2016 Year End Top 10

January 8, 2017 3 Comments

Happy New Year Friends! As you’ve probably noticed, I’ve been on a blogging hiatus since Thanksgiving 2016 (the longest stretch of no-posting in gritbybrit history – yikes!). I’m not proud of this as blogging has been my most inspiring creative outlet over the past 4 years. In fact, starting this blog is what pushed to me pursue my ultimate dream – starting my own fitness/wellness company. It would be such a shame to neglect the one thing that gives me so much energy and motivation!

So, I’ve made a resolution to post weekly in 2017 and I commit to myself and to you that I will stick to it. You can expect at least one post per week from me for the entire year – yes that’s 52 posts from yours truly. Since my life has changed so much the past 2 years with the inception of my company, GRIT Fitness, I’ve decided I’m going to shift the focus of this blog to share more behind the scenes coverage of what it’s like running a start-up, innovating new fitness formats, building a brand and leading a team all while trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I also plan to share business insights and frameworks that I’ve created to help with time management, goal setting, growing your business and building your brand. Hopefully you’ll enjoy these posts! Please comment and lemme know what you think long the way.

But before I go full speed ahead with my 2017 blogging approach, I first what to take some to time to express gratitude and reflect on the awesome moments I was blessed to experience in 2016. Last year was definitely a period of growth, learning and FUN! Here are the top 10 moments I will cherish forever (in no particular order)…

1. Celebrating 1 year of business at GRIT Fitness

Wow. When I started GRIT Fitness in January of 2015, my only goal was stay alive. But not only are we surviving, we have a growing, vibrant , thriving community of over 2,000 awesome young ladies! Most of the ladies who were my very first members now serve as instructors, community leaders and front desk staff. We kicked off 2016 with a super fun Vino & Vinyasa 1-yr anniversary celebration. It was a blast!

2. Being on TV, twice!

Look mom, I’m on TV! This was so freaking cool and so totally unexpected. Fortunately, 2 members of the GRIT community happened work for Fox 4 and pitched a segment to cover my journey of creating GRIT Fitness. That led to a me sharing my story on Fox 4 “In The Now.” Then a producer at WFAA, Good Morning Texas reached out to us to demo some Dance Club Cardio moves on the show and talk about our fitness community. 2 terrific TV surprises in 2016!

3. Winning the Neiman Marcus Faces of Beauty Contest

This experience was totally surreal. I felt like a beauty queen! 5 women out of 1,000 nominated were selected for this amazing honor based on the impact they’re making on women’s empowerment. Neiman Marcus gave me a styling session, killer new clothes, a box of the most luxurious beauty products, a makeover and photo shoot, an intimate dinner with the company’s executives and a night’s stay a luxury hotel. Simply amazing.

4. Building and opening the GRIT Fitness Flagship Studio (2nd location)

What a journey! After getting rejected by two SBA lenders and from several other landlords (because I hadn’t been in business long enough), I almost gave up hope on expanding GRIT Fitness. But with the support of our community we raised $10K in a crowd funding campaign and I found an awesome small business lender in Austin, TX. After a few months of planning and strategizing, we were blessed to open our 5,000 square foot flagship studio, just 6 months after celebrating our 1 year anniversary.

5. Growing and developing my team at GRIT Fitness to 48 team members!

I started GRIT Fitness with help of 10 fabulous young ladies. 1 was my sister, 3 I met on Craig’s List, 3 were students in my Turbo Kick classes at 24 Hour Fitness and the others were just friends who wanted to support me. Now we are 4 times the size, but the closeness of our relationships remains. What I love about my team is that each girl serves at GRIT because she genuinely LOVES helping people and wants to be her best. And that’s why I feel like we are truly the #DREAMTEAM

6. Sweating and smiling in LA and NYC

I’m such a sweat junkie! This year I traveled to both LA and NYC just to explore the fitness scenes. I called it my “market research” trip as I took 13 classes in 3 days in NYC and 9 classes 3 days in LA. While I was in LA, I also attended the IDEA WORLD Fitness convention for the 3rd consecutive year. I LOVED IT! The learning curve never ends. I also treated myself to a nice hotel and great meals. I definitely like my vacations sweaty!

7. Quality time with my best friends in Seattle, Canada & Dallas

Being a small business owner, it can be challenging to allocate time to just chill and hang out with friends. Especially when most of your best fiends don’t live in your city. Fortunately, my friend Jenn got married in Quebec City so I got to reunite with most of my business school friends during that trip. And then my bestie from business school, Yassi pictured above, traveled to Dallas from South Africa for a work trip and we got to spend the entire weekend catching up, attending holiday parties and sipping mimosas. Last, one of my best friends from undergrad also got married and I got to catch up with all of my Cornell friends at his wedding in Seattle, WA. Quality time with great friends is simply priceless.

8. Finding a new church home at Shoreline Dallas

Before moving back to Dallas, I lived in NYC and I was member of Hillsong church which I absolutely loved (especially the awesome praise and worship music and relaxed culture)! After moving back home to start GRIT Fitness I struggled all year to find a church home that I really connected with. Fortunately my cousin invited to Shoreline’s SHINE Women’s conference and I love the diverse community, high energy and enthusiasm for strengthening our faith.

9. Spending the holidays with my amazing family

I am so grateful for my family. The older I get, the more I appreciate simply spending time with them. The 2016 holiday season was super special because we spent Thanksgiving in Florida hanging out at the beach and watching my bother, Austin, play in his holiday basketball tournament. Then for Christmas we just hung out at my parents’ house, went out to eat for Mexican food, and lazily hung around the house for 2 days. It’s the little things that matter most.

10. Hosting ‘Start Up Yoga’ for Techweek in Dallas

Can we say “GRIT concert”? This was hands down the most extravagant fitness experience I’ve ever been a part of – massive stage, flashing lights, live DJ, amazing venue full of Dallasite’s sweating and smiling. I’m so grateful that my team and I were presented with the opportunity to work with Techweek, one of the largest technology/entrepreneurship conferences in the world!

While I’ve classified these 10 moments as the “most memorable” there were several other “less flashy” moments that were equally meaningful to me. Like hanging out with my sister as “friends” despite our 8 year age gap, finally earning enough profit to write myself my first paycheck, holding hands with all members of my family and praying over the future of GRIT Fitness and my ability to be a good leader. 2016 was such a joy, but I know that the best is yet to come! Here’s to 2017, the greatest year yet. xoxo, Brit

Just for Fun, Total Body

Holiday Travel Workout – 20 Minute Circuit

November 27, 2016 5 Comments

Hello from sunny St. Petersburg Florida! I’m enjoying an awesome Thanksgiving Holiday vacation with my family – lots of college basketball, fun in the sun, beach time and good meals. That said, I’m doing my very best to squeeze in at least a 20 minute workout every morning so that I’m not sucking air when I get back to GRIT Fitness next week.

Above is the 20 minute workout I did yesterday on the stairs outside of my hotel. Remember, you don’t fancy equipment or a gym to get an effective (and fun) workout in. You just need energy, passion and a positive attitude….like with all things in life 🙂 Below is a peek at my post-workout SnapChat. (I was clearly feeling the burn) Enjoy! xoxo, Brit

Just for Fun

GRIT #GIRLBOSS Pop Up Shop

November 18, 2016 No Comments

Please join me and my team at GRIT Fitness on Saturday, Dec. 10th from 9am-12pm for our 2nd annual Girl Boss Pop Up Shop! We are passionate about supporting women in business and want to create a postive, energetic enviroment for women owned businesses to show off and sell their products and services.

You can enjoy awesome holiday shopping and fun sweat sessions! We’ll offer 2 complimentary community classes:
– 9:00am Dance Club Cardio w/ Jackie
– 10:30am Body Sculpt w/ Brit (yours truly)

Here’s the link to get details and RSVP on Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/events/214011032356181/

ATTENTION VENDORS: Email [email protected] to register. Vendor registration will be on a first come, first serve basis. The cost is $25 per vendor table. You can purchase the vendor registration here: https://clients.mindbodyonline.com/classic/ws?studioid=194656&stype=43&prodGroupId=10179

We have space to host up to 20 vendors.

Just for Fun

Start Up Yoga with GRIT Fitness #TechweekDFW

October 26, 2016 1 Comment

Hey Friends! I’m so excited to share some awesome news. Next week my team from GRIT Fitness and I will partner with Techweek Dallas to lead an awesome “Start Up Yoga” party at Dallas’ famous concert venue, The Bomb Factory!

Join me in partnership with #TechweekDFW for a morning Flexin’ Flow (yoga workout) energized with live beats by DJ Lucius and healthy post-class sips and bites. I’m so pumped to lead lead the class along with my dream team of instuctors! Come ready to flow, dance and network with Dallas’ brightest entrepreners and tech enthusiasts. It’s a gonna be a great workout and an awesome party – I hope you can make it! xoxo, Brit

DATE: Nov. 2, 2017

TIME:
7:00am Flexin’ Flow class
8:00am Networking party with healthy sips and bites

LOCATION:
The Bomb Factory | Deep Ellum
2713 Canton St. Dallas, TX

DETAILS:
Bring a yoga mat and sneakers. Flexin’ Flow (AKA Grit Yoga) is GRIT Fitness’ signature power yoga class designed to build strength, flexibility and endurance. Enjoy the unique combination of vinyasa power yoga sequences, core stability exercises, leg toning circuits and intensity intervals all while jammin’ to upbeat music! Here’s a short video to give you some insight into a Flexin’ Flow class…

GRIT FLEXIN’ FLOW™ from Brittani Rettig on Vimeo.

ATTIRE:
Athleisure 🙂

REGISTRATION:
FREE tickets are available at http://techweek.com/dallas-tickets/

(purchase the “Explorer” pass for FREE admission)

Techweek IN SHORT:

Techweek is a travelling technology and innovation festival started 5 years ago, now in 8 cities across North America. Techweek Dallas will showcase the best people, ideas and innovation in Dallas and fill feature live music, the best of Dallas Tech, a start-up pitch competition, great speakers discussing disruptive trends and breaking news, networking… and parties!

Like Dallas itself, Techweek Dallas will be unique – featuring: 3 full concert nights with world famous artists like Matt and Kim, The Neighbourhood and others. Techweek Dallas 2016 will be throughout the week, in multiple locations – featuring some of the undiscovered creative spaces of Dallas, but centered mostly in the world-famous Bomb Factory event space.

New York City, Workout Reviews & Ratings

NYC Fitness Tour: Best Fitness Studios in New York City

October 24, 2016 No Comments

Hey gang! Last weekend I traveled to NYC to catch up on the latest happenings in the fitness studio world. I took 9 classes in 3 days (thank God for Class Pass) and had an absolute blast. I saved all of my snaps from the weekend so you can watch my story below! Be sure to follow me on Snapchat @gritbybrit

Also below is a quick recap of my experience at each studio (in order of my preference) :

Tone House – (Boot Camp / High Intensity Interval Training) Hands down my FAVORITE class of my trip. I legitimately took a time warp back to my college basketball days and endured the most challenging “preseason condition workout” ever. It was exhilarating! I did things I didn’t think my body could still do: shuttle runs, sprints, walking lunges carrying sandbags over my head, football drills, burps, etc. BUT the best part is that we did EVERYTHING as a TEAM and the coaches and my “teammates” were so positive encouraging during this 60-minute total body workout.
NW Method by Nicole Winhoffer – (Dance Cardio / Total Body Toning) Only one word can describe how I felt during and after this class… LIBERATED! There’s something about the sexy, hip opening moves that Nicole Winhoffer creates that allowed me to express my emotions. The room was warm and the toning moves were very challenging, but we did everything to the bet of the music and I felt left I was just “letting go” the entire class. Ia so liked that her dance choreography was very easy to follow (even for me who had never been there before). At the end we learned some Hip Hop choreography and performed it a in groups. The atmosphere was very safe, and very sexy. I just felt so free.
Dance Body – (Dance Cardio / Total Body Toning). This was the most cardio intense dance workout I’ve ever taken! We did burpees, leaps, ballerina hops and more. I was so sweaty and my heart rate was sky-high. I loved it. Unlike most Zumba or Cardio Hip Hop classes I’ve taken, Dance Body seemed to incorporate more Ballet which I was though was super interesting and unique. Between dances, we’d drop down into a plank and do core work or gab our mats and do some booty work. This is a new concept and they don’t have a studio yet, so we just had class in a Dance Studio that I assume they rent by the hour. even without all of the fancy studio decor, the was an amazing experience that I highly recommend. They also stream classes online and I’m thinking about buying the online program so I can stay connected now that I’m back in Dallas.
305 Fitness – (Dance Cardio / Leg Toning) One of my all time favorites! I haven’t taken a 305 class in 2 years, and let me tell you, this class is like a fin wine…better with time. My instructor, Latoya just had so much swagger – I had a total girl crush on her. I just wanna be cool like her. The new Midtown studio is absolutely flawless with neon sign, crazy cool graffiti art, live DJ, self station and bright colors everywhere I loved the flashing club lights during the class and how everyone stayed in sync like a music video. At the end of class, we grabbed dumbbells and did some leg strengthening WERK. Overall = amazing!
Swerve Fitness – (Indoor Cycling) – Yay for team games! This was my first time to take a class at Swerve and it was so positive and fun. They put us in teams at the beginning of class and throughout the ride we were competing based on our watts and on how well we could “serve to the beat.” I like the camaraderie, the music was on point and the studio decor was super-sleek with cool lighting and excellent amenities. If I lived in NYC, Swerve would def be on my list of regularly frequented studios.
Peloton – (Indoor Cycling) – The coolest cycling studio ever. Can I just say that the Peloton bike is the BOMB-DOT-COM. Aside from the fact that my class was being live streamed to hundreds of viewers riding in their own homes, this is the smoothest bike I’ve ever ridden. I got a killer workout and seeing all of the precise metrics in real-time made me push myself. If I get rich anytime soon, I’m definitely buying a Peloton bike for my house 🙂
AKT In Motion – (Dance Cardio / Leg Toning) – So I took an AKT class about 3 years ago and I was NOT impressed. Back then, they didn’t have a downtown studio so the class was held inside a small dance studio inside of a daycare (yes…a daycare). The instructor looked like she was wearing her PJ’s, there were 3 people in the class and the dances where very corny. This time = different story! I went to the original Upper East Side studio, which is super cute (especially the disco ball that hangs in the middle of the studio). The instructor was super friendly, fit and energetic. Again, the class was small (only 5 of us). But the dancers were awesome – we learned 2 long sequences and by the end of class I had them down. The room was heated, so I worked up a good sweat, and nd at the end we did lots of total body toning work. I really loved the ab work we did using a foam roller – very unique. AKT has definitely been redeemed in my book.
Uplift Studios – (Total Body Strength + Cardio) This was a total girl power sweat sesh! I love that it’s a women’s only gym and that we lifted heavy weights – yeah! We did a lot of partner exercises and athletics drills. We also moved to the beat of the music at times, which I love. The studio is very small and can only hold about 10 girls, so the class was intimate and safe. During our class, some other ladies were having personal training sessions outside of the studio. Overall, I got a good workout and I like that you can cater the exercises to your own fitness level. There were a variety of beginners and super fit athletes in the class and together, we all enjoyed a fun sweat session! #girlpower
Model Fit – (Total Body Toning) I tried to have an open mind with this class, but I just wasn’t feeling it. So the Model Fit method is based on very slow, controlled movements with light weights. The room was warm to help us break a sweat (although I didn’t). And some of the moves were pretty unique and very original. I just didn’t feel like a got a good workout in the class. We didn’t move to the beat of the music and the energy level was very low. I think this class is better for a beginners who are just starting their fitness journey or maybe someone who wants to do something active but doesn’t want work too hard.
Cyc Fitness – (Indoor Cycling) Unfortunately, I got stuck in Midtown traffic after my AKT class on the UES and I arrived to Cyc like 10 minutes late and couldn’t get in. I was so bummed. BUT, I’m headed to Austin this weekend for a wedding and I plan to take a class at the Cyc studio there to make up for. Let’s see if Cyc can bump up on my list after this weekend 🙂

And that’s a wrap gang! Are there any studios that didn’t make my list that you love? If so, let me know so I can check ’em out next time! xoxo, Brit

I loved that Nicole Winhoffer email us a group pic post class! ya for sweaty hair…don’t care!

Dallas GRIT Fitness, Detox Plans, New York City, Weight Loss

4 Week Shape Up Program – SIGN UP NOW

October 9, 2016 No Comments

Hey y’all! I hope your week is off to an awesome start! SO…last month my friend Megan, Founder of The Lyons’ Share Wellness, and I hosted a new service at my fitness studio called the September Shape Up! Essentially, I was noticing that lots of the girls at my studio were super consistent with their workouts, however they weren’t getting the results they wanted…

Brit’s 2 Reasons For Lack of Results:

Lack of proper meal planning / meal prep
Doing the wrong mix of workouts

SO, I designed a 4 week program to help them create weekly workout plans and weekly meals plans based on their specific goals and preferences. Megan and I also provided recipes and workouts to put in their plans and track over the 4 week period.

We started the program with a kick off workshop and over 80 ladies signed up and showed up – WOW!

A packed house of ladies fully engaged in our meal prep seminar at the Shape Up Kick off meeting

I led a seminar teaching them how to create an effective workout plan and Megan taught them how to meal plan and meal prep. We also walked through an inspirational goal setting exercise and assigned weekly accountability metrics to track their progress.

Me helping the ladies measure and understand their body fat %

The September Shape Up has been a HUGE success with SO MANYs losing body fat, feeling more energized and most importantly, getting stronger and healthier!

Because the program has had such a tremendous impact,Megan and I decided to video our meal planning and workout planning lessons from the kick off workshop and make the 4 Week Shape Up Plan available online just for you – YAY! We have tons of recipes, home workouts, lessons and personal tips to help you shape up.

Just visit 4weekshapeup.com for details and to register! This means that you (no matter where you live) can sign up for the program and start get results today! Get excited to look and feel like a BOSS. I’m so pumped for your success!

If you have any questions, post a comment below and I’ll answer ASAP! Have an awesome week!

xoxo,Brit

Just for Fun

“No Grit No Pearl” Sports Bras On Sale Now!

October 7, 2016 No Comments

Hey gang! As I mentioned last week, I’m super pumped to launch my very first GRIT apparel item – “NO GRIT NO PEARL” sports bras! Aren’t they cute?! Not only are they adorable, but I spent 3 months designing them and testing their support. There’s nothing worse than a cute sports bra that doesn’t hold my tatas (can I get an amen?!)

Well not to worry here, these sports bras are made super high quality moisture wicking material and the bottom hot pink band is super supportive. I also love the additional cut out in the back to give it a strappy, unique look. BUY YOURS NOW!

Jenny and Shelby, two members of the Dallas #GRITFAM modeling their new purchases!

After receiving tons of direct messages on Instagram and emails from my friends and followers who don’t live in Dallas, I’ve decided to sell the bras online in addition to in our Dallas studios. This means that you have a limited time opportunity to get yours! We only have a few sizes left so you better jump on it while you can! Here’s the link to purchase: http://tinyurl.com/hkt55ql

*BONUS: We’ll also send you a limited edition GRIT FITNESS tote bag as a special gift with your purchase – yay! (See photo below)

GRIT FITNESS tote bag – special gift with purchase!

I really appreciate you guys supporting my latest business venture. I know you’ll love your sports bra as much as I do! xoxo, Brit

Dallas, TX

GRIT Fitness SALE: 18 Classes for $85

September 29, 2016 No Comments

Hey y’all! I hope your week is going well. The weather is getting cooler and most people fall out of their fitness routine this time of year! So that’s why my team and I at GRIT Fitness host our annual Fall N2 Fitness special offer + class challenge in the month of October. If you live in Dallas, I would love for you to join the fun!

For only $85 you can take unlimited classes at BOTH grit fitness studios (East Dallas and Design District) for the entire month of October. This usually costs $165!!! It doesn’t get any better than this y’all 🙂 CLICK HERE to sign up!

PLUS during the month of October, you can also participate in our BLACKOUT class challenge. It’s essentially a game of “GRIT Bingo” where you’re trying to black out the game card. We’ve spent a lot of time picking the classes on the card because we want you to get a solid balance of strength, cardio and flexibility exercise to stay in tip top shape this Fall. Check it out!

Not only do you get a great sense of personal pride for completing the challenge, but you also get the newest style GRIT tank top! Keep in mind that GRIT tanks tops can’t be bought, they can only be EARNED!

So what are you waiting for? Quit contemplating and join the fun! The #GRITFAM can’t wait to WERK it out with you! xoxo, Brit

Just for Fun

Neiman Marcus Faces of Beauty 2016 – I won!

September 22, 2016 1 Comment

Pic from my photo shoot! This pic is hanging in the windows of Neiman Marcus – how cool!

Hey friends! I have some awesome news to share today. Last month, I was formally announced as a winner of the Neiman Marcus Faces of Beauty contest! The Faces of Beauty Contest started 5 years ago as Neiman Marcus began “highlighting women from across the country that have cut through the clutter and are achieving great things.” One of my clients at GRIT Fitness nominated me for the award without me even knowing and I won! 5 winners were selected out of over 1,000 applications. I’m so honored, grateful and over-the-moon excited.

The past few weeks I’ve had some once-in-a-lifetime experiences so I wanted to share. As a winner I received these awesome goodies:

Full makeover and photo shoot for a feature in THE BOOK and for my pic to be displayed in the store windows
Luxury hotel accommodations at the Joule in Dallas
Participation as a panelist in the NM Beauty Symposium
A celebration dinner with Neiman Marcus executives (so inspiring to chat with these #girlbosses)
Hair styling, makeup application, and a private fitting with a Neiman Marcus stylist
$1,500 in cosmetics and fragrances—and the wardrobe from the fitting (Loving my Vince leather jacket and Milly dress!)

Pretty sweet huh? Here are some pics from the Beauty Symposium that happened 2 weeks ago.

All of the winners being escorted to a welcome dinner!

I got to meet the other 4 winners and I was SO inspired by their journeys. From fellow small business owners to writers, each girl had so much passion and perseverance for make positive change in her area of interest.

We even got to have dinner with VP Creative Director and the VP of Beauty for Neiman Marcus. #girlpowerAnd of course I got the most amazing makeover and styling session! I felt like pretty woman 🙂

Last but not least, we all spoke on a panel and shared our stories of how we are “making some noise” in our respective areas. Of course I gave major props to the #GRITFAM for being the most positive, uplifting women’s fitness community in the world!

After the panel we enjoyed sips, bites and a photo booth…

I left the Beauty Symposium feeling energized and ready to keep growing GRIT Fitness to impact as many women and possible. This was truly a “stop and smell the roses” experience for me. I’m living my dream and I’m so very grateful. BUT the exciting part is that I know best is still yet to come. Not only for me, but for you too! xoxo, Brit

Dallas, TX

FREE Fitness Events | September Schedule

August 23, 2016 1 Comment

Hey gang! My company, GRIT Fitness, is hosting 3 super fun, super sweaty, super FREE community events in the month of September and I’d LOVE to see you there. Check out the dates and descriptions below and join us! xoxo, Brit