TGIF Friends! This has been such an amazing week. Before I headed to San Antonio to compete in the SBA (Small Business Administration) InnovateHER Pitch competition (more details on that coming in a later post) I got a surprise visit from one of my dearest blog buddies, Chelle! Chelle writes a blog called EveryDay Polish and we connected when I hosted a GRIT Tank top giveaway last year. I asked my readers, “What does GRIT mean to you?” and Chelle won by providing this answer…
Keep in mind that Chelle lives in Connecticut and we’ve never met in person but we keep in touch online and have followed each other’s blogs of over a year. I was overjoyed when she made trip to Texas and a surprise visit at my noon HIIT class on Monday!
Moments like these give me so much purpose and motivation. I’m not going to lie, blogging and running small business can be exhausting and overwhelming. However, knowing that I’m able to positively impact the lives of others by simply being myself and sharing my life-story, is so amazing!
Hello friends! Well it’s true, time does indeed fly when you’re having fun. 3 years wow! Today I went back and read my very first blog post. It was hotel gym workout that I made up while working in NYC. I made the graphic in PowerPoint (Canva and Pic Monkey didn’t exist then – haha). Today I’m taking some to time to reflect on how far I’m come as a blogger and a person in the past three years. So in addition to sharing my fav blog post I also want to share the biggest life lesson I’ve learned from my blogging experience which is to Be Unapologetically Yourself. As many young women, I often apologized from my preferences, quirks, body “flaws” etc. But the only thing worth apologizing for is failing to be true to yourself. Blogging has taught me the value of being vulnerable and given me the confidence to speak my mind. If you’re on the fence about starting a blog, I highly encourage you to go for it! Nobody can be YOU like YOU can be you. So whatever you have to share is a unique gift to the world, as long as it’s a true reflection of you.
That said, as promised, here are my fav blog post from year three. I hope you enjoyed these posts as much I did. Also for your reading pleasure, CLICK HERE to read my 2 year Blogiversary post and my fav posts from my second year of blogging!
Happy Monday friends! Thanks for sharing your weekend plans last Friday – you guys are an active bunch! I’ll announce the winner of the Onzie knot-back tank top giveaway tomorrow, so stay tuned. For those who didn’t participate in the giveaway, how was your weekend? Mine was a little bittersweet but overall fantastic. Here’s the “run down” of what “went down”…
On Friday evening I hung out with my friends at Fossil Corporate HQ for their National Run at Work Day celebration. We coordinated a “fun run” and enjoyed healthy snacks. Afterwards I was pretty tired so I just called it a night. I had to wake up bright and early to teach my PiYo class. This was my last class of the Summer (tear). Two of my favorite students bought me a really nice Lululemon yoga mat and matching headband as an “end of the summer thank you” gift – so sweet! My yoga mat is super raggedy and dirty so I needed a new one BADLY. I was a so grateful that I cried like a baby before class. There’s nothing better that doing something that you love to do and helping people in the process. I feel so purposeful when I’m teaching. It’s my calling. What do you love to do?
My last PiYo class of 2014 at the W Dallas Hotel #bittersweet
After class, I headed to Dallas’s North Park mall for a little shopping and walking around. I spent way too much time in my new favorite activewear store, Lorna Jane. Have you guys checked out their stuff? It’s like Lululemon but brighter and funkier – I’m obsessed. The clothes are super high quality and designed to flatter the female body while providing athletic support. In particular, their yoga pants make me look like a have a booty – YES! I highly recommend.
A girl can never have too much activewear – loved my shopping sesh at Lorna Jane
On Sunday I did my grocery shopping for the week. I don’t have to travel for work this week, which means I get to cook real food at home. I was instantly energized by the site of yummy fall veggies. I love butternut squash and pumpkin-anything. Over the next couple of weeks I’m going to explore some new healthy fall recipes. What are some of your favorites fall dishes?
Loving Fall! Yay for pumpkins and squash!
To wrap up the weekend my sister, Kortani, came over for dinner last night. We made these super savory Tex-Mex chicken enchiladas (I’ll post the recipe tomorrow). They were delicious and we have a lot left over, so I’ll enjoy them all week.
Homemade, high protein Tex-Mex chicken enchiladas! SUCCESS 🙂
While our food was delicious and the vino was flowing, the best part of my Sunday night was the company. I love my little sister so much and am so proud of the woman she has become. Hopefully you got to spend some quality time this weekend with your friends and family too!
Quality time with my lil sis – doesn’t get any better than that!
Happy Fitness Fashion Friday! We are officially at week 3 – are guys liking this new tradition? Let me know! (Here’s links to my outfits from week 1 and week 2 in case you missed them.)Today, I wanna show off my new, super sexy activewear from Onzie. Now let me preface this by saying that I NEVER show off my tummy when I’m working out so this was a bold move on my part. This week I stepped out of my “gritty” comfort zone and rocked this bustier and matching leggings to yoga class. The top isn’t super supportive so I couldn’t wear it for a Turbo Kick or cycling workout. I added my Vinyasa scarf from Lululemon for a little coverage before and after class. BTW, this scarf is amazing! You can wear it like 10 different ways, even as a vest (as I am doing below). All in all, I felt strong and sexy in this outfit. Better yet, on the Onzie website they put together cute outfits for styling ideas – you can check them here!
Added the Vinyasa scarf from Lululemon – wearing it as a vest! (you can wear it like 10 different ways – amazing!)
And now it’s giveaway time! First off, the winner of last week’s GRIT tank top giveaway is Chelle! I was very inspired by her personal definition of “grit.” This is what “grit” means to Chelle: “GRIT is that rod of steel that runs through the backbone of every woman out there kicking butt in the world, corporate, fitness or otherwise. She may greet you with a gentle smile or look perfectly polished and pulled together even during the toughest times but the thing that keeps her going when she wants to stay in bed kicking and screaming and crying about the inevitable trials in her life is her inner GRIT.” Congrats Chelle! Your tank top is on it’s way to you!
In fact, I was SO inspired but all of your comments, that I’m actually combining them into a cute quote printable. I’ll post it so you can each have a copy. The energy that I feel from hearing the voices of so many powerful, positive, gritty women is absolutely amazing – thanks again for sharing you guys!
Today I’m hosting ANOTHER giveaway thanks to Onzie activewear! In case you can’t tell, I’m an Onzie junkie. Did you see my outfit from their Spring collection? The wonderful folks at Onzie hooked me up with this adorable, one-size fits all, knot-back tank top from their Fall collection. I’m feeling kind of random (and nosy) today, so I just wanna know what your weekend plans are? Football game, dinner with friends, family time, working out? To win this tank, just post a comment sharing your weekend agenda. I’ll announce the winner next Tuesday, September 23rd. Happy Friday! luv, Brit
Post a comment to win this adorable Onzie knot-back tank!
Hey friends – how’s it going? Hope you had a good weekend. Those of you in Dallas know that we had an oddly chilly weekend – weather in the 50’s! Cray Cray. However, that didn’t stop us from rockin’ it out at PiYo on Saturday morning. We threw on our long sleeve activewear and got our pushups, burpees and downward dogs in action at the W Dallas hotel! After class I was feeling kinda groggy (I think it was the lack of sun). This made me wanna stay inside all weekend, so I did…
Bundled up in scarves & jackets on a chilly Saturday morning in Dallas – didn’t keep us away from PiYo class!
In my “homebody” state of mind, I made a quick trip to Target and bought some new Nate Berkus throw pillows for my couch (can’t go wrong with black and white). I also stopped by Home Goods and got this cute gold serving tray to put on my ottoman. While I was there, I saw this white faux fur throw and had to pick it up as well to accessorize my couch. Just these small touches give my living room a fresh new look. I love it!
So excited about my bachelorette pad and all of the cute new stuff I got from Target & Homegoods!
Last but not least, I finally framed the VOGUE magazine covers that I’ve had sitting in my kitchen drawer for almost a year. I’m really happy with how my creation came out. What do you think? Most of you know that I a HUGE fan of both Michelle Obama and Beyonce. In fact a made a Sexy Arms Circuit inspired by “Lady O” and an Amazing Abs Workout as a tribute to “Queen B” – I highly recommend you give both workouts a whirl.
Beyonce on the cover of Vogue in the “Power Issue” of 2013 – now framed on my mantel!
Michelle Obama on the cover of Vogue showing off her sexy arms – I liked this framed on my mantel for workout motivation (wink wink)
On Satruday night, I stayed in and rented a movie On Demand – it was glorious! On Sunday morning, I made myself some breakfast and watched church online. It weird because I’m actually a very extraverted person and go out of my way to be around people. However, every now and then I like to have weekend all to my self – no social plans and lots of time at home. Do any of you feel like this sometimes?
Now I’m happily watching football and blogging – working on lots of cool new workouts and giveaways for you this week. What did you do this weekend? I hope you have an amazing week ahead. Lots of love, Brit
Wow – I can’t believe 2 years have passed since the first GRIT by Brit blog post. To celebrate our 2nd blogiversary I’m having a giveaway – yay! The first 10 people to post a gym selfie on Instagram with hashtag #gritbybrit will receive a free GRIT by Brit workout tank top. You can check out the styles at my eStore. I’ll message the winners for their mailing address and size (S/M/L/XL). Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram @GRITbyBrit.
Let’s also take a little trip down memory lane. First up, CLICK HERE to read the inaugural GRIT by Brit workout from March of 2012 – I called it the “Sexy Ladies Sweat Sesh” (wink wink). Also, here’s a recap of the 5 posts I most enjoyed writing this past year. While all of my posts have sentimental value, these 5 especially stand out. Hopefully these can be your pleasure reading for the week.
