Lauren Brooks Fitness

My friend Yoana asked me to come on the Spanish Channel with her to show people how you can exercise with your baby. This was filmed about 2 months after I had Lyla. We had a great time doing this. I hope you enjoy!

Well last night I bumped in to my new plyometric box and broke my toe! I knew right away it was broken. I saw stars for a moment. I thought maybe 3 of them were crushed, but the X-ray confirmed only one. With that being said, I will have to modify my workouts tremendously. Kind of bummed since I was just starting to enjoy my freedom again. I believe the saying, "What doesn't kill you will only make you stronger". Maybe some how I will end up stronger with this little bump in the road.

We made it to the 6 month mark. This post has nothing to do with training. Just want to show off pictures of my little girl. I felt she looked cuter than ever today. Here are a couple pictures. I guess I am turning in to one of those extremely proud parents already!

I worked out with a female bodybuilder today that has won many competitions. She is super super lean and looks great. I love to train different ways. This is what she had me do. Light Weight, HIgh Reps Deadlifts 45lb 8 Roman Deadlift 45lb 8 One arm Roman Deadlift 10lb 16 left and 16 right (a bit too easy, but got my heart rate up) Did all without any rest 3 sets through Renegade Rows on barbells 15lb 8 on each side Push Ups on barbells 5 reps Hang Clean, Squat, and Press 30lb 6 reps (pretty light) Did all without any rest 3 sets through Step Ups on Bench 30lb 16 reps Leg Raises for lower Abs 12 reps Cross Crunches 12 on each side 2 sets Bicep Curls 12 reps Tricep Pull down 12 reps 3 sets I still feel I get a much better workout using kettlebells. But it is definitely nice to switch it up.

Today I decided it's time to go a little heavier with some of the exercises. I haven't been posting my workouts, since there has not been any consistency with my training, due to various reasons. Trying to go heavier without training much is not always the smartest thing. But I felt if I can keep my form for 1 rep then that is good enough for me today! So I was prepared to not even be able to do one Here is my short training A. Turkish Get Up 16kg 1 rep on each arm 4 set ( little wobbly at first but did it with success!) Snatches 16kg 6 reps on each arm 4 sets Total 8 TGU's and 48 Snatches. Took longer breaks, 2-4 minutes, so I can have perfect form each time. B. Push ups on Bosu upside down 10 reps 3 sets Pistol Holds (held for 5 seconds at the bottom and came up with 2 legs) 8kg 2 reps 3 sets Morning weight was 111.2lb and 19.1% body fat. Still breastfeeding, so not sure how accurate the body fat scale is if I am walking aroun...

It's crazy how the pregnancy went so so slow! It felt like an eternity. And now that Lyla is born I can't believe it has actually been 5 months. It feels like yesterday So just wanted to show a couple pictures to show you my progress and my journey. First picture is me 2 weeks before I gave birth, I know I was extremely huge! Pretty embarrasing picture. Pic 2 is 1 month later, still sore from C-section. Pic 3 Two and half months postpartum. Pic 4 Today at 5 months, I am at least 6 pounds lighter from pic 3 to pic 4. Pic 5 is today doing a pistol. Have to admit I did not train at all for the pistols. If I wanted to be able to do more than one I would need to start training. So I guess my body just remembers after not doing them for a year. Thank you for your interest in our cutting edge fitness programs and information. To be apart of Lauren’s unique and motivating online gym experience; sign up here for our virtual gym, Lauren’s Playground , while registration...

i have to admit, these past 2 weeks I have felt extremely lethargic and low energy. With what life has thrown my way, I have not been able to stick to my goals. This is the first time in years that I haven't followed through with my word. I understand life can get in the way and get you off track. The longer you wait to jump back on, the harder it may get. So finally I forced myself to make some time for me. This morning I went in my back yard and had one of the BEST workouts I have had in a long time. Because it had been weeks since I've been consistent in my training I was surprised that I had the strength to do this fun workout. My weight for the past week has been 111 pounds and I'm still exclusively breastfeeding. The only thing I can say I have really been doing right, is eating super super clean. I never let myself go hungry and I'm snacking all the time! I haven't been this light for 8 years. So I thought for sure I wouldn't have the strength to ...

We may finally have some answers with Ben. The doctor is now pointing the finger to Ulcerative Colitis. The only thing is the pain does not match up to this type of Inflammatory Bowel Disease, so there could be something more to it. The doctor even agrees, but said it's possible in some rare cases. For now he is off the pain meds and taking special anti-inflammatory medications for Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's. So we will just wait and see how that does. I am just happy that we are starting to get some answers. Still don't feel 100% satisfied, so time will only tell. Now that things are going to be somewhat more stable, I can get back on track with my own training. Yesterday I had a 15 minute time frame to do some training. So this is what I did. Windmills 26lb 4 on each side Single Leg Dead Lifts 2 26lb 8 on each side It felt really good to do these. Almost like my body was craving these two exercises. I feel so much more balanced today. Weighed...

First I want to thank everyone for all their positive thoughts, prayers, phone calls, emails, and so on. I never realized how many people I have around me that would help me out in need. So thank you! The good news is Ben is out of the hospital and home. He is still in pain but slowly recovering back to his old self. He has been on a liquid diet and will be moving to soft foods shortly. After almost 3 weeks of waiting patiently to get the results of the camera test, we find that the video camera NEVER left his stomach during the test. When I found this out my jaw dropped and could not believe it. Supposedly this happens to 15% of the people. I was angry because it took them 3 weeks to tell us this. He now has to redo the test in a week. This time instead of swallowing the camera they are going to place it passed his stomach so this does not happen again. So hopefully they will find some kind of answer for these horrible episodes. Poor guy has been through way too much! Tomorrow w...

LIfe has been one heck of a rollercoaster this past week. Ben had to be carried away in an ambulance and is now staying in the hospital. Still no word about the camera test results. I am so angry with the ambulance. They took 15 minutes longer to get to the hospital than I did. But that is a whole other story that I can go on with. IDIOTS is all I can say. We are also only 5 minutes away from the hospital. The stupid driver got lost! AND on top of that when I got to the emergency room the people at the front had no idea that my husband was even coming in. They said, "Are you sure they are taking him to THIS hospital?" I was about to collapse from being so upset. And on top of that having to rush out of the house to kiss my baby g'bye in a panic. Thank god Ben's cousin lives right around the corner and was able to come over immediately. I will write on this more later. I am going to go back in to the hospital now. Once things settle down I will continue to blog. But ...

Yesterday my husband swallowed a pill with an extremely small wireless video camera inside it. He had to wear a pack around him with wires that made him look like a bomber for 8 hours. This pack held a special tape to record from the wireless video camera passing through his body. Technology is absolutely amazing these days. Why did he do this you ask? Well the past 2 years I have had to rush him to the emergency room at random times due to EXTREME and unbearable abdominal pain. He has had every test done to figure out what is causing this pain. From blood work, CT scans, Endoscopic Ultrasounds, Endoscopies, Colonoscopy, you name it. Still no diagnosis! I have even tried taking out certain foods and still nothing has been consistent of why this happens. How frustrating can this be? It all started almost 2 years ago when we took a family trip to Hawaii. His entire family got sick towards the end of the trip one by one with vomiting and diarrhea. Fortunately I did not get it. Ev...

I have been flucuating on my body fat scale this past week. Getting a bit frustrated, I have been averaging about a 21.6% body fat. I consider this way too high for my own personal standards. My weight of 115 is great, but the body fat is telling me I need to start working a bit harder. BUT I have a big question running in my mind.  Does breastfeeding hold on to that last bit of fat I am trying to shed? I am fitting in to all my pre pregnancy clothes but I want my super lean look back! Most people say breastfeeding helps you lose weight. Which initially I agree with. I am definitely not trying to make excuses, but I think nursing causes you to hold on to a certain amount of fat. Back in the days in order for the baby to survive when the food was scarce, I believe the mother was designed to hold on to a certain amount of fat, to make sure milk could still be produced for the survival of the baby. I have spoken to many many women who breastfed and said they dropped about...

Absolutely! No matter how great of a trainer you are you can always learn from having a trainer yourself. If you are in the training business, you will know it is hard to find the time and motivation to train yourself after training people all day long. Even if you just get 2 or 3 sessions here and there from a respectable trainer it will drive your motivation back up and help you revamp your own training. After I had my baby I luckily was able to lose all my weight by 6 weeks with plain old nutrition. After I got the clearance to start working out at 6 weeks I slowly started working out again. It was very humbling going in to a gym and lifting 50% of what I use to lift. My goal was to put some muscle back on and get my strength back. I managed to gain a little strength back but I wanted something more. It was hard to juggle my time with my daughter and working again. I needed an appointment with someone and did not want to think for once. So after some thought I decided to get ...

This morning I decided to invite a couple friends over to do a little workout in my backyard. Some of them have been asking me to show them how to do kettlebells so I though this would be fun. It was 6 of us total and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. I had some good music going and the sun came out for a little while. Since I was lacking equipment I put together a circuit for 6 and everyone was winded by the end. Most of the group was new to kettlebells so I kept it as simple as possible Warmed up with Good Mornings and Light Swings 1 minute on 1 minute off 3 sets in this order Kettlebell Tricep Push-ups Medicine Ball Twists No handed TGU's Clean and Squat Skateboard Back Lunges (Yoana Snideman taught me these) They are AMAZING!! Swings Stretched

It's been 2 and a 1/2 months now since I have had my baby. Now that I am feeling myself again I felt the need to share an activity with my husband other than watching tv, eating, and taking care of our baby. We took walks together with the stroller, but that got old pretty fast. Since my husband prefers sports I had to think of something we can do together. I don't think he would have much fun if we played basketball together, since he is really good. So I have convinced my husband to start playing tennis with me. Neither of us are very good, but it's something that the two of us can share together. And when we travel it's something you can do all over the world. I don't know how many times I hear complaints from different people that they don't do any activities with their spouse or significant other, except eat and watch tv. I feel every relationship should try and share something together that they can do outside. Since my husband and I have such differ...

My workouts have been pretty sporadic these past couple days. That is why I have not been posting. Here is my short workout I did today. Very simple but my shoulders were shaking at the end. All done with 26 pounder kettlebells Suitcase Deadlift 12 x 3 KB Push Ups 10 x 3 (barely made it to 10) Snatches 10 on each side x 3 (feeling the forearms swell) Rest and repeated 3 times. Pretty tired after that but I managed to get through this next sequence. Baby started crying towards the end so I did not get a chance to do more. Squat and Press 5 on each side x 3 Swings 20 x 3 Now I can empathize with my clients about how the forearms get a bit tender. I guess I am just not use to having the kettlebell rest on my arm like that. I remember I built up a little tolerance several years ago. So I guess I have to do that again. Even though I felt my form was better than average. I do feel stronger. I can now use the 12kg with most of the exercises ...

Today I did a workout with my friend Carolyn outside in front of her house. She has become so strong over this past year. She was doing snatches with the 20kg. I was very impressed. Of course I stuck with my 8kg throughout the workout, except for the Renegade Rows. But I did it with a smile. 8-) Here is the workout Warm Up Sling shot both directions 1 minute Two Handed Swings 1 minute 1. Push Ups on Kettlebells 4 seconds down on the negative 4 times Swing, Catch, Squats 10 times 3 SETS 2. 5 presses to 5 back lunges on each side Renegade Rows 3 times Burpees 1 minute ( only made it for 45 seconds) 3 SETS 3. Alternating Snatches for 1 minute Janda Sit-Ups

Today is Lyla's 2 month birthday. I can't believe it has already been 2 months. She is getting so big. I'm even starting to feel like a real person again. Here is my quick workout that I did today. KB Push-ups 6 x 3 Lat Pull down 60lb 8 x 3 Single Front Squat 26lb 5 x 3 each side 1 minute rest at the end and repeated 3 times Hanging Leg Raises 15 x 2 Windmill 26lb 2 x 2 Waiter Walk 26lb 30sec x 2 Repeated 2 times Plank Hold 60 seconds (core was already tired from hanging leg raises, so barely made it for this one) Stretched

Well I managed to get a workout in while my baby sat peacefully in her chair. It was amazing. I am so happy she is letting me put her down a bit more without crying. And i actually got 6 hours of sleep last night. What a record. She probably thinks her mom is crazy swinging this weird thing around. So lucky to have found kettlebells. I don't know what I would do without them. Went through the sequence without stopping and rested after the last exercise for about a minute. I repeated 3 times for each sequence. A. Turkish Get Up 18lb 2 reps each side Clean &  Press 18lb 6 reps each side Alt Tactical Lunge 18lb 10 reps on each side B. Renegade Rows 26lb Alternating 5 on each side 2 Handed Swings 26lb 20 reps Snatches 18lb 10 reps each side (first time doing this since having baby) I feel pretty good. This was quite challenging for me. Turkish get ups are starting to feel better since the C-section.  Renegade Rows are stil...

I have been much more strict with my eating this week. I already notice a huge difference in how I feel. Some of my staple snacks are green apples and almond butter, grass fed whey protein shake w/ flaxseed oil, hardboiled eggs, and raw nuts. Trying to eliminate simple sugars all together. It can be very tough when you are always hungry and constantly snacking. While breastfeeding you also tend to feel that you never have enough food. I've really been able to track my eating very well with this great online nutrition tracker. It's free to use and very helpful. Thedailyplate.com is what I've been using. I know there are others out there but this one seems to track the foods the easiest with a good amount of detail. My workout yesterday for 3/19 was raised up a couple notches. Already feeling like my strength is coming back. Every thing below were Supersets. I am feeling a bit sore in my legs and upper back. Nothing too bad. 1.Leg Press 90lb 10 x 3 ...