Lauren Brooks Fitness

 I am always honored to be a part of influencing and inspiring others to lead a healthier life.  I have been asked to be a contributor to the new Weight Loss 360 Online Magazine .   In each issue I will be answering common fitness and nutrition questions from real people.  I am honored to be involved with this wonderful magazine and hope you all get a chance to check it out.  To subscribe to this magazine you can do so below.  It is less than $2 a month to get quality information that will help you continue your journey to health. About The Publishers The publishers, Jim and Louise McKenzie are health and parenting experts, as well as authors, speakers and philanthropists. Their company 6KidsNfit is a nationally recognized organization in the field of family fitness and health, an is an appointee of The Partnership for a Healthier America and The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) in Washington DC (www.healthyweightcommit.org ). In ...

While I feel honored and inspired by everyone I work with, once in a while a special story comes along that really makes me grateful for getting to work in the health field.  I have been lucky to work with a woman named Kimberly Hodge, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis at the age of 28.  She has written me several inspiring emails about her story that I would like to share below. Ms. Hodge’s Multiple Sclerosis (MS):  After three years of misdiagnosis, Kim Hodge was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1999.  For nine months that year, she could barely walk.  She was only 28 at the time of her diagnosis.  For the coming months and years, she suffered numbness in various parts of her body, lost strength, gained weight due to her restricted mobility and the onset of depression, and was told by doctors she might need to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair.  She must also receive a weekly injectable medication that causes nume...

This apple bread reminds me a little bit of the delicious apple cake my step mom use to make.  It must have been at least 20 years since I've had any.  I was inspired to bake this for a few reasons.  First reason is I had a whole bag of organic green apples in my refrigerator that needed to get used.  Second a friend of mine was talking about his apple cake he threw together, which got me craving it.  Third, my whole family has been wanting dessert so I wanted them to have a healthier option. This is the second batch I have made in just a few days.  I will not make this for awhile since it's too good and gets eaten way to fast.  First batch of Apple Cinnamon Bread 2nd Batch  Ingredients I used 2 cups         Almond Flour 1/2 cup       Raw Pecans (Ground in to flour) 1 1/2          Organic Green Apple (Peeled and chopped) 1/2            Organic ...

Reading about nutrition and educating my clients is a true passion of mine.  I absolutely love designing nutrition plans thanks to the ongoing success that my clients and I have continued to see.  One of the most common phrases I hear from my clients is, "It doesn't even feel like a diet."  That makes me smile because it lets me know that they "get it."  I have collected an array of testimonials that I have not had the chance to share yet.  I will, however, begin by featuring one person at a time.  This month I wanted to highlight a fitness professional that started out on my program already lean and fit, which can sometimes be the most challenging.  She came to me because she wanted to be a little bit more lean.  We discussed that since she was starting with such a low body fat, her body might resist losing any more weight.  It's very common for people to lose a lot of weight in the beginning and then have trouble with the last 5-10 pounds....

5 YEAR ANNIVERSARY 24 HOUR SALE! GRAB OUR INTENSE ULTIMATE BODY SCULPT AND VOLUME 3 STREAMING and DIGITAL COPY TODAY FOR %60 OFF. THIS SALE WILL EXPIRE TOMORROW! HARD COPY DVD HERE! Code: anniversary if it doesn't show up discounted in your cart. "I received my Xmas early to my surprise I  got volume 3 in the mail yesterday 12-20-10.   I couldn't wait to watch it.   On a scale of  1-10 its definitely a 10+ . 1). Scenery beautiful wish I was there 2). Production quality perfect must be HD 3). Music makes me want to put ketttlebell down and dance 4). Workout (Amazing!, Wow!, Great! you thought of everything!!!) I did it this morning I couldn't wait any longer. Boy did I feel powerful  and strong when I finish. I know I will finally get the six pack I  always wanted now. my hero Lauren. Thanks again for another out of the box dvd " Paddy C. Chicago     ...

This article appeared in the October issue of My Mad Methods Magazine .  Click on the image to read. Enjoy!   To read more about how good water has changed our lives you can view an older blog post right here .

I was recently interviewed for a new magazine called MyMadMethods.  It's an awesome magazine filled with cutting edge information including workouts, articles, nutrition tips and more. Contributions come from some of the most widely respected trainers around. Below is my interview that appeared in the magazine.  In this issue I also wrote an article about "The Truth About Bottled Water".  I will try and get permission to post this one up as well, since I feel it's necessary for everyone to read.   You can purchase hard copies of this magazine online at mymadmethods.com   Click on the image to read this little interview.

Happy Holidays!  First I'd like to thank everyone for the continued feedback we have received. You can either email your comments directly to Lauren@socaltrainer.com , leave a comment below,or you can leave feedback/comments/testimonials in any of these areas when you send your email.  Customer Service Feedback Nutrition and or Training Program Design Comments Workout DVD's (UBSC Vol. 1, 2, 3, BabyBells, or Workshop DVD) Nutrition Product Feedback Kettlebell Classes BuggyBellz Classes Review Lauren's Instruction    Review Della's Instruction Thank you!

Video is now up.  Here is the simple, yet very effective fat burning workout also written out for you.  Expect to burn up to 20 calories per minute!  This workout is NOT designed to teach.  Be sure you have the proper kettlebell technique down before performing any online workouts.  Perform at your own risk!! If you are just learning how to jump rope or are not good at it, this is the perfect way to start.  Jumping rope is a very efficient way to increase your metabolism, build stamina, and condition your whole body.  You can start as slow as you need to.  For those who are experienced practice speed jumping as fast as possible and/or even perform double unders during the short duration of work.  If you do not have a jump rope yet, you may do Jump Squats with or without your suspension trainer for a modification.  I personally like the ultra speed cable ropes from http://www.buyjumpropes.net/ Suggested Kettlebell Sizes in kilograms ...

Get your choice of soft and stylish workout tops or hanging around attire right here.  Show off your love for kettlebells with any of these tops.   View all of the different styles right here

Here is the recipe for these delicious, healthy and easy to make pancakes.  These can be plain, banana, or any sort of fruit you would like.  You can also substitute the coconut water with regular water, almond or hemp milk.  If you are gluten free be sure to use certified gluten free Oatmeal.  This fed myself, husband, and toddler girls.   The almond flour is packed with protein, fiber, and good fats to keep you full.  We used a little bit of dark maple syrup to dip the pancakes in.  Since I posted this on Facebook, I've received quite a bit of positive feedback about these.  My family has definitely seen them several times since as well! Pumpkin Pancakes 1 cup    Organic Oatmeal  (Blend in my blendtec to a fine powder) 1 cup     Almond Flour       (certified Gluten Free) 3           Eggs  or  Chia seed gel to make it Vegan 1/3 cup  Pumpkin or an apple cut ...

It's been almost 11 weeks since my knee injury.  Since getting the MRI results of an ACL rupture, I decided to see a different Orthopedic doctor for a second opinion.  He just so happens to be an avid snowboarder, which is right up my alley.   In fact this Dr. works with mainly athletes from basketball players, rock climbers, martial artists, to skiers.  Just the person I needed for this. Today he tested the laxity in both of my knees for the second time with an Arthrometer.  Apparently the torn ACL does have a slightly higher degree in laxity, however, not a huge difference compared to the typical tear.  He attributes this to the kettlebell training I continued to do throughout the whole process. I showed him a few kettlebell exercises I was doing along with the full range of motion squats I've been working on.  He was impressed that I was able to do as much as I could and encouraged me to keep doing it.  We discussed how important it is for ...

This is for all of you who have been asking me about the cookies I made for my kids to celebrate Chloe's 18 month birthday and Lyla's first day at preschool.  I didn't have a whole lot of time to spend and I have an abundance of Almond flour and Agave that I wanted to use up.  So I looked through Elana Amsterdam's cookbook to find a simple cookie recipe.  This cookbook is called the "Gluten Free Almond Flour Cookbook" which can be found at Elana's Pantry website. She has wonderful gluten free recipes for the whole family. Lately there has been some controversy about the use of agave.  I am on the fence and may give it a rest once I finish my stash.  At the moment I am using Organic Raw Agave minimally. Elana has also been getting some feedback from people concerned with using Agave. So she came up with this recipe below to substitute the Agave.  I have never tried Yacon but I think I will look in to it and give it a try.  Here is the rec...