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The Before.

11/14/2013

12 Comments

 
PictureWeek 1 (the "before" shot)
For the next 2 months I will be participating in an incredibly vulnerable self imposed experiment. I have always been an active person. Dancing, hiking, yoga and walking are how I have gotten my exercise for most of my adult life. Although I am in relatively good shape for a 30 year old female, I have always had a deep desire to see what it would be like to really focus on my body for a few months and commit to an intense training regimen that focuses on increasing strength and stamina in a safe and healthy manner. Let me be very clear about one thing. I am not dissatisfied with my body the way it looks now. I have been following a pretty strict Ayurvedic diet and lifestyle program for the past 4 years, and have watched my body transform from the inside out. I used to have a chronic digestive disease called ulcerative colitis and poor diet and lifestyle choices that weakened my immune system.  I can remember I would fall sick 4-6 times per year with tonsillitis, fevers, colds and other illnesses.  Since I began studying Ayurveda I have cured myself from all of these diseases, hardly ever get sick, and have more energy and vitality now more than ever before. The most important thing to me is that I feel good. I would also love to be able to do a full push-up and a pull-up, I must admit I haven't been able to do this since I can't remember when. (holy vulnerability)

That being said, now that I have achieved this optimum state of internal health and well being, I am ready to take a step deeper and dive into building my physical strength and stamina. I looked into quite a few options including: Cross Fit, hiring a personal trainer, I even thought about doing the P90 X videos! Finally I found the perfect solution. There is an awesome new gym called Relictree Fitness that recently opened up in my neighborhood. They focus on Natural Training which uses your body's own weight as resistance instead of lifting external weights. I also chose this gym because they have a lot of Yoga classes, Nia classes and Cardio Dance classes too. I decided that I would commit to 3 classes at Relictree every week. 2 of these classes would be intense high cardio, muscle building Natural Strength Training or Boot Camp classes, and the third would be something more mellow like dance or yoga. I am also still committing to my regular dance classes that I attend twice per week, so in total I will be working out a minimum of 5 days per week. 

I chose to start this intense training in the late fall on purpose. In the Ayurvedic tradition, it is best to build muscle during the colder winter months as opposed to the hot summer months because our bodies are deeply connected to nature, and the hot summer sun can be very depleting to our bodily tissues. In the winter time, our bodies become very strong, our digestive capacity increases and we can endure more strenuous workouts. I will also be following a strict Ayurvedic diet, making sure I am eating plenty of ghee and other healthy fats, rice and quinoa protein rich dahls, cooked vegetables, soups and stews, fresh fruits and some organic freerange chicken and fish when I feel the desire to eat meat. I will also be oiling my body and head a few times a week to make sure I keep Vata dosha under control and joints well lubricated.

I just finished my first official week, and boy am I sore! There are some muscles that I am beginning to feel that I didn't even know I had. They did a bunch of tests on me when I first started to keep track of my progress.

Here are my "before" stats:

Height- 5'9''
Weight-142 lbs 
BMI- 21
Body Fat %- 22.8
Lean Mass- 109.7 lbs
Fat Mass- 32.3 lbs
Resting Metabolic Rate- 1,448 calories/day 

Thanks so much for reading. It helps me stay on track and accountable to make this experiment open to the public eye. I feel pretty naked sharing all of this information, but my hope is that it will inspire other people to build strength in a healthy way, coming from a place of wholeness and love rather than restriction and punishment. 

I plan on blogging about this journey every 2 weeks to track my progress. Please subscribe to my blog if you want to be notified of updates.  
With love,
Britt

12 Comments
Traci Brodbeck
11/19/2013 11:26:20 am

Good for you Brit! You are an inspiration to many. I think I should read and learn more about your lifestyle. It could be good for me and my family too.
You look great and are beautiful to the core!
Love,
Traci

Reply
Cori
11/19/2013 11:34:26 am

I will be there every step of the way! I should join you and we can both witness each others transformation! Let's go !!

Reply
Kate link
11/19/2013 11:39:26 am

Love that you are doing this! Thank you for vulnerably sharing. I will be cheering you on :)

Reply
Heather Jade
11/19/2013 12:19:25 pm

: ) sounds like a good plan!

Reply
David
11/19/2013 12:41:54 pm

An inspiration. Thanks for sharing. Good luck with the program!

Reply
Irene
11/19/2013 01:46:16 pm

Good luck! <3

Reply
Cris
11/19/2013 01:57:53 pm

Awesome! I want in

Reply
Annie
11/19/2013 04:15:37 pm

Hey thanks for sharing Brit! I wanted to ask you how you plan on lubricating your joints? I also have suffered an autoimmune disease/s as you probably know and wanted to know what inspired you to learn ayervedic ways (butchered spelling i know) and what actually taught you? Thanks so much. Best wishes!

Reply
rupert
11/19/2013 06:15:36 pm

awesome. if you have a month or two to take off/immerse you could go to tiger muay thay gym in thailand (daily immersive kick boxing/yoga training) - people come back from that place in incredible shape. love your current plan and commitment though. go brit!

Reply
maria rommel link
11/21/2013 05:25:36 pm

Dear Brit.
Im happy for your journey and Health. Wish I had such a good ayurvedic consulent here in Norway.
I just wonder why it is important to show the body and form?
It is so much focus on our bodies and so many people suffering from different kind of eating disorders and anorexia out there. Im just curious why you choose to show Pictures of your body during the process?
Good luck and lots of Power and Health during this time from me comes here!
namaste Maria

Reply
Britt link
11/29/2013 02:37:20 am

Hi Maria-
Thanks for your warm wishes! I hear what you are saying about my decision to pictures of my body. For me, it is a way to hold myself accountable on this journey. While I will be able to feel the transformation on an internal level and this is my number one goal, the before and after pictures are just one way for me to track my progress. I was hoping that it would inspire people to build muscle and strength, the goal is not to loose weight. I hope this clarifies things a bit. Sending you warmth and love this winter!
-Britt

Reply
Ivana link
12/16/2013 10:59:51 pm

Very inspiring, Brittany. Will keep following the progress.
All the best!

Reply



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    Written by:
    Britt Barrett
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"There are so many gifts that I received from working with Brittany as my Ayurvedic Counselor. She has an amazing ability to see people and was able to help me express exactly what I was feeling but had no idea how to articulate. From the big life themes to the slight yet profound adjustments to the way I live my life, I am feeling more vibrant and healthy than ever! I feel blessed to have worked with Brittany and strongly recommend her."
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Photos used under Creative Commons from A. Strakey, Care_SMC
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Kitchari
    • Spiced Milk
    • Spiced Granola
    • Coconut Dahl
    • Green Mung Bean Soup
    • Opo Squash
    • Ginger Lemon Turmeric Tonic
    • Homemade Almond Milk
    • Cardamom Basmati Rice
    • Red Lentil Dahl
    • Taakra- A Digestive Tonic
    • Coconut Cardamom Stuffed Dates
    • Coconut Spiced Butternut Squash Soup
    • Sweet and Spicy Rice Porridge
    • Roasted Fennel
    • Stuffed Delicata Squash
    • Coconut Spiced Sweet Potato Fries
    • Cilantro Garlic Chutney
    • Avocado Mint Cucumber Salad
  • Book Appointment
    • Meet Britt
  • Ayurveda Basics
    • Agni- Digestive Fire
    • Vata- Air and Space
    • Pitta- Fire and Water
    • Kapha- Earth and Water
  • Blog
  • Follow
  • Client Testimonials
  • Media Kit