pilates – GRIT By Brit

Getting Ready for the Grand Opening of my New Fitness Studio – Grit Fitness!

December 8, 2014 3 Comments

Image: Me (center) and half of my team of fabulous fitness instructors! Photo by Sharee Antoinette Photography

Hi friends – Happy Monday! First and foremost, my apologies for the lack of blog posts last week. I’m not a believer in excuses, so I won’t give you any. I’ll just do better 🙂

On a brighter note, I’m back to frequent blogging now that most of the renovation and employee on-boarding activities at my new studio, GRIT Fitness, are complete! WOO HOO Being a full-time entrepreneur is WAY more time consuming than working in corporate America, that’s for sure. Nonetheless, I wouldn’t trade this life for anything. I’m so excited to wake up everyday and get after my long to do list. But before I get to work today, I’ll take a minute and share all of the great progress that was made last week…

Custom wall art & sound responsive lighting installed!

So one thing I’m learning a lot about is obtaining city permits. UGH! We finally secured our “green tag” of approval for all of the renovation work that was done in the studio so now we can “legally” open for business. Our super cool, sound responsive DJ lights were installed last week. Also, the custom wall art of motivational sayings were hung. Last we set up the sound system and started blasting some music. For the first time, I could feel the vibe I’ve been trying to create for my clients. I can’t wait until the first class on Jan. 19, 2015!

Entry way photo wall filled will images from my classes over the past 3 years! (still missing one pic in the upper left corner. That one is coming soon)

After getting the studio’s interior set up, I started decorating the entry way. This is a still a work in progress but here’s a sneak peak at the photo wall I’m putting together. I got these frames at At Home (formal Garden Ridge) for only $9.99 each! Then I took photos from my piyo and turbo kick classes over the past three years and had them blown up into black & white poster-size prints. As time progresses, I’m going to add instagram photos from our clients when they post them with hashtag #nogritnopearl – fun huh? Yesterday a I bought a hot pink bench and some other decor for front desk. I’ll post pics of that once I finish 🙂

Me and my sister, Kortani our dance cardio instructor, posing for a selfie after orientation. Hey Girl Hey!

On Friday and Saturday I hosted orientation for my fierce, fabulous crew of instructors. Starting off, we will be a team of 10 (including me) to teach over 20 classes per week. We went over the studio policies, “GRIT Etiquette” and had a fun photo shoot. I’m so grateful work with such a fun, high-energy fit family.

Well, that’s the run down. I’ll be back later this afternoon with some healthy holiday cocktail recipes. Until then, HAPPY MONDAY! xoxo, Brit

Just for Fun

Spreading #PiYo Love all over Dallas

June 23, 2014 No Comments

Hey Gang – Happy Monday! I just wrapped up my first 4 weeks of teaching PiYo on the wetdeck at the W-Dallas Hotel. We have gotten off to an amazing start and have generated a huge amount of Pilates/Yoga fusion energy in Dallas. If you happen to live in Dallas or just be in town for the weekend, I really hope you stop by and sweat with me 🙂 Last week, D Magazine wrote a really cool review of the class. Click here to read the full story.

Also, Chalene Johnson, the creator of PiYo, just launched a brand new home fitness PiYo program with Beachbody. In case you don’t know, Beachbody also created Insanity and P90X – 2 really great home fitness programs. I’ve always been a fan of Chalene Johnson because she created TurboKick (and y’all know I love me some Turbo).

Anyway, I’m super excited and grateful for a successful PiYo class so far this Summer. Here are some photos from our class last Saturday. There’s nothing I love more than connecting with blog readers and fitness fanatics in our community, so please do join us Saturday morning and say “hi” – I’d love to meet you. Click here for class details.

Have a wonderful week! xoxo, Brit

piyo on the wetdeck — PiYo at W-Dallas wetdeck June 21 ,2014 Photo by: Frank Everet, W Insider

Dallas, TX, Just for Fun, Lifestyle

PiYo at W Hotel #wetdeck is back! #WPiyo Summer 2014

May 8, 2014 No Comments

Hooray – it’s that time of year again! I’ll start teaching PiYo classes at the W Dallas – Victory hotel on Saturday May 31, 2014. Classes are held on the beautiful 16th floor beside the infnity pool of the W hotel. We start at 9:00am sharp each and every Saturday throughout the Summer. BREAKING NEWS: Classes have been extended through September 20th!

PiYo is one of my all time favorite fitness formats. It’s a fun, effective fusion of Pilates and Yoga set to upbeat music. If traditional yoga classes bore you, this is the class for you! And the best part is that we can enjoy the best view in Dallas while getting our tummy toning and bun burning on.

Thanks to the W Hotel, PiYo on the #wetdeck is completely FREE and open to everybody – no sign up needed. You must bring your own yoga mat to participate. We also recommend you bring water and a towel.

If you have any questions, shoot me an email at [email protected].

Inspiration & Motivation

Get FIT and WELL with an Outdoor Workout

May 14, 2013 1 Comment

It’s Spring – yippee! The sun is shining and skin is showing, so take your workout OUTSIDE. A recent study showed that exercising outdoors improves “mental well-being: compared with exercising indoors, exercising in natural environments was associated with greater feelings of revitalization increased energy and positive engagement, together with decreases in tension, confusion, anger and depression. Participants also reported greater enjoyment and satisfaction with outdoor activity and stated that they were more likely to repeat the activity at a later date.” Source: Outdoor Fit

Above: Me teaching PiYo on the Wet Deck at the W Dallas Hotel last Saturday

Not only are outdoor workouts fun, they also provide lots of extra health benefits. Here are my top 3 reason you should take your sweat session out doors this Spring:

Burn More Calories – Running and cycling outside takes more energy due to overcoming wind resistance and balancing on uneven terrains. Also, people are naturally more enthusiastic when they workout outdoors and put more energy into their works resulting in higher calorie burn 🙂
Get some Vitamin D – UV rays from sun exposure give our bodies lots of Vitamin D which increases energy and vitality. Soak up those rays but don’t forget your sunscreen!
It’s FREE – Unlike working out in gyms or fitness studios, most outdoor workouts are absolutely free! Like my Pilates/Yoga class that I teach every Saturday morning at the W Dallas Victory hotel. Several yoga studios and boot camps offer free outdoor workouts in the Spring and Summer so keep you eyes peeled for special events. Better yet, try a track workout! And when in doubt, nothing beats a good old-fashioned run in the park with a jammin’ playlist 🙂

Enjoy the outdoors! xoxo, Brit

Dallas, TX

PiYo all Summer long at W Dallas – Victory

May 7, 2013 6 Comments

Show your body and your self some love this Summer by joining me for FREE PiYo classes! In case you’ve never heard of PiYo, it’s a Pilates / Yoga fusion workout. Click here to learn more about it.

I’ve partnered up with the amazing W Dallas Hotel – Victory Park to bring this free fitness gift to you. It’s going down every Saturday morning at 8:30 am on the glorious 16th floor Wet Deck – breathtaking views are in abundance!

So grab your yoga mat and a friend and be ready to sweat. I guarantee this is the BEST fitness class Dallas has to offer. See you on Saturday! (All details are in the flyer below)

Arms

Farewell Flabby Arms!

May 4, 2013 19 Comments

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBNKC7SaTsE]

I hope you guys had a great Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend. I spent my weekend in California celebrating a friend’s wedding – it was amazing! The sun was shining and I finally got to wear some of my favorite sundresses. On that note, nothing looks better in a sleeveless sundress than nice toned arms. So, check out this arm workout that I designed to get you on a “Michelle Obama level.” You’ll need 2 medium dumbbells to complete the exercises. This is a nice workout to tag on to the end of a cardio sweat session. You can workout with me in real-time by watching the video (click play above) or do the workout on your own (follow the instructions below). Either way, be sure to try it out and let me know how it goes!

Enjoy rockin’ those sundresses #getitgurl

Workout Reviews & Ratings

Studio Review: Uplift Studios NYC – Get UPLIFTED!

April 2, 2013 6 Comments

Last weekend I discovered yet another NYC fitness gem, Uplift Studios! It’s a women’s only gym that provides personal training and group fitness classes (no standard gym equipment to workout on your own). Long story short, it’s a smaller, higher-end version of Lucille Roberts or Lady of America. While scoping out the scene, I took a Cardio group fitness class. Overall, I was VERY pleased with my experience. Here’s the low down…

The vibe of the studio is VERY welcoming and peaceful. Boutique fitness studios in NYC can often be snobby, which makes me feel super uncomfortable. This certainly was not the case at Uplift. I was greeted with a HUGE smile from the front desk staff and received several compliments on my Nike Pro leggings 😉 Also, the group fitness class instructor, Steph, went out of her way to introduce herself to me and push me individually during the class.

Now, this studio is NOT for you if you like to workout on your own with no guidance or if you want to engage in some hard-core competition. On the other hand, the studio is GREAT for ladies who are new to working out. There’s no anxiety about being the “worst person in the class” or men watching you exercise. As you can see in the pictures above, the studio tries to generate a very “uplifting” group atmosphere. Cardio dance parties and encouraging, intimate group fitness classes are the core of the studio. The fitness classroom is very small and can only hold about 15 people. Also, the personal training is great if you’re getting ready for a big event, like a wedding! Training sessions are private and the trainers seem really patient.

Last but not least, the studio itself is very nice, clean, modern and well-kept. GREEN is key color and luckily that day I had green nail polish, so I fit right in 😉 Showers, hair dryers and free lockers are also available. In regards to cost, Uplift classes are on the high-end (market rate for boutique fitness studios in NYC). Expect to pay $32 per 1-hour class.

Ultimate Verdict: I personally, won’t be going back because I’m very value conscious. For $32 dollars I would rather go to SoulCycle, CrossFit or Barry’s Boot Camp because the atmosphere and culture are more intense. However, I’m a really competitive person and realize that many people don’t share my fitness preferences. Nonetheless, I highly recommend my GRIT Girls to try out Uplift, especially if you typically only do Pilates/Yoga workouts and want to explore new cardio and strength training classes. Get “Uplifted” – enjoy!

Lots of luv,

Brit

Arms, Back, Home Workouts

Tone it Up Tuesday: Upper Body Workout

February 26, 2013 5 Comments

Michelle Obama arms anyone?

Here’s an upper body toning workout I designed in aspiration of getting first class guns just like our fierce first lady. The workout focuses solely on the biceps, triceps, shoulders and abs. You don’t need hand weights and can do this workout right in your living room – yay!

The entire workout takes 30 minutes and burns about 200 calories. I’m going to give it a whirl tonight along with 30 minutes of cardio. Try it for yourself and let me know how it goes – enjoy!

Lots of luv,

Brit 😉

Workout Reviews & Ratings

PiYo STRENGTH: Pilates/Yoga Fusion Workout

October 25, 2012 14 Comments

Last Sunday I finished the course requirements and am now a certified PiYo STRENGTH Instructor – woop woop! (That’s me on the right in the back row with my hair lookin’ a mess; long day so don’t judge, hehe). In addition to teaching my weekly Turbo Kick classes, I plan to now teach a mind/body fitness format.

PiYo is short for “Pilates Yoga.” It’s a group fitness format available at most major health clubs, especially 24 Hour Fitness and women’s gyms. Long story short – get involved with PiYo. Here’s why I love it:

I have (self diagnosed) ADD – If you also have a limited attention span, you will love PiYo because it’s fast paced. Throughout the workout you flow swiftly through a variety of yoga poses and Pilates exercises which prevents boredom.
I like sweating – If I’m not drenched after a workout, I’m not convinced that the workout was productive. Because PiYo is fast paced and the moves are challenging, you start breaking a sweat within the first 10 minutes.
I dislike awkward situations – PiYo has no spiritual element, it’s solely a mind/body WORK OUT. I always feel super awkward in traditional yoga classes with serious spiritual cultures and chanting – not my thing. PiYo has a fun group atmosphere where you can let loose and truly relax.
I like to JAM – PiYo is set to music, and not spiritual chanting or anything like that. I’m talking Top 40 and R&B jamz. Not only is the music great, but there’s also a dance element to the workout so you can shake your groove thang 😉
I need to be more flexible – As you can tell, most of my workouts are high intensity interval training or long cardio sessions. However, I often skip the stretching and mind/body relaxation that my body needs. In fact, flexibility is the most overlooked element of fitness! PiYo lets me work on my flexibility without feeling like I’m wasting time.

And since you’ve been so kind and read to the end, I’ll reward you with some videos of PiYo in action – enjoy 🙂
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDdekLVTIpk&w=560&h=315]
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uHULk86G-2o&w=560&h=315]