A blog by Brit Rettig Wold, CEO of GRIT Fitness
Hey Gang! I just designed (and tested) this ab workout. It’s super effective, only 5 minutes and works ALL of your core muscles. You can simply follow the instructions or work out with me in real-time via my heart-felt video below. Be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel for lots of super fun and super gritty home workouts. Hope you like!
Lots of luv, Brit 🙂
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc6WVP2o4_g&w=420&h=315]
Hey gang. I hope your week is off to an excellent start. Blake, my fit friend from binanutshell.com has officially completed Week 2 of my September Shape up plan. Are you trying the plan for yourself? Do it!
If you were around last week, you’ll remember that Blake got off to an amazing start losing over 2 pounds in Week 1 – woo hoo! During Week 2, however, she’s experienced some setbacks. BUT we are all about showing our GRIT – passion and perseverance for long-term goals. Even though Blake had a “less than stellar” Week 2, we KNOW that she will keep on truckin’ and be successful in the end! Here’s her update. Wish her luck, strong to the finish! 🙂
Blake’s Week 2 in Review
Overall, I am saddened by my progress in week 2. I was really excited to keep up with Brit’s Shape Up September, but I wasn’t able to due to health reasons. I am just going to be upfront and say that even knowing that there are 2 weeks left in the month, week 2 was definitely the most difficult. Early in the week, I was plagued with a summer cold that left me lethargic, sneezy and coughing – which of course resulted in my not working out.
Also, I have an inordinate amount going on in my personal life – some really great things that I am not quite yet ready to share on the blog, but stay tuned for a personal life update soon!
Here is how last week panned out:
Diet
I managed to get two nights with smoothies in, one night without dinner at all, one business dinner, and two dinners out with friends. Unfortunately, most of those events were planned way before Shape Up September, so I worked around the dinners out by eating really healthy breakfasts and having a smoothie for lunch! Smoothies for the win!
Exercise
Hydration
Still focusing on having a full glass of water on my desk at all times. Hooray for this. Also, I think the water was really helpful from keeping me on the healthier side of sick… since the hubs was knocked out for twice as long as I was.
Week 3 Focus
This week’s focus is definitely going to be CARDIO! I am excited to get back to working out now that I don’t feel like walking up the three flights of stairs to my bedroom is going to make me winded.
Here’s a quick cardio workout I recommend for Blake in case she is pressed for time time next week – cardio is KING (wink,wink) xoxo, Brit
I hope your answer to this question is, “AWESOME!” While that may be true in the short-term, the day after a tough workout can often be pretty painful – muscle soreness anyone? Sore, achy muscles are a natural part of getting stronger, leaner and fitter. When we life heavy weights or take on a new workout regimen, we get micro tears in our muscles. Now don’t worry, these tears are actually beneficial because they force our muscles to rebuild, which burns a lot of calories and increases lean muscles mass. On the downside, we also feel the aches and pains – not so fun.
The good news is that you can effectively prevent and manage muscles soreness so that you don’t find yourself on the sidelines. Here are some of my “tried and true” tips for keeping the pain at bay:
Hope this tips are helpful. Now go get your workout on! Lots of Luv, Brit
Last week I traveled to Miami for work and while I was there I had the awesome opportunity to check out Vixen Workout. I’ve been hearing about this sexy sweat session that’s selling out classes of over 100 women every night, Obviously, I had to check it out.
First off, the class is held in a Miami dance studio. When I walked through the door, the instructor greeted me wearing a tank top with “Twerk Society” written across her chest (see below). Then I walked into the back studio and the girls were wearing platform heels and spandex pants – lookin’ like true “Video Vixens.” I was like…alright then. The studio was dark lit only by colored lights and a disco ball. I’m not gonna lie, at this point I was little intimidated.
Fortunately, the music started blasting, the lights got even lower and then it was ON! The instructor was a ball of energy shouting commands like “Pop” “Shake” “Grind.” I was caught a little off guard as that was totally different from what I shout during my kickboxing and spinning classes. Overall, the vibe was very fun and I loved that every girl in the class seemed to get “lost” for 1 hour and exude an abundance of self-assurance. There was one point when I was truly convinced, I was in a Beyonce video. As a woman, I must say, it was quite empowering. I could go on and on about this class, but here are a few facts in case your wanna check it out for your self…
GRIT by Brit Vixen Workout Review
Check out this awesome video to learn a little more about Vixen Workout. Vixen Workout by Janet Jones from Vixen Workout on Vimeo. I really loved the class – I think you will too. It get’s the “GRIT by Brit” stamp of approval.
At the end of the day, sexiness is all about CONFIDENCE! Release your inner vixen. Lots of luv, Brit
So… 2 of my best friends have recently gotten puppies and I’m obsessed with them. One of the puppies, Hank (chocolate lab pictured above) is especially sporty. The first time we met we worked out together. It was awesome. Hank’s mom is a Cross Fit superstar (thus the Again Faster equipment and dumbbells in the photos). However, it’s hard to regularly attend CrossFit or fitness classes if you want to spend time with your dog. Since I figured many of you may have dogs yourself, I decided to create a “dog/puppy friendly” outdoor workout. This way you and your dog can work out together and stay in shape while strengthening your bond 🙂 Even if you don’t have a dog, this is a great workout to try on a nice summer day. Enjoy! Lots of luv, Brit
So if you’re like me, you LOVE to workout but you also LOVE to eat. I have to admit, I’m a fat kid at heart. Luckily I’ve learned to love healthy food and control my portions (for the most part). However, there are times that I get a little side tracked and don’t monitor my calorie intake the way I should. All of sudden I begin to notice that my favorite skinny jeans are barely zipping up and that’s my reality check that I need to refocus. I put this 2 week plan together about a year ago – it’s an oldie but a goodie. It helps me when I need to regroup my wellness regimen and drop a few pounds. I love that every “rule” is a healthy action that actually does my body good! Try it for yourself and let me know how it goes! You can definitely expect to shed some weight, of course results will vary based on your body composition and your overall calorie intake. Good luck – lots of luv, Brit
For the next 14 days, do the following 5 things each day…
Happy “Tone it up Tuesday” – here’s the workout I did before work this morning. Be ready to blast some calories and feel tight and toned! Try it for yourself and let me know how it goes! Lots of luv, Brit
Since I travel for work every week, I often need a nutritious filling meal on the go. Lately, I’ve gotten really into smoothies (as you know from all of my Dr. OZ Drink Cleanses). I like smoothies because they’re an easy way work in my daily serving of fruit & veggies as well as other vitamins and protein. BUT, I have to be careful to choose the RIGHT smoothies. By “right” I mean smoothies with low to moderate sugar and lots of protein. While smoothies are tasty, they can be loaded with sugar which packs on the pounds and makes us hungry. Keep in mind that smoothies are good forms of “meal replacements” not “appetizers.” Often, I unintentionally consume too many calories in 1 day because I’ll have a smoothie PLUS my meals – not a good look. If you are trying to drop a few pounds, be sure to drink a smoothie INSTEAD of eating a meal. Keep this in mind as you enjoy these 5 Super Smoothie recipes! Lots of luv, Brit 🙂
Brit’s Berry Blast Smoothie
Carob Nut Banana Smoothie
Apple Cinnamon Soy Smoothie
Lean Mean Green Smoothie
Copycat Gladiator Smoothie (Smoothie King)
This recipe is great because you can alter it to fit your own preference and change it up as much as you’d like! (My favorite is vanilla protein powder with strawberries and banana!)
Wishing you a wonderful weekend and encouraging you to make the most of your time! Often it’s easy for us to procrastinate and push the deadlines for our goals. BUT this weekend I encourage you to schedule some “YOU” time. Make time to exercise, update your planner, spend time pursuing your goals and most importantly, spend time with the people you love. We can accomplish so many things when we JUST DO THEM. Shock yourself this weekend! Lots of luv, Brit
I made up this healthy habits list about 2 years ago when I got really serious about taking control of my health, my weight and my life. While these habits may seem a little extreme, they are doable and beneficial! Personally, I have not mastered the list, but each day I try to do a little better. It takes a lot of GRIT to develop healthy habits. But healthy habits are the only way to a sustain a healthy lifestyle. While these habits can take a lifetime to develop, we should strive to perfect them EVERY DAY. Doing so helps us be our BEST SELVES! If we focus on 1 healthy habit at a time, soon enough we’ll be living by the full formula. GOOD LUCK! Luv, Brit 😉
BRIT’S LIST OF HEALTHY HABITS – MY FIERCE FORMULA…
0 – Hours of television
1 – Hour of exercise
2 – Liters of water
3 – Cups of hot green tea
4 – Short mental breaks
5 – Small meals
6 – AM wake up time
7 – Minutes of laughter
8 – Hours of sleep (at least)
9 – PM end of the day and off to bed
10 – Prayers of gratitude (list 10 things you’re thankful for)