calorie burn – Page 2

TRAIN Like an Olympian to LOOK Like an Olympian

August 6, 2012 2 Comments

Workout: Olympic Athlete Personal Challenge by Brit
Duration: 30-45 minutes
Calories Burned: 400-600
Brit’s Commentary: I was feeling so inspired by the Olympics this week that I designed a workout to challenge my own “Olympic worthiness.” I’m no where near an “Olympic athlete” but sometimes it’s good to feel my own SPEED, ENDURANCE, STRENGTH and GRIT! This workout was a nice change up to my usual routine and kept me in the Olympic spirit. It also allowed me to capitalize on all of the positive energy that the Olympics brings every 4 years! That said, try the challenge for yourself and go for the GOLD 🙂

*Be sure to warm up for 5-10 minutes before you start the sprints and stretch for 5-15 minutes after you complete the workout.

Example: Inch Worm Exercise

Inspiration & Motivation, Lifestyle

Get to STEPPIN’ – Life with my pedometer

July 29, 2012 4 Comments

SO… along with cutting back on the booze, for my 28th b-day I also committed to wearing a pedometer everyday. In case you don’t know, a pedometer is a little device you can attach to your body and it counts the number of steps you take. I got the idea from my friend Megan who consistently wore her pedometer every single day of our vacation in Italy.

Basically I’m on one of these 10,000 step plans. Recent studies show that it takes 10,000 steps (equal to 5 miles) per day to manage your current weight. As many of you know, I’ve lost over 20 pounds in the last 2 years and I REFUSE to gain it back. So the 10,000 step plan is my new method of ensuring I don’t slowly pack back on the pounds.

First off, using the pedometer is cheap and simple. I bought mine at Academy Sports & Outdoors for about $20 and I simply clip it to my belt or bra strap every day. Altogether, I didn’t realize how sedentary I am every day. It’s cray cray! My daily step count was all over the place – literally. On an average day when I do not workout, I only walk about 3,000-4,00 steps. YIKES!

Getting my 10,000 steps in each day is still work in progress, but I’m constantly improving. Overall, I think this is legit so def try it for yourself! Here’s a little photo diary of my pedometer experience:

1st day with the pedometer, sitting at my desk all day and only at 4,693 steps at 8pm – not a good look 🙁

Feeling very eager and determined on day 2 – walked/jogged on the treadmill for 30 min and walked around my office multiple times for over 12,000 steps!

Lazy day working from home. Had to head to the gym to make up for a LOT of steps!

After teaching 1-hour Turbo Kick class +6,000 steps putting me well above 10,000 by 6:15pm – a good look 🙂

Morning run and Psycho Gym workout got me over 8,000 steps by lunch time. YAY!

Sunday church + brunch left me with a major step gap 🙁

Went for a Sunday afternoon stroll around my neighborhood to get my extra steps in. Mission accomplished!

Here are a few ways that I incorporated more steps into my day to make may daily 10,000 step quota:

Park in the parking spot furthest away form the door to my work building
Get up and walk around my office every couple of hours
Walk on the treadmill or around my neighborhood to make up for missed steps
Stand at my desk, and sway side to side instead of sitting (awkward I know, but it works)

How do you get your steps in? Please do share!

Inspiration & Motivation

4-week Challenge: Jenny’s Week 2 Update – “Keep Calm and Carry On”

July 27, 2012 1 Comment

Happy Friday! Jenny has just wrapped up week 2 of her 4-Week Challenge. Try the challenge for yourself and stay motivated by keeping up with Jenny’s progress!

Jenny’s Week 2 Progress Report:

Week Two: Øv! (as we say in Danish – think: “Ugh” in English :)) Do I feel good about this week? Eh. I pushed myself hard – but not as hard as I felt like I could. I was busy and stressed and spent most of the week trying to catch up with everything and everyone. Should I cut myself some slack? Probably so. For me, working out is just as much mental as it is physical; Maybe it is my history in the fitness industry and/or maybe it is my need to push myself in some way (the feeling of progress), but I know that my mood, happiness, overall ability to handle stress and focus, all rely heavily on my ability to workout in one way or another.

At the same time, I also have to realize that I’m not 21 anymore, and cannot push myself to the same limits as I used to – and some days, that is hard for me to accept. My body responds and changes much more slowly than it used to, and this can be hard for someone like me who is so impatient. So even though I feel stronger and ‘tighter’, the way I feel about the week is not as positive as I’d hoped for. I’m trying to remember that results take time, and patience is key. I know that many people might give up when they feel like this, but that isn’t really my style 🙂

On a positive note, I did take Brit’s advice and started adding protein to my breakfast. Usually its egg whites or a whey protein shake (see pics above). I can tell that the protein helps me feel fuller and keeps me from overeating later in the day.

I did Brit’s killer legs workout on Monday and could barely walk on Tuesday. I think maybe its better for me to do legs when I have a day off the next day, because Spinning the next day was hard (and then cardio and Pilates the day after that!), and they probably could have used a recovery day. Seriously, four days later my legs are still sore – and they haven’t been this sore since I can even remember!

Now I’m off to a weekend in Malaga. Do I feel 100% beach ready? Not exactly. But I am going to go have a good time, and keep focused on my goals. This will be an interesting week, as maintaining diet and exercise can be challenging on vacation – and it is important to strike a good balance. I tend to have an “all or nothing” personality, so this should be good personal challenge 🙂

-Jenny

Brit’s Advice for Jenny:

Do your best to stay on the plan during vacation. There are several alternative workouts on Grit by Brit, like my Keepin’ Trim While Travelin’ hotel gym workout. Also hiking, walking and being active in general we keep you in good shape.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Focus on the positive. You are kickin’ butt by doing your workouts and incorporating healthy habits (like protein at breakfast)! Just take things one day at a time try to make each day healthier and more active than the day before.
The half-way point is always the make or break. Don’t be like most people and give up if the numbers on the scale aren’t budging. All things take time, so keep calm and carry on 🙂

If you missed Jenny’s Week 1 Progress Report CLICK HERE to catch up!

Home Workouts, Legs

Bye Bye Jiggly Thighs!

July 26, 2012 1 Comment

Let me get something straight, BIG thighs do NOT = FAT thighs. You CAN have very sexy BIG thighs as long as they are firm and toned. I hate hearing girls complain to me about their big thighs, which I think look great! Our thigh muscles give us strength, power, explosive movement and stability so let’s appreciate them and treat them well. I challenge you to be happy with what you’ve got and do my Extreme Thigh Burn workout (below) to make your thighs the strongest, firmest and sexiest they can be!

Showin’ off my big, toned, thighs on a night out 🙂

Workout: Extreme Thigh Burn
Duration: 30 minutes
Calories Burned: ~300
Focus: Hamstrings, Quads, Glutes, Abductors, Adductors, Overall endurance
Instructions: For best results, do this workout at least 2x per week for 4 weeks. Make sure to do each exercise continuously without rest. Challenge yourself to get the full workout done in 30 minutes or less! (click on the workout image below to maximize or print and save)

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 🙂

Home Workouts, Total Body

Brit’s Ultimate DIY Boot Camp

May 24, 2012 4 Comments

GRIT 013 — Tasia, my sister Kortani and me after my DIY boot camp – 05/24/12

Focus: Total body conditioning
Calories burned:500 -800
Duration: 1 hour
Commentary: While the last few days of Spring linger around, head outside and enjoy this lovely weather! You Texans know that our summer heat is NO JOKE . 110 degrees outside = indoor treadmill running for us.

My lil’ sister is home from college – yay! This she week she wanted to go to the gym, but as a typical poor college student, couldn’t afford a membership (and I’m not spottin’ her any $$$). Instead, I taught her how to make her own boot camp. This way, she can work out anytime she wants at a local park or track . This evening, I did the boot camp with her and her friend, Tasia. They really enjoyed it so I figured I share my “formula” with you guys.

To get started, you will need:

2 light/medium hand weights (1-10 pounds each for ladies; 5-20 pounds each for gents)
Yoga Mat or large towel
At least 100 yards of flat land and/or 1 standard running track (400 meters around)
Tasia and Kort after we finished – they are too young to be this tired! LOL

Brit’s Boot Camp Formula:

+Warm Up

+ 2 Cardio circuits (3-4 cardio exercises in each)

+4 Resistance circuits (4 strength and toning exercises in each)

+ “Booty Kickin” Finale (~10 minutes anaerobic cardio = sucking air!)

= 100% effective FREE personal boot camp

Here’s the complete boot camp that we did today. Print and save or create your own – enjoy!

Here are some pics of us doing the exercises in case you are unfamiliar with some of them 🙂

GRIT 019 — squat w/ should press – part 1

GRIT 020 — squat w/shoulder press – part 2

GRIT 017 — side squat walk (get it KORT – LOL)

GRIT 028 — leg lowers on back (Tasia is clearly in pain-LOL)

Inspiration & Motivation

Tone up challenge week 3 report: Jan proves there’s NO EXCUSE to skip workouts

May 22, 2012 1 Comment

Hey guys, I hope your week is going well! Jan is back on the scene with an update of her home stretch on the 4-week tone up challenge. Only 1 week left, so let’s root her on!

JAN’S TONE UP CHALLENGE WEEK 3 UPDATE:
“Week three was a challenge but ended up pretty well. I was traveling at the end of the week so I had to push all of my workouts up to the front part of the week. As Brit says, ‘NO EXCUSES.’ I worked out pretty hard-core the first 4 days . I did spin class 4 days straight for my cardio. I also, took Brit’s advice from last week to ‘up the intensity’ so I added her leg workout after my 1st day of spin and Brit’s medicine ball workout after my 2nd day of spin. But that’s not all, I also did at least half of Brit’s ab workout all 4 days – yeah! I was feeling pretty good at end of the week and took the weekend to recover and rest. I think I am starting to want a little more variety in my workouts each week. So, Brit you’ve got some work to do 😉 ” – Jan

BRIT’S FEEDBACK FOR JAN

When workout boredom starts to set in, seek Variety NOT Excuses: Jan did a great job of keeping with her workouts despite them starting to feel redundant. Next week, I’m going to give her a few new workouts to change things up. In the meanwhile, she should check out my unique treadmill workouts or my top 5 tips to spice up your workouts.
Be flexible with your workout schedule: Mentally, it’s very easy to set rigid workout plans and eagerly want to abide by them. However, when we miss a workout or fall off course we get disappointed, beat ourselves up and lose motivation . Jan did a great job of being flexible with her workout schedule. Since she knew it would be tough to workout during her weekend travel, she planned ahead and pushed her workouts up to front of the week. Likewise, if something comes up and you miss a workout, don’t beat your self up! Just schedule some time later in the week to make up for it 🙂
Extra diet discipline during extended recovery periods: Since Jan compressed her workouts to the front of the week, this means she went 3-4 days with no exercise. During this extended down time Jan really needs to watch her calorie intake as she is not burning as many calories as she usually does on workout days. Also, studies show that it only takes 48 consecutive hours to start losing cardiovascular endurance, therefore Jan should try to be as active as possible on her off days (i.e. walk instead drive when possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.)
Stay strong to the finish: How bad do you want it? Jan has already made it through 75% of the tone up challenge, so now she has 2 options: 1) Bust her butt this final week to get the most out of the effort/investment she has already made 2) Coast/slack off this final week and risk falling short of her tone up goals. NEVER let all of your hard work go unrewarded!

Stay tuned, next week will be Jan’s final report and completion of the 4-week tone up challenge. You don’t wanna miss her awesome body transformation photo shoot, by the one and only Anna Jane!

Cardio, Home Workouts

So…the treadmill isn’t so boring after all

May 19, 2012 1 Comment

GRIT 001 — Me gettin’ a sweat going on the hotel treadmill, Thursday 5/17

This week I had to travel to Cleveland for a client workshop, meaning my only option for a workout space was my “lovely” hotel gym. Unfortunately, this hotel’s gym consisted of 1 treadmill, 1 broken elliptical, and a yoga mat…that said, I had to make the best of an unfortunate situation. This got me thinking, I need to have options for effective and engaging treadmill workouts to hold me over in times like these. So, I put together these 3, 20 minute treadmill workouts. Each one burns 200-350 calories – NOT BAD! Hopefully you find these exercises helpful. If you are trying to get more into fitness but don’t have a treadmill at home, then you might want to check out something like this FitnessVerve. What’s not to love about having you own home gym?

Feel free to print, try out for yourself and keep handy when you’re looking to shake up your treadmill routine. Also, don’t forget that a jammin’ 20 minute playlist ALWAYS gives you a boost – Enjoy 🙂

What Goes Up…Must Come Down (walking) – Walk at a speed of at least 3.0/mph. Start at 0.0 (zero) incline and increase the incline by 1.0 every 1 minute. After 10 minutes (when you reach level 10 incline) lower the incline by 1.0 every minute until you get back to 0.0 (zero).
Walk, Sprint … Repeat (sprinting intervals) – Start by walking at least 3.0 mph and 1.0 incline – NEVER GO BELOW 1.0 INCLINE. After 3 minutes, sprint at least 7.0 mph for 2 minutes. Repeat the walk/sprint cycle 4 times for a 20 minute workout.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race (jogging) – Start by jogging at least 5.0 mph with an incline of 1.0. After 2 minutes, increase your incline to a level that is “challenging” (i.e. makes you breathe heavy, difficult to talk). Keep the incline here for 3 minutes, then take it back down to the starting 1.0 level. For the next minute, increase your speed to a faster jogging pace, at least 6.0. Repeat this 5 minute cycle 4 times.