Get to STEPPIN’ – Life with my pedometer

July 29, 2012 4 Comments

SO… along with cutting back on the booze, for my 28th b-day I also committed to wearing a pedometer everyday. In case you don’t know, a pedometer is a little device you can attach to your body and it counts the number of steps you take. I got the idea from my friend Megan who consistently wore her pedometer every single day of our vacation in Italy.

Basically I’m on one of these 10,000 step plans. Recent studies show that it takes 10,000 steps (equal to 5 miles) per day to manage your current weight. As many of you know, I’ve lost over 20 pounds in the last 2 years and I REFUSE to gain it back. So the 10,000 step plan is my new method of ensuring I don’t slowly pack back on the pounds.

First off, using the pedometer is cheap and simple. I bought mine at Academy Sports & Outdoors for about $20 and I simply clip it to my belt or bra strap every day. Altogether, I didn’t realize how sedentary I am every day. It’s cray cray! My daily step count was all over the place – literally. On an average day when I do not workout, I only walk about 3,000-4,00 steps. YIKES!

Getting my 10,000 steps in each day is still work in progress, but I’m constantly improving. Overall, I think this is legit so def try it for yourself! Here’s a little photo diary of my pedometer experience:

1st day with the pedometer, sitting at my desk all day and only at 4,693 steps at 8pm – not a good look 🙁

Feeling very eager and determined on day 2 – walked/jogged on the treadmill for 30 min and walked around my office multiple times for over 12,000 steps!

Lazy day working from home. Had to head to the gym to make up for a LOT of steps!

After teaching 1-hour Turbo Kick class +6,000 steps putting me well above 10,000 by 6:15pm – a good look 🙂

Morning run and Psycho Gym workout got me over 8,000 steps by lunch time. YAY!

Sunday church + brunch left me with a major step gap 🙁

Went for a Sunday afternoon stroll around my neighborhood to get my extra steps in. Mission accomplished!

Here are a few ways that I incorporated more steps into my day to make may daily 10,000 step quota:

Park in the parking spot furthest away form the door to my work building
Get up and walk around my office every couple of hours
Walk on the treadmill or around my neighborhood to make up for missed steps
Stand at my desk, and sway side to side instead of sitting (awkward I know, but it works)

How do you get your steps in? Please do share!

Inspiration & Motivation

4-week Challenge: Jenny’s Week 2 Update – “Keep Calm and Carry On”

July 27, 2012 1 Comment

Happy Friday! Jenny has just wrapped up week 2 of her 4-Week Challenge. Try the challenge for yourself and stay motivated by keeping up with Jenny’s progress!

Jenny’s Week 2 Progress Report:

Week Two: Øv! (as we say in Danish – think: “Ugh” in English :)) Do I feel good about this week? Eh. I pushed myself hard – but not as hard as I felt like I could. I was busy and stressed and spent most of the week trying to catch up with everything and everyone. Should I cut myself some slack? Probably so. For me, working out is just as much mental as it is physical; Maybe it is my history in the fitness industry and/or maybe it is my need to push myself in some way (the feeling of progress), but I know that my mood, happiness, overall ability to handle stress and focus, all rely heavily on my ability to workout in one way or another.

At the same time, I also have to realize that I’m not 21 anymore, and cannot push myself to the same limits as I used to – and some days, that is hard for me to accept. My body responds and changes much more slowly than it used to, and this can be hard for someone like me who is so impatient. So even though I feel stronger and ‘tighter’, the way I feel about the week is not as positive as I’d hoped for. I’m trying to remember that results take time, and patience is key. I know that many people might give up when they feel like this, but that isn’t really my style 🙂

On a positive note, I did take Brit’s advice and started adding protein to my breakfast. Usually its egg whites or a whey protein shake (see pics above). I can tell that the protein helps me feel fuller and keeps me from overeating later in the day.

I did Brit’s killer legs workout on Monday and could barely walk on Tuesday. I think maybe its better for me to do legs when I have a day off the next day, because Spinning the next day was hard (and then cardio and Pilates the day after that!), and they probably could have used a recovery day. Seriously, four days later my legs are still sore – and they haven’t been this sore since I can even remember!

Now I’m off to a weekend in Malaga. Do I feel 100% beach ready? Not exactly. But I am going to go have a good time, and keep focused on my goals. This will be an interesting week, as maintaining diet and exercise can be challenging on vacation – and it is important to strike a good balance. I tend to have an “all or nothing” personality, so this should be good personal challenge 🙂

-Jenny

Brit’s Advice for Jenny:

Do your best to stay on the plan during vacation. There are several alternative workouts on Grit by Brit, like my Keepin’ Trim While Travelin’ hotel gym workout. Also hiking, walking and being active in general we keep you in good shape.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. Focus on the positive. You are kickin’ butt by doing your workouts and incorporating healthy habits (like protein at breakfast)! Just take things one day at a time try to make each day healthier and more active than the day before.
The half-way point is always the make or break. Don’t be like most people and give up if the numbers on the scale aren’t budging. All things take time, so keep calm and carry on 🙂

If you missed Jenny’s Week 1 Progress Report CLICK HERE to catch up!

Just for Fun

Breakfast like a KING, lunch like a PRINCE, dinner like a BEGGAR

July 19, 2012 2 Comments

Studies show, it’s not just HOW MUCH you eat but WHEN you eat that affects weight gain. Long story short, here’s why you should eat your BIG meals EARLY and skip late night snacking…

People who eat after 8pm have higher Body Mass Indexes (BMI) than those who don’t
Calories consumed at night are not processed as efficiently as those during the day
Sleep disruption is likely if your stomach is working hard to process food
You are likely to eat larger portions later in the day than earlier (Weil Cornell Medical Research)
At night, you are most likely eating out of boredom, NOT because you are genuinely hungry

Yesterday, I took my own advice. Here are pics of my meals and snacks throughout the day. Take a week and try it for yourself – you may be surprised by your results!

7:00AM Breakfast

Egg white omelet filled with veggies (no cheese), salsa, fruit topped w/yogurt and granola, oatmeal topped with nuts/raisins/brown sugar, 1 cup coffee

9:30AM Snack

1 medium orange

12:30PM Lunch

Large spinach salad with feta cheese, almonds, raisins, tomato, olive oil/vinegar

3:00PM Snack

1 medium apple

5:30PM Dinner

Small veggie plate w/humus and pita chips

Just for Fun

Cuttin’ Back on the BOOZE

July 16, 2012 7 Comments

This weekend I celebrated my 28th birthday! I’m not gonna lie, I brought in my new year of life with great friends, family AND a few cocktails. But now, at the start of my 28th year, I’m making a personal commitment to significantly reduce my alcohol consumption. The time has come to face to the music: when striving to maintain a healthy lifestyle, body weight and overall wellness, it’s in our best interest to cut down to 1 drink per day for ladies, 2 per day for gents. (This does NOT mean we can save up our daily budget to consume 7 drinks in 1 day). In fact, when looking to drop quick pounds, it’s best to ELIMINATE ALCOHOL ALTOGETHER!

Not only is booze high in calories (most carries 100-300 calories per drink), the real damage happens from the chemical effects that alcohol has on our mind and body. These are the FACTS:

Alcohol dehydrates us and consequently slows down our metabolism
Alcohol is “empty carbs” – no nutritional value so our bodies are forced to store it as fat
Alcohol has a negative impact on athletic performance so we get less out of our workouts
Alcohol increases our appetite making us more likely to binge eat

That said, I brainstormed some ways to help me consume less alcohol this year. Hopefully these tips work for me – see if they work for you. Enjoy!

Home Workouts

EXTREME Bikini Body Workout

July 12, 2012 5 Comments

*Rockin’ my bikini body at Monte Carlo Beach Club (June 2012)*

Duration: 1 – 1.5 hours
Calories Burned: 700 – 1,000
Focus: Maximum calorie burn, rectus abdominis (abs), quads and hamstrings (thighs)
Facts: Circuit training is the most effective way to get both cardiovascular and strength conditioning in your workouts. The cardio segments blast calories while the resistance segments keep your body burning calories long after you finish working out.
Brit’s Commentary: Let’s face it, no matter your size or body composition, took look good in a bikini you need 3 things: 1) Flat tummy 2) Toned thighs and 3) most importantly SELF-CONFIDENCE. I created this workout to give you just that. It focuses on the abs, thighs and overall calorie burn to make you look lean from head to toe. Since this workout is a DOOZY, simply getting through it will surely boost your self-confidence. Try throwing this workout into your regimen once a week for that extra PUSH towards your ultimate beach body. Enjoy 🙂

Just for Fun

GRIT Ultimate Body Burn Volume 1 Making the Video

June 12, 2012 2 Comments

The word of the week is = PROGRESS! GRIT Ultimate Body Burn Vol. 1, my total body workout video will be released very soon! Last month I posted an article to express my excitement and gratitude after finishing the video shoot. Since then, we’ve made even greater strides in post production. This entire project has been a transformational learning experience – it’s amazing what we can can accomplish when we break a LARGE project down into SMALL tasks. Words can not express how eager I am to share my fitness tools with you! But for now…back to working on this client deck (gotta love Excel and PowerPoint). Lots of luv! – Brit

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

GRIT Ultimate Body Burn Vol. 1 is a total body, high intensity 30 minute workout set to endorphin-pumpin’ music. With full time job and demanding travel schedule, I was eager to create an effective and efficient workout that could be done in my busy schedule. Inspired by years of athletic training, sports conditioning, dance and teaching Turbo Kick, I developed an extreme, 30 minute total body workout that meets all of my fitness needs.

This at home fitness method utilizes 1 pound hand weights to maximize calorie burn and guarantee intensity. Kick boxing, athletic drills, plyometrics, Pilates, anaerobic intervals and resistance training are also incorporated for a complete, exciting workout that hits every major muscle group while keeping your heart rate elevated. You can get it all – effective, fun total body fitness and time to handle your busy schedule!

COMING SOON!

Just for Fun

5-minute Healthy Breakfast Ideas

June 3, 2012 6 Comments

The week before last I worked from home – yay! On Thursday morning, I made and ate breakfast immediately after I woke up. I was so proud, I took a pic of my breakfast and posted it on Twitter 🙂 This got me thinking, “I’m going to commit to eating breakfast within 30 minutes of waking up for the next 5 days. Not only that, I’m going to take a picture of my meal and post it on Twitter for accountability.” Well, turns out that what our parents say is TRUE, breakfast IS the most important meal of the day. Studies show making breakfast a daily habit can help you lose weight – and keep it off. Personally, I felt the following changes/benefits that week:

I wasn’t starving at lunch which helped me make better food choices
My digestion was more “regular” 😉
My energy level was higher during the day, especial during my workouts
I felt lighter and leaner

Based on my fitness experience and nutrition knowledge, I have created a formula for what I consider to be a complete “GRITTY” breakfast:

GRITTY Breakfast = complex carb (whole grains and/or fruit) + protein + KICK

FYI – a “KICK” is little bit of caffeine to get my body going full speed. Remember all the benefits of Coffee that we learned about earlier?

Below, are pics of all of my breakfast meals that week. All were prepared in less than 5 minutes, making them excellent options for those of you rushing to work in the morning. Try out the breakfast challenge for yourself. You may just take on a new healthy habit!

Thursday

Greek yogurt + mixed berries + 1 crumbled crunchy granola bar + hot green tea

Friday

photo (2) — Quaker instant oatmeal + 1 large orange + black coffee

Saturday

1 Van’s whole wheat waffle (comes frozen, just put in toaster) + peanut butter + strawberries + hot green tea

Sunday

photo (3) — 2 crunchy granola bars topped w/peanut butter + 1 apple + hot green tea

Monday (up in the air, breakfast at the airport before a 6am flight…the life of a consultant)

breakfast AA — 2 small apples + 1 small bag of almonds (not pictured) + black coffee

Inspiration & Motivation

Tone up challenge week 3 report: Jan proves there’s NO EXCUSE to skip workouts

May 22, 2012 1 Comment

Hey guys, I hope your week is going well! Jan is back on the scene with an update of her home stretch on the 4-week tone up challenge. Only 1 week left, so let’s root her on!

JAN’S TONE UP CHALLENGE WEEK 3 UPDATE:
“Week three was a challenge but ended up pretty well. I was traveling at the end of the week so I had to push all of my workouts up to the front part of the week. As Brit says, ‘NO EXCUSES.’ I worked out pretty hard-core the first 4 days . I did spin class 4 days straight for my cardio. I also, took Brit’s advice from last week to ‘up the intensity’ so I added her leg workout after my 1st day of spin and Brit’s medicine ball workout after my 2nd day of spin. But that’s not all, I also did at least half of Brit’s ab workout all 4 days – yeah! I was feeling pretty good at end of the week and took the weekend to recover and rest. I think I am starting to want a little more variety in my workouts each week. So, Brit you’ve got some work to do 😉 ” – Jan

BRIT’S FEEDBACK FOR JAN

When workout boredom starts to set in, seek Variety NOT Excuses: Jan did a great job of keeping with her workouts despite them starting to feel redundant. Next week, I’m going to give her a few new workouts to change things up. In the meanwhile, she should check out my unique treadmill workouts or my top 5 tips to spice up your workouts.
Be flexible with your workout schedule: Mentally, it’s very easy to set rigid workout plans and eagerly want to abide by them. However, when we miss a workout or fall off course we get disappointed, beat ourselves up and lose motivation . Jan did a great job of being flexible with her workout schedule. Since she knew it would be tough to workout during her weekend travel, she planned ahead and pushed her workouts up to front of the week. Likewise, if something comes up and you miss a workout, don’t beat your self up! Just schedule some time later in the week to make up for it 🙂
Extra diet discipline during extended recovery periods: Since Jan compressed her workouts to the front of the week, this means she went 3-4 days with no exercise. During this extended down time Jan really needs to watch her calorie intake as she is not burning as many calories as she usually does on workout days. Also, studies show that it only takes 48 consecutive hours to start losing cardiovascular endurance, therefore Jan should try to be as active as possible on her off days (i.e. walk instead drive when possible, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.)
Stay strong to the finish: How bad do you want it? Jan has already made it through 75% of the tone up challenge, so now she has 2 options: 1) Bust her butt this final week to get the most out of the effort/investment she has already made 2) Coast/slack off this final week and risk falling short of her tone up goals. NEVER let all of your hard work go unrewarded!

Stay tuned, next week will be Jan’s final report and completion of the 4-week tone up challenge. You don’t wanna miss her awesome body transformation photo shoot, by the one and only Anna Jane!

Back, Home Workouts

Bringin’ Sexy BACK!

May 16, 2012 3 Comments

Backless-Dresses — Hilary Swank is def a fit chic – I’m sure she pumps iron for this sexy back!

Workout: Sexy sculpted back workout by Brit
Calories burned: about 200
The facts: Strengthening your back enhances your posture which makes you look taller and leaner – YAY! However, when working your back, it’s critical to work the opposing muscles which are your pecs (chest). Therefore, I’ve included some push ups to work your chest. Most importantly, if you want results you must PUSH yourself and PUMP UP the weight during this workout – YOU WILL NOT GET BULKY! You need to choose a weight heavy enough that you can only get through 8-12 reps. If you can easily do more than 12 reps, you are not lifting enough weight and your muscles are not getting enough resistance to actually change shape!
Instructions:
- Use medium to heavy hand weights to complete this workout (5-15 pounds for the ladies, 10-30 pounds for the fellas)
- Complete 3 cycles of each super set alternating between the 2 exercises in each set. For example, in Super Set 2, go back and forth completing the low row and bent over fly 3 times each, then move on super set 3
- Do this workout 2-3 times per week for 4 weeks along with your moderate/high intensity cardio workouts at least 2-3 times per week
- Click on the workout below to make it bigger, also feel free to print and save 😉

In case you’re unfamiliar with some of the exercises in this workout, here are some pics to guide you 😉

Deadlift aka "Good Morning" — Dead lift aka “Good Morning”

Bent-over-Row-WomensHealthMag.com_ — Low Row

rear dealt fly — Bent over rear delt fly

Inspiration & Motivation

Confessions of an “Over Trainer”

May 6, 2012 4 Comments

Last weekend I missed my 2 Hour Saturday Detox because of a very fun brunch event. In reality it wasn’t that big of a deal, but all week I found myself trying to make up for that 1 workout (don’t judge, I already told you guys about my neurotic tendencies) . In all seriousness, I felt really out of shape and had this weird need work out really hard for the next few days to make up for it. Fortunately, my friend/work out buddy provided a rescuing voice of reason after our Turbo Kick class on Wednesday. She just sent me an email that said “You aren’t out of shape, you are over training.” And that’s when it hit me, I needed to CHILL OUT. I was seriously showing signs of an “Over Trainer” …

As you guys know by now, I’m strong advocate of pushing your body and mind to get the fitness and health results you desire. However, there IS such thing as “over training” and I know this because I struggle with it. Like all things in life, too much of any thing ultimately becomes a bad thing. If your body doesn’t get adequate recovery time, your workouts could do your body more harm than good and put you at serious risk for injury – keeping you from working out altogether! Mental and psychological risks of too much exercise also exist. For instance, feeling depressed, fat or out of shape without long, intense regular workouts and sacrificing your personal commitments and relationships to hit the gym are just a couple.

I’m all about getting your sweat on, but if you think you are over training, def chill out for a bit and talk to your doctor about it!