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Fit Gal: Brittany!

01.15.2013

I have been DYING to introduce you to this amazing woman and fitness guru! She has come a long way and I am so impressed with her dedication and committment to fitness. So here she is…

Fit Gal: Brittany!

1. Tell us about yourself and your fitness lifestyle.

Hi! my name is Brittany and I am a 23-year-old student studying Business Administration. I made my lifestyle change almost 3 years ago now. I had a free membership to the gym on campus and decided to take advantage of it. Starting out, I had no idea what I was doing. I would follow my boyfriend around in the gym and watch what he did. I was very self-conscious because I had no clue what to do with any of the equipment – I felt like everyone was staring at me. I started to follow fitness pages on Facebook and read up on some articles online to get the basics. One day I picked up a copy of Oxygen Magazine at the grocery store while I was waiting in line and thought wow, this girl looks amazing! I bought it, read it cover to cover and felt more motivated than ever. Not long after I was giving my boyfriend tips in the gym! It’s been a great journey so far and I’m so proud of myself for making this lifestyle change. I am continuously learning and loving every minute of it!

2) What are your goals and how are you working towards them?

My original goal was to lose some weight and tone up. In the beginning I did lose weight – but I pretty much gained it all back in MUSCLE. This was kind of discouraging at first but looking back at where I was and to now, I definitely look and feel smaller, more toned, fit and have a lot more shape. I think it’s important for women to realize that they shouldn’t be scared of lifting weights because all the muscle you build burns more calories and keeps your metabolism revved!! My goal recently was to compete in a fitness competition. I am excited to say that I will be doing that in April 2013!! I joined a local team that does coaching for athletes and fitness competitors and am so excited and proud at the progress I’ve been making so far.

3) Do you “eat clean”?

Yes! I believe it’s impossible to make progress in the gym if you do not eat clean. I did pretty well at eating clean before I joined my team but obviously still enjoyed treats..I have a terrible sweet tooth 🙂 Now that I have a deadline I’m kicking my butt into gear! Lots of protein – chicken, lean beef, salmon, haddock tuna etc, good nutritious veggies like kale, swiss chard, broccoli and good sources of carbs – sweet potato, oats, quinoa, & brown rice. I still have an occasional treat but keep it small in moderation.

4) In what ways do you stay active?

I am in the gym 3 days on, one day off then repeat. I work all muscle groups twice a week. Right now I am doing little cardio as I’m in the muscle building phase of my prep. I’m also doing some group yoga classes when I can.

5) What inspires you to live this lifestyle?

Those moments when your mind is telling you to stop because it hurts but you keep going and push past that weakness..those are the most important moments because it means growth. Seeing changes in myself no matter how small they may be makes the difference and keeps me inspired to work hard and stay motivated!

Lots of love!
Brittany
“Fit Brit”

Thank you so much Brittany for joining the Fitness and the City fam as a Fit Gal! You are so inspirational and I personally cannot wait to follow your journey to your first fitness competition!! Good luck girl!

Oh and by the way, she has an awesome fitness Facebook page as well, so be sure to go check it out!

—> www.facebook.com/fit.brit08

2013 Goals

01.08.2013

It’s resolution time! Time to start the quest of taking action, rather than simply making resolutions and not sticking to them. I feel as if it helps to write them down and share them, while pushing to make this a great year! Here’s what I have on my mind for 2013:

Become a certified group class instructor
Sweat everyday
Meal prep every Sunday for the upcoming week
Start a morning workout regime (before work…tough!)
Blog more! =)
Travel more and explore different cultures
Stay away from negative people and things that hold me back
Learn from successful people
Set higher goals! (work on seeing those abs of mine, determined!!)

Most of all—->I think it’s so important to strive for excellence rather than perfection.

I have big expectations for myself, but it’s time to set the bar high and keep track of these goals!

What are your new years resolutions?

Today, I am a featured fitness guru on Jessica Read’s website! Go check her out and see what fitness apps we recommended!

—> Six Pack Apps for 2013

pvBody and NatureBox

11.19.2012

Happy Thanksgiving week! As we know, with the holiday comes about many challenges regarding health and fitness. Plan to do your best this week so you can reward with a nice large meal with family and friends on Thursday!

I am VERY excited to share with you a couple of new fitness related websites that I found. I think you will LOVE them! These business plans are phenomenal and such great ideas for those fitness fanatics like myself.

The first is pv.body.com. (Thank you Christie for sending this to me!!) If you love buying workout clothes as much as I do, this is the site for you! For just $39.95 a month, they will send you a workout top and bottom which is chosen according to your style. You take the quiz to determine your needs, an outfit a month is chosen and sent to you free of delivery charge. I am SO curious to see how this works, as I love workout clothes more than anything!

http://www.pvbody.com

I have also recently signed up for Nature Box. (Sorry mom to spoil my Christmas present!) I just couldn’t resist. This is a monthly membership deal as well, where for a small cost, they will send you a box full of healthy snacks. Other than hearing many great things about this company, here is a quick read that convinced me to sign up:

Discover a Healthier You: NatureBox helps you eat healthier without needing to change your eating habits. We focus on snacks because that’s the easiest habit to change. Do you know that the average American eats almost 25% of their calories from snacking? In fact, snacking is the leading cause of childhood obesity. NatureBox helps you get more out of your day without wasting calories on the bad stuff.

Food You Can Trust: Every NatureBox item is carefully sourced and nutritionist approved. Everything inside your NatureBox will be guilt free so that you can feel great about what you’re eating. You can trust that our products will be made from the most wholesome ingredients and will be minimally processed, if at all.

Together We Give: For every NatureBox sent out, together we’re helping to feed the hungry. NatureBox donates one meal for every box to feed the over 14 million children in America who go hungry. We believe in doing good and eating well.

www.naturebox.com

Who says you can’t spoil yourself once in a while? Have a wonderful week everyone! Be sure to check out these businesses for yourself and thank you for reading!

xo, Jenna

Fit Gal: Amber!

11.14.2012

Hey all! I think its time for another Fit Gal! I would love to introduce you to Amber. A certain facebook posting got my attention and I knew I had to get her on Fitness and the City. Here is how it went: “Happy 1 year of healthy living to me! November 1, 2011 I decided to start living a healthy lifestyle (eating clean & exercising.) I’m not posting this for complements, but because someone’s posts like this inspired me to get off my ass. So if this helps just one person get motivated then I’m happy! If I can do it so can you.” So what do you think about that for inspiring?! Here she is…

Fit Gal: Amber

1. Tell us about yourself and your “fitness lifestyle” and journey.

I am 23 years old born and raised in Northern California. I recently graduated from Sonoma State University and live in Santa Rosa. Since I was little I have always been an active person. I played soccer for 14 years, ran cross country and worked out pretty routinely. I have always fluctuated in weight. I would lose weight and then put it right back on. College was some of my heaviest years because I wasn’t taking care of myself. Poor eating, too much drinking and not enough sleep. In November 2011, after looking at pictures of myself, I realized I needed to make a lifestyle change, and not just a quick fix but a forever one. I decided to start eating right and exercising. And I did just that. I did not use any diet program or pay for any personal training. I just used the simple formula of food in moderation and small portions, and at the gym cardio and weights. I also trained and ran my first ½ marathon and in June. Training for a run was great because I had a long term goal of running the 13.1 miles but also had the short term goals of making sure I ran each week. Which is a lot like my journey to where I am today because I believe a huge part of my success is setting small goals that work towards a bigger goal. I started my journey weighting 182 lbs. and I am currently 152. I am nowhere near done working towards my goal weight and my journey will never be over because fitness is a lifestyle and I plan to keep it in my life forever!

2. What are your goals and how are you working for them?

My next goal is to run a full marathon before I turn 24! Also, get down to my goal weight.

3. Do you “eat clean”?

I try my best to eat clean, but there are days that I totally blow it. What has helped me be successful is planning ahead. Making weekly schedules of what I’m going to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. When I don’t prepare I give in to the “bad foods.” I also don’t cut anything out cold turkey. I believe eating the things I enjoy most (ice cream) in moderation is what has helped me be successful for this long and not go back to putting on weight. I also accept the days I don’t eat clean and reminding myself that tomorrow is a fresh start. I pay close attention to labels and how much hidden sugars are in items, those can get you!

4. In what ways do you stay active?

To stay active I take a boot camp class on Wednesday and Saturdays. I try to get to the gym Monday- Friday and do cardio every day and free weights every other day. I also love running so signing up for races always keeps me busy with training.

5. What inspires you to live this lifestyle?

Living this lifestyle has brought so many great things to my life. I have met new people through working out, I have a lot of energy and I just feel SO good about myself. What inspires me to live this lifestyle is to show people that it’s possible. It just takes the drive and determination in yourself to get moving. No one else is going to get you off the couch but yourself. Healthy is happy 🙂

Thank you so much for sharing with us Amber! Your positivity and desire to help others is awesome! I know I feel motivated by your determination and success! 🙂

{If you would like to be a part of this Fit Gal project, please comment or send me a note. I would love to have you!}

xo,Jenna

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