Now that the hype of the holidays has died down, I hope you’re ready to gear up for happier healthier 2015! To help you shake up your gym routine, I want to share my all-time favorite Winter Workout. I LOVE heading to my local gym, plugging in my headphones and moving through these body-sculpting exercises.
There are 3 key reasons I love to the do this workout in the winter as opposed to warmer seasons:
Build Lean Muscle Mass – It’s critical to strength train in the winter. Lean muscle mass increases the metabolism to maintain a healthy body temperature and help prevent winter weight gain.
Show off my workout clothes – Since the workout requires a wide variety of equipment, it needs to be done at a gym. If your gym is anything like mine, it can be a bit of a fashion show. I once got annoyed by the “see and be seen” vibe, but now I don’t mind because I rock my super cute activewear from Target® C9. Better yet, I don’t have to go broke to look fierce and fabulous!
No worries about bad weather – Snowstorm? No problem! This workout should be completed indoors since it has several stabilizing exercises.
I designed this workout to sculpt the entire body, so it consists of 9 sets of exercises (3 Core, 3 Lower Body, 3 Upper Body).
Complete each exercise in a set for 1 minute and then repeat. This means each set of exercises takes 4 minutes. With transition time and a little rest, the entire Body Sculpting workout takes 45 minutes. When done correctly, your entire body will feel tight, toned and very sore the next day – trust me! If you have any questions, post a comment below.
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Target® C9 through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Target® C9 all opinions are my own.
Fall is fully underway – yay! I’ve filled my house with pumpkin scented candles and brought my scarves and boots to the front of my closet. One of my favorite things to do this season is revamp my workout wardrobe! Of course I made a stop at Target® to check out the Fall C9 Activewear collection (never lets me down). I can’t beat the prices and I’m always impressed with the trendy styles and bright colors.
Excited to see lots of Fall leggings w/ cool patterns and darker colors on the tanks and running shorts.
During my visit to “Tar-jay” I immediately fell in love with the printed leggings (above on the left). Typically I have to search shops online for leggings with cool funky designs and I end up paying close to $100 for them. I was thrilled to find several prints of leggings all under $35. I threw a few pairs in my shopping cart and continued on my quest…
It’s critical that I keep a giant stash of sports bras because I teach 7 fitness classes per week – I can never have too many. Lately I’ve been putting together some cool looks with bright neon sports bras under sheer tanks, so I picked up a few of the C9 Racer bras to try on along with my leggings.
Before I headed to the fitting room, I also checked out the cute matching tank and tights sets. You guys know I love to match. I also saw the layered tank and running shorts combo that I bought earlier this Summer, now offered in darker colors. I wanted to try on some of the C9 long sleeve, dry-fit running shirts as well, but I ran out of time. I love these long-sleeve tops and actually put them on my holiday gift picks list 2 years ago. They are still a personal favorite.
Filling up my shopping cart with plenty of C9 goodies to try on!
Once I got into the fitting room and tried on my pieces, I immediately fell in love with the leggings. I’m super picky about how my leggings fit. They need to be snug enough to suck everything in but not so tight that I have a love handle rolling out of the top. These passed the test. I like C9 printed leggings so much that I bought 2 pairs (blue & gray – seen below). Naturally I took some selfies because I was happy with the way I looked. Hey girl hey!
I also tried on several sports bras to go with the leggings. C9 has many types of sports bras that provide different levels of support based on bust size and type of activity. Regardless, most of the C9 sports bras are reversible, which I love. The one I decided to get is solid coral on one side and has a coral/purple pattern on the other side. I paired it with the blue patterned leggings for the perfect color combo. I prefer bright colors over darker ones – I think they look better on my chocolate skin (wink wink).
I’ve decided that the sports bra + leggings combo is my signature style this Fall. I usually add a big infinity scarf or an oversized tank top for a layered look. I especially love to rock this look when I’m teaching indoor cycling. It keeps me cool in the sweaty cycling studio.
Overall, I am very happy with my purchases and excited to “Fall into Fitness!”
What’s your favorite fall activewear? Do you have a signature “gym style”?
My C9 selfies in the fitting room – loving my look!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Target® C9 through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Target® C9, all opinions are my own.
OMG I cannot believe it’s September – my Summer flew by! Fortunately it was filled with lots of fun in the sun, beach time and quality moments with friends. I don’t know about you, but I love the transition from Summer to Fall because the weather is still warm enough to enjoy outdoor activities all while a crisp autumn breeze starts to fill the air – it’s amazing! Here are some of my favorite end-of-Summer activities that prepare me for a fabulous Fall…
Planning my Fall Workout Routine
I like to switch up my workout routine for the Fall. In the Summer I take advantage of unique exercise experiences (e.g. paddle boarding, swimming in the ocean, hiking, etc.). It’s always best to switch thing up a little. If you are in the Salt Lake City area of Utah, you could try to look into tennis lessons Salt Lake, to find adult tennis classes. However in the Fall, I follow a more consistent fitness regimen that fits well with my work schedule and personal commitments. There’s something about Autumn that naturally motivates me to develop a workout plan and stick to it.
Shopping for “Back to the Gym” Clothes
The one thing I hate about no longer being a student, is not being able to partake in “back in school shopping.” Alternatively, I now go “back to the gym shopping” in preparation for cooler weather and more indoor workouts. I always hit up Target® and check out the Champion C9 activewear department. Every time I go, there’s always a killer sale! Personally, I’m a fan of Target® C9 Activewear because the styles are on trend and functional – yay for bright colors, leggings and racer-back tanks! Honestly, I wear my C9 gear on the weekends as casual wear, even if I’m not working out.
My PiYo Classes on the W Hotel Roof-deck
I love teaching my end-of-Summer rooftop PiYo Class at the W Dallas Hotel!
So I’m a little biased on this one because I actually teach this PiYo (Pilates / Yoga) class in Dallas, TX. But I’m super excited that classes have been extended to last throughout the end of September – yay! We have an amazing view, great playlist, effective workout and it’s all free and open to the public! I highly encourage you to check out some free workouts in your local community – there are often free “back to school bootcamps” at local parks.
Running/Jogging at my Local Park
Going for an outdoor run in Dallas is one of my favorite end-of-Summer activities!
There’s a beautiful window of time during late September/early October that’s perfect for outdoor runs. In the middle of the Summer it’s way too hot to run outside in Texas – temperatures are over 100 degrees! While I live an active lifestyle and teach lots of group fitness classes, I’m not an avid runner. However, during this sweet stretch of time I like to go for a 5K jog once or twice a week. I find it very therapeutic, especially when I have a good playlist to energize my stride. In fact, I’m about to peace out and go for a run right now – see ya! Lots of love, Brit
What are your favorite end-of-Summer activities?
How do you stay active in the Fall?
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Target® C9 through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Target® C9, all opinions are my own.
I’ve always been fan of “Tarjay” so when I was asked to review the new Target® C9 activewear, I gladly accepted! Better yet when I went to purchase my gear, I stumbled upon the surprise of finding C9 activewear on sale – buy 1 piece get the 2nd half off! There were tons of bright colors and pattern combinations so you can mix and match the tanks and shorts. I bought both the light pink and navy Sporty Layered Run Tank + Run Shorts for under $30. This is a perfect example of why I love Target®. The product styles are always on trend and the price is affordable. One of the GRIT by Brit core beliefs is we do not have to be wealthy to be healthy. To further that, we also don’t have to be wealthy to feel and look good while living a healthy lifestyle 🙂
Now, a little more about my C9 activewear…
The tank top is layered with a sports bra built-in – YES! Not only is the design cute, but it’s also functional. It provides good bust support and the material is light and breezy so I stayed cool while working up a sweat. I also appreciate the vertical stripe pattern on the back which has a slimming effect (a good look). The shorts have a wide knit waist band that’s made of this dri-fit material. Like most running shorts, they also have built-in underwear that are made of the same dri-fit material. I spent about 10 minutes on the rowing machine and another 15 minutes on the Stair Stepper – fortunately, the shorts didn’t ride up my thighs or annoyingly rub against my skin as I moved.
Overall, I’m very happy with my purchases. I do wish that the shorts had the same cool multicolored design as the sports bra. However, my friends always make fun of me for being too “matchy” so maybe it’s a good thing that the shorts are a simple navy with light pink trim. What do you think?
Rockin’ Target® C9 active wear before my workout – posing pretty 🙂
Along with my product review and I want to share this workout video. You guys know I’m always creating home workouts and on the lookout for new moves to incorporate into my routine. This Sexy Shoulders workout definitely gets my stamp of approval. I did the workout after my cardio and felt very toned and confident in my racer back tank top – I encourage you to give the Sexy Shoulder Workout a whirl!
Hopefully you guys enjoy the workout AND head to Target® to get some super cute C9 activewear. Personally, I felt good and still looked (pretty) good after finishing the Sexy Shoulder Workout – see my sweaty photos below. Lots of luv! xoxo, Brit
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Target® C9 through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Target® C9, all opinions are my own.
