Inspiration & Motivation

4-week challenge: Sasha O or Prego?

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Lakshmi’s Week 2 Update

Sasha Obama wore this adorable dress to her father’s speech at the DNC. I promptly purchased and wore it Wednesday for a work event. Not going to lie, I felt good in it. It accentuated my waist and was flattering (so I thought). I went to the work event, where the first person I spoke with had met with me a year ago. She said to me, “It’s great to see you again. And I see you have a baby bump.” Pow. All my confidence (I had even posted on Facebook about how great I felt in the dress) just disappeared like that. Unfortunately, there’s something about my body type that causes me to get mistaken for being pregnant all too often (I know, weird). I played the bigger person and instead of socking her in the face I said, “You’d be surprised how often I am mistaken for being pregnant. I must have a pregnant glow. When it does actually happen to me, I’ll be radioactive!” But I can joke all I want. It still really hurts. And when it hurts, I need some carbs. So Brit, I did eat carbs after 4 pm on Wednesday. But can you blame me? I was eating for two (PLEASE NOTE: THAT STATEMENT IS A JOKE).

Really tough to get the workouts in this week. I was in Boston Wed – Thursday AM. And am in Richmond Thursday AM to Friday night. Working a ton – so my options to workout were between the hours of midnight and 4 am. Sooo…I didn’t workout Thursday and Friday. I’ll get back into the groove on Saturday, I promise!

Here’s the dress I wore Wednesday. Isn’t it adorable? (the black and white one). No one mistook Sasha Obama for being prego.

Brit’s Advice for Lakshmi

  • Accentuate the positive – when you reflect on your week, ALWAYS think about everything you did WELL first.  If you start with your “slip ups,” it’s too easy to get discouraged and eventually quit your shape up efforts.
  • Don’t think in absolutes – you will never have a perfect day, so don’t beat yourself up if you sneak a cookie or miss a workout.  Just think about living a “balanced” life and schedule some extra workout time or a super lean meal to compensate for your “slip up”
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Inspiration & Motivation

Urban Wandering

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This weekend I went to NYC to hang with some friends and scope out the scene. I’ve been contemplating a move from the Big D to the Big Apple over the past few weeks. That said my friends labeled this trip as my “official recruiting” visit.

On Saturday morning I hit up the Derek Jeter 24 Hour Fitness in Midtown to get my usual 2-hour Saturday detox on. I had a sick Turbo Kick workout my girl Natalie (follow her @natalieughling) – one of my favorite NYC group fitness instructors and also the new face of Under Armor Women. After that, I did my 1st full-hour TRX Suspension Training class = KILLER CORE WORK and body weight resistance training. I felt nice and tight for the remainder of the weekend. I highly recommend you give it a whirl.

While wandering the Urban Jungle I hit up a street market in West Village, a roof top party near Gramercy Park, The Ramble and Alice’s Tea Cup in Central Park (you must try the pumpkin/caramel scone) and finally a b-day brunch/Soul Parade in Harlem. Let’s just say, this was a successful “recruiting visit” …

I’m feeling refreshed and optimistic for the week ahead. Here are some of my personal photos for you to peruse. Enjoy and Happy Monday 🙂

West Village impromptu “photo shoot”

(rockin’ my Hadliegh’s Bespoke slippers – constant movement is key)

Roof Top Action

Happiest birthday to my buddy Matt (@mattsalz)

Harlem Shakin’

Happy Birthday to my girl Charlotte (co-founder of www.teamfnom.com – check them out!)

All good things must come to an end…

Toppin’ off the weekend with a cup of Joe on my way home

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Inspiration & Motivation

4-week challenge: Lak’s Week 1 Update

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Hey Gang – Lakshmi has completed her 1st week of the 4-week challenge and is lookin’ mighty fine!  Keep up with her progress and send in your notes of encouragement.  You can see my comments and words of advice throughout her update.  Have a great weekend!  – Brit

SEXY IN BLACK

Week 1 of my Grit by Brit 4-week challenge is almost done. Here are some successes, failures (let’s call them, “opportunities for improvement” – I don’t like the word “failures”) and things I’ve learned. I haven’t lost any weight, but I’m feeling sleeker:

Successes:

  • I rocked the workout schedule. My muscles have been in a constant state of soreness this week (in a good way) – eat a banana to help with soreness
  • Chugging water like woah. I may have had more than 2L a day
  • I managed to follow the ‘no simple carbs after 4 pm’ rule (for the most part)
  • I’ve only been snacking at night. Breakfast and lunch have become my main meals
  • I’ve been watching my food intake. Just being conscious of the food I’m eating is an improvement

Opportunities for Improvement

  • Well on Sunday, I went to dinner. The menu didn’t say my meal came with rice (I ordered specifically because no carbs were listed). But it did. And I ate it
  • I may have gamed the system. Find me around 3:50 pm, you’ll see me downing some carbs in preparation for my 4 pm deadline – this is okay, it’s a start
  • Perchance all my eating decisions weren’t all perfect before 4 pm. I could have made healthier choices, but the new hires at work were training in the office and there was SO MUCH extra food. Eating for free v. eating right…it’s a toss up. Penny pinching won
  • I could have eaten more vegetables. I found myself having more almonds than raw vegetables
  • I’ve hit the 3 drink limit for the week (it was a social week). And I’m going to a wedding this weekend…uh oh

Things I’ve Learned:

  • Make others accountable for your eating decisions. Everyone at work knows I’m on the Grit by Brit plan. So when I’m teased by some delicious snack in the office kitchen, my co-workers intervened with some humiliating comment like “you can’t eat that.” You lose all your dignity, but hopefully you also lose your weight
  • If you eat a big lunch, you don’t need a big dinner. I’m not hungry right now. I can’t believe it
  • Water makes you feel good. I’m finally hydrated!

Questions for Brit

  • Can I eat quinoa after 4 pm? Yes in moderation
  • Do you have any good recommendations for what to eat at night? Nothing, drink water, why do you need fuel to sleep??

Lots of love boo – keep up the good work!

Brit 😉

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Inspiration & Motivation

NEW 4-week challenge: Chi-town shape up w/Lakshmi

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I’m kicking off a new 4-week challenge with my friend, Lakshmi.  Ordinarily, I’d give you my usual song and dance about how we became friends, blah blah blah.  But I think a picture is a worth a 1,000 words when it comes to describing our friendship.  So get to know her, check out her diet and exercise plan (maybe even try it for yourself) and check in every week for her progress reports!

Luv, Brit

Our friendship…

Meet Lakshmi a.k.a “Lak-sheezy”

I’m a girl with good intentions, but I am easily swayed off course. I try to work out each day and am able to eat well until the mid-afternoon. Then I find temptation taking over and a handful of miniature chocolates in my hand. I’ve got some major love for starch and sugar – and I need help curbing the cravings.

My goal is to not change in the short-term, but change in the long-term. I want to fix bad habits. It would be amazing if I could drop some lbs. But mostly I just want to get tone, feel confident about my body, and feel some control in my life.

I’m a consultant with unpredictable hours and very last minute travel. I make it a priority to get to the gym. It’s not always possible, but by in large, I’m there 4 – 6 times a week. My hours are long, which makes cooking and planning meals tough.

Help me!

Exercise – I’m a class girl. Unless someone tells me what to do, I will convince myself it’s okay to stop. The meaner the teacher, the better in my world.

Also, I walk to and from work (25 minutes each way) while listening to a live stream of NPR (how yuppie is that?).

As for my diet…

Breakfast – I try to do oatmeal and coffee. Sometimes I do museli with fruit.

Lunch – Salad or sandwich and a diet soda (I know, I know). On a bad day, I add in chips. And chocolate…

Snack – This is where I falter. My company is really good about supplying snacks. No good deed goes unnoticed, so I find myself often in our snack cabinet foraging for sugar and/or salt. Lately our miniature Hershey chocolates have been by downfall.

Dinner – I like starch, especially potatoes. Today I had some leftover gnocchi. Sometimes it’s a frozen dinner. I am tired when I get home from work (usually 8 or 9), so I’m in no mood to cook for one.

Dessert – I will have a tablespoon of PB. Or chocolate covered bananas from Trader Joe’s (4 pieces)

Here are things I don’t like: Running, chicken (it’s a dirty bird), cold meat on salad (unless it’s tuna), pork, ham, lifting weights

Here are things I’m allergic to: Shellfish, walnuts

Here are things I like: Spinning, yoga, potatoes, french macarons

Also, I’m awesome at taking my vitamins everyday.

Brit’s 4-week shape up plan for Lakshmi

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Inspiration & Motivation

So…hows your “Personal Vitality” these days?

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This week I had to take my annual IBM health assessment to get a  rebate on my health insurance premiums.  I figured it was worth my time to save $150 bucks.  Usually, I breeze through these things because they seems like such a formality, but this time I was intrigued by the survey questions in my “Personal Vitality Assessment.”

I got to thinking…rather than always focusing on my fitness or nutrition, I should frequently take a step back and think about my overall vitality.  Personal vitality measures overall health in 4 key areas:

  • Physical
  • Mental
  • Emotional
  • Purpose – INTERESTING!  (I very much believe that having a sense of individual life purpose is absolutely fundamental to personal happiness and contentment – read more)

Here’s a snap shot of (what I thought) were the most interesting parts of the Personal Vitality assessment.  As you can see, some of my responses are included.  I was going to hide them, but figured you guys would appreciate the honesty/transparency…

PART 1

 

PART 2

I think we could all benefit by asking ourselves these questions on a regular basis.    Doing so may help us understand the areas in our life and in our health habits that need more attention.

Give yourself a Personal Vitality assessment and let me know how it goes – don’t forget an action plan!

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Inspiration & Motivation, Lifestyle

Fitness for the SOUL: Power of Positive Energy – Reflections on a wonderful weekend in San Fransisco

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I very much believe in the Law of Attraction. The energy we cultivate is the energy we attract, be it positive or negative. That said, I’m eager to jump into environments that exude positive energy. These are opportunities to fill myself with optimism, hope and encouragement. As a result, I’m able to attract positive people and life circumstances.

Last weekend I headed to the West Coast to visit one of my best friends from business school. We spent most of our time in Palo Alto and one evening San Fransisco. I had a great time just catching up, eating good food, enjoying a long run and walking around the Stanford University campus (my 1st time there). Few places inspire me more than university campuses – oh the possibilities! Especially, Stanford considering its academic excellence and athletic superiority. I’ve watched several Olympic athletes the past 2 weeks who are Stanford Alumni. Anyway, I felt very inspired while I was there so I wanted to share some pics from my “positive place.” Today I’m pumped up and eagerly anticipating a wonderful week 🙂

Where’s your positive place?

How are you going to surround yourself with positive energy this week?

How can you be a source of positive energy to others?

Below: Some fun shots of me representing’ for the GRIT GIRLZ and being a Stanford Soccer Groupie 😉

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Cardio, Home Workouts, Total Body

TRAIN Like an Olympian to LOOK Like an Olympian

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  • Workout: Olympic Athlete Personal Challenge by Brit
  • Duration: 30-45 minutes
  • Calories Burned: 400-600
  • Brit’s Commentary: I was feeling so inspired by the Olympics this week that I designed a workout to challenge my own “Olympic worthiness.”  I’m no where near an “Olympic athlete” but sometimes it’s good to feel my own SPEED, ENDURANCE, STRENGTH and GRIT!  This workout was a nice change up to my usual routine and kept me in the Olympic spirit.  It also allowed me to capitalize on all of the positive energy that the Olympics brings every 4 years!  That said, try the challenge for yourself and go for the GOLD 🙂

*Be sure to warm up for 5-10 minutes before you start the sprints and stretch for 5-15 minutes after you complete the workout.  

Example: Inch Worm Exercise

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Inspiration & Motivation

4-week Challenge: Jenny’s Week 3 Update – Maintaining in Malaga, Spain

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Despite vacations, minor set-backs and work commitments, Jenny has done an excellent job staying on track with her 4-week challenge!  If you are trying the challenge for yourself, stay motivated by keeping up with her progress.  Here’s her week 3 update:

“My girl’s weekend in Malaga was really great! I found a nice balance between relaxing, getting in some workouts, eating healthy, and eating whatever I wanted! 🙂 I took the first day off from any kind of activity except for walking around, eating tapas, and drinking wine. But the next two days my friend and I got two solid workouts in at a local gym, and ate mostly salads. We also did a ton of walking around! It wasn’t so hard for me to eat healthy, since I’m actually not a huge fan of Spanish cuisine. But that said, my friend and I didn’t hold back on the Sangria or wine  (Hey, you gotta live a little!). I found that it is much easier to keep up with diet and exercise when on vacation when you are with someone who is also health conscious and likes a good workout!

And now that I am back at home, I feel great – I don’t think I lost any weight, but I don’t think I gained any either. I’ve just gotten back, and I’ve already hit the weights and a spinning session! I love that way I feel after a rest day – super strong and energetic! Now I’m pushing hard for the next three days (spinning every day to get all three classes in + Pilates + Brit’s workouts!) – And then going to a Wedding over the weekend (and plan on looking fabulous in a new dress I bought in Spain!).

So here it goes with the last week of the four-week challenge – wish me luck!”

– Jenny

Brit’s advice for Jenny:

  • Keep your eye on the Prize –   I want Jenny to be extra disciplined this week.  She should revisit the goals she set at the start of the challenge and have FULL CONFIDENCE that she can achieve them!
  • Focus on Food – After a vacation, it’s common to want to hit the gym hard, which is a good thing.  However, Jenny should be extra mindful of what goes into her mouth.  She must be careful not to wipe out all of her hard work in the gym by consuming too many calories.
  • Stretch, Stretch, Stretch – Since Jenny has been away for a few days, it may take a her body a little time to adjust to the hardcore workout regimen.  T0 prevent soreness and injury (and ultimately missed workouts), I want her to stretch for at least 15 minutes per day.

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Inspiration & Motivation

Olympic Inspiration – Find your GREATNESS

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Once again, NIKE has hit the nail on the head.  As you guys know, I absolutely love the Summer Olympics.  Thus, watching the games on TV this past week has been absolute inspirational paradise!  The idea that someone trains for 4 whole years to master 1 moment is simply amazing.  It’s like Eminem said, “You only get one shot.”  Truth is that the experience of training, performing and being great isn’t only for Olympic athletes – it for ALL OF US!  The raw endurance and perseverance that Olympic athletes exhibit very much parallels how we can handle challenges in our daily lives.  Each day we have the opportunity to find our greatness.  The opportunity to push ourselves.  To shock ourselves and do something we never thought we were capable of doing.  To set higher goals.   To explore our true passions.  To recognize and appreciate our talents and gifts.  To perfect our skills.  To strengthen our mental grit.  And ultimately, to be GREAT.

I recently saw this NIKE commercial during Olympic games the that so perfectly conveys this message.  Please take a minute, watch and ask yourself, “What is my greatness?”  GET IT.  GRIT. GREATNESS.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JnYcuRW_qo&w=560&h=315]

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