Tag: grit by brit

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Happy Blog Birthday…1 year and counting!

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It’s insane how fast a year flies by.  In light of celebrating our 1-year GRIT by Brit blog anniversary, let me go on a typical “Brit preacher/motivational speaker rant” for a second…..

I truly, in my heart of hearts, feel that we all should blog. It’s such an amazing way to explore yourself, find your passions and share your testimony. I’m not a natural writer and never thought I would ever start a blog.  But an intense desire and feeling of duty to share my love for fitness and wellness is what made me a “blogger.”

No matter what you have to say, as long as you are authentic and transparent, you have the ability to transform lives and encourage people who may be going through the exact same life experience that you are facing. No project, work effort, or activity has inspired me as much as blogging. If you’ve been thinking about starting a blog, JUST DO IT …and think about it later 😉

Share your story, because the world needs to hear your voice!

As I look back on my first year of blogging, I’ve picked out my top 10 favorite posts. Now these aren’t the most popular in terms of hits, but they each have very sentimental value to me (*tear).

So my friends, here is to 1 year down and several even bigger, better more beautiful blogging years to come! All the best to you, be BLESSED exceedingly and abundantly.

Lots of luv,

Brit

Brit’s Top  10 Fav Blog Posts 

  1. There’s No Such Thing as Impossible – Cried the whole time I wrote it
  2. 2-week Plan to Nix 10 Pounds – Pretty much my weight management Bible.   
  3. Tummy Booty & Thighs –  I can ALWAYS count on this workout and Jessica Beil will always and forever be my bikini body motivation
  4. Top 10 Tips for a Happier & Healthier 2013 – My outlook on life in 10 bullet points
  5. Drinks Weighing You Down? – Why I believe soda is the devil
  6. Movin’ and Shakin’ Monte Carlo – My most FABULOUS blog post
  7. 4-week Tone Up Challenge: Complete – My bestie, Jan, had the idea to start doing 4-week fitness challenges for all of my friends…she became the first of 5 😉
  8. Ultimate Body Burn DVD Launch – huge personal accomplishment for me and my friends…will remember this day forever
  9. Six Pack by Summer – my ultimate abs routine, love this workout very much
  10. Drink Coffee to Control Weight & Make Better Love – so grateful that my  old college b-ball teammate and now registered dietitian writes such awesome and informative guests posts for me…and I LOVE coffee 😉

GRIT by Brit 1 year anniversary

ABOVE – me hanging in Chicago this weekend and flashing a HUGE grin for the GRIT by Brit 1 year anniversary

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New cardio workout video: Burn 200 calories in 15 minutes!

Rule_1___Cardio

After Turbo NYC last weekend, we made this 15 minute cardio video for you guys.  Remember, you can always modify the high impact moves.  So, step side to side instead of leaping or do deep squats instead of jumping.  My only rule is that you give me 100% of your energy!

Hope you love it.  Try the workout and let me know how it goes.  Remember, SWEAT IS SEXY!

Lots of luv,

Brit 😉

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpHejzIOYJg&w=420&h=315]

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CARDIO Killer!

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(above – me teaching TurboKick, the ultimate cardio workout!)

Hi my name is Brit and I’m a cardio junkie…

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m all about pumpin’ iron (lifting weights) and vinyasa flowin’ (yoga), but if push comes to shove I ALWAYS go for cardio!  Just 10-15 minutes of brisk walking, jumping jacks, high knee running and/or jumping rope does so much for my body.  Cardio exercise is my workout of choice and here’s why…

  1. Fast Results – If I’m trying drop a few pounds, cardio workouts allow me to reach my goal faster!
  2. Max Calorie Burn – Simply put, 1 hour of cardio burns ~600 calories while 1 hour of yoga/pilates burns ~300 calories
  3. Sweat Out the Toxins – Afer 30 minutes of moving I’m dripping in sweat, feeling detoxed and enjoying my glowing skin!
  4. Larger Lung Capacity – The harder I push myself, the harder it is to breathe and the stronger my lungs become.
  5. Strong Heart – Cardio workouts quickly elevate my heart rate allowing me to strengthen the most important muscle in my body – my HEART!
  6. More Energy – Compared to other forms of exercise, cardio requires the most vigorous amount of movement which energizes my mind, body and soul 😉

Most people think that cardio means you have to be on a boring machine casually walking, cycling or rowing.   However, there’s lots of fun cardio options like kickboxing, dance and athletic drills.  Here’s a 15 minute home cardio workout that I like to do if I’m running low on time.  Don’t forget you can also do the GRIT by Brit Ultimate Body Burn DVD for a 30 minute total body burn 😉

15 Min Cardio Fix

And just for a little extra workout motivation, here’s a picture of 1 of my favorite workout tank tops that always get me pumped for some cardio! Kiss my sweat #GRIT

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Tone it Up Tuesday: Upper Body Workout

Michelle Obama arms anyone?

Here’s an upper body toning workout I designed in aspiration of getting first class guns just like our fierce first lady.   The workout focuses solely on the biceps, triceps, shoulders and abs.  You don’t need hand weights and can do this workout right in your living room – yay!

The entire workout takes  30 minutes and burns about 200 calories.  I’m going to give it a whirl tonight along with 30 minutes of cardio.  Try it for yourself and let me know how it goes – enjoy!

Lots of luv,

Brit 😉

 

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Show some SWAGGER

Brittani Rettig SwaggerAt a very young age, my parents taught me the importance of self-respect and self-confidence.  My mom always had me play the lead in church programs and made sure I was on the front row at my dance recitals.   Later when I started playing sports, my dad would preach that “competitions are just about confidence…if I worked hard and believed that I was better than my opponent, I was!”

However as I matured, I started to believe that humility and self-confidence were mutually exclusive (i.e. if I wanted to be humble, that meant I needed to put the needs of others before my own or criticize myself).  However, the TRUTH is exactly the opposite!

As a new vegetarian, I started reading the book “Skinny B*itch” which takes a very no-nonsense approach to healthy living and healthy eating.  There’s a paragraph in the book, that really hammers home my beliefs about self-confidence and SWAGGER:

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“Certainly your health and your body and you are more important than anything else in your life.  You are worthless to your colleagues, friends and family if you do not value yourself enough to take excellent care of you.  Yes, you have to put yourself before your friends, parents,  boyfriend, husband and even your children.  It won’t make you bad daughter or wife or mother; it will make you less resentful, more confident,  interesting,  beautiful, patient, tolerant, and fun person to be around.  Your bright shining light will give everyone around you permission and inspiration to shine more brightly.  Love yourself enough to do whatever it takes to be the best you you can be.”

For your Monday Motivation, I wanted to share this excerpt along with a graphic that my Aunt sent me (shout out to Aunt Cathy).  Think about these truths as you start your week.  I hope they encourage you as much as they encourage me! #GRIT

Lots of luv,

Brit 😉

GRIT by Brit Swagger

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Turbo Kickboxing Classes in NYC

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Hey Gang!  I hope your week is going well.  In case you haven’t heard, I’m now teaching independent Turbo Kick classes in New York City!  I’ve partnered with Stepping Out Studios in Flatiron to bring you an awesome fitness experience in a beautiful NYC dance studio.  Now you can enjoy this amazing fitness format without being a member of a gym – woop woop 🙂

Last Sunday marked the completion of our 1st month since the launch of Turbo NYC.  Our Launch Party was a huge success and we’ve had several new faces join our #CARDIOPARTY since then.  You can CLICK HERE to view pictures and read the review of our January launch party.

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Turbo Kick is my all time favorite fitness format – it’s challenging, yet fun and effective.  I’ve lost over 25 pounds since falling in love with Turbo Kick, so I feel that it’s my DUTY to share this amazing fitness gift with others!  While the workout is super effective (expect to burn 1,000 calories per class), I’ve made a conscious effort to keep the price down.  Remember, one of the GRIT by Brit core values is that we “don’t have to be wealthy to be healthy!”

If you’re a NYC resident, or just in town for the weekend, come SWEAT with us.  Classes are held EVERY Sunday at 11:00am and are always high energy with studio pumpin’ music.  We work HARD but also have lots of FUN!  You can reserve your spot and get all of the  details on the Turbo NYC website: www.turbonyc.com  See you in class!

While human nature often causes us to trip and fall, the most compelling aspect of our nature is that we are so much stronger than we know #GRIT

-David Kirchhoff, CEO Weight Watchers

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Wednesday Workout: BACK it Up!

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(above – me showin’ off my back in my new Lululemon racer back tank)

If you’re looking for a new “Wednesday Workout,” I highly encourage you to build your BACK!  A strong back improves posture and gives you more definition through your neck and shoulders.  Also, the nice ‘V’ shape makes your waistline look smaller 😉

As a woman, I often neglected back workouts and focused on my abs and legs during weight training.  However, I’ve found that working my back muscles is very effective for weight management because the muscles are BIG and require lots of energy (thus burn a lot of calories).  Also, a toned back in a racer back dress is just as, if not more, sexy than nice legs in daisy dukes.  So give it a whirl today, people.  This workout should take you about 30 minutes to complete and you can expect to burn ~200 calories – enjoy!

tumblr_mf5u1rNXuC1rhnzcto1_r3_500BACK it Up!

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Monday Motivation #Weightloss

"Before" in 2010, 179 lbs
“Before” in 2010, 179 lbs

Hard work

+

Healthy eating

+

Heart of faith

=

SUCCESS

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“Now” in 2013, 150 lbs

You can do it too!  

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”

– Philippians 4:13

 

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30/60/90 Fitness Class Review

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(above – action shots from my 1st 30/60/90 class)306090logo

Last week I checked out a 30/60/90 group fitness class with #rock star instructor,  Zack Schares (follow him @zaxfit).   I’ve always been a little skeptical of this group fitness format because it seemed very “boot camp” style and I’m not a fan of such.  I prefer choreographed workouts.  Workouts I can jam to. Way more fun.  Obvi.

HOWEVER, my 30/60/90 class was a very pleasant surprise that left me profusely perspiring and pleased indeed 🙂

Here’s the scoop…

  • Duration: 45 minutes
  • Locations: 24 Hour Fitness and Equinox clubs in New York City; Click here for a full schedule of classes
  • Calories Burned: ~450-600
  • Style: Cardio intervals, plyometrics on a step, and resistance training using hands weights
  • Vibe: Depends on the instructor, but booty bumpin’ music is key – the workout can be done to the beat of the music and is MUCH better when done so!

5 reasons to check it out…

  1. Let’s HIIT it!  High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is the foundation of this fitness format.  I’m still not really sure why the class is called “30/60/90″…we did some drills for 15 seconds and 45 seconds so I didn’t make the connection.  BUT the point is that you do some high intensity intervals and intermix them with lower intensity resistance training.  You guys know I’m a HUGE fan of HIIT training, the most efficient and effective way to work out, hands down.
  2. 90’s step aerobics anyone?  Be ready for some old school step aerobics moves.  The workout has a sneaky way of building them in, which I actually found to be really fun!  These moves are mostly during the cardio intervals and go well with the music.  It’s nice because you can jam while you step and sweat.
  3. Hard “CORE”  There’s a lot of plank holds, side planks, and squat thrusts (aka burpees) which really work your abs and lower back.  A strong core is critical for balancing, good posture and sexy abs.  I was really happy with the movement for my middle!
  4. Sculpt. Super. Sexy. Muscles.  During the workout we used moderately heavy hand weights to tone our arms.  My shoulders are my favorite body part,  so the narcissist in me enjoyed watching myself in the mirror, pumpin’  iron in my new racer back tank – holla 😉
  5. *Pump up the Jamz* My instructor, Zack, blasted the beats (which seemed to be the norm).  It was easy for me to get lost in the music during the really challenging cardio intervals.  Music makes me move and this class had some juicy jamz!

(below – #SELFIE before and after class; I clearly got a good sweat)

GRIT by Brit at 306090 NYC

 

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Love Your Body Day #5: Eat Good to Feel Good

We ARE what we EAT….  You’ve heard the saying over and over again but most of us (including me) still struggle to maintain a healthy, nutritious diet.  Since today is the last day of my “love your body” series I figured I’d talk about the #1 way to love your body = nourish it with healthy food!

fantasic foods

Here’s 10 fantastic foods that make you FEEL & LOOK good courtesy of bbcgoodfood.com:

  • BLUEBERRIES The ultimate immune-boosting food. Rich in anti-oxidants.
  • BROCCOLI Guards against cancer and is rich in a wide range of anti-oxidants, vitamins C and E, folate and iron.
  • CARROTS High in carotenes, known to boost the immune system.
  • LETTUCE AND SALAD GREENS Tangy varieties, such as chicory and endive, stimulate the liver, making them great detoxifiers. Most lettuces contain valuable amounts of vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants.
  • BEETROOT Bursting with minerals and has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, immune-boosting and detoxifying properties.
  • BRAZIL NUTS You only need to eat two or three a day to benefit from their great combination of immune-boosting nutrients: vitamin E, selenium and B vitamins.
  • GRAPEFRUIT Has immune-boosting, antiseptic, wound-healing and anti-bacterial properties.
  • GARLIC Strengthens the heart and blood, and has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties. Also thought to help lower blood pressure. A key ingredient is allicin, which has cancer-fighting potential.
  • CRANBERRIES Best known for helping to prevent and treat urinary tract infections, especially cystitis, in women. They have both anti-fungal and antiviral properties.
  • GINGER Stimulates the immune system and circulation.

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Love your body today by eating well. We can’t out exercise a bad diet #GRIT