cycle – GRIT By Brit

Sculpt-N-Cycle Workout & Onzie Tank Giveaway Winner

September 23, 2014 No Comments

Hey guys! Hope you had a good morning and your afternoon is off to a good start. I’m loving working from home this week! Being on the road every week for work is really hard on my body. When I’m home I appreciate the little things like making breakfast and coffee in my own kitchen. This morning I made some simple scrambled eggs, toast and coffee. Later on I ate another whole wheat English muffin topped with crunchy peanut butter and banana (my mid-morning snack. I was HONGRY)

Enjoying working from home – made myself some scrambled eggs & whole wheat English muffin with strawberry preserves (a big pot of black coffee is a must)

So…I have great news to share with you guys! This Thursday (9/20/14) I’m going to start teaching at a new cycling studio, Beyond Pedaling in Dallas, TX. If you recall, I took a class at Beyond earlier this year and had a great experience. I’m so excited because this studio let’s me teach a music-based cycling workout with some choreographed moves. LOVE IT! Also the ride incorporates hand weights, so I’ll guide my class through a ~5 minute arm workout while cycling. I’ve been working on my playlist and practicing all week. It’s weird because even though I’ve been teaching group fitness classes for almost 3 years, I still have that nervous excitement that makes it difficult to sleep. Please wish me luck!

In the spirit of my new cycling gig, I designed a “Sculpt & Cycle” workout just for you. This workout should take about 30 minutes to complete. The time will fly by because you’re doing the arm workout while cycling – I love simultaneous muscle toning and cardio conditioning. Give it a whirl and let me know how it goes.

Last but not least, what you guys are “really” waiting for – the winner of the Onzie Knot-back Tank Giveaway is Liana! I hope you had an amazing time at your craft show and sold lots of your homemade skin products – I love a fellow business woman! I’ll be in touch to send your Onzie tank – in the meanwhile please email me your mailing address to [email protected].

Thanks so much to all of your for sharing your weekend plans. Hearing what you guys were up to motivated me to have a super active weekend as well. Enjoy the rest of your day. Show your GRIT! Luv, Brit

Cardio, Home Workouts

Jammin’ Cardio Playlist – Wake Up and Workout!

August 25, 2013 No Comments

I’ve been teaching spinning for 3 months now and I absolutely love it. Picking out songs and making my ride playlist is so fun – it’s always a party up in my class! I’m especially proud of the playlist I’m jammin’ to right now, so I wanted to share it with you guys. I even included some activity ideas to spice up your cardio workout. You can use this playlist and do the activities on pretty much any piece of cardio equipment – doesn’t have to be a bike.

Also, I highly encourage you to get this playlist going and workout in the morning – I’m a huge fan of AM workouts. I find that they set a positive tone for my day and keep me accountable. Anything can happen in the evening (i.e. working late, feeling tired, dinner plans, etc.) so morning workouts are more certain. Also, some studies show that morning workouts are better for weight loss. They claim that working first thing in the morning, before eating breakfast, forces us to burn more fat since there is no food in our stomachs to use as fuel. Try it yourself and see what you think – enjoy your sweat session! Lots of luv, Brit

Arms, Cardio, Home Workouts

Wednesday Workout: Sweat, Tone, Sweat!

October 10, 2012 2 Comments

Good morning everyone! Here’s your Wednesday Workout. I tested this bad boy on Monday night and it’s definitely GRIT by Brit worthy. The workout requires a stationary bike and 2 light hand weights. The key is to stay on the bike and cycle for the entire duration of the workout. It takes about 1 hour to complete and you can expect to burn 500-700 calories. You can also expect to sculpt some lean sexy arms in the process. Try it out and let me know how it goes. Lots of luv, Brit 🙂

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!

Inspiration & Motivation

Tone Up Challenge Week 2 Report: Jan falls in love with Flywheel

May 15, 2012 3 Comments

We’re half way there – Jan has officially completed her 2nd week of my 4 Week Tone Up Challenge. Here’s her update along with my advice to get her through the home stretch with maximum shape up results – enjoy!

Week 2 Update from Jan:

“Wk #2 was great! I started going to Flywheel Spin and it was a ‘game changer.’ I have been spinning for years and love the energy and intensity of Flywheel more than than any class I’ve ever gone to. I worked out 5 days last week, but 1 day was without cardio. I added Brit’s Six Pack by Summer ab routine to all of my workouts last week (the plank and seated portions). I also did Brit’s Killer Legs workout after spin one night and was really in the hurt box – in a good way 🙂

So far I’ve been seeing some good results in terms of my muscle definition . My ‘six pack’ is on its way back for sure. I’m feeling leaner and just more fit in general. However, my knees and ankles are quite sore from all of the exercise, so I’ll need to be careful with them.” – Jan

Brit’s Advice for Jan:

Diet, Diet, Diet – Jan continues to get her 5 workouts in per week; however, slipping up on her diet could completely wash away her results. Many top resources claim that weight loss depends 80% on diet and 20% on exercise.
RICE – Jan has a history of knee and ankle injuries so it’s critical that Rests, Ice, Compress, Elevates her knees and ankles after workouts to keep inflammation down. However, you should ALWAYS refrain from exercise and get clearance from your doctor before starting any new workout regimen.
EVEN more discipline – Jan must push herself through the home stretch and commit to having a PERFECT last 2 weeks. That means every workout is completed with max effort and she sticks to her diet change ups 100%. Jan needs to give it all she’s got these last 14 days for maximum results.

Stay tuned for Jan’s 3 week report and special edition final report which will include a post challenge photo shoot of her smoking hot body, compliments of the lovely Anna Jane!

Learn more about FlyWheel at their website: https://www.flywheelsports.com/

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!

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)