These 7 Foods Hide Massive Amounts of Sugar

Hey gang – happy Tuesday!  I hope your week is off to a good start.  I’ve been working away setting up my new fitness studio, Dallas GRIT Fitness.  It’s truly a dream come true, but boy is it a TON of work.  Yesterday the painters started preparing the walls, we got internet installed and I made a final decision on the flooring – woo hoo!  The work continues today so I’m having my friend and fitness partner in crime, Turner, fill in a guest blog post for me.  I’ll be back in action tomorrow with your workout of the week.  I’ll also post some pics of the progress we are making on my studio.  Talk soon.  Lots of luv, Brit

Guest Post from Turner Cavender, owner of Dallas Fit Body Boot Camp. Follow Turner on Instagram @turnercavender

It’s hard to avoid sugar when many common foods secretly contain loads of it.

You may already know that eating an excess of sugar will derail your fitness progress and quickly lead to an increase in body fat.  To add to this fact, recent studies are proving that sugar is even more dangerous than we once thought.

According to a new study published in JAMA International Medicine, our risk of heart attack doubles when 20 percent or more of our caloric intake come from sugar.  That is no joke!  Knowing this, let’s uncover the 7 common foods that you may not have thought contain high amounts of sugar.

1. Fruit Yogurt
Yogurt is packaged and marketed as a diet food for women, which is outrageous. The pretty little packages may be low in fat, but just one serving contains a whopping 19 grams of sugar.

2. Pasta Sauce
This one may come as a surprise, since pasta sauce is considered to be a savory food, but alas, it has loads of sugar hiding in it. For every half a cup of store bought pasta sauce you’re ingesting 12 grams of sugar.

3. Agave Nectar
Many think of agave nectar as a free pass, since it has been so cleverly marketed as a “health food,” but sadly this sweetener is just as dangerous as white sugar. Agave nectar is 85% fructose.

4. Dried Fruit
Yes, even our fruit isn’t safe anymore. Most companies are adding extra sugar in with their dried fruit, making it as sweet as candy. Just 1/3 of a cup contains 24 grams of sugar.

5. Granola Bars
Granola bars may boast “wholesome, whole grains “on the package, but your it’s hiding a sickly sweet secret. The average packaged granola bar contains 12 grams of sugar.

6. Energy Drinks
When you need an afternoon pick-me-up, think twice before reaching for that energy drink. Mega energy drinks contain up to 83 grams of sugar.

7. BBQ Sauce
There’s a reason that those BBQ chicken wings are finger licking good…all that sugar it’s hiding. A 2 Tablespoon serving will set you back 13 grams of sugar. Start eliminating the sugar-packed foods in your diet today. Your body and your heart will both be in better shape for it.

And let’s not forget the critical role that a challenging, consistent exercise program has in your quest for good health and a fit physique. My programs are specially designed to blast fat and to build muscle in all the right places.  Email me at [email protected] to get started on a fat loss program that really works.  Here’s to good health!

Continue Reading

Dreams Coming True: GRIT by Brit + Dallas Fit Body Bootcamp teaming up to launch the BEST group fitness studio in Dallas!

Happy Monday Friends!  I have big news.  Just over a week ago, I quit my job – AHH!   I’ll share more details later this week about how made this decision as it took many sleepless nights, self-reflections and panic attacks.  Nonetheless I’m super happy to announce that starting today, I will spend all day every day pursuing my passion.  Each day I get to wake up and help people live healthier, happier and more abundant lives!  I’m overflowing with joy right now because I have been waiting for the moment for over 2 years.  It’s been exhausting living a double duty life of maintaing a corporate career AND teaching fitness glasses AND blogging.  Now I don’t have to constantly switch personas. I can just be myself and it’s so liberating!

God works in mysterious ways.  Just after I gave my 2 weeks notice, I was teaching my usual Turbo Kick class at 24 Hour Fitness and after class I had a long chat with one of my regular class members.  Her son happens to be one of my closest, hometown friends so we often chat about the good old days growing up in Mesquite, TX.  She also has another son, also a friend of mine (Turner), who is  well-respected personal trainer and owner of Dallas Fit Body Bootcamp.  She mentioned that he was looking for a fitness partner to utilize the other side of his gym which was currently sitting vacant.  I literally jumped with joy when I heard this news.  Long story short,  Turner and I are now partners in crime!

Having my own fitness studio is my DREAM!  It’s so crazy that this opportunity came only AFTER I took a leap of faith and quit my job.  If you want to walk on water you’ve gotta get out of the boat, right?

Me and Turner last Thursday after signing our business agreement!

The very next day I met with Turner to tour the gym.  The space is perfect for my own fitness studio.  It’s about 1,300 sqft, has a beautiful foyer, long walls for big mirrors and is perfectly located in East Dallas.  On one side of the gym Turner will run Dallas Fit Body Bootcamp and on the other side, I will run GRIT Fitness.  We are offering all-access passes for those who want to workout on both sides of the gym.  So excited!

GRIT Fitness will be the 1st and only studio in Dallas providing a variety of leading group fitness formats!

You guys know I’m a group fitness junkie so I’ll be offering a variety of my all-time favorite group fitness formats including PiYo, Turbo Kick, Power Yoga, Body Sculpt, Dance Cardio and Hip Hop.  I’m also bringing on some of Dallas’ best yoga and dance instructors to help me create the ultimate, energetic experience.

Turner and I are on a  mission to create the #1 group fitness studio in Dallas.  We are passionate and we work our butts off so I’m 100% confident we will succeed.  I’ll keep you posted on our journey – there’s sure to be ups and downs but we are ready for the challenge.  BRING IT!

Our gym is located at 3821 Ross Ave. Dallas, TX 75204.  We will start demolition on the new space today!  Visit the GRIT Fitness website for updates, dallasgritfitness.com – Grand opening January 2015!

Continue Reading