Love Your Body Day #4: Shake what your mama gave ya!

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Life is hard…and serious…often more serious than it should be.  Personally, I struggle with taking myself too seriously and causing unnecessary stress on my body.    Exercise is a good stress reliever for me, but sometimes I even get stressed over workouts (what gives?).   However, one activity that NEVER stresses me out is dancing.  I think it’s impossible to be irritated while bustin’ a move 😉

That said, today I’m encouraging you to take some time to free yourself, pump up the music and shake your groove thing.  Not only is a good ole’ dance session liberating,  it’s also good for your BODY.

“Studies show that dance can help you lose weight, stay flexible, reduce stress, make friends, and more.” 

Here’s my Top 5 Health Reasons to Hit the Dance Floor!

  1.  Stress Relief – Grabbing a partner, pumpin’ up the music and hittin’ the dance floor has shown to reduce stress according to a study by Journal of Applied Gerontology.
  2. Lift Your Spirits – People who participate in group dance activities suffer less from depression and have a more optimistic view on life!  Even if you’re “dancin’ by yourself” you can still benefit from a mood boost.
  3. Have Beauty & BRAINS – A study by The New England Journal of Medicine, shows that dancing may boost your memory and prevent you from developing dementia as you get older.
  4. Blast Calories – Because dancing is a form of aerobic exercise, it raises your heart rate and ultimately burns lots of calories!  Here’s to shakin’ away some excess pounds!
  5. Bring Sexy Back – If you’re like me, you don’t actually like to dance in front of people – I usually feel  really self-conscious.  However, the more I do it, the more comfortable I feel.  By getting out of my comfort zone I’ve released a who new level of self-confidence and sexiness 😉

(below – me & my childhood friend Brett, 2 steppin’ & twirlin’ back in Texas)

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Love your body today by blastin’ the music and lettin’ loose – free yourself! #GRIT

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Love Your Body Day #2: FLEX & PUMP

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Show your body some love today by hitting the weights!  Your body is resilient, efficient and thirsty for a challenge.  Include weight lifting in your exercise regimen to ensure your muscles are strong and able to support your body.  Resistance training helps prevent injuries,  increases muscle definition and accelerates the rate your body burns calories while resting (a good look)!

In honor of Love Your Body Day #2, I put together this total body weight lifting workout for you to enjoy.  After your workout, take a moment and be grateful for your body – 2 good arms, 2 good legs a heart and lungs that work!

FLEX & PUMP

Love your body today by FLEXIN’ those sexy muscles and PUMPIN’ some iron #GRIT

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Love Your Body Day #1: Get HATE out of your HEART

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Happy February!  Today marks the beginning of my “Love Your Body” series.  For each of the next 5 days I’ll share a healthy, body-lovin’ tip.  Our health is essential to our being, so cherish your precious temple of your soul – your BODY!

Lots of luv,

Brit 🙂

Get HATE of out of your HEART

Let the grudge go.  Holding a grudge does NOT cause any pain to the person who hurt you (they couldn’t care less).  Your grudge only causes pain to your body.  Several university studies have proven that holding a grudge is bad for your health.  Joseph Neumann, PhD, a clinical psychologist explains, “When I treated patients with cardiovascular disease, I was struck by how many were bitter, angry, and depressed,” says Neumann. “It clearly affected their health and their ability to heal.”  On the flip side, a study by Harvard Women’s Health Watch found a link between forgiving and improvements in heart rate and blood pressure.  

The reality is that life isn’t fair.  People will treat you unfairly, hurt you, cheat you and, on top of that,  get away with it.   But we must CHOOSE to not let our pain or anger ruin all of the good things we have in life.  Eventually, we reap what we sow.  So don’t worry about getting back at that awful person, just let the grudge go!

Love your body today by forgiving and letting old hurts be history #GRIT

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New Year Kick-Start Challenge Complete!

Today marks the official conclusion of our 3-week New Year Kick-Start Challenge.  Candace has been our #GRIT GIRL to lead the way on the plan.  You can see her progress by reading the weekly updates that she shared along the way:  Week 1 Update, Week 2 Update.

Huge thanks to Candace for being such a good role model – her  hard work, good choices and smart decisions have been an inspiration to us all.  Way to “kick-start” 2013 with good health and happiness!

Candace’s Week 3 (and final) Update

“Week 3 went well, I’ve lost a total of 5 lbs during the challenge. I’m well on my way to my 12 pound weight loss goal!  I definitely liked the plan and I’m going to keep it up until I reach my goal. I really enjoyed the various cardio options and the tips you provided along the way were great motivation. Thanks Brit!”

– Candace

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The World is YOURS…

TURBO NYC has officially launched!

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What a weekend.  I just launched my latest venture, Turbo NYC – God is good!  As some of you already know, I’ve been staffed on a long assignment in Washington, DC for several months now.  It’s been hard to make it home to Dallas, TX every single weekend so I started spending lots of time in NYC.  While NYC is great, I really really miss teaching my weekly Turbo Kick classes.  Teaching  brings me so much joy and positive energy that doing without is simply unacceptable.

When I’m in NYC I take super fierce Turbo Kick classes at my home club (shout out to @24hourfitness & super instructor @natalieuhling). However, I noticed that Turbo Kick overall isn’t as popular in NYC as it is on the West Coast and in the South. I think it may because there are SO many fantastic fitness options in NYC that many people simply aren’t aware of Turbo Kick’s awesomeness.

In any case, the entrepreneur/Turbo fanatic  in me jumped on this situation and had an idea to start teaching independent “GRIT by Brit” Turbo Kick classes outside of formal fitness clubs – Turbo NYC!  I LOVE Turbo Kick so much and have gotten  amazing results from the class (lost 25 pounds in 1 year – woop woop).   As an instructor, I feel it’s my duty to make Turbo Kick accessible and affordable to as many people as possible – thus my motivation to launch Turbo NYC!  Now people can enjoy Turbo Kick without being a member of a club.

Like setting out on any new venture, I had lots of self-doubt and fear of failure.  But with mental #GRIT and faith, the launch went off without a hitch!  We had an amazing turn out!  Our class was not messin’ around.   My #GRIT guys had to open the windows because the class was bringin’ the HEAT! Along with my #GRIT guys, I must thank my dearest friends who spent tons of time and energy encouraging me and supporting me – you guys bless my life exceedingly and abundantly.  I am so very grateful for you all (*tear).

“With faith in yourself and faith in God,  ALL things are possible – the world is YOURS!” #GRIT

NYC readers, be sure to come check us out next Sunday and EVERY Sunday at 11:00 AM in Flatiron.  All of the details are on our site, www.turbonyc.com

Have a wonderful week everyone – to health and happiness

Luv,

Brit  🙂

Turbo NYC videos coming soon…

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STRONG to the finish: Candace’s Progress on the New Year Kick Start Plan

Candace’s Week 2 Update

“Week 2 of my GRIT by Brit New Year Kick Start Plan was a bit quiet, I was able to get in a couple of workouts early in the week and stick to my eating plan. My challenge plans were a bit derailed due to travel to DC later in the week. I did try doing sit-ups and push-ups while watching TV one evening. I was able to knock out 200 crunches and 100 push-ups during commercial breaks. It was a great way to burn calories while watching my shows. Unfortunately, I’m up 1 lb. from the end of week 1. I’m looking forward to getting back on track and going hard in week 3.” – Candace

(below – sit ups with a dumbbell during commercial breaks)

(below – Candace knockin’ out some push ups to tone the core and upper body)

Brit’s Tips for Candace

  • Great job staying active despite not going to the gym every day.  “Commercial Break” exercises are effective and efficient so keep it up!  Next time take up the intensity and do some jumping jacks, burpees or squats during commercial breaks.  These exercises burn more calories and engage more muscle groups.
  • Be extra strict about sticking with your  eating plan this final week, especially on days that you miss a workout.  It’s important to keep the calorie intake down on these days since you won’t burn as many calories during the day.
  • Have a little black coffee in the morning for an extra jolt.  We know that coffee, in moderation, increases your energy and focus to help give you a push in this last week.
  • Most importantly – STAY POSITIVE.  This is the final push and you are well on your way to achieving your goal.  You got this!

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3-week New Year Kick-Start with Candace

New Year New You!

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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

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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!

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Super Simple 4 week Slim Down

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Meet my lovely cousin Chasity, our newest 4-week challenge chick on GRITbyBrit!  We are just coming off of a very successful 4-week challenge story with Alex who lost 7 pounds and rocked a sexy new dress for her 29th b-day. Now Chasity is taking the challenge up a notch and striving to lose 12 pounds! I tried to make her plan very SIMPLE because it can be really challenging to be disciplined on SO MANY areas. Hopefully, many of you can try the plan for yourself and share your success stories with me.

Be sure to check back for Chasity’s progress report. Let’s go Chasity – wish her luck!

  • Chasity’s Goals:photo-8
  1. Lose 12 pounds
  2. Healthier eating habits
  3. Tone upper body/ thighs
  4. Increase Stamina
  5. Tone lower abs/ muffin top
  • Workout Schedule: 1 hour M/Tu/Th/Sat/Sun
  • Workout Likes: Yoga, Pilates, Cardio/Dance style workouts
  • Workout Dislikes: RUNNING
  • Eating Habits: “I eat breakfast daily usually oatmeal during the week and a “country breakfast” on Saturdays 🙂 Frozen dinners for lunch during the week or sometimes I will eat fast food-raising canes is my often my choice. Dinner is just whatever I can get fast because I’m usually starving by the time I get home (meaning I tend to go for unhealthy food). I do snack a lot on like chips, pickles, cheese its, gummy bears, Oreos, cheese. I have Starbucks very berry coffee cake – my weekly treat. I don’t drink soda or coffee. During the week I don’t eat after 7 except on weds (eat after I get out of church around 9ish)” – Chasity
  • CHASITY’S 4-WEEK PLAN:
Super Simple 4-week Slim Down
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Cyber Monday Sale! 50% off GRIT by Brit Ultimate Body Burn DVD

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:

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

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

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

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4 Week Shred: Alex Thrives in Week 3

Alex at a recent event representing Sporty Afros & looking FAB!

Be sure to check out Alex’s complete 4-week GRIT by Brit Shred Plan and come back next week for her final report!

Alex’s Week 3 Update:
  • Scale Deception – I’ve discovered that when I don’t see the numbers change on the scale, I should also take a look at my clothes. I was amazed at the clothes and how they were fitting. I took a photo of my new pair of jeans verses my old jeggings. To see the change was amazing!
  • Time Off –  My doctor has me reducing my stress level thus I am making sure I get my 7-8 hours of sleep each night no matter what. I am drinking a lot of tea and have found a recent new tea to help bring down stress levels and relax. Tea is great for the skin and is an easy way to drink more water.
  • Exercise – Even if I am not meeting the goals every day with the plan, I am making each step and min count by keeping my heart rate monitor on. I had a pretty crappy run outside last week, but what made me smile was the calories burned.
  • Mental & Spiritual Strength – I am feeding my spirit and mind with educational opportunities but also the word (read: The Bible). Mostly during the day I am listening to sermons and uplifting music. This is making the day go by so much faster and my mood a lot better.
  • Grocery Shopping – I am loving Trader Joes as I get a chance to try new foods but also save a lot of staples. Since I have a salad every day, I can pick out a variety of salad toppings and bagged lettuce at the store $1-$2 cheaper. I also keep breakfast at my office now. I brought breakfast a few weeks ago to offset the amount of growing Halloween candy.
  • Food and Choices – The choices are becoming easier each day. I still love my bread but I am finding alternatives. The biggest changes are in my snacking as I have decrease my nuts/granola and fruit. I only have berries for my fruit and half or small apple or banana after a workout. I also started back eating fish as I am not having enough omegas, bored and needed to change a few things in my diet. I am keeping things in check much better. Dieting sucks and I binge badly after a few weeks (or days! lol) so being realistic about my life and time has helped amazingly.
Overall, I am feeling really good about myself and my progress especially since I am a few days out from my birthday 🙂
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