Lauren Brooks Fitness

Water has actually changed my life.  Not just any water.  Friends and family who know me well, know that I am a pretty big skeptic.  Thanks to the way that I was raised, I have always been someone who needs substantial evidence in order to believe in something.  Through the years my thinking hasn’t changed that much.  Unless I see proof thru scientific studies, there is no way that I will believe just anything. When I was studying to be a Clinical Nutritionist, I really got a chance to learn how important it is for our bodies to maintain a balanced pH level.  Normally our blood is slightly alkaline and ranges between 7.35-7.45.  The Alkaline Diet Theory believes that a diet high in acidic foods promotes the loss of essential minerals, which can cause illness and disease.  During my program we were given pH strips and told to regularly test our saliva and urine.  As I incorporated more alkaline foods into my diet, my pH levels got higher....

For those who do not subscribe to my newsletters, I normally do not share coupon codes on my blog or facebook page.  However, I thought I'd let everyone in on the Mother's Day Sale we are having. Spend $25 and receive 15% off your entire purchase. This will not last long.  Click this link to give the greatest gift of fitness and health to the deserving moms out there! (or for yourself if you feel you deserve it!) 15% off Coupon Code: 1272392777 FITNESS SHOP     and NUTRITION SHOP

I often get asked by my friends and family, how do you do it Lauren?  "You never make any time for yourself.  You are either working or with your babies".   Finding time these days outside of my fitness career and family has been quite challenging.  Although I do my best to give as much quality time to my babies, I don't give much quality time to myself! But to be honest with you I enjoy what I do so much, that it's more fulfilling to me than getting my nails done or watching television.  I much rather be thinking about my next project or designing a fun workout for my classes.  I can't help it! This is just who I am.  On a side note, spending time with my friends more is something that I need to really work on.  It's just hard when most of my friends now have babies too and we have to work around nap schedules! Every day I get inundated with emails asking me for advice regarding fitness, nutrition, or questions about my DVD's.  On the ...

"Won't I get big bulky muscles if I use that heavy kettlebell?  I build muscle very easily, so I need to use lighter weights." If I got a dime for every time I heard the above, I would be a millionaire by now.  I feel like a broken record.  I can't tell you how many times I have had to convince women that they will see quicker results using heavier weights.  Scientific studies are proving that heavier weights with lower repetitions is what you need for the lean and sculpted look.  We have been trained to believe that lighter weights are for muscle tone and heavy weights are for the beefy body building look.   New York times came out with a great article that links to a few studies proving a higher percentage of fat loss when females participated in using heavier weights. Using 70-80% of your 1 rep max keeping the reps under 8 proved to be more effective than lighter weights at 40-50% with higher reps.  Using heavier weights will increase your streng...

I want to share an article I wrote for a Kettlebell Magazine in February of 2010.  Since my pregnancy in 2006 I have been a big advocate of using kettlebells during pregnancy. Not until my second pregnancy in 2008 did I film my first and only Pregnancy Kettlebell DVD, which really showed people that you can use a kettlebell when implemented properly throughout your pregnancy. I've also released Baby Bells 2 recently as well, which is available as a streaming version.  Shawn Mozen, owner of Agatsu, asked me to write this article, since training with kettlebells during pregnancy has become more and more accepted.  Women, their husbands, and other kettlebell instructors email me on a regular basis for advice on kettlebell training during pregnancy.  I truly enjoy discussing pre and postnatal fitness. With the research I have done along with my personal experience as well as working with many pregnant students over the years, both in person and online, it has become a...

Yes even kettlebells can help your yoga practice and vice versa.  It's so wonderful to actually be able to see and feel the benefits almost immediately. I've been so excited about this since I have added a Yoga portion to my Saturday kettlebell classes. This class is taught by Robin Duncan, certified YogaWorks teacher.  So far, people have loved the feeling of both combined.  Granted the yoga poses are designed specifically for those who just completed an intense class using kettlebells, cables, and other ballistic and strength training movements. From  the research studies from Dr. Stuart McGill, Robin Duncan and I design a safe practice that compliments the kettlebell class.  I have no doubt in my mind that more and more kettlebell instructors will be partnering up with qualified yoga instructors to do the same thing.  However, I hope that other instructors know that there are many popular yoga poses that should not be implemented directly after a stude...

I want to start off by thanking all the participants at the workshop for doing an outstanding job, even with the video cameras and lights all over the place.  I especially would like to thank Carolyn Brumfield RKC II, owner of Phyzyks , for allowing us to use her beautiful facility.  Not only did she allow us to use it, she also instructed the dreaded Double Snatch. For those who missed it, don't worry, the DVD will be out this summer.   I also want to thank Sara Cheatham for being an amazing partner with this workshop.  In spite of this being our first workshop together, our different teaching styles and personalities complimented each other very well.  It was a great atmosphere and vibe throughout! Thank you to everyone, film crew (you know who you are), Della Whelchel (my BuggyBellz partner) and the great people who surrounded us.  At the end of the workshop we handed out some feedback forms which were completely Anonymous. ...

This weekend I went to a Vegan potluck dinner.  My friend Melanie, made a Corn and Arugula salad that was a huge hit.  I could not believe how delicious it was.  I felt like I was at a fine dining restaurant. The dressing was made from scratch along with slicing the corn off the cob and putting it in to the salad.  All the tastes just went so well together. The recipe was derived from the Corn and Arugula Salad recipe at allrecipes.com however Melanie made some changes to it and then I made a subtle change as well.   Here it is and I will put notes of how I did it in red. Ingredients 1/4  cup  cider vinegar ( I used unfiltered organic apple cider vinegar ) 3  tablespoons  minced shallots 2  teaspoons  Dijon mustard 1/2  teaspoon  salt ( only added a dash, since I'm not a believer of using too much salt ) 1/4  cup  olive oil 4  cups  fresh corn kernels (from 4 or 5 ears; see notes) (only use...

** W ORKSHOP NEWS** SOLD OUT!!! Many people have emailed me regarding the upcoming kettlebell workshop on March 21st. Some have expressed to me that they may not feel ready for an Intermediate workshop but still want to attend.  For this reason we have divided the workshop in to 2 portions if you prefer to just attend the morning OR afternoon segment that is now an option. (For the pregnant kettlebell user, you couldn't be in better hands) There will be modifications throughout! Lucky you!!!! PART 1:   Kettlebell Review gently building to  Intermediate Drills, Z- Health Principles, and the perfect Follow Along Workout 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.   This portion will be a review of the basic drills that will get you up to speed if you have been struggling with any of them. There will be some intermediate drills introduced and practiced. You will then have the skills to build up some of the advanced drills if you choose to stay for the second portion of the ...

For everyone who lives in San Diego OR planning on vacationing out here this summer, you don't want to get left behind.  Now is your chance to be apart of one of the best Russian Kettlebell Certification programs.   SAVE $1000 ON TUITION AND SIGN UP FOR THE  RKC WORKSHOP RIGHT HERE

You can call these Banana Apple Sauce Cupcakes if you want since the purpose of this recipe is for a baby's first birthday.  Although my 3 year old also loved them and couldn't get enough. I like them as well and they are great little treats.   I made a very small batch of just 6 cupcakes. If you want to make more I suggest you double the recipe.   1 Cup Almond Flour 1/2 Cup Organic Oats ( Certified Gluten Free - optional) 1/2 cup Apple Sauce 2  Ripe Bananas smashed 1 Organic Egg 1 TBS of Agave Maple Blend (optional) 1/4 tsp of Baking Soda Mix Almond Flour, Oats, and Baking soda together.  Then add mashed bananas, egg, and agave (optional).  Beat until smooth. Pour in to baking cups 2/3 full.  Bake at 350 degrees for approx 30-35 minutes.  When toothpick comes out clean they are finished. Let cool and store in an air tight container.  These will be very moist from the almond flour and taste like a banana cake. If you don't mind...

Today we celebrated Chloe's first Birthday.  I remember so clearly being in the hospital doing every thing in my power to deliver my baby naturally.  It's been exactly 1 year since the birth and I am still a bit disappointed I ended up with another C-section.  You can read more about my birth experience here . One day I'll get over it, but I am still bummed! This year with Chloe has been filled with ups and downs.  Having kids is definitely a juggling act.  Seeing my 2 girls interact with one another is one of the biggest joys.  I now have 2 little girls that fill my heart with so much love I just can't stand it. This year I decided not to have a birthday party for Chloe.  I just wanted to experience the moment with us.  After losing a dear friend 2 weeks ago, it's been really hard for me to want to plan any sort of party. It's not like Chloe will ever remember this any way.  Of course I made some yummy banana apple sauce muffins (c...

You do not want to miss out on this special workshop because chances are this exact seminar will not be done again! You can sign up  here  before the price goes up or sells out.  MILITARY AND GROUP DISCOUNTS ARE AVAILABLE!! For the first time ever , Lauren Brooks and Sara Cheatham will be teaming up together to present a killer Kettlebell / Z -Health combo workshop!!! Sara Cheatham and Lauren Brooks are both very well known for their non-intimidating teaching style, providing clear explanations that makes learning new skills easy and fun!   Lauren and Sara may be the smallest female kettlebell instructors, but don't let size fool you!  They can easily hang with the big boys by moving some heavier kettlebells around!  Ladies never fear! These tiny girls will prove to you that you don't have to be big and bulky to be super strong! Men, if you want to get bulky and you are struggling, we can help you with that as well.  This workshop is specif...