Lunch- Making a healthy change

Starting off the week on a healthy food with a fabulous Vegetarian Fitspirational Lunch!!

Think you can’t eat a grilled cheese sandwich and fries without eating unhealthy fried foods? WRONG!

This meal contains protein, fiber, calcium, iron and WONDERFUL nutritious ingredients! I made this AT HOME in less than 10 mins. he healthiest “fast food” you can imagine.

What you see:

1. Toasted Cheddar and Avocado grilled cheese sandwich on oatnut bread, with a bit of butternut squash aioli sauce 
2. Side Ceazar salad
3. Sweet Potato fries (BAKED not fried) *Note- Did you know Sweet potatoes are ranked one of the highest nutritional vegetable on the planet? This is because of their high protein and vitamin content!
4. Glass of water

Eating healthy does NOT have to be boring! Get creative, have FUN in the kitchen finding new wonderful ways to incorporate health into your meals! 

I made this meal healthy by:

• Using Oatnut bread instead of starchy white bread
• Having baked sweet potato fries instead of normal greasy fried french fries
• Adding a salad
• Having water instead of soda

APPLY what you just read to YOUR life. Today when you make your next meal, stop and think what you can do to make it healthier!

Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde

Vegetarian Artichoke Adventures!

Did you know that Artichokes are one of the WORLD'S most healthiest foods? 

YES! But Why?

• REALLY high in anti-oxidents 
• Cancer fighting properties
• Really good for the liver *Also known for as a hangover treatment for you drinkers out there!*
• Reduces cholesterol
• Really high in Fiber (which helps with digestion)

If you had asked me a year ago to eat this weird flowery looking cactus shaped vegetable... I would have looked at you like you were crazy. 

Now that my taste buds are developing, I tried them for the first time about a year ago and I AM IN LOVE WITH THEM!

If you've never tried an artichoke before, I highly recommend it!

MAKE SURE YOU READ THIS BEFORE YOU TRY AND EAT ONE! They're complicated to eat, but totally worth the extra effort.

How to eat an artichoke:

After you've steamed or boiled it for 25-35 minutes begin to eat.

1. Pull off outer petals, one at a time
2. Dip white fleshy end in melted butter or sauce. Tightly grip the other end of the petal. Place in mouth, dip side down, and pull through teeth to remove soft, pulpy, delicious portion of the petal. Discard remaining petal.
3. With a knife or spoon, scrape out and discard the inedible fuzzy part (called the "choke") covering the artichoke heart. The remaining bottom of the artichoke is the heart. Cut into pieces and dip into sauce to eat.
4. I dip mine in a home made garlic sauce that I make myself with FRESH garlic. This not only adds to the flavors of the artichoke, it adds another entire health benefit from the fresh garlic!

It's a brand new year, try something brand new!!

Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde

8 Ways to get your health back on track!

Hey you! Yes YOU:

• Have you slipped out of your healthy ways?
• Forgotten how to eat healthy and let your body get used to eating sugary processed foods?
• Even if you're NEW to the health lifestyle, ever wondered how and where to begin?

IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO GET BACK ON TRACK, OR START YOUR FITSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY!!



Here's some really great ways that I've PERSONALLY found to get back on track :)

1. START NOW- I don't care what time it is, I don't care what day it is, make the decision to start now.
2. PLAN YOUR MEALS OUT- Eating is step one of getting your healthy self on track. If you PLAN out your meals for the rest of the week, you won't be tempted to eat something unhealthy just because it's there. You'll have a plan. 
3. FITNESS JOURNAL- Make your very own fitness journal! This is the single BEST place to plan out your weeks meals. See my "Fitness Journal" for my fabulous method on food planning!
4. GO INTO THE KITCHEN WITH A MISSION- After you've made your week's food plan, go into the kitchen and ONLY prepare what you PLANNED to eat for that meal. Use "healthy tunnel vision" and pretend everything else in your fridge isn't there. 
5. GET YOUR BUTT UP- Having trouble getting motivated to exercise? Take a class! All you have to do is put on your fitness clothes and get yourself there. Once you've completed a class, your motivation to continue exercising will increase immensely!
6. DON'T LET ONE BAD DAY TURN INTO A BAD MONTH- Just because you've had one bad day, whether it be eating donuts and ice cream for breakfast and watching sex and the city all day, or just not having time to exercise that day. Don't let that un-motivate you. Realize you've come so far, and USE that bad day as motivation to do better tomorrow!
7. WATER- Drink it. I'm not kidding. If you've been eating unhealthy lately, a GREAT way to naturally detox your body is to flush it out and drink a LOT of water.
8. WRITE- Take time out of every day to write down how you're feeling? Are you feeling motivated and happy about your progress? Write about it. Are you feeling lazy and bloated? Write about it! Every day will be different, but it will really help you later on to go back and look at all the good days you've had, and all the bad days you've over come!

Everything I've written on my list is from personal experience. I'm a real girl with real challenges. I've had bad days, weeks, and even months too! This list has literally kept me going, and helped me come as far as I have to be the Real Fitspirational Brittany that I am today.

*Bookmark this list.* -Come back to it when you're feeling like you've gotten off track and need that extra push to keep going.

Need a little more motivation? Just ask :) I don't bite I promise!

Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde

Cupcake Attack!

I don’t want you to have a heart attack every time you pass a Sprinkles Cupcake… But I also don’t want you to get a heart attack from eating at Sprinkles Cupcakes like 5X’s a week!

We all have our guilty pleasures (Chocolate, Cupcakes and Starbucks are mine) and just because we’re living healthy lifestyles DOESN'T mean that we have to cut them all out!

Just eat in moderation.

Split a cupcake with a friend, grab some tea at Starbucks (I am an Earl Grey Tea lover) instead of a sugar packed Frap.

Balance out the non-healthy foods with healthy foods. For every cupcake you eat, try eating 2 pieces of fruit :)

Xox Brittany,

The Fitspirational Blonde

Keep a Fitness Journal!

Keeping a Fitness journal is a FABULOUS way to keep track of your progress, and make sure you are getting closer to those fabulous goals you've made for yourself.

I think we all have at least 1-2 two of those empty notebooks that we don’t know what to do with (who are we kidding I have like 8 of them, I buy them because they’re SO cute and then i get home, put them on the shelf and never use them!)

This is the beginning of a brand new year. Why not take notes, and set goals NOW, so at the end of 2013 you'll remember why it was such a great year. On December 31st, 2013 how awesome would it be to look back and reflect on exactly HOW you EARNED your way to the new healthy you for 2014 :)

Xox Brittany

The Fitspirational Blonde

Messy Buns, Tissues and Sweatpants....

Yes... it's happened.... I'M SICK!!!


*As I sneeze and accidentally knock over my water bottle*

Despite ALL my efforts to eat healthy, take vitamins, exercise daily, and avoid EVERYONE who is sick (or even thinks about coughing in my direction)... I still caught something!!! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?!?!

Maybe I have a weak immune system.

Maybe I shouldn't have gone dancing around in the rain this weekend pretending I was Gene Kelly in the movie "Singing in the Rain".

Or maybe this is bad Karma for taking up one two three parking spaces yesterday at Starbucks...

Well what ever the reason is; the "Flu God's" have officially found me hiding in my large luxurious closet, and have smacked me upside the head with a sore throat and fever.

5 boxes of tissues, 4 glasses of water, 3 trips to the grocery store (for Gatorade and more tissues), 2 angry/congested nostrils and 1 BIG FAT HAIRY MESSY BUN on the top of my little blonde head.
(sorry there will be no partridge in a pear tree in this post; he got to close to my window, caught my cold and flew away)


Not to be dramatic but.... I'M MISERABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IF I HAVE TO EAT ONE MORE CUP OF SOUP, I'M GOING TO THROW SOMETHING OUT THE WINDOW!

Elle Woods can make anything better

Anyway, instead of doing what I usually do when I get sick (lounging around being grumpy watching legally blonde over and over while consuming ridiculously large quantities of chocolate) (while subconsciously  thinking about all the things I should be doing instead of lounging around being grumpy watching legally blonde over and over while consuming ridiculously large quantities of chocolate) This time I decided to push the tissues aside, and do some research on how to get better as fast as possible!!

So after 2 hours of messing around in other peoples blogs, and ripping Google to shreds, this is what I've found the most helpful.

REMEMBER THESE TIPS NEXT TIME YOU GET SICK!

In this midst of my research I got a kick out of stumbling upon a website that was literally called "www.howtogetridofacoldfast.org" No subtlety there, I love it!

This website had TONS of great tips on getting better fast, which was exactly what I was looking for!

1.) Drink TONS of water!!!! When your body is sick, it gets dehydrated really easily. Think about it like you're using the water to flush out all the gross sick germs inside of you. Better in then out right?!!
Side Note: Make sure you're going to be near a bathroom for a few hours when you do this one... you wouldn't want your body to miraculously turn into Niagara Falls when you're at the grocery store and can't find anyone with a key to the bathroom. It would be embarrassing to be the reason for the "Clean up on isle six!!" << Best to try and avoid that from happening.

2.) Eat Right! "When you are already afflicted with cold, it is imperative that you maintain a diet which is most easy on your system. This would include foods such as greens, salads and so on, and therefore, would NOT include foods which are way too oily or greasy. Remember that the more food you consume which is fatty and greasy, the more your body will have to work on digesting the same, taking away precious resources which have otherwise been working very hard on fending off the cold that you are already suffering from."  Eat like you're trying to fit into your wedding gown for next month that is just a little to small for you! Don't eat less, eat SMART! Also, Salads are known for cleansing your system, I'd stock up on some lovely greens :) Also maximize your intake of soups! If you're a vegetarian like me, get creative with your soups try vegetable soup there are TONS of alternatives out there for you.

Garlic is also known for helping get rid of colds! Italian anyone?! Yes please!

3.) Sleep a LOT! Pretend your a bear, hibernate! When you leep your body gets a chance to focus on healing itself. The more you sleep, the quicker you heal and the faster you're ready to get back to your "flu free" life.

4.) Zinc- One of the best things you can take to get rid of your cold quick; it has special anti-cold properties. Use it for a few days, it comes in tablets, nasal sprays (I don't recommend that one) as well as in liquid form. One time at my Grandmas house when I was younger, my grandma made my friend and I stick zinc nasal swabbs up our noses... it actually helped in the long run but I promised myself I'd NEVER do that again, being sick was better than sticking a swab up my nose! EW

5.) Tea- Chamomile tea is a pretty great tea to try out, it's a superlative agent for fighting off colds especially if you're already sick.

Ok guys that's it for today, i'm off to Whole Foods Market to grab some Zinc (BUT NOT THE NOSE SWABS) Tea and healthy foods :)

Hope everyone is staying healthy out there!

Xox Brittany

31 Ways To Motivate Yourself to Exercise!

Hey Ladies, we ALL have those days where we just don't feel like getting up and exercising and can't seem to find the motivation to get up off the couch (or off Tumblr haha) to actually exercise!

Here are some fabulous tips I found on Zenhabts.com that I thought would help you guys too :)

There are a million ways to motivate yourself to exercise, actually, but these are a few that have worked for me. And trust me, I’ve had days when I’ve struggled with exercise. Most recently, the things that have helped include finding a workout partner (one of the best motivators!), logging my exercise, reading magazines, books and websites, and rewarding myself.

1. How you feel after a workout. I always feel great after a good workout. It’s a high. And I let that motivate me the next time: “You know how good you’re going to feel, Leo!”
2. Time for you. While many people make time to take care of others (kids, spouse, other family, co-workers, boss), they don’t often make time to take care of themselves. Instead, make your “you” time a priority, and don’t miss that exercise appointment.
3. Calories burned. If you count calories (and it’s really one of the most effective ways to lose weight), you know that the more you exercise, the more calories you burn — and the bigger your calorie deficit.
4. Having fun. Exercise should be fun. If it isn’t, try a different kind of activity that you enjoy. As long as you’re moving, it’s good for you.
5. How you’re going to look. Imagine a slimmer, fitter you. Now let that visualization drive you.
6. Magazines. It motivates me to read fitness magazines. Not sure why, but it works.
7. Cover models. Sure, they’re genetically freaky, and probably Photoshopped to look perfect. But for some reason, looking at how good a cover model looks helps motivate me to work harder.
8. Blogs. I enjoy reading blogs about people who are into running, or losing weight. It can show the ups and downs they go through, and you can learn from their experiences.
9. Success stories. I find the success stories of others incredibly inspirational. If a fitness website has success stories, I’ll almost always read them.
10. Forums. Do the monthly challenge on the Zen Habits forums, or join another forum full of like-minded or like-goaled peopled. Check in daily. It really helps.
11. Rewards. If you exercise for a few days, give yourself a reward! A week? Another reward. Do it often in the beginning.
12. Fitting into new clothes. Wanna look good in a smaller size? Work out!
13. Being attractive. That’s always a good motivator, as I’m sure we all know. Edited to correct language.
14. Adrenaline rush. I get a rush when I exercise. Ride that rush to complete the workout.
15. Stress relief. Wound up after a long day at the office? Get out and work off that stress. It makes a world of difference.
16. Time for contemplation. I love, love the quiet time of exercise for thinking about things. Most of this post was written in my head as I exercised.
17. A workout partner. Best thing I’ve done.
18. An exercise class. Sign up for a class, perhaps with a friend, and you’ll be motivated to get there and work out.
19. A coach or trainer. Worth the money, just for the motivation.
20. An exercise log/graph. For some reason, writing it down is extremely important. Really. Do it for a week and you’ll see what I mean.
21. Your before picture. You often don’t realize how far you’ve come. Take pictures.
22. A 5K race or triathlon. Just sign up for one, and you’ll be motivated to train.
23. The dread of feeling “yuck” from not exercising. I hate how I feel after not exercising. So I remind myself of that when I feel tired.
24. Living long enough to see your grandkids … and play with them.
25. The scale. It’s not motivating to weigh yourself every day, as your weight fluctuates. But if you weigh yourself once a week, you’ll be motivated to have it keep going down, instead of up. Combine the scale with the measuring tape, and measure your waist.
26. Reaching a goal. Set a goal for weight, or your waist measurement, or a number of days to work out, or a number of miles to run this week. Setting and tracking a goal helps motivate you to complete that goal. Make it easily achievable.
27. Posting it on your blog. Tell people you’re going to lose weight or exercise daily, and report to them. You’ll make it happen.
28. Motivational quotes. I like to print them out or put them on my computer desktop.
29. Books. I just bought a strength-training book as a reward. It makes me want to hit the weights!
30. Others commenting on how good you look. When someone notices the changes in your body, it feels good. And it makes you want to work out more.
31. An upcoming day at the beach, or a reunion. Nuff said.

Hope everyone has an incredible workout today now!

Love you all!

Xox Brittany

A-Fitspirational-Blonde

RawTella

RAWtella

Do you ABSOLUTELY love Nutella?

Could you eat it ALL day and night on EVERYTHING from bagels to strawberries??

I KNOW I COULD!

Today, after searching the web for new creative healthy ideas I stumbled upon "RawTella"

It's a healthier version of "Nutella."

It's Raw, vegan, gluten-free, and safe for people with peanut allergies!! IT still has that amazing chocolate sweet flavor that Nutella has, except the ingredients are only hazelnuts, cacao nibs and coconut sugar.




It is a bit pricy, but with the high class ingredients that go into it, I'm not surprised and will gladly pay it! 


PLUS if you add "Rawtella" on Facebook, you can get an additional 25% off :)


Order Rawtella Online HERE


Have a healthy Fabulous Easter everyone!


(I hope the Easter Bunny leaves you Rawtella Easter Eggs instead of chocolate ones today!)


Xox Brittany


A-Fitspirational-Blonde

A Chopstick Catastrophe! -Portion Size in America

Portions, Pool Boys, and Pad Woon Sen.

By Brittany Turner

The Fitspirational Blonde

Did you know, the portion sizes that we are served in America today, are DOUBLE what the ACTUAL portion sizes should be? So, that means if you are served a full plate of spaghetti, you are technically eating a meal that was originally meant for TWO people! However, American's don't usually know or talk about it. 

Yesterday was my best friend's birthday, so we spent the day together lounging by our beach side Marriott's pool, basking in the warm sun, sipping on Virgin Margaritas while simultaneously checking out the gorgeous pool guys who brought us everything we could have possibly desired!

Ok, I have a confession. We secretly kept sending our beautiful pool-side waiter to the kitchen for more drinks and napkins just so we could watch his beautiful butt strut back and forth! Come on ladies, you KNOW you would have done it too!

Anyway, sitting pool side (feeling great in my bikini by the way after just coming back from the hotel's gym) of course I was reading the latest issue of Shape Magazine. As I read I became particularly engaged with an article about portion sizes! Like I said earlier, in most restaurants we are served DOUBLE what we should be eating for each meal. Scary right? What's REALLY scary is if we finish it every time!

Ever since we were little, we have been TRAINED to eat everything on our plate. Didn't your mom used to yell at you saying, "Honey, you can't have dessert until you finish EVERYTHING on your plate!!" (so you'd secretly feed your broccoli to the dog under the table.) Then they wonder why their children are obese… and yell at them for being fat. Have you ever noticed that before? Life is a vicious circle. I was lucky enough to have parents who let me eat what ever I wanted, but I know I was just lucky kid. 

When we grow up, mentally our bodies are already trained to eat EVERYTHING on our plates because that's what we've always know to be correct. So now when we have grown out of kid's menus and have been thrown into the real world of oversized portions, we feel the need to finish every little thing served to us!

Back to the pool, I still laid out gazing at our hot waiter and reading my Shape Magazine (While SHARING a Caesar salad with my best friend) and continued reading the article on portion sizes. The article suggested eating your meals with a dessert fork to slow down the eating process. I've read that it takes approximately 20 minutes for your brain to tell your body that it's actually full. 

Something I usually do is stop about 1/2 way through my meal, drink a glass of water and wait a few minutes to decide if i'm still hungry or if I've already eaten enough to be satisfied. Usually though, if I wait the right amount of time it usually ends up being that I am infect full and glad I stopped when I did. I think people forget to take the time to stop and actually ENJOY what they're eating. Food is such a beautiful part of our daily lives, and if we eat the right foods in the right portions, having meals should be a perfect delightful experience every day. 

Advice- next time you eat, take your time and don't rush through it. Have a RELATIONSHIP with your meal! Chew each bite 7 times and shut your eyes and think about how incredible what you're munching on actually tastes! Shutting your eyes will help you block out other distractions around you and help you focus on what you're eating. Not only will your meals be more enjoyable, but you will eat slower and get full quicker. I bet you'll be VERY glad to avoid that "OH NO I ATE TO MUCH WAY TOO FAST" feeling. EVERYONE has felt that before, I know I did overtime the words "free unlimited breadsticks" slipped the waitresses lips at the Olive Garden. I swear they're trying to kill me over there, "unlimited" and "free" are such a dangerous combination of words when it comes to food. 

On my way to Starbucks (to write this article actually,) I walked by a new Thai Cuisine that I had never been to before called "Bai Yook". The smell of my favorite Thai Dish (Pad Woon Sen) pulled me in like a girl with her first credit card passing a shoe store. I got SUCKED in and within seconds sat down and ordered it JUST for me. Choosing water instead of soda, and passing on the appetizers I was ready to eat my vegetarian dish filled with delicious proteins and vegetables and not feel guilty about a single bite! BUT I had just read the article about portions, and when my "Pad Woon Sen" arrived in front of me I remembered what I had read yesterday about larger portions. It was completely right, I realized they had served me enough food for me AND my 2 best friends… who weren't with me. So I needed to make a choice.

I could either finish the HUGE plate of food ALL BY MYSELF… or I could take on my ultimate enemies…. CHOPSTICKS. I knew using chopsticks would definitely slow me down.

Can someone please explain to me, why I can knit an entire closet full of scarves, but can't handle picking up ANYTHING with chopsticks without unintentionally vigorously flinging it across the restaurant at the poor waitress? (Yes, if you're wondering I HAVE accidentally done this on more that one occasion.) 

I'm a BLONDE CHOPSTICK CATASTROPHE!

BUT if you've been following me for long enough, you KNOW I don't give up that easily. I was DETERMINED to control my portions, so I sucked it up, ripped open the chopsticks like they were a new pair of my favorite Jimmy Choo stilettos, and began attacking my Pad Woon Sen with them.

This helped!

After about 1/2 hour of fighting to get EVERY noodle/vegetable in my mouth, and having been offered a fork about 12 times by my waitress (who I could see laughing hystarically at me with ALL the cooks in the kitchen), I succeeded, and finally felt full! I had only eaten 1/2 of my food and I had already began feeling satisfied! 

Chopsticks, you've got NOTHING on me! 

I felt GREAT! I didn't eat too much, didn't feel overly stuffed, and to top it off I had some left over to eat for lunch tomorrow! 

Eating smaller portions more frequently throughout the day, has yet again been proven to be the best way to eat. I hope you remember this post next time you eat out and are served WAY too much. Don't listen to ANYONE, you DON'T have to eat everything on your plate!

Have a Fit and Fabulous day everyone <3

Xox Brittany

The Fitspirational Blonde

Blonde, Fit and Fabulous- Brittany's Fitspirational Surprise!

Hi! My name is Brittany, and I'm 24 from Cali.

My life story is unique, I'm excited to share it with you.

I sit here typing this post to you still in my hot pink running shoes, with my pink 3 lb. hand weights on my right, Women's Health Magazine on my desk to my left, sipping on a fresh pineapple mango protein smoothie (that I just made) as I marvel over the unbelievable success of my health blogs!

In less than 6 months, my health blog completely turned around faster than I could have ever expected!

On March 18th, 2011 this blonde Cali girl decided she was going to turn her life around and change her unhealthy ways of living for good.

Strawberry by strawberry, run by run, smoothie by smoothie I was determined that I was going to take healthy to another level.

From then on, I decided I was going to treat my body like a new pair of Jimmy Choo shoes!  (...and BOY do I love my shoes.)

I've created this blog to help inspire as MANY people as I can to do two things:

1. love themselves for who they are, and the beautiful bodies God gave them
2. promote the fabulous healthy way of living! 

Raised on Sugar:

I was raised eating:

1. sugary cereal for breakfast
2. greasy grilled cheese sandwiches with processed square cheese for lunch 
3. nutrition-less Kraft Macaroni and Cheese for dinner
4. and unimaginable amounts of cookies and ice cream for dessert. 

This is how my family ate, and so this is how I thought everyone else ate too.

The word "vegetable" never crossed my lips, and my definition of a "fresh variety of fruit" was when my mom made 3 different flavors of watermelon, blueberry and raspberry jello.

Chocolate and Starbucks were literally my 2 main food groups... I don't even know how I made it past my teen years eating like this!

I never learned how to cook, the only two things I could make in the kitchen were a MESS and FIRE! My mom and I literally used to store shoes in our oven because we NEVER turned it on and needed the extra storage space for our immense collection.

I would probably still be eating like this if it weren't for my last operation.

My life story is unique, and I hope it inspires YOU to be the best YOU that you can be. 

Brittany's Life Story:

When I was born, I was diagnosed with a life threatening condition that caused the bones in my head to grow WAY quicker than a "normal" baby. They grew so fast that I have had to have over 13 operations throughout my life to halt the growing process. 
In every operation, the doctors have trimmed down the bones in my head in hopes to keep them from crushing my brain. Rapid bone growth directly effected the shape of my face, and from the second I was born, the doctors and my family realized that I would never look like societies definition of a "normal" girl. 

My condition caused one of my eyes to appear bigger and unaligned from the other, and I grew up with a tremendous under bite and was never able to bite into any food (I always had to cut it up before I ate it.) I have huge scars from my operations hidden under my hair and as you can imagine, school was far from a "walk in the park."

I grew up with kids telling me, "Brittany, one of your eyes is bigger than the other... and your mouth looks weird." It may have seemed cruel at the time, but they were right... one of my eyes did appear bigger and my mouth did look different. They were pointing out the truth, and I was stuck with it.

I spent a huge part of my child hood doing everything I could to "fit in". All I wanted to do was be "normal" like the other kids. I remember laying in the hospital bed before one of my operations thinking , "God why did you curse me with this condition? Out of all the people in the world why was I the one who had to be born with it?"

Little did I know that God knew exactly what he was doing.

After years of trying to change myself attempting to fit in with other kids... I finally had an epiphany. Laying with an IV in my arm, and a bloody bandage wrapped around my head for the umpteenth time... I realized that God had a purpose for me... and "fitting in" was NO part of it.

Some people are born to be "normal" and "fit in" with the pople around them... but some people are BORN to stand out and BE DIFFERENT, and I finally realized that I am one of those few people.

So I started embracing it. 

From that moment on, I decided that I was going to be me, and every flaw that I had wasn't going to be a flaw any more, it was going to be one more thing that made me different from everyone else AND THAT IS WHAT MADE ME BEAUTIFUL.

I embraced my bright bubbly personality and started being the person that I always wanted to be. No more hiding, no more normal, from here on out it was going to be as MUCH PINK and glitter and fabulousness as I could possibly fit in my life! 

My wonderful Doctor told his friend at a Public Relations firm about my story, and the second she met me she asked if I would be interested in spreading the story of my life. 

A few months later, my bubbly personality had landed interviews with 6 news stations, and had the opportunity to share my story with thousands of people all over California! 

But wait it gets better! A private non-profit group heard about my condition and offered to pay for 100% of my last 2 operations. Surgeons worked for over 16 hours to CRACK my upper jaw and align it with my lower jaw and significantly improved the alignment of my eyes. 

After weeks of recovering in the hospital, for the first time in my entire life, I was able to bite into an apple. 

The producer from the show "The Doctors" called my cell phone one day, and asked if I would be interested in not only sharing my life story with just local Californians, but also broadcasting it nationwide to to millions of people throughout America on their show. 

I knew this would be a big deal... but never even imagined how much of an actual impact it would have on actual people.

>>From the time I filmed the episode in Hollywood, to the time I got home to my computer, I opened up my Facebook/Email and I had not one, not one hundred, but THOUSANDS of messages from strangers all over America telling me how much my story had impacted their lives.


Just a few of my favorites-

_______________________________________________________________________________ 

"Hi Britney,
My name  is Carol and I saw you on KUSI a few days ago. From the moment we saw your blonde hair and unforgettable bright personality, my family and I have completely fallen in love with you. We cancelled our plans to watch you on the doctors that night to hear more about your life story. At 5:00pm my grandmother and I sat in front of the TV balling our eyes out as you walked out from back stage after having watched your surgery and learning about your journey that made you who you are today. You’re the most confident and real person I have ever seen. My grandmother told me that she wishes there were more people in the world like you. My family and I wish you all the best in the rest of your journey, and wanted to tell you that I know you’re doing so much for so many children in America. Keep going, and don’t let anyone get in your way. We all look forward to seeing more of you!
Sincerely,
Carol and the Gonzolas family."

________________________________________________________________________________

"Dear Brittany,

You are such a beautiful young woman. You’re only 21 and you have already accomplished so much. Watching your story on The Doctors completely floored me and my co-workers. I work at a law firm, and you came on in the middle of the day on a Doctors show and every single person in my office stopped what they were doing and gathered around the television to watch you speak. After watching you in surgery, we all expected you to come out onto the stage hunched over in a wheel chair with a frown, but our jaws dropped when you and your bright pink outfit, huge smile, blonde hair and incredible attitude glided across the stage like you were Miss America. After all you've been through I was most shocked to hear that if you had the choice to be born without your condition, you wouldn't  You said it changed your life and it happened to you for a reason and even though we don’t know each other I am SO proud of you for showing the world that you can accomplish anything. My entire office fell in love with you from the moment we saw you walk on that stage and if you ever need anything please feel free to call us, we would love to hear more from you and help in any way we can. Brittany you are truly a walking inspiration.

Yours truly, Sarah Bryant"

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Dear Brittaney,My daughter is 4 years old and she was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy at birth. For 4 years, I worry every day that when it comes time for her to enter public school, that children will tease her and make fun of her too. When she was born, I knew that the rest of her life would be a difficult challenge to take on. I used to cry and cry because I didn't know if I could handle seeing her get hurt (children at that age as you pointed out can be very cruel.) I’m usually not a fan of The Doctors Show, but today when I turned it on I saw your bright eyes and shining smile it was as if God had lead me to the remote. I saw your childhood story and heard you speak about growing up with your condition. I heard you say that you had been teased about your condition as I assume that my daughter will be also. Watching you appear on national television and saying it has made you a stronger person is very unique to hear and it's exactly what I needed to give me the strength to help Sophia (my daughter) grow up. You've grown up to be beautiful and strong having gone through school, and I admire your many accomplishments. When Sophia gets old enough, I will show her your story and pray that someday she will grow up to be a strong and as inspirational as you. God Bless you Brittaney. You have made a big impact on our lives and I hope that perhaps Sophia and I would have the honor of meeting you someday.From, Meing Tzunas 

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Hello Britney,

I recently became familiar with your story and I admire you so much for having the strength to not only keep such a positive attitude for yourself throughout your treatments and such, but for inspiring others to stay positive as well.I saw you on "The Doctors" where you said, "some people were born to fit in and be normal but some people were born to stand out and be different, and I think I was one of those people."The truth is, everyone is different, just not everyone shows it. And no matter what differences somebody may have, whether physical or what have you, I think it's so important for them to love who they are, and even embrace whatever it is that sets them apart.If everyone thought in such a way, there would be no judging or teasing or ridiculing another. There would be more acceptance and more understanding.Uniqueness is beauty. And I thank you so much for reminding me of that, and for reminding others of that.
- Mr James Wright

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I sat in front of my computer for HOURS with a box of pink tissues crying my eyes out reading all these messages from people who had seen the episode, and gone out of their way to find me on Facebook/Email to tell me how they could personally relate to my story and wanted me to know.

So yes, to this day I'll still NEVER be normal, and I am NEVER going to fit in... but what I thought was God's curse was actually his wonderful blessing.

I am stronger and more confident than ever. I promote self love, and being you at all costs. Through my health blog, and giving speeches all over California- I will do everything I can to spread the idea that your flaws are what makes you YOU, and that is what makes you beaYOUtiful.

Brittany In The Media:

FOX:

The Doctors:

Hair Backstage

Makeup Back Stage

KUSI News:

CBS

How my Health Blog Began:

After my last operation (where they cracked my upper jaw) I was put on a STRICT diet and could only eat certain foods because my mouth was legitimately wired shut. My doctor told me I had to find a way to keep track of everything I ate, and all of the exercises I progressively began to do with the passing weeks. 

This was around the same time one of my best friends came over and introduced me to Tumblr, so I thought what better way to keep track of my food and exercises that posting it on a health blog that I could not only look at myself, but also give a link to my doctor!

I started out knowing NOTHING about blogging. It took me a week to figure out how to post a picture of an avocado. But since I had taken the semester off of college and couldn't drive or leave the house... I spent weeks figuring things out on my own! 

I could only consume liquids at the beginning, so I started out by posting all the recipes to the fruit smoothies I made everyday. This was a HUGE change to my diet, as I was used to eating foods full of carbs and drinks packed with sugar. 

I soon began to recover, and could eat whatever I wanted... however I was so energized and full of life after being filled with healthy and nutritious fruits from my smoothies, that I didn't want to go back to my macaroni diet!!

I started eating better, and began getting my strength back by doing the "30 Day Shred" workout I found online! 

For the first time I wasn't just skinny, I was FIT and TONED and IT FELT FABULOUS!

 I also became in LOVE with Zumba, and am now considering getting a license to teach it this summer!

I blogged about everything I was doing every day, and before I knew it, 6 months had passed and I had over 5,000 followers reading my posts and following along with me on my Fitspirational journey!

Again, messages began to pour in with questions about the food I was making, my smoothie recipes and just about how I was living my new healthy lifestyle.

Since then, my curiosity about the health world has grown exponentially and I now eat vegetables every day and ALWAYS start my day with a fresh fruit smoothie (no jello included!)

30 Little Things, Get to Know Brittany:

1. I like to paint my toenails even in the winter when no one can see them
2. I like my money right where I can see it, hanging in my closet
3. I've been a Vegetarian my whole life, it was my choice and I am the only one in my whole family who is.
4. I can do the splits in 3 different directions 
5. Which is why I play a mean game of Twister
6. I am NOT a morning person
7. The fact that it's 2am when I'm typing this may have something to do with that
8. I have green eyes but they turn BRIGHT blue when I cry
9. I don't curse
10. I have a part time job as a Disney Princess at little kid's birthday parties, and I play Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Tinkerbell.
11. Sometimes I wish I was 3 inches taller
12. But I put on my high heels when I'm feeling short
13. I'm a terrible speller, I even confuse Microsoft Word sometimes
14. Is "speller" a word?
15. I have deja vu ALL the time
16. I have deja vu ALL the time
17. I LOVE Zumba
18. I'm fluent in Spanish but am 100% caucasian
19. My car's name is Chad, and he's a fabulous white Mustang convertible
20. I ruined his leather seats because I like to drive around in the rain with the top down and Taylor Swift on FULL BLAST. Yep, I still do it!
21. I have a teacup Yorkie named Locket who thinks she's a huge "Great Dane" and that the world revolves around her.
22. I love Electronic music (dubstep), Country, and almost anything with a bass that you can feel in your soul when you hear it
23. I have the attention span of a 5 year old
24. Which is why it took me like 3 days to write this
25. Brb I think Legally Blonde is on...
26. It was, I watched it! Snaps for Brittany!
27. I am Christian, and God is a glowingly huge part of my life
28. I am really close with my family
29. My two best friends are my soul.
30. My boyfriend is a Marine, his name is Bryan and he's the Prince Charming I never knew I needed

Xox Brittany

The Fitspirational Blonde

Oh, I almost forgot! Here's a link to my Health Blog on Tumblr where I got started :)


The-Fitspirational-Blonde.Tumblr.com