Inspiration & Motivation

4-week tone up challenge: COMPLETE

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“Done and Done!  The 4-week tone up challenge was truly a great mix up to my winter workout rut.  I appreciated having set days to work out and set days to recover.  Also, the structured workout plan gave me goals and checklists which were extremely helpful when fitting workouts into my busy schedule. Overall, I am loving the results so far and will continue to use Brit’s workouts ALL summer.  This is just the kick-start I needed to get beach body ready.  After only 4 weeks my “six-pack” is starting to show and my legs are significantly more toned!  I’m looking forward to some new workouts for my post Italian vacation in a couple of weeks to help me get back on track after a little R&R with a great friend (Brit).”   – Jan

Wanna try the challenge?  Missed one of Jan’s updates?

Photography provided by Anna Jane

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Home Workouts, Total Body

Melt Fat AT HOME with a Medicine Ball

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  • Workout: Medicine Ball Melt Down by Brit
  • Duration: about 30 minutes
  • Calories Burned: 250 – 350
  • Focus: Total body toning, core strength, calorie burn
  • Commentary:  Using medicine balls are a FUN and EFFECTIVE way to change-up your home workout routines.  I like them because I can always find a new way to workout with them.   I highly suggest getting one of your own – you can buy them for pretty cheap ($10-40) depending on the weight.

INSTRUCTIONS: Do 4 rounds of the following circuit.  Between each round, do a 1 min cardio interval  (i.e. jumping jacks, squat jumps, high knees, ski jump side to side, etc.)  You can do this workout at home or  at the gym after or before your cardio training – ENJOY 🙂

    1.  Push ups (15 reps), with one hand on the medicine ball  – 2 rounds w/ right hand, 2 round w/ left hand
    2. Bicep curls (20 reps), holding the medicine ball with both hands
    3. Triceps overhead extensions (20 reps), holding the medicine ball with both hands 
    4. Loop through lunges (20 reps), 10 on right leg and 10 on left leg; step one leg forward into a lunge position, pass the medicine ball under your front leg from one hand to the other, bring the ball back up over you head and pass to the other hand, repeat (see example at the bottom)
    5. Wall sits (45 seconds), with lateral shoulder isolation, hold the medicine ball straight out in front of you with both hands while holding a wall sit 
    6. Berry pickers (20R, 20L), holding the medicine ball with both hands  – lie on your back, bend your knees, rise to a crunch position and twist left and right so that the ball touches the floor on each side
    7. Plank on medicine ball (45 seconds) – 15 sec w/ ball under right hand, 15 sec with ball under left hand, 15 sec with ball under both hands
    8. Superman extensions (20 reps), lie face down on your stomach,  holding the medicine with both hands out in front of your forehead,  raise the ball up about 4 in. from the floor, squeeze your back muscles, repeat.
Example: Loop Through Lunge
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Arms, Home Workouts, Workout Reviews & Ratings

Les Mills Body Pump Review: Pump ON = Fat OFF

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  • Workout: Body Pump, Les Mills
  • Duration: 1 hour
  • Calories Burned: 350-550
  • Focus: Total body muscle strengthening and toning
  • What is Body Pump?: A total body weight lifting class using a bar with weighted plates on each side.  There are about 8-10 music tracks and each one has a choreographed weight lifting routine to work a specific muscle group (i.e. legs, chest, back, biceps, triceps, etc.).  You can also buy the DVDs and equipment to do the class at home.
Brit gettin’ her “PUMP” on April 9, 2012

Commentary:  I try to go to Body Pump at least once a week and when I do, I always feel tight and toned.  The music is okay, def not amazing, but the workout is sick –  it’ll get you right.  I like this class because it’s an efficient TOTAL body strength workout. I appreciate that I don’t have go searching for a weight lifting routine for each body part, I can get it all at once – 1 hour and done.  Also, you do a ton of reps for each muscle group so bulking up is not an issue.  Instead, your muscles gain endurance and you even get a good sweat!

The Facts: Building lean muscle mass is not only great for your overall health and  fitness, it’s also a great way to speed up your metabolism aka BURN FAT!  Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the rate that your body burns calories while at rest.  RMR is directly related to your ratio of lean body mass.  This means, the more lean body mass you build, the more calories and fat you burn while at rest.  So get your PUMP ON and get the FAT OFF 🙂

Resistance training has been perhaps the most under emphasized component of the comprehensive weight loss program.  – Paula Besson MEd

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Cardio, Home Workouts

Basic Body Burn

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  • Name: Basic Body Burn by Brit
  • Duration: 1 – 1.25 hours
  • Calories Burned: 300 – 500
  • Focus: Moderate cardio + total body light resistance training
  • Location: Hotel gym (any gym you want)
  • Commentary: Last week was crazy with work travel, leaving me pretty burnt out and lacking motivation to go to the gym and hit it hard.  So, I made this workout to do in my little hotel gym.  It gave me a low/moderate intensity total body workout that kept me active but didn’t wear me out.   At the end of the day, I felt really proud for not skipping my workout altogether 🙂  Now, this isn’t a workout you should stick with if you’re really trying to “get it in.”  BUT, it’s a good option for those days when you aren’t really feeling it or maybe traveling …enjoy!

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Cardio, Home Workouts

2-Hour Saturday Detox Workout

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Me after my 2 hour Saturday detox!

For the past year, I’ve committed my Saturday mornings to detoxing my body and catching up on missed workouts.  My personal detox routine = 1 hour TurboKick class + 1 hour weight lifting class (Barbell, Body Pump, Power Sculpt, etc.)  I like doing my detox in group fitness classes because of the music and positive vibe of working out with other people.  However, you can do your detox routine however you like.  For example, go running outside for an hour and follow it with a 1 hour weights circuit.

Here are the details of my 2-Hour Saturday Detox Workout Regimen:

  • Duration: 2 hours
  • Formula: 1 hour of high intensity cardio (breathing heavy) + 1 hour of total body resistance training (lifting weights)
  • Calories Burned:800-1200
  • Location: Preferably a gym or fitness club with Group exercise classes
  • The Facts: The American College of Sports Medicine recommends 30 minutes of cardio 3-5 times per week and 30 minutes of muscular strength training 2-3 times per week.  Check this, if you do a 2 hour cardio + weights detox routine, you’ve knocked out over 50% of your weekly exercise needs.  So, try the 2 hour detox  and your Saturday’s suddenly get sweeter 🙂

What’s your “detox workout’ formula?

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Home Workouts

Sweat Sesh

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  • Name: Sweat Sesh by Brit
  • Duration: 1 – 1.5 hours
  • Focus: Moderate/high intensity cardio, max calorie burn
  • Calories Burned: 600 – 800
  • Location: Any gym with cardio machines
  • Commentary: I made this workout for my friend/colleague who’s just starting to get back into the gym.  We did it on Tuesday and our booties were burning on Wednesday morning!  I like it because it provides a TON of cardiovascular training by incorporating basic cardio machines and body weight drills. You can easily do it at the gym with a good play list going on your iPod.   If you’re trying to drop a few pounds for summer, throw this workout into your routine and you’ll be turning heads…or at least losing water weight 🙂
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