab workout that I designed and filmed for you guys. You need to 2 medium dumbbells to complete the workout. It takes about 10 minutes and you can expect to burn 100 calories. Do the workout 3-4 times per week along with some cardio to get your Six pack by Summer!

I think you’re FABULOUS! xoxo, Brit

Abs

Melt the Muffin Top: Complete workout for your CORE

March 27, 2013 6 Comments

Alright y’all. Summer time is quickly approaching. While I’ve learned to love my “love handles” and opt for high-waist pants rather than low-rise ones, I still feel a need to address the much dreaded “muffin top.” Now, we all come in different shapes and sizes and we should embrace our natural curves. However, excess belly fat and fat storage around the hips is neither HEALTHY nor SEXY. Belly fat, which is called visceral or intra-abdominal fat, is linked to high cholesterol, high insulin, high triglycerides, high blood pressure and other health problems. You can click here to read up on more health risks of excess belly fat.

Below is a workout I designed that will strengthen your core and lower back and also help provide some definition to you lower waist. For best results, do this workout 3 times per week for 4 weeks along with 30-45 minutes of high intensity cardio intervals. I’ve also included some pics of me doing the workout this morning to help guide you. Try it out and let me know how it goes. Enjoy! Luv, Brit 🙂

muffin top

Inspiration & Motivation

4-week Challenge Euro Style: Jenny’s Week 1 Update

July 20, 2012 2 Comments

If you missed last week’s 4-week challenge kick off, make sure you check it out to see the full plan. Below is Jenny’s week 1 progress report. She’s doing a great job – KEEP IT UP JENNY!

“Week One: DONE! It’s been great! I did all the workouts this week + added a few Pilates classes #motivationbaby! I have been pretty intense about my workouts, so I really needed my off day. My pants are definitely looser on me. I never usually weigh myself (I think inches are a better indication, rather than kilos), I did this week. According to my scale, I’m down 1.2 kilos (American translation: 2.6 pounds), which is pretty good! SO, I will try to really focus on the diet this week. I have been good about not eating after 9pm, but since I’m going to bed around 10/10:30pm every night (gotta get up early for those workouts!), I think I should try to not eat anything after 7:30/8pm. Brittani has also recommended that I trade my breakfasts of fruit to one of protein, and I have a feeling this will be my ‘game changer’ this week. Let’s see! I have 10 more days until I’m in sunny Malaga, Spain – so I’ve gotta really focus!”

– Jenny

Inspiration & Motivation

NEW 4-week tone up challenge: Euro Style with Jenny!

July 10, 2012 5 Comments

Meet my friend Jenny. Like Jan from my previous challenge, Jenny is one of my best friends from college. Unlike Jan, Jenny and I bonded while working as TA’s for a brutal Labor Law professor, not over our love for football players. We would drag our butts to the gym after long study sessions and keep each other accountable for going hard!

Jenny now lives in Denmark working hectic hours in the Banking sector. However, the Danes focus much more on work-life balance so she DOES have adequate time to workout 🙂 Over the years, she has become very interested in nutrition and has tried almost every diet in the book (sometimes for a reason, sometimes out of curiosity, but usually because she likes the challenge – we clearly have the same neurotic tendencies). Still, she has had a very ad-hoc workout and diet schedule this past year and would like to re-focus.

Already having several fitness certifications and a long history of sports involvement, Jenny is looking to me for an effective push! Unfortunately, she’s also suffered from over training, which I had to keep in mind when making her plan. Her gluten allergy and lactose intolerance also had to be considered. In her own words, her goals are to:

“Get into those damn jeans – bought them last year when I was about 7 kilos lighter – they are too cute to just sit in my closet! Yes, “kilos” this is the EURO 4-week challenge”
“I have a long-weekend in Malaga with a friend coming up at the end of July – so I’d like to feel super sexy in my bikini!”

Below is her plan and of picture of her today on DAY 1 – we will get an update from her next week!

Wish her luck – GO JENNY!

Brit and Jenni 7 — Me and Jenny in 2006 – getting ready to graduate from college!

Workouts by Brit referenced in this plan:

Home Workouts

Keepin’ Trim While Travelin’

July 7, 2012 5 Comments

This week I’ve been really surprised by how “in shape” I am despite recently returning from my European Extravaganza. I was expecting to be sucking air when teaching my Turbo Kick classes yesterday, but surprisingly I’m feeling good – really good. I’ll attribute my fitness maintenance to my little workout formula I did in my hotel gyms while traveling. Fortunately, most of the hotels we stayed in had a bike, a treadmill and a set of free hand weights. So when I had the opportunity, I got a high-intensity, 30-40 minute circuit in which served me well. The workout was extremely effective for me, so here’s a copy for you to keep.

Also, here are some more pictures from the Italy section of my trip. We spent 2 days in Cinque Terre – a quaint set of 5 villages along the northern Italian coast. One day, we hiked from village to village for a total of 8.5 miles on really steep terrains. I even got a few push-ups in along the way – yeah buddy #GRIT. This was definitely the most “fit” segment of my trip (unlike the latter portion in Milan and Rome during which I indulged in gelato, pasta and wine every day – more to come on that later). Enjoy 🙂

Abs, Home Workouts

Abs & Core Workout: Beyonce 6 Pack Abs Workout

May 28, 2012 10 Comments

beyonce abs — After doing my ab workout , you’ll be on your way to a sexy stomach like Beezy!

Alright, you guys asked for it so here it is – “Six Pack by Summer Vol. 2” If you missed Vol. 1, click here to check it out.

Vol. 2 is no joke and will definitely get your tummy tight! Do the entire circuit which consists of 4 complete parts. For best results, do the whole circuit at least 3 times per week AND up the intensity and duration of your cardio workouts (can’t forget those). Once you get it down, try to lengthen the duration and reps of each exercise. The entire workout should take about 20 minutes.

I’ve also included some pictures of the exercises below (compliments of my lil sis who I used to test this out) – Enjoy 🙂

PART 1

GRIT 056 — Plank Jacks – jump toes out and in

GRIT 052 — Mountain climbers – switch feet fast

PART 2

GRIT 050 — Bicycle crunches – alternating

GRIT 047 — Single leg toe touches (example: right hand/left toe)

PART 3

GRIT 068 — Plank Hip Dips – with elbows on the floor, twist torso alternate hips down

GRIT 060 — Plank side to side jumps – keep feet together

GRIT 055 — Froggers – jump both feet up and back as fast as you can

PART 4

GRIT 065 — Leg Circles – take legs all the way around, almost touching floor

GRIT 049 — Flutter kicks – kick feet up and down fast

GRIT 062 — Punch through crunches – alternate the arms

Inspiration & Motivation

Tone Up Challenge Week 1 Report: Jan’s gettin’ in the groove

May 7, 2012 1 Comment

So, you guys remember my friend Jan from our 4-week Tone Up Challenge – well she has officially completed her 1st week and is kicking butt and taking names. Here is an update on her “toning up” progress.

JAN’S WEEK #1 PROGRESS REPORT:

Jan after week 1 — Jan gettin’ ready for her SPIN class this morning!

“So good 1st week! I changed up the days a little bit because I was sick, so did your #1 and #2 workouts and will do #3 on Tuesday, so I’m a little off. Felt really good doing a 5 day workout this week, but knees are swollen. So, I took Sunday off but went to Spin class this morning and feel really good about it. The #1 workout was good, did the AB portion twice (the 2nd 1/2). The standing up stuff didn’t work me out as much as I liked. The workout #2 was good, a little tough on my knees with the 1st 1/2 squatting etc, but still good to tone up my legs. I already am feeling good results, bc my body changes pretty quickly so LOVING IT!”

– Jan 🙂

BRIT’S WEEK #2 ADVICE FOR JAN:

Don’t get complacent. Jan did a great job on getting in 5 workouts in 1 week. Often when have a successful exercise week, we get complacent and think we deserve a “break.” This is also the case we we lose the 1st 5 pounds…we get excited and gain ’em back the next week. While you should feel good about yourself and proud of your accomplishment, make sure to keep up the hard work. This week, I’m continuing to push Jan to get her 5 workouts in!
Jan’s doing a good job of listening to her body to prevent over training; however, she is still pushing herself and ensuring that she gets ALL of her workouts in. It can be hard to balance the two, but she’s doing a great job!
Don’t forget your diet. This week, I challenged Jan to focus more on her 3 diet change ups: 1) protein at breakfast 2) healthy afternoon snack 3) and no eating after 9pm. She did pretty well the first week but there is ALWAYS room for improvement.

Stay tuned for Jan’s Week 2 update next Monday, WISH HER LUCK – Go Jan!

Abs, Home Workouts

Six Pack by Summer

April 22, 2012 15 Comments

abs-female — You CAN have a sexy stomach in time for Summer by doing the “Six Pack by Summer” workout 3X per week along with regular cardio workouts!

Duration: 20 minutes
Calories burned: about 100
Focus: Strength and tone of Rectus Abdominis, Obliques
Commentary: Ladies and gents – summer is creeping up a little more every day. Go ahead and get a jump-start on tightening up your tummy. Below is workout I put together to overload your abdominal muscles, build core strength and flatten the belly. No equipment is required so you can do it effectively at home!
Facts: The Rectus Abdominis (front abs) tend to be one of our weaker, under-worked muscle groups so its critical to spend special time strengthening them specifically. Strong abs help balance weight throughout your core and prevent too much weight-bearing and stress on your lower back. A flat tummy is also just nice to look at 🙂
Instructions: Do the following set of exercises – just one time through. The entire workout should take about 20 minutes and your abs will be on FIRE! For best results, do the workout at least 3 times per week along with moderate/high intensity cardio workouts. Be sure to stretch (cobra position) afterwards and enjoy your six pack!