Hey gang, sorry for my sporadic posting lately. Fortunately, I enjoyed some much-needed time away in Mexico for my dear friend’s wedding. The calming effects of the sea are amazing – much like the high after a good workout or relief after a good cry. Here’s few pics from my weekend. I’ll be back to posting workouts, recipes and “fitspiration” over the next few days. In the meanwhile, check out my Extreme Bikini Body Workout – it’s that time of year. Love you lots!
Chillin’ in Riviera Maya, Mexico – April 2014Clear blue skies in Mexico #BlissSexy Grit by Brit #Surfboard
The cure for anything is Saltwater: Sweat, Tears & the Sea
Hey Gang! Hope your week is going well. I started a new project in Chicago this week. My team is full of CrossFit junkies and this morning they hit up a 5:30am CrossFit session. Unfortunately, I overslept and missed it 🙁 But on the bright side, I made a back up “Endurance Pyramid Dumbbell Circuit” workout and did it in my hotel gym. After the circuit, I got a quick 30 minutes in on the elliptical. My entire workout took 45 minutes (so I’m guessing the circuit only takes ~15 minutes). Try to power through it with minimal rest to focus on building your endurance and to get a good sweat going – post a comment if you have questions. Enjoy! xoxo, Brit
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.
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 🙂
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
Confidence really is the “key” to… everything. After working in 2 totally different environments, full-time in a conservative corporate organization and part-time in a gym teaching fitness classes, I’ve noticed that in both contexts the most confident people always fare best. Notice I didn’t say the smartest, most experienced or even the most talented. For example, at my corporate job the person who speaks up in meetings and boldly takes on new projects is always first in line for promotion. Also at the gym, the fitness instructors who risk looking like an idiot to energize their class always have the biggest following. The consistent trait among these successful folks is a high degree of self-confidence.
The reality is that we all have insecurities. We compare ourselves to others and feel shameful at times (or at least I do). To me, it’s refreshing to see people who are fearless and confident enough to take a stand or risk failing. Seeing someone who believes in their self makes me believe in them too. It’s a self-fulfillingprophecy.
That said I did some research on tips that can help us boost our self-confidence. Below are my 10 favorites. I hope these tips helps you as much as they’ve helped me.
10 Tips to Boost Your Self-Confidence
Sip coffee – Studies show that just a little coffee increases alertness, energy and confidence. But remember to skip the cream and sugar, no need for the extra calories.
WIN! do something you’re naturally good at – It’s great to improve on our weaknesses, but it’s really nice to be the best at something. Make winning a habit by doing something each week that you are naturally good at.
Strut some stilettos – High heels make us stand up straighter and walk taller. Don’t be afraid to stand tall and be big! Throw on those pumps and “get on wit yo bad self!”
Blog – Sharing your innermost feelings online rather than in a personal journal can help us feel more comfortable with ourselves – flaws and all. There’s something powerful about taking the risk of sharing your thoughts and experiences with the world. The vulnerability required to blog can increase self-confidence.
Dance in the mirror – I find dancing in the mirror to be extremely liberating. I’ve told you guys over and over that I am not a great dancer, so watching myself let loose (and look kinda silly) helps me feel more comfortable in my own skin. Try it!
Savor compliments – Instead of dismissing compliments, simply say “Thank You” and then repeat the compliment in your head 3 times. It’s okay, don’t be shy 😉
Sweat – Exercise gets endorphins flowing and increases serotonin which makes us feel good. It’s easier to be confident when you feel good. Also the physical benefits of exercise makes us feel better about our abilities and our appearance.
Write about a time you felt “powerful” – I was at women’s brunch a few months ago and the speaker asked the audience how many of us wanted to be powerful. Only only like 10% raised their hands. Then she asked how many wanted to be influential and like 90% raised their hands. I don’t get that? What’s wrong with being powerful? Powerful people with good intentions can make the most significant positive impacts! People possess power because others believe in them. Powerful people exude confidence! Spend some time writing about your most “powerful” moment to give yourself a confidence boost.
Hey gang! Hope you’re enjoying a wonderful weekend full of relaxation and sweaty workouts. I am! Today I went to Turbo Kick class (my fav) for 1 hour of high intensity cardio exercise. I usually stay for the Body Pump class for strength training after my cardio workout. Today I was running low on time, so I got to the gym early and did this super efficient 15 minute Fat Burning Barbell workout instead. This workout is considered “fat burning” because it’s designed to efficiently fatigue the some of largest muscle groups – glutes (booty), quads, hamstrings (legs), lats (back) and delts (shoulders). It’s great to add to the end or beginning of your cardio workout.
Before Turbo Kick class gettin’ my strength and toning on!
When weight training, most of us ladies immediately crank out crunches or grab light dumbbells and do arm exercises. This is great for toning, but if you want to transform your body into a fat burning machine you must fatigue your large muscles. The large muscles exert the greatest amount of energy and burn a ton of calories in the process. Better yet, post-workout they continue to burn calories to repair muscles, thus increasing your metabolism! FYI – metabolism is the rate at which your body burns calories.
So without further or do, here’s the workout – I encourage you to try it. I also included some instructional photos from this morning 🙂
Enjoy transforming your body into a sexy, strong fat blasting machine! xoxo, Brit
Let’s jump-start a healthier 2014 with some fun & friendly competition! I started a diet bet game that will start on Monday, January 6. Click hereto join our game and invite your friends and family too. Our pot of money grows as players join. Whoever hits their goal splits the pot. Get healthier, have fun and win some cash – don’t wait our game starts next Monday!
