fitness – Page 18 – GRIT By Brit

10 Minute Abs and Thighs Workout Video

January 6, 2013 4 Comments

My #fitfriend Alex (@alexandriawill), co-founder of Sporty Afros has been pushing me to start make posting free workouts on YouTube for my blog followers. So, last week after one of my Turbo Kickboxing classes (which is why my hair is drenched in sweat in the video) she stayed after and recorded my abs, legs and glutes circuit .

I usually do a series of body-weight exercises at the end of each my classes because my students love to feel nice and tight around their core and in their legs. Body weight exercises are generally high in repetitions and lower in weight which help give you long, lean muscle tone. They’re great to add to your fitness regimen because they require NO equipment and can be done at any time and any place.

Try the workout for yourself and let me know what you think. For best results, complete this workout 3 times per week along with 45 minutes of moderate-high intensity cardio (running, biking, elliptical, etc.).

If you like, I’ll record some more 10 minute circuits to help keep you on track in 2013. Enjoy 🙂

Lots of luv, Brit

Just for Fun

3-week New Year Kick-Start with Candace

January 4, 2013 3 Comments

New Year New You!

photo (22)

Get to Know Candace

GOAL: lose 10-12 pounds and 2-3 inches
Exercise: I currently do PiYo, 24 Cycle and TRX training, but I would like to incorporate more cardio options. I like Turbo Kick, but I’m not very coordinated, so I feel like I’m not properly maximizing my efforts in the class. I’ve considered trying an actual boxing class and I’m open to any other recommendations you have.
Focus areas: I would really like to tone my upper body, core and lower body (basically all over!). I also would like to increase my endurance for strengthening exercises.
Diet: I have a major addition to sugar, more so sweets (chocolate, cookies, cupcakes). I know I have to practically eliminate sugar to get the results I’m seeking, so I have a strict eating plan that I’ve used in the past that I’ll try again. Any suggestions you can provide would be helpful. I don’t really have any other major eating problems, I generally stay away from salty snacks, beef/pork, bread, fried foods and fast food. I love fruits and veggies, so I need to stock up for generous portions each day. I also need to focus on increasing my water intake, I usually only consume 40-50oz. per day.

Brit’s 3-week Plan for Candace

Start Date: January 7, 2013
End Date: January 27, 2013

Check back every Monday for Candace’s progress report and see how she knocks out these 10 pounds! If you are looking for a New Year Shape Up Kick Start, try the plan yourself!

Cardio

Slow Sunday Sweat

December 9, 2012 No Comments

No matter how slow you go, you’re

Happy Sunday. I’ve had a busy week and gotten in some good workouts: Boxing Boot camp on Thursday, 2 hot yoga classes and a long rowing workout yesterday. All in all, I’m feeling pretty tired. I’m huge believer in “listening to my body” so today I’m going to take it easy and recover with some moderate cardio. Getting in some light cardio exercise is a good way to stay active when my body needs a break without skipping workouts. It also helps me maintain my cardiovascular endurance and keep my metabolism going to burn off the delicious Sunday Brunch I ate. Try this workout too if you want a nice and easy, Slow Sunday Sweat. Enjoy and be blessed 🙂 Luv, Brit

Slow Sunday Sweat

Cardio, Total Body

Get IN – Get SLIM – Get OUT

November 28, 2012 No Comments

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with your friends and family. I sure did. However, this week back at work has been really busy and kinda stressful 🙁 I’ve had a hard time getting to the gym consistently, so during a quick break today I put together a “Super Efficient Gym Circuit” to help me get back on track. My intention is to get a solid mix of cardio and overall resistance training in the workout. Of course I also want to burn as many calories as possible. Most importantly, because exercise is the cheapest and most effective stress reviler and anti-depressant, I want to take full advantage of the benefits!

The workout takes 1 hour, should burn 600-700 calories and fully utilize all of your major muscle groups. I’ve built in a lot of complex exercises that engage 2 major muscle groups at the same time, which makes the overall workout more efficient.

The resistance training section requires 2 medium-heavy dumbbells (at least 10-15 pounds each). Overall, it’s probably difficult to do this workout home, but it’s definitely a good option for the gym when you want to change-up your usual routine. Try it out and let me know how it goes – enjoy!

Lots of love, Brit 🙂

Just for Fun

Cyber Monday Sale! 50% off GRIT by Brit Ultimate Body Burn DVD

November 24, 2012 3 Comments

Special offer just for my Facebook friends, Twitter and GRITbyBrit blog followers – on CYBER MONDAY (Nov.26th) you can purchase my newly released total body workout DVD for 50% off! To take advantage of the offer, follow these 3 steps:

Go to my eStore: https://www.createspace.com/353954
Enter discount code: EFG4H3UU
Purchase your DVD!

Enjoy and thanks for supporting. Lots of love! -Brit 🙂

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjZR1ClWFbE]

Cardio

Fit for Office? Election 2012 Energizer Workout!

November 6, 2012 No Comments

While I actually HATE politics, I do LOVE my country! Election Day always gives me a natural feeling of US pride, gratefulness for my rights and appreciation of our history. Here’s the workout I did this morning to build on the natural energy that permeates our nation on this awesome day. Whether you’re a Democrat, Republican, Independent, etc. we are all HUMAN and our HEALTH is a universal need. So while you’re getting excited (or jaded) by this year’s election, do your body and mind some good by knocking out my 30 min “Election Energizer” workout. Go hard, get a good sweat and Viva USA!

P.S. Much love to all of my international followers as well 😉

Duration:30 minutes
Equipment: NONE, open area needed to jump around, piece of tape on the floor (or an imaginary line)
Calories Burned: 300 – 400
Focus: Maximum calorie burn, core toning, leg toning

Exercise Demonstrations for Complex Moves

Calf Jumps (continuous)

Side to Side Ski

Skater Leap

Flutter Kicks

Home Workouts, Legs

Brit’s Booty Builder

November 1, 2012 4 Comments

photo(34) — The good Lord didn’t see it fit to bless Brit with a booty…but it’s all good!

So yesterday I was chatting with one of my male buddies who asked, “Brit, why are you making booty BURN workouts? I think you should make booty BUILD workouts. Honestly, I appreciate a sizable behind!”

This got me thinking, we all have different “ideal” body preferences, which is a good thing. After all, variety is the spice of life! If you are like me and not naturally blessed with a “bangin’ booty” here is a workout that can help us get some nice firm, junk in our trunks. We’ll also build lower body strength and burn a lot of calories in the process – enjoy 🙂

Workout name: Brit’s Booty Builder
Duration: 30 minutes
Focus: Gluteus maximus, hamstrings
Calories burned: 200-250
Equipment needed: 2 heavy dumbbells/hand weights
Instructions: I’ve included some vidoes below to demo the exercises that may be confusing

Hamstring Curls

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmoRd3v-wtg]

Plyo Lunges

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

Bridge Pulses
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxyPwHY9rXc]

Inspiration & Motivation

4-week SHRED week 1 update: Alex adjusts to meet her goals!

October 29, 2012 3 Comments

: Alex on the right @ hair expo in Oklahoma City last weekend

In case you missed the kick off, Alex (@Alexandriawill) is my new 4-week challenge chick, CLICK HERE to check out her full 4-week GRIT by Brit SHRED plan. After 1 solid week on the plan, Alex has learned some lessons about herself, her eating habits and her fitness. Here are her thoughts:

Calorie counting is key, but too few calories are not beneficial – Really proud of myself on the calorie control because I was counting EVERYTHING I ate and if I didn’t know the calorie count, I would over estimate it. However, I realized I was not having enough calories at one point and ended up feeling a little sick. So I adjusted to ensure I got the calories my body needed while still staying in my budget.
Continuous diet adjustments are needed for success – I realized I needed to consistently eat smaller meals/snacks throughout the day instead of 3 larger meals. My eating habits are just that HABITS. On the weekends I eat 2-3 larger meals (probably 2) and 1-2 snacks where as during the week I eat much smaller meals with snacks every so hour. Since I’m working out a lot more during the week on the GRIT by Brit SHRED plan, my body wants more energy = food.
Gotta keep it together on the weekends – I realized I binge bad on the weekends, even with just 1-2 meals. Couple that with not working out and I just killed all the work I did for 5 days! I crashed and burned this past weekend with being out of town for a natural hair expo in Oklahoma City. I didn’t fully prepare as I wanted too and eating in Oklahoma City as a vegetarian on a budget was harder than I expected. I simply didn’t have time to find a Subway at 11pm when things close at 10pm. I also just went into a “screw it” moment and forgot my whole goal. I was walking around, presenting and dancing during the weekend, but overall my eating habits were very poor – time of month too! (maybe TMI, but hey, we’re family). Overall, I am proud of my progress so far and I will push even harder in week 2!

BRIT’S 2 POINTS OF ADVICE FOR ALEX

Great adjustment on the calorie intake! Remember, a calorie budget helps prevent over eating, but under eating can be counter productive to weight loss as well. When we don’t eat enough calories, our body goes into starvation mode and our metabolism slows down, thus we burn less calories at rest.
If you know it’s going to be tough to stick with the plan on the weekends, go ahead and adjust your week day diet and workout regiment to be more strict to make up for your “slacker” days. An extra 10-20 minutes of cardio and a few super lean meals will help balance things out so you can meet your goals.

photo(33) — Alex pumped up and ready to kick start the 4-week SHRED plan at Body Pump class with 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

4-week Challenge Final Update: Lak’s Top 5 Lessons for Healthy Living

October 9, 2012 1 Comment

4-week Shape-up Challenge: Lakshmi’s Final Update

I’ve spent 4 weeks on the Grit by Brit shape-up plan and in the infamous words of Ms. Brit, “I’ve seen some things.” Maybe more accurately, I’ve learned some things – about myself, my habits and my goals:

Success is a commitment – I’ve finally realized that when it comes to my body and my health, achieving a goal does not happen at a finite point in time. It’s a continual commitment. There is a reason that the phrase is “healthy lifestyle,” and not “healthy moment.” Achieving a healthy lifestyle requires commitment to a healthy life. It’s not one of those quick fix wedding boot camps – be intensely committed for 3 weeks, look buff for the big day and then stop once he’s passed you the ring. Being healthy is something that I need to consider every time I want to eat something or be active (or not active).
It takes a village – Hillary Clinton was so right – you can’t do this alone. Get supporters to cheer you on when you’re doing well. And to scold you when you’ve fallen off the wagon. Talking about my healthy life goals reinforced them in my head (the whole “speak it into existence” idea) and helped make those around me accountable for my success, too. No one wants to watch someone fail in health. If you tell people about who you want to be, they will enable success.
My body is smarter than I am – My brain is my worst enemy. It tells me I’m hungry when I’m not. It tells me I need to stop cycling when I shouldn’t. It tells me to not get out of bed when I need to. Turn the brain off. I learned to listen to my body. Am I hungry? Let me ask my energy level and stomach. Can I go further? Let me ask my legs and heart. Sometimes the answer is “Yes, stop! You’ve worked too hard” and other times it’s all “Lakshmi, please, your grandmother could keep going.” Whatever the question, I learned to let my body answer instead of my brain.
I am not perfect – Brit was continually telling me to not be so hard on myself. I find that when I hold myself to the expectation that my healthy behavior must be 100% compliant with the plan, I fail hard. And once I fail, I can’t pick myself back up. I need to lower the expectations of myself and minimize the impact of the failures so that I can get right back on-track.
I am perfect – You all read about how a woman mistook me for being pregnant. My self-esteem after that episode was low. WAY LOW. But then I realized, I am who I am. I am a fertile looking woman, who is great as she is. I have (finally) realized that the whole idea that people come in different sizes isn’t necessarily because they have varying abilities to portion control. Instead, it’s sometimes just because you were handed those genes. I was at the Levi’s store this weekend (amazing transition from genes to jeans) and noticed that all their fits had positive names (Slight, Demi, Bold, Supreme Curve). This taught me my size – no matter what it is – is awesome.

Thanks friends for reading! And thanks Brit for being both my good cop and my bad cop.

Missed one of Lakshmi’s updates? Catch up on her journey here:

Kick Off, Week 1, Week 2, Week 3