Rachelle's Kroger Adventure

So, I got a bright idea to start taking my clients to the grocery store as an extended service. I really like to go above and beyond for my clients and make sure I give them all the tools to succeed inside, as well as outside the gym. A couple of weeks ago I went on my first grocery store trip with my awesome client, Rachelle. I think it was Rachelle's first time in a grocery store... I introduced her to a whole new world. haha! Now, if you look at Rachelle you probably wonder why on earth she needs a trainer. The girl looks amazing, but she just wasn't getting proper nutrition. Rachelle used to shop at Dollar General and just buy milk and cereal. :) True Story. Now she knows how to grocery shop, plan ahead and eat clean! She is already seeing amazing results from it... she feels better, she has a ton more energy and her body fat percentage is super low (like elite athlete low!:). Below I posted a couple of pics from our trip to Kroger. We had a blast and I am so proud of her for sticking with her nutrition plan. YOU GO GIRL!

Abs are made in the kitchen!

BEFORE

4 WEEKS LATER

Let's talk about belly fat...I have had numerous people come to me asking how to get rid of it. The answer is simple...diet and cardio. Some of my clients are usually surprised when they come to me complaining about this problem area and I don't have them do hundreds of crunches and sit-ups every session. Ab exercises are great to strengthen the core, however, they do not get rid of the layer of fat over your abs. So, instead of spending a ton of time on the floor doing crunches, I take my clients through circuits and cardio intervals. I also find other ways to focus on the core by having them stand on a bosu or sit on a stability ball. I write up prescription cardio programs for my clients and have them do cardio as their homework. All of the work in the gym is awesome, however, you will not see the results you want without the proper nutrition. Abs are made in the kitchen! By sticking to a clean diet along with my workouts, I can see drastic results in my abs. I can't believe I am posting my progress pics, but I  figure I can TALK about my results all day, but I want y'all to actually SEE what a difference a clean diet (no cheating and no alcohol) can do. The before picture above was taken January 1st (I let myself get a little fluffy over the holidays. ha!) and the after picture was taken exactly 4 weeks later. I have always had a flat stomach and pretty strong core, but I've never had a 6 pack. Although I still have a lot more work to do, I am excited about my results so far. I have lost 2% bodyfat and 6 inches (1 inch in my waist) since January 1st.  I used to train my abs every night for about 15 minutes, but honestly I have not done a whole lot of ab work lately...those results are from proper nutrition. I have also been taking CLA (conjugated linoliec acid) which has helped me burn the fat around my mid-section.  Now that my bodyfat is almost where I want it (2% more to go) I am going to start doing more weighted ab exercises to hopefully define my abdominal muscles...I've found 2 abs, but I have 4 more to find! haha! I will be posting some of my favorite ab exercises in the following weeks. I have some crazy workouts coming and I am pumped! :) 

Below I have posted a few of my meals from the past couple of weeks. I will also post some of my favorite recipes. Remember: Eat clean, get lean! 

Spinach Salad w/ Chicken, cucumber, apples & celery served with chick pea and cranberry quiona

Baked Chicken, "mashed cauliflower" & a  spinach salad with cucumber, celery & avacado 

Grilled chicken spinach salad and a baked sweet potato

One of my favorite snacks- Baked sweet potato bites

Jud and I make our chicken in bulk on Sundays. We just use any Mrs. Dash salt-free seasoning and he grills tenderloins and I bake some chicken breasts. I keep spinach and fresh veggies in the fridge to throw salads together during the week. 

*Baked Sweet Potato Chips: Cut sweet potatoes into about 1/2 inch slices. Place on aluminum foil and sprinkle with cinnamon and stevia. Bake at 350 for 35 mintues. Let cool and place in individual ziploc bags for a quick snack on the go. (I got this recipe from Natalie Hodson on facebook. http://www.facebook.com/NatalieHodsonOfficial It's a good one)

*Mashed Cauliflower: Cut up 1 head of cauliflower. Place in ziploc steamer bag and microwave for 5-6 min. Place in food processor. Grind it up then mix in unsweetened almond milk, pepper, and garlic powder. It taste just like mashed potatoes.


Yours in Health, 
Brittany

Get back in the game!

I know some of you may be wondering why all of my posts lately have been about my husband. On Valentine's day Jud and I will celebrate 4 years of dating and on February 19th we will celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary. When I met Jud he was living in Jackson temporarily for his "off season" from baseball. He was playing for a team near Boston called the Brockton Rox.  Jud played ball at Delta State and then went on to play for the Colorado Rockies and then played for a Canadian-American league. Jud and I had to endure a long-distance relationship while he went off to play baseball. It was pretty obvious that his number one passion was baseball and he was damn good at it. His passion and drive is what made me fall in love with him...not to mention his positive attitude, his witty personality and his handsome self in a baseball uniform. When our relationship started getting more serious, Jud decided to hang up his cleats and move to Jackson to coach baseball. Shorty after, he proposed to me and next thing ya know... we were hitched! I will never forget the first spring that Jud was not playing baseball and was just coaching. It was extremely tough for him and I could tell how much he missed playing. Don't get me wrong...he absolutely LOVES coaching, but there was a part of him missing. I could kind of relate to him, because I didn't really pursue dance out of college and that was always my number one passion. I taught dance for a while, but it wasn't the same as being on stage and performing. I knew Jud was excited about getting married and settling down, but at the same time I felt guilty from taking him away from playing baseball. Since Jud no longer had to go to team workouts or stay in top physical condition to play, he decided to take a break from exercise. I can't really say that I blame him...I think for the first time in his life he didn't have someone riding his back to workout and he could finally relax a bit. Well, that break lasted almost 2 years. I have talked about how bad his eating habits are, but they've always been bad... even when he was playing baseball. It didn't matter as much then, because he could eat anything he wanted and maintain the body of a Greek God! :) haha! BUT...No exercise + bad eating habits= weight gain!!!
I'm saying all this because I know many people who can totally relate. You may have been in awesome shape at one point in your life, but gradually over time you stopped exercising as much and now you look back and think...WHAT HAPPENED? It just doesn't seem fair that it takes a million times more effort to get and keep weight off than it does to put it on, does it? Or you may be one of those "freak of natures"...you've been skinny your whole life and you never even had to eat healthy or exercise, but now that you are getting older you notice your weight creeping up on you. No matter which category you fall into, I'm here to tell you that it's OK! You can get back in the best shape of your life. It is not too late to start making lifestyle changes to improve your health and overall well-being. It is definitely not going to be easy and I'm here to tell you that there is no miracle plan, so don't even think about trying to take the easy way out. There is NO EASY way...but I promise you that it will totally be worth it when you get back to that goal weight or fit back into those skinny jeans hanging in the back of your closet. 
Since Jud has been on our plan, he is like a new person. Well, not necessarily a "new" person, but I have the old Jud back...the professional ATHLETE with drive, discipline and will-power. He has more energy and so much more confidence! He may a little too much confidence...I find him flexing in the mirror from time to time. Hahaha! It's amazing how much exercise can completely change your life. It has even improved our marriage. We work more as a team now and we help keep each other accountable. We are on the same page and by relieving so much stress in the gym, we don't take our stress out on each other anymore. We do have some push-up contests every now and then that get pretty heated...because he can't catch up with me! ;) I have a feeling that 2012 is going to be an amazing year! 

The picture above is us in Boston after a Rox game! How handsome is he? LOVE HIM!

Now you can live up to society's standard of beauty...

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Happy New Year!!! I hope everyone had an awesome time ringing in 2012. I am very excited about this year! I sat down yesterday to write down my resolutions for 2012 (yes, I have more than 1) and my top resolution is to compete in my first fitness competition. I am so motivated, but I know every single day will be a challenge to work toward my goal. My husband and I also made a resolution together... We are doing a 12 week transformation challenge starting today. We took our "before" pictures yesterday and prepared all of our meals for the week. I am so proud of Jud for taking the steps to get in shape and healthy. I know that TOGETHER, we can accomplish anything! He is ready to take on the challenge, however, he already thinks I'm a little over-the-top about it. Last night I got out a bunch of colored index cards and wrote several of my favorite quotes on them and then posted them all over the house. He can't go anywhere without seeing an inspirational quote! LOL! It really is a great motivational tool, so I encourage you all to do the same. I will keep y'all updated weekly on our progress...that is, if we don't kill each other. hahaha!


Yours in Health,
Brittany

I want to be a Supermodel...

I was sitting on my couch a couple of weeks ago doing a little online shopping when I heard my husband holler at me from our bedroom. He said, "Hey babe, did you know that the Victoria's Secret fashion show is on?" I said, "Yes, why?" Jud said, "Oh I thought you may want to watch it...it's kind of gross though, all I see is ribs." I laughed and then thought to myself, "I am so glad my husband likes a woman with meat on her bones". After I got some of my shopping done, I checked facebook (I know, I'm addicted) and I swear every status I saw was about the Victoria's Secret fashion show. Some of the statuses I saw said things like... 
"I want to be an angel." 
"Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, thanks for the confidence boost."
"Watching the VS fashion show...I'm never going to eat again." 
"Watching the Victoria's Secret fashion and I really need to hit the gym."


After reading those status updates, I was pretty sad that women actually compare themselves to Supermodels. I mean, come on... Those women come from all over the world and they are few and far in between. According to Victoria's Secret Chief Marketing Officer Edward Razik, fewer than 100 women in the world have the potential to be a Victoria's Secret model. To be a Victoria's Secret Angel you have to be at least 5'8" and your measurements have to be 34-24-34, or smaller. Not only do the models have to meet these specific size requirements, they must have specific facial features such as full lips, a small nose, and high cheekbones. So unless you possess all of the above...forget about it. If you do, call me...I'll be your manager. ;)


Seriously though, why are women so obsessed with being so freakin' perfect? I mean, I am guilty myself. I have been so fixated on my imperfections, that I can't even appreciate what God has blessed me with. 
When I turned 26 I got so obsessed with aging... I looked in the mirror one morning and felt the urgent need to get botox and juvederm. True story...I googled everything there is to know about both. I got over it though...after I realized I was too broke to fix my face. Ha! So, I learned to love every wrinkle and every line and now I like to think they tell a story. I will admit though that I spend about 15 mintues a night exfoliating and applying serums and moisturizer, because I don't want my face to be a open book. ;) 


But now, lets focus on my best feature... how about my 34A chest? Yes, thank you Lord for blessing me with boobs... Oh wait.... that was my mom and sister you gave those to. Totally skipped me.  I can laugh about the fact that there are 12 year olds with bigger breasts than me. It doesn't really bother me much...I am athletic, I'm a dancer...those would just get in the way. 


Ok, ok...enough joking around and completely embarrassing myself. The point I'm trying to make is... we all have imperfections and we all have things that we don't like about ourselves. I'm willing to bet a million dollars that even those Victoria's Secret Angels don't always look in the mirror and like what they see. They have their insecurities just like everyone else in this world...not to mention they are probably really hungry. So, I say... Let's stop obsessing. Let's stop comparing. Let's stop wanting to be someone or something we are not. Instead, let's focus on what we LOVE about ourselves. Let's focus on letting our beauty shine from the inside out by serving our God who made us and loves us...just the way we are! 


"People are like stained - glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God's handwriting".
Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Imperfections is beauty. Madness is genius. It is better to be absolutely ridiculous, than absolutely boring."
Marilyn Monroe

Yours in Health,
Brittany

'Tis the Season to be...fat and happy?

The holidays are right around the corner and I couldn't be more excited. I absolutely love this time of year! It's all about enjoying yourself, spending time with loved ones and of course...EATING! So, it's really no surprise that the average person gains 8lbs over the holidays.
 Now, I am not going to sit here and pretend that I don't enjoy a huge Thanksgiving meal and that I'm not the first in line for my mama's red velvet cake at Christmas. I absolutely love to eat and I do often splurge on the holidays, however, I put in extra time at the gym to ensure that I can afford to splurge. I'm sure you're thinking, "Oh, Brittany.. You make it sounds so easy.", but trust me...I struggle this time of year just like everyone else. The cold weather tries to put me in a slump and  I have to muster up energy to workout. I stare at equipment all day at work, but yet making myself actually jump on a machine or pick up a dumbbell sometimes just seems so...BLAH! In the past I made excuses like... I'll just kick my workout and  diet routine back up in January. Sound familiar? I'm sure I'm not the only one that has ever thought that. 
Did you know that the average person consumes 4,000 calories at their Thanksgiving meal? Keep in mind that if you blow your fitness routine on just three days- Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years- it won't cause too much damage. What gets most of us into trouble is the nonstop feasting mentality that goes on from Thanksgiving through January 1st. 8 pounds is a lot of weight to have to lose come January... and if you are not at your ideal body weight...think about the weight you are trying to lose now and add 8 pounds to that. If you plan on being the "average person" this holiday season and packing on a winter coat...I sure hope you're ready to spend MONTHS working it off. Below I posted a picture of what just 5lbs of fat looks like...

Lovely isn't it? haha! Let's all try to avoid that this holiday season. I suggest you sticking to your workout routine, eating light and clean throughout the week, and only splurging on those special holidays. I realize that there will also be Christmas parties with tons of food and alcohol. If I'm realistic I'm not going to tell you to "avoid alcohol" and "eat before you go so you are not tempted with the treats"...Come on, who REALLY does that? What I will say is...you better get your butt to the gym the next morning! ;) Good Luck and may you and your family have a blessed holiday season! 


Yours in Health,
Brittany