fitness – Page 22 – GRIT By Brit

Melt Fat AT HOME with a Medicine Ball

April 28, 2012 2 Comments

Workout: Medicine Ball Melt Down by Brit
Duration: about 30 minutes
Calories Burned: 250 – 350
Focus: Total body toning, core strength, calorie burn
Commentary: Using medicine balls are a FUN and EFFECTIVE way to change-up your home workout routines. I like them because I can always find a new way to workout with them. I highly suggest getting one of your own – you can buy them for pretty cheap ($10-40) depending on the weight.

INSTRUCTIONS: Do 4 rounds of the following circuit. Between each round, do a 1 min cardio interval (i.e. jumping jacks, squat jumps, high knees, ski jump side to side, etc.) You can do this workout at home or at the gym after or before your cardio training – ENJOY 🙂

Push ups (15 reps), with one hand on the medicine ball – 2 rounds w/ right hand, 2 round w/ left hand
Bicep curls (20 reps), holding the medicine ball with both hands
Triceps overhead extensions (20 reps), holding the medicine ball with both hands
Loop through lunges (20 reps), 10 on right leg and 10 on left leg; step one leg forward into a lunge position, pass the medicine ball under your front leg from one hand to the other, bring the ball back up over you head and pass to the other hand, repeat (see example at the bottom)
Wall sits (45 seconds), with lateral shoulder isolation, hold the medicine ball straight out in front of you with both hands while holding a wall sit
Berry pickers (20R, 20L), holding the medicine ball with both hands – lie on your back, bend your knees, rise to a crunch position and twist left and right so that the ball touches the floor on each side
Plank on medicine ball (45 seconds) – 15 sec w/ ball under right hand, 15 sec with ball under left hand, 15 sec with ball under both hands
Superman extensions (20 reps), lie face down on your stomach, holding the medicine with both hands out in front of your forehead, raise the ball up about 4 in. from the floor, squeeze your back muscles, repeat.

workouts365.com_medicine_ball_lunge_shoulder_press — Example: Loop Through Lunge

Inspiration & Motivation

So, you mean praying can help me lose weight?

April 25, 2012 6 Comments

Last weekend I went to a fitness instructor workshop and one part of the training was on the “Iceberg” model of health. As you can see Spirituality/Meaning are at the base of the iceberg. This helped me understand that the lasting way to maintain good health is to have a strong spiritual foundation and life meaning/purpose. It goes a little something like this: Knowing our life’s purpose drives our motivations > our motivations drive our lifestyle/behaviors > our lifestyle determines our state of health. You’re probably thinking, “WHOA, Brit just got real deep on us!” Well no worries, I’m not trying to be your guru – I just don’t want all of my leg and ab workouts going to waste if you haven’t first laid the foundation 🙂

I’ve held tight to some valuable advice from my parents and mentors which can guide us as we evaluate the “base of our health icebergs.” Hopefully this advice helps you as much as it’s helped me – enjoy!

Brit’s 5 Step Guide for a Strong Spiritual Foundation:

Believe in God and that He put you here for a reason. YOU ARE NOT A MISTAKE – your life has meaning and a specific purpose. Life is about understanding our individual and collective human purposes and striving each day to live those out. If you choose not to believe in God or a higher power, it’s virtually impossible to have HOPE for a greater good, divine order or individual life purpose. And if your life is hopeless, why even live?
Understand your strengths and where you put your effort. By knowing what you’re good at and when you’re most willing to work hard, you can gain a good sense of your natural gifts and ultimately your purpose in life.
Understand and/or define your values. What do you stand for? Think about it and write it down. Also, choose friends that understand your values, support them and keep you accountable for living by them – yes, tough love! After all, “if you don’t stand for anything you’ll fall for everything.” – Peter Marshall, 1947
Surround yourself with positive people. Positive people are the ultimate sources of optimism and energy, find ‘em and keep ‘em. On the other hand, negative people are like viruses, they will literally suck the life out of you – GET AWAY FROM THEM ASAP. This doesn’t make you heartless or a bad friend. Instead, it makes YOUR OWN well-being your first priority. The fact of the matter is that if we don’t take care of ourselves, we are incapable of adequately loving and supporting others.
Pray Regularly. Now, I have a hard time with this one because I find it very challenging to quiet my mind and really acknowledge my deepest fears, issues, questions, etc. However, a daily devotion to prayer and/or meditation gives us an opportunity to express gratitude, explore our deepest spiritual questions, relax and continue progressing on our spiritual journeys.

Inspiration & Motivation

“FAKE it till you MAKE it”

April 24, 2012 6 Comments

Let’s be honest, some days you just AREN’T feeling it. And when that happens, you have to be your own cheerleader and pump yourself up out of that funk. Look, life will always throw you curve balls, your mood will swing up and down and people will wear you out. BUT ONLY YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR OWN HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. When I’m having “one of those days” I find that one of these positive affirmations usually get me back on the up and up. Sometimes you just gotta fake it until you make it. See if any of these statements work for you!

There will be a day when my body is no longer able to exercise, but today IS NOT that day – let’s go!
I’m stronger than I think I am
Don’t be afraid of the way you feel
If I quit now, I’ll feel even worse
I REFUSE to let this chick “out work” me
I’m grateful for 2 good arms, 2 good legs, a heart and lungs that work
God didn’t give me a spirit of fear, but a spirit of POWER and SELF-DISCIPLINE (2 Tim 1:7)
Quit TALKIN’ about the dream, just LIVE it
There are ONLY winners and losers – I CHOOSE to win
I Am Superwoman! (this one never fails, hehe)

NOW go hit the gym hard, get that promotion, achieve that goal and CRUSH this day!

Inspiration & Motivation

How bad do you want it?

April 20, 2012 7 Comments

“When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, THEN you’ll be successful.”

Happy Friday – the weekend is almost here! As you end one week and start another, I challenge you to think about what you “REALLY” want out of life. Everyone says they want to be fit, healthy, happy, successful…but think about the SPECIFIC things you want and HOW BAD you really want them.

As a fitness instructor, I hear people tell me over and over again, “I really want to lose weight” or “I really want to get in shape.” They want these things for several reasons:

Health benefits
Longer life
More energy
Wear cute clothes
Increase self-confidence
Better dating life
and the list goes on and on…

But the question isn’t, “How bad do you want these things?” The REAL question is, “What are you willing to SACRIFICE to get these things?”

A friend of mine sent me this video which pretty much sums up the essence of the 2nd question and the essence of GRIT. Watch, listen closely to the man speaking in the background (especially at the end) and think about how hard you are willing to work to get what you REALLY want. Because whatever you desire, YOU CAN HAVE IT!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ&w=560&h=315]

Inspiration & Motivation

Fit chics eat breakfast…and make more money

April 18, 2012 1 Comment

morning run — Reese Witherspoon getting her early morning jog in

Happy “hump” day – I hope your week is going well! I had a 5am conference call today which I was NOT thrilled about. Oddly enough, I don’t feel that bad. This got me thinking, “What would my life be like if I started EVERY day at 5am?” I’ve heard it time and time again, “The early bird catches the worm.” Well, turns out it’s true! Establishing the habit of waking up early not only helps us manage our weight it also makes us more effective people. Here are 5 key reasons I think we should all get some GRIT and try to become EARLY RISERS:

More likely to eat breakfast – I can’t say this enough, “Eating a hearty, protein-rich breakfast is CRITICAL for weight management.” Most of us who continuously struggle with our weight usually don’t eat until 2-3 hours AFTER we wake up…real talk.
Less late night snacking – Most binge eating happens late at night. Instead of late night snacking, just go to bed so you can be refreshed for your early morning start! You’re an early bird now 🙂
Get more sleep – Sleep deprivation is linked to weight gain! By waking up early, hopefully you are more likely to go to bed early as well. An early rise means a longer day, so you should be more tired in the evening and ready to pass out!
Morning workouts – Morning workouts are more effective for weight loss because you aren’t burning the food that you have consumed during the day. Instead, you are burning the carbs and fat that your body has stored over night.
Overall more effective person – “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise” – Ben Franklin, famously

Home Workouts, Legs

Shorts Season Shape Up!

April 16, 2012 2 Comments

Workout: Shorts Season Shape Up by Brit
Duration: 45 min – 1 hr
Calories burned: 350-500
Focus: LEGS – Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, Calves

Commentary: It’s almost Summer – yeah buddy. That means your thighs and booty are begging for public exposure, ha ha! In all seriousness, I have an intense addiction to denim cut off shorts – pretty sure I wear them EVERY single day in this Texas heat. That said, I do have to make sure to spend some extra time toning and tightening my leg muscles – specifically the booty, thighs and calves. Here is a hardcore leg workout that I put together to help you tighten your tush and firm up your legs just in time for summer. Do the workout 2-3 times per week for 4 weeks along with your moderate/high intensity cardio sessions and you should be ready to rock your booty shorts! Enjoy 🙂

Instructions: This workout is a “super set”. That means you will do each “SET” 3 times, then move on the to next set. Between each set, jump rope or do jumping jacks for 1-2 minutes to keep your heart rate up!

Example: for Set 1, do the Squats then immediately do the Reverse Lunges. Take a quick rest and then repeat 2 more times. Once you have done the set 3 times, jump rope or do jumping jack s for 1-2 minutes. Then move on to set 2.

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)

Just for Fun

Drinks “weighing” you down?

April 9, 2012 13 Comments

Brit’s beverage epiphany: About this time last year, I had just finished working out and as I was leaving the gym, as usual, I bought a Gatorade. For some reason, this day I read the nutrition facts: 200 CALORIES IN 1 BOTTLE?!?! Geez, I just rode the elliptical for 45 minutes and I burned 450 calories. So drinking this Gatorade basically means I’m going to wipe out almost half of my work out! From that moment on I decided – “I’m OFF Gatorade, yall can keep those.” As a matter of fact, I’m done “drinking” calories. If I have to budget my calories, I’d much rather spend them on eating some good food – AMEN?

The facts: You have to burn 3,500 calories more than you consume to legitimately lose 1 pound. The drinks on my “BAD LIST” carry anywhere from 90-220 calories, so if you consume about 3 a day, you could pack on an extra 600 calories! That equals about 1 whole hour of moderate/high intensity cardio at the gym! Or potentially an extra pound every week, assuming you don’t burn it off. Is it really worth it?

Commentary: Below is a list that I put together for myself to help me weed out “bad drinks.” I kept it realistic and included some alcohol and juice options on the “GOOD LIST” even though they aren’t calorie free. At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, “What do I want more, this Dr. Pepper or my long term fitness goals?” Just making simple adjustments to your daily habits, like committing to only “GOOD LIST” drinks, can help you drop quick pounds. Try it out and see for yourself because you work too hard to let your drinks weigh you down 🙂

Cardio, Home Workouts, Total Body

Track Workout: Shout out to my former athletes – still got it?

April 4, 2012 2 Comments

Name: Former Athlete Fix by Brit
Duration: 45 min – 1 hour
Calories Burned: 500-700
Focus: Cardiovascular endurance, athletic conditioning, speed, plyometrics
Commentary: It’s Spring! So you know what that means, let’s get outside and hit that track – what what! I’ve been hanging and chatting with a lot of my old college bball teammates this week in NYC, which inspired me to put a workout together for all of the former athletes out there. Sometimes, it’s fun to prove that we’ve “still got it.” Even if you’ve never played sports, this workout is a great way to SHOCK your body. So grab a buddy, head to the track and go get it in! Make sure to do the full warm up before you start – don’t want you pulling a hammy. Enjoy 🙂

Weight Loss

Top 5 reasons you AREN’T losing weight

April 3, 2012 6 Comments

I know most of you are already hard working, disciplined people who make sure to get your workouts in and stick with a pretty healthy diet. But when it comes to knocking off that last 5-20 pounds, it’s like nothing gives.

Well, I hear your pain. Despite being active in sports and dance since I was 3 years old, I was def a fat kid growing up. I weighed 106 pounds in 3^rd grade…yeah it’s true. I also struggled with my weight throughout middle school. In high school I discovered Slim Fast and dropped about 15 pounds, but then after college I “fluffed up” again after I quit playing basketball. Now, I’ve finally gotten to a place where I’ve figured out my body enough to really be able to drop weight and keep it off.

Even though I worked out a lot and ate relatively healthy, I identified 5 key reasons why I wasn’t losing weight. See if any of these habits apply to you…

I tried to be perfect – I have a super Type A (slightly neurotic) personality and would get really pumped up about a new diet plan or workout regimen. However, if I slipped up even once, I’d beat myself up and end up quitting the plan altogether. Now, I’ve learned to be nicer to myself. Look, there will always be good days and bad days, but weight management is all about balance. If I smash a burger and fries at lunch, that’s cool. It just means I’ll have a small side salad for dinner followed by an extra 30 minutes of cardio. Don’t take everything so seriously! Just keep a mental note of what you are consuming and make sure that you always match your intake with calorie burn.
I needed a reality check – They ONLY way I’m truly able to manage my weight is by weighing myself on a DAILY basis – yes daily! Sometimes, you just need to see the numbers on the scale to give you a reality check. If you actually see that you have gained 5 pounds, you will be more mindful of what you eat. I challenge you to go to Wal-Mart, by a digital scale and weigh yourself every morning. You will thank me later 🙂
I ate too much – Even though I ate healthy food, I ate too much of it. Therefore, it was really hard to burn more calories than I consumed, which is the ONLY way to legitimately lose weight. You’ve heard it before, “eat until you’re satisfied, not until you’re full.” Well it’s true – portion control is just as, if not more, important than food choice.
I ate too late – Unless you are doing a hardcore cardio workout at 8:00pm, your body really doesn’t need that much fuel late at night. Try to eat most of your calories early in the day so that you have all day to burn them off! Think about it this way, everything you eat in the evening just kind of sits on you…not cute. One of my favorite quotes is, “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.”
I didn’t drink enough water – So check this, most of the time you think you are “hungry” you are really “thirsty” due to dehydration. Many of us get tricked into eating when our bodies really want WATER! Your metabolism slows down when you are dehydrated. Also dehydration makes you feel lethargic so you crave sugar and other simple carbs that make you fat. Drink up, water is your weight loss friend!