In case you can’t tell, I’m SO excited that Winter is over! This Spring I’m taking a personal vow to switch up my workout routine by adding in a weekly 5K run. Obviously, I made a heart-pumpin playlist to energize my stride! Go ahead and download these tracks for yourself – you will love them 🙂
Also, I want to give a huge shout out to Sporteer for hooking me up with this sweet running armband. It has a little pocket to store my credit card and my iPhone fits perfectly. It’s super durable and stays in place during my run. Sporteer gave me an extra armband for one of you lucky blog readers – woo hoo! Just post a comment below telling me your favorite running song and I’ll pick a pick a winner this weekend! Enjoy! xoxo, Brit
Sporteer Velocity Series V2 Armband for iPhones and Smartphones (Pink)
Yay for cute workout clothes! I just caught wind of this awesome yoga clothing company, Onzie! Based in California, Onzie reached out to me a few weeks ago to review some of their yoga apparel. The minute I saw their bright colors and modern designs, I was like “gimme gimme gimme!” As icing on the cake, the clothes are really high quality. I was expecting some “Forever 21-level” workout clothes, but the apparel is extremely well made and can endure a sweaty power yoga session. Buying workout clothes can get quite expensive, my friend told me to visit PromoCodeWatch to use some coupons next time I shop. She told me they save her tonnes of money so I’m going to try it soon! I love my pieces so much, I’m actually hosting a giveaway for a $75 Onzie gift card! To participate in the contest, just post a comment below and tell me your workout plans for the weekend and describe your favorite workout outfit. I’ll pick a winner on Sunday evening (4/13/14). Enjoy! xoxo, Brit
Onzie Elastic Tank – Grey & Turquoise Onzie Elastic Bra Top – Yellow & Black Onzie Track Legging – Titanium / Turquoise / Sunset
It’s Spring – yippee! In warmer weather I often feel weird eating soup because it seems like such a “cold weather thing.” However I’d like to keep up my soup consumption because doing so is great for weight management. Studies show that people who sip on soup before their meal are more likely eat fewer calories at their meal. Better yet, soup eaters often skip on dessert because they feel full.
Unfortunately, I can’t get down with most Spring inspired cold soups like gazpacho and chilled veggie puree concoctions – just not my thing. So I researched some nutritious and delicious, hot “Spring Soup” recipes to share with you guys. The following Spring Minestrone by Hank Shaw intrigued me because it’s low in fat yet high in protein. More importantly it sounds light and tasty and seems pretty simple to prepare. If you don’t spend much time in the kitchen (no judgement here) I highly recommend the soup bar at Whole Foods – particularly the Moroccan Lentil and White Bean Kale. Try to avoid cream based soups since they are higher in calories and fat.
1 Chop the green onions and green garlic and separate the white and light green parts from the green tops. If you are using regular garlic cloves, put them with the white parts of the green onions. Slice the potatoes and artichoke hearts into chunks you would want to eat with a spoon.
2 In a large pot set over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil for 1 minute. Add the white parts of the green onions as well as the garlic and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the potatoes, stir to combine and cook 1 minute.
3 Add the diced tomatoes with their liquid and the quart of vegetable or chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, add salt to taste, then cover and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
4 Add the artichoke hearts and cook another 5 minutes, then add the chickpeas and green peas and cook another 5 minutes. Remove the cover from the soup and add the asparagus. Cook 2 minutes. Add the greens and the green parts from the green onions and green garlic, if using. Stir well to combine and cook 1 minute.
5 Turn off the heat and stir in the pesto. Serve topped with grated cheese.
In honor of Earth Month, I’m encouraging you to spend some time outdoors especially at your local parks! Here’s a HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout I filmed in Central Park – NYC around this time last year. Try it for yourself during your next park visit. Outdoor workouts provide several added benefits over working out indoors. Not to mention, in great weather they’re just more fun!
Also, here’s a cool info-graphic I received from my sponsors at Honest Tea. They surveyed over 2,000 people across the US seeking to learn how our parks (both local and national) impact us today. They learned over 54% of Americans wished they spent more time outdoors, and 41% said they go to the park to get away from the hustle and bustle, and restore mental clarity. With that knowledge, me and my Honest Tea sponsors are challenging you to return to the parks this spring to refresh—mind, body and soul. Our goal is to see people empowered to become advocates for their park—be it a national park, or the one just around the corner. Honest Tea will be rewarding people for taking a “selfie” at any park via Twitter, Instagram or Facebook and tag it with #ParkYourThirst.
Hope your week is off a to a great start – mine certainly is. Last week was quite hectic for me. I had to travel to both Memphis and Salt Lake City for work. When the weekend came I was completely exhausted. Needless to say, I did not feel like the hitting the gym on Saturday nor doing anything that required even the slightest bit of energy. Fortunately, the thought of hanging out with my “fit friends” was enough motivation to keep me from skipping my Saturday morning workout. Afterwards not only did my body feel better, but I was less stressed and had a more positive attitude overall. It was like magic – lots of good vibes and positive energy. That’s the beauty of exercise, it’s great for the mind, body and soul. Activity generates the energy that brings about good vibes. Good things come to those who sweat!
On that note, here’s some fitspiration to get your sweat on – 20 Minute Calorie Blaster treadmill workout from the GRIT by Brit archives. You can check out the original blog post for detailed instructions. I highly encourage you to give this bad boy a whirl some time this week. I am.
And finally, check out these 13 Mental Health Benefits of exercise. On the list, Stress Relief ranks #1. I can attest to the accuracy of this claim. Just for fun, here’s a pic of me and my girlfriends on Saturday night enjoying the residual good vibes from my morning workout.
Wishing you a wonderful week with lots of sweat and good things! xoxo, Brit
Enjoying a lovely Dallas evening with my lovely girlfriends! Feeling rejuvenated after a solid Saturday morning Sweat session 🙂
Wow – I can’t believe 2 years have passed since the first GRIT by Brit blog post. To celebrate our 2nd blogiversary I’m having a giveaway – yay! The first 10 people to post a gym selfie on Instagram with hashtag #gritbybrit will receive a free GRIT by Brit workout tank top. You can check out the styles at my eStore. I’ll message the winners for their mailing address and size (S/M/L/XL). Also, be sure to follow me on Instagram @GRITbyBrit.
Let’s also take a little trip down memory lane. First up, CLICK HERE to read the inaugural GRIT by Brit workout from March of 2012 – I called it the “Sexy Ladies Sweat Sesh” (wink wink). Also, here’s a recap of the 5 posts I most enjoyed writing this past year. While all of my posts have sentimental value, these 5 especially stand out. Hopefully these can be your pleasure reading for the week.
Hey gang! Here’s your workout for the week. While I’m a big fan of equipment-free workouts, I decided to switch it up this week and incorporate a personal favorite fitness toy – the Bosu Ball! I chose the Bosu Ball because it made my GRIT by Brit Holiday Fitness Gift picks back in December. Bosu exercises are great for increasing stability and working the core. They’re also a nice change-up from typical dumbbell or barbell workouts.
After designing and testing this routine, I assure you’ll get a serious sweat and feel toned and tight throughout your core. The exercises quickly elevate your heart rate making this workout a good option for days when you’re short on time. The entire workout takes about 10 minutes and you can expect to burn ~100-150 calories. For best results, knock this out everyday for 5 days straight. See below for instructional images to guide you – enjoy!
xoxo,
Brit
Instructional Images
Toe Taps (alternate legs back and forth w/ one foot tapping the top of the Bosu and the other foot on the ground, then switch)
Hey Gang! Here’s your workout for the week. I made up this routine while chillin’ at my parents’ house. Lately I’ve been all about multitasking. So while we were watching the Winter Olympics I simultaneously cranked out these 5 super effective, body sculpting moves. This is a great workout if you’re short on time, have no equipment and want to focus on strength and toning.
Like most of my workouts, this routine is “circuit style” which means you need to move through each set of exercises fairly quickly with minimal rest. Doing so helps elevate your heart rate and ensure you burn max calories while building muscle strength. These exercises work all of our “problem zones” (i.e. thighs, abs and arm flab). For best results, do my Head 2 Toe Tone Up 2-3 times per week for 4 weeks along with your cardio workouts. Enjoy and let me know how it goes! Lots of luv, Brit
