Lift and Shred: Level 2

Lift and Shred: Level 2

It's time for a review of Level 2! It's definitely more advanced than Level 1, but not toooo much of a stretch. I do it on Wednesdays only one day a week and I do Level 1 on Monday and Friday. I've contemplated switching Level 2 to Monday and Friday, and Level 1 to Wednesday's, but we'll see. Anyway, it's time to break it out!

This workout has two people - Kenta and Maddie. (Kenta and Rocky were in Level 1) I think I forgot to mention that in Level 1, Kenta didn't get the right amount of weights, and that becomes a running joke throughout the two levels, which I love. You get a few laughs during the workout which is great to try and distract you from the fact that you're dying! haha. 

You start with a warmup, that consists of butt kicks, lunges with a psoas stretch, arm circles, wrist circles, and twisting side to side jumps. Circuit one starts on the floor with one hand on a dumbbells, rolling it in and rolling it out to do a pushup, and then a tricep pushup. Then you lay on your back and do a closed grip chest press. Next is side plank rows, and the finally a Turkish sit up, holding one dumbbell. You repeat on the other side, and then it's on to Circuit 2. Beware - I think it's my least fav!

In circuit two, you do Russian twists, burpee rows, a sumo squat and a high and wide pull, and then a deadlift into a lunge. You repeat on the other side. Yep - pretty sure this is my least favorite. 

In Circuit 3, you do bent leg deadlift jumps. Next she has you do good mornings. She tells you to cross the dumbbells over your chest, but I put them over my shoulders like I'm used to doing. Rear delt flys come next, and finally, my favorite move is lateral skater with a dumbbell pass. And then repeat on the other side! 

Finally, we're at Circuit 4! It starts with a side lungs into an overhead press, which I like. And then you're doing snatches. It's like a bent knee deadlift where you snatch the weights over your head. Then you do a split jerk, where you jump into a lunge position while sending the dumbbells over your head. Then finally is a goblet duck walk, which you're holding the dumbbell in goblet position, and you squat walk/duck walk for four steps. You walk back holding the dumbbell in one hand. You repeat on the other side and you're done! 

You've earned your cool down! 

Lift and Shred: Level 1

Lift and Shred: Level 1

I’ve been doing Lift and Shred since the beginning of the year, and it’s about time that I let everyone know how I feel about it! Here is a rundown of Level 1. 

First of all, this is Jillian’s ONLY DVD or workout program (that I know of, unless there is one on her app) that is purely strength training and no cardio. I love that, because I run five days a week. I don’t mind the cardio intervals that are in a lot of Jillian DVDs, but only when there is a few minutes total. I love Jillian’s longer programs like Body Rev or Body Shred, but don’t like a dedicated cardio day. Then it is a double cardio day and gah - just doesn’t seem to always work for me. 

You start with a warmup that includes jump rope, knee thrusts into crescent kicks, plank into downward dog, and behind the back jumping jacks. Then you jump right into lifting heavy for Circuit 1. I started L&S using 10, 12, and 15lb dumbbells, but now I’ve migrated to using only the 12s and the 15s. The first move you do is a basic squat, followed by alternating reverse lunges, high and wide rows, and then finishing out with a shoulder press. You do it again to finish out that circuit. 

Circuit 2 has you doing alternating side lunges, stiff leg deadlifts, bicep curls, and goblet squats, which you repeat for a second time. Out of all of them, this is probably my favorite circuit. I use 15lb dumbbells the whole time. 

Circuit 3 has you doing a kettlebell swing with a dumbbells, low rows, a hammer curl with a bent arm fly, and then tricep extensions. So on the hammer curl, Jillian tells you to go heavier with your weights, but since your shoulders are a smaller muscle group, do you fly with a bent arm instead of your arms fully extended. For me, the bent arm felt funky. I always felt like I was going to pull something or do it incorrectly. So I just did hammer curls and then flies like normal. I’ve bumped up to 12lbs for this. I’m finding the flies really challenging with the heavier weight, but it just felt much more natural to me.

Okay, I may be wrong about Circuit 2. Circuit 4 may be my favorite. That’s because you finish out on the floor. Phew. Jilllian has you get into bridge and do a lat pull in bridge pose. With your back down on the mat, you’re doing chest press into chest flies. Then you’re doing a weighted crunch. And finally, there is a pure evil move called around the world. You get back into bridge, and raise the dumbbells over your head, and you circle your arms down to your hips, almost as if you’re making a snow angel. Holding onto heavy weights, of course. But best of all with circuit four, you repeat it once and you’re ready for your cooldown! Yes!

There is a running joke in this DVD that Kenta didn’t get the right weights which is amusing. And Jillian’s ribbing of him grabbing the wrong weights gives you a much needed break on occasion! Haha. 

All in all, L&S Level 1 is probably up in my top favorite workouts! I love it! 

I completed Body Shred!

Holy cow! I completed Body Shred! This is the workout that totally intimidated me, scared me, and made me super nervous. I was so scared to embark on this program, and I pushed it off so many times. But I am proud to say that I started it during one of the most stressful times of my life and I finished it! I did change up some things though, which I'll touch base on. Body Shred is very similar to Body Revolution, where every two weeks you progress to two new workouts. For the first two weeks, you have workout 1, workout 2, and cardio 1. You do each of these twice a week. (In BodyShred, workout 1 is called Launch, workout 2 is called Rise, and the cardio workout that will take you through the first month is called Fire Up). Launch is called a Push day, and that's where you work the front of the body, the muscles that push you away. Rise is pull day, where you work the back of the body. And that's the way it is throughout the whole program. My Body Shred rest day is Saturday, so Sunday and Wednesday are my push days, Monday and Thursday are my pull days, and Tuesday and Friday are my cardio days. This workout is 60 day/two month program instead of 90 day program and it progresses a lot faster than Body Rev. It is super tough. I really noticed some changes as in I feel like I may be finally starting to manage chaturanga on my knees. I've never been able to master that. And just other things in general. I feel stronger!

So, like I said, I did change up some things. Since we're still living in a hotel, I am really limited on space, and I'm also have to make a lot of sacrifices when it comes to TV. There are two rooms I have space to work out in, but one is SUPER COLD. It's a bedroom where I have just enough space, but it's awkward. The TV is bolted down so I can't adjust and can only turn it slightly so I can barely see the screen. The living area is fairly large, but it's where everyone congregates. At home, I have so much space. I can work out in my bedroom, the family room, the living room. If I'm super desperate I can go outside. I don't have that here. And since there are neighbors all around me (upstairs, downstairs, side by side), I have to be courteous of them. So I did Jillian's cardio, but sporadically. When I did Body Rev the last time, I switched Jillian's cardio for Country Heat. I planned to do that this time around, but with everything going on, it's hard to get motivation to do a second cardio workout. I still am doing my best with a running schedule, although I'm back to running 100% on the treadmill due to winter weather and living in a not-the-safest downtown area. I'm running six days a week most days, getting five or so miles in a day, so on days where I had Jillian's cardio, I still get a run in so I have some workout. Saturdays I usually just get my steps in. I'm trying to balance the right amount of rest, exercise, and more. I am definitely feeling a little burnt out with all this, and my body has been giving me grief with right hamstrings, quads, and so on... I'm not sure if I am overtraining, or if it's just all the stress from everything. We'll see. So while I completed BodyShred, I did leave some parts out. Now that I've conquered Body Shred though, I'm seriously considering doing it again! But that said, I'm not 100% sure. I think it would be great to start up that program again when I get back home, because then I will have no excuse to modify. We're not sure how long we'll be in the hotel, or if we will be moved to a temporary home (we've looked at a few properties, but it's hard when you have a dog, only need a place for a few months, and so on) but we were told four months from the start of demo, which began a month ago, so it's looking like three or so more months. There is so much uncertainty! I have no idea what to do, because I have no idea what's going to happen. I feel like I have no control over my life anymore. It's just, ugh, this has been so stressful. I don't want to get burnt out with Body Shred though! Anyone have any suggestions?

I will share what I'm doing next though! And I hope to make details posts about Body Shred. Maybe I'll do that the next time I do it!

Checking in!

Hey guys! How's everyone been? It's been a while since I've written something other than a DVD review and I wanted to check in. I think my last check in was more of a whining post about how I had been busting my butt with workouts and with my diet, but the scale was going up. Unfortunately, I think that's still the case, but I'm not sure. To be honest, I avoid the scale these days and try not to identify myself with a number. My pants size is still the same, so I'm guessing my measurements are staying the same also. If they have, it's only been a slight difference and I'm okay with that. I can't say that I'm not curious, but I'm also not interested in having my day ruined by a number because that's how I am. I'm still working on trying to find that balance of eating healthy but living a little, workout and rest, and everything in between. It's a work in progress! I never thought it'd be this tough. I did take a lovely rest week. I made sure to get all my Fitbit steps in, but I took a week off of all my two a day, intense workouts for more fun ones. It was so nice. I took several baths, I tackled my Amazon watch list and got to watch several movies I've been wanting to see, and truly enjoyed my week. Getting back on the wagon wasn't difficult at all and I was glad to be back. I was really burned out there, and that was definitely what I needed. :)

In other news, I've upgraded my Fitbit. I went from the Charge HR, which I had a lot of problems with, and went with the Versa. I was a little nervous sticking with the Fitbit brand after all the issues I've had it he past, but I ultimately decided to stay because the Versa is water resistant up to 50 meters and you can swim with it. (Or more accurately wear it while you're paddleboarding, or going up five stories to go down your favorite waterslide!) So far, I'm really happy with it. I've had it for a little over a month and I can't think of any major issues yet.

Did anyone capitalize on all the Jillian Michaels' DVD's at the Dollar Tree? I sure did! Right after Christmas, someone posted on Facebook that there were a ton of Jillian DVD's being sold at Dollar Tree. I went and lo and behold, there were an absolute ton of them, each for $1. I was so excited! I got Hard Body, Extreme Shed and Shred, Killer Cardio, Killer Arms and Back, 10 Minute Workout 1st Edition and 2nd edition, Beginner Shred, and Hot Body Healthy Mommy. I think that's all. I got the Beginner Shred and Hot Body Healthy Mommy simply because I didn't have them. I know Beginner Shred is awesome for beginners, and I am hoping I can get my dad or my brother to workout with me with the BegShred. I thought that the pregnancy one might be good for when you're coming back from an injury, but it's nice to have around just in case. ;).

I turned 30 in February! That is kind of weird to say. Turning 30 bothered me a lot, and still bothers me, to be honest. But I can say that at 30, I am the healthiest that I've ever been physically! :) (Well, physically if we ignore my hips and joints, haha.) And that's a wonderful feeling! August makes it six years that I've been on my health journey. I saw an old picture of myself from 2010, while on vacation in Washington DC. After maintaining this weight loss for over four years now, I don't always realize the changes, because I've gotten used to my face. I sometimes get discouraged now that I don't see major changes as often, but when I saw that picture, I thought: WOW! That my face. And my face is significantly thinner now. I see all the changes. I see it from point A to point... J (because at the end of the alphabet is the end of my life. I'm hoping I'm only 1/3rd of the way through!) I shared the post on Facebook after hemming and hawing for a couple of days. I really don't like old fat pictures, but I remembered again that the Julie from years ago deserves the ultimate celebration and the utmost respect. SHE is the one who got off the couch, started to play DDR, and then changed her life and grew into me. :)

Current workout is Killer Body. It's one of my favorites and I went back to it back in March, I believe. I have a confession. I didn't completely complete Body Revolution. I had four days left! FOUR DAYS! And then I caught the awful flu that went around. It knocked me out for three weeks in January. By the time I finally got my strength back, I felt like I couldn't do Week 11 and 12, and definitely not Cardio 3 with all I had lost while sick. I started back into fitness with some Youtube workouts. I found a lady named Pahla Bowers, and I really like her running in place workouts. I started 10 Minute Workouts, both editions and really enjoyed them, and then I started back up with Killer Body. So while I'm a bit bummed that I didn't quite finish Body Rev, I did do every single workout. It's not a huge deal, but 86/90 days. Booo. It'll happen though. :)

I'm going to start winding down now. Thank you so much for reading! Coming up. I'm hoping to have more reviews on some new DVD's I've tried recently, such as both 10 Minute DVD's, and Killer Cardio. I'm seriously considering trying 80 Day Obsession by Autumn from Beach Body. I love Country Heat, and if I do, I will talk about it as I go. Thanks again for reading!

Body Revolution - Phase 3, Cardio 3

Phase 3 cardio takes you through all four weeks of Phase 3, just like with the previous two phases. This one is pretty simple in which you do the circuit three times over, but the moves in general are HARD. Even Jillian herself says that this was probably the most vicious workout she's created and she wasn't lying. By the end of Cardio 3, I was dripping in sweat. It is the toughest Jillian cardio workout I've done personally (Workout 11 and Cardio 3 are about equal).

So, there are several different moves that last around twenty seconds or so. You start with windmills, and you quickly move from that to fast feet, knee thrusts on both sides, double jump jumprope, and jumping front kicks. She also has you drop down in plank for plank moguls. Then you do a purely evil few minutes of rockstar jumps, squat jumps, jumping lunges, and squat jacks. She has you do four high knees and then an up down/burpee. Standing mountain climbers, high knees with a rotation, long jump forward and two jumps backward, cannon balls. She has you drop down on the floor for plank taps, crab kicks (which I hate with a passion!), knee thrusts in plank, down dog thrusters, zig zag jumps, side burpees, single leg hops, and then finally, back in plank again for plank punches.

And you get to do this two more times!! 

It is tough. A ton of plyometric moves, lots of planks, lots of burpee variations. I did this workout in the summer months and also in the winter months when my home was pretty cold at night, and it didn't matter. I was dripping. But it's still a great cardio workout a super effective!

Body Revolution - Phase 3, workout 12

THIS IS YOUR LAST WORKOUT!! WOO HOO! You are a force to be reckoned with!

I'll be honest, after workout 11 I was scared for workout 12. Phew. But I really enjoyed it! Your warmup consists of plank taps, long jumps, and donkey kicks, which you do on each side.

Circuit one has you doing a lat pull on a one legged bridge, alternating plank rows, a tuck to a sprawl (which reminds me of boat pose spraws), and then alternating popups, which reminds me of surrender lunges to a degree. You repeat all this after doing your cardio, which is cannonball jumps.

Circuit two is a bit tough. She has you do what's called wheel pushups. I've never been able to get in wheel pose, let alone do a pushup, so I definitely modified. Then you do alternating dumbbell rows, which is sounds easy, but you go so fast that you definitely get your heart rate up and going! Next, get in plank, and get ready because you do reverse flies in plank, and then you do tricep kickbacks in plank. Repeat after zigzag jumps for cardio.

Circuit 3 has you doing sit up flies with your resistance band. Next you stand on our resistance band and go into a backwards lunge and then stand up and and do a shoulder press with your resistance band. You do that on the opposite side after you do squat jumps holding weights, which is super tough. You get to do it all again after you do your cardio interval, which is speedbag with kickouts. 

Last circuit in this last workout. I almost cried! Circuit four has you doing single leg squat jumps, and then bicep curls. Just simple bicep curls. Single leg squat jumps on the other side, and then dancing crab. Your cardio interval is side to side hops with weights. And then you repeat on the opposite side!

And then you cool down. What I loved about the cool down is once you're finish, Jillian bring the entire cast up. Everyone is clapping, and she congratulates you on completing the 90 days program, and reminds you that they're there whenever you need them.

I really love Body Rev. I loved seeing lots of Jillian 'regulars' in there like Natalie, Anita, Mimi, Kenta, meeting some new ones (I loved Teri Ann and Omar!) and just the whole workout in general. And to complete something that is three months long and build every week was great. I was never bored with Body Rev (except maybe the cardio's, since they did last the whole month, but that could be easily rectified) and while some of the workouts were SUPER TOUGH, it's my favorite program so far of it's caliber.

Body Revolution - Phase 3, Workout 11.

Okay. We're at workout 11. The first time I did Workout 11 for in Body Rev, I cried. Jillian is crazy. Evil. Demented. Pick your adjective and go! I will say that the second time I did Body Rev, I found workout 11 a little easier to manage (maybe because I knew what to expect and pushed myself harder on 9 and 10?), but it was still HARD. So far, I think workout 11 is the hardest Jillian I have ever done. So with that said, lets break it down!

As usual, you start with your warmup, which has overhead punches with your resistance band, down dog thrusters, fast squats, single leg mountain climbers, and high knees.

Your first circuit from hell has something calls reverse squats, where you get in a super deep squat, and then bring it up to a regular squat. Then you do scorpion pushups. And then you get into jumping static lunges with a shoulder press. My shoulders were burning! Oh, and that's not all. Your cardio is weighted burpees. What. Repeat on the other side if you're not dead. ;) It's only circuit one!

Circuit two has dive bombers, bear walks (which remind me of duck walk), and then tricep kickbacks in plank on both sides. Your cardio is crab kicks and you repeat on the opposite side.

Circuit three has jumping statue of liberty. Then she has you do pushups with your resistance band, so as you're coming up from that pushup, the resistance band is trying to keep you from coming up. Ohh the burn. You do statue of liberty jumps on the other side, and then she has you hold chaturanga. You cardio is standing mountain climbers and then you repeat all that on the other side.

And then circuit four is the circuit from Hell! This one is tough. First you go into dragon stance and do lateral raises. Then she has you do three part pushup. Where you're in pushup, and start with your hands fairly close together, and then you bring your hands wider, and then wider again. And then you bring it back up. So it's a pushup, a three part one. Phew. So tough! Then she has you do russian twists, and then as if that wasn't enough, you get in plank and do plank twists. Your cardio is long jump with two hops back, and then you get to do this fun, fun, fun circuit all over again!

And now, you may cool down. Oh man. Toughest workout in the whole program. I bet you did amazing!!

Body Revolution - Phase 3, Workout 10

On to workout 10, which is one of my favorites! Your warmup included rockstar jumps, which are favs of mine. It also has up downs with supermans, alternating push kicks, arm circles, 180 jumps (another favorite!) and butt kicks. You're good and warm to move on to circuit one with this warmup.

Circuit one has you in reverse plank with leg raises, which is a lot harder than it seems! Then Jillian has you do alternate jumping lunges with weights. As much as though suck, I got so excited because who would have thought that I would have been able to do that during week one?! She has you do another move which I really love, which is where you lunge backwards on one leg (lets say your right leg) and then as you come back from that backwards lunge, you push it forward and bring your left leg forward to kick it upwards. I loved this move because it felt extra dancey and kickbox-y. Your cardio is where you're doing lunge taps. I thought those would be pretty easy as you're in plank but moving your leg back and forth but it was tough. Anything that looks easy, especially in week 10, is an optical illusion! Repeat on the other side and you're on to circuit 2.

Circuit two has you doing a curtsey lunge with a fly using your resistance band. Then you get your dumbbell and do a woodchopping lunge. Then you hold a squat while holding your heaviest weight. You do woodchoppers on the other side, and then your cardio is dumbbell swings. Which is kind of like doing a kettlebell swing, jumping forward three times, and bringing it back three times. I actually used my kettlebell for this one the majority of the time, and I enjoyed it. And then, of course, you repeat on the other side.

Circuit three is a flying pigeon squat with a bicep curl. Next is a squat jump with an upright row, which I loved. You do pigeon on the other side with the curls, and then you get into superman with reverse flies. You repeat that after your cardio which is rockstar jumps with weights.

Circuit 4 is possibly my favorite. You do a yoga pose called half moon, you do single arm rows, and then you repeat on the opposite side, so you do each twice for the first half of the circuit on opposite sides. Your cardio is windmills with weights, which is one of my favorite cardio moves, and then you repeat both again. And guess what - you're done!

Enjoy your cooldown and beware - workout 11 made me cry. ;)

Body Revolution - Phase 3, Workout 9

Woot woot! You’ve got FOUR WEEKS LEFT!! :D Oh man, now we’re onto the last phase and things are really starting to heat up. I love weeks 9 and 10, maybe even more than 7 and 8! 

Like always, Jillian has you doing a quick warmup. You have speed rope, high front kicks, half squat with a round kick, jumping jacks, and then mountain climbers. Plank in the warmup? That’s when you know you’re getting stronger! 

Cricuit One has you doing something called pushup jacks. So in pushup position, you jump the feet out as you go down for your pushup, and then bring them back in as you go back up. Yeah, the girl is crazy. Then in plank, she has you doing plank flies on each side. Next is a really deep squat, where you go up on your tip toes as you go down. Your cardio is jumping jacks in squat, and then you repeat all that on the other side. 

Circuit two is something evil called dive bombers, which I had never heard of. It reminds me of creeping under a fence in a way, or diving down into a pushup from downward dog, and then into cobra, back into downward dog, when you go down again. Then you do sphinx pushups, which is as mean as it sounds. Then down dog series, where you bring your knee in to the left, center, and front. The you do frog into squats, which is kind of like a burpee. It reminds me more of bear into squat. Your cardio is side burpees and then you repeat all that again. 

Circuit three has a walk out into plank from standing all on one leg. Then you’re down in a chair pose, and then you’re doing boat pose into hollow man. Then you’re doing hip thrusts with your resistance band. You cardio is in plank and it’s plank moguls and then you repeat on the other side. 

Circuit 4 has some classic Jillian moves. You do a squat with a V Fly which I remember doing all the way back with the 30 Day Shred, and I still hate them :D. Then you do a curtsey lunge with a lateral raise. She has you get back down into crab and you do tricep dips and then into side plank for an oblique crunch. Your cardio is another classic Jillian move: Rock and Roll squats! I can do these, but they scare the crap out of me, so I usually modify. It sucks because I actually really love them, but I can see it ending badly. I feel like I need a pool of deep water near when I roll back up to standing! hah. And then you repeat circuit 4 on the other side. 

You’ve earned your cool down. Phew. 

Body Rev - Phase 2 Cardio

Phase 2 Cardio. 

The Phase 2 cardio workout takes you through all four weeks of Phase 2. So on your cardio days, you will do this workout, and you’ll do it a total of eight time during Phase 2. All other workouts you do four times.

So the cardio workout is pretty simple. There are 14 different moves that you do for approximately 30 seconds, and you repeat it three times. Get ready to sweat. Since it’s a cardio workout, you don’t need to warm up. The moves are jump rope, butt kicks, high knees, alternating knee thrusts, jumping jacks, fast feet, skaters, skiers, plié hops, cross jacks, half squat uppercuts, towel runs, hooks, and…boom! Thought you might escape those burpees, but they are ba-aaack! 

So, like I said, you do each of these moves for approximately 30 seconds each, and then you move on to the next one and repeat this circuit three times. The Cardio 1 workout is my favorite cardio from Body Rev, but this one is my second favorite (and then Cardio 3 is somewhere down in hell!). I did like having some uppercuts and hooks in there, and I'm all about those skaters, jump rope, and fast feet. There is one amusing moment during towel runs and Jillian is joking about how bad the workout sucks, and then she’s like, “Who’s the crazy person who came up with that? Hurts So Good, oh my endorphins!” I KNOW! John Cougar Mellancamp, and I love that song! Small towns unite! I always love when there are moments in a workout that I remember and look forward to getting to when it comes to doing them over again. 

Cardio 2 is definitely a step up from Cardio 1. I’m someone who likes cardio more than the strength training/HIIT training. 

Body Revolution - Phase 2, Workout 8!

Body Revolution - Phase 2, Workout 8!

All righty! On to workout 8. I really enjoyed workout 8. I liked the moves and I felt like we’ve really stepped it up to a better workout. You start this one with a brief warmup, like always. This one has side crunches (elbows to knees), cobra pose, and surfer getups on both sides to help get you warm and ready to work.  

Circuit 1 has you in a squat with a medium row, lat pulls while in bridge position, upright rows with your resistance band, and then a deadlift with hammer curls. You repeat that on each side after you have a one minute cardio interval that is butt kicks with hammer curls. 

Circuit 2 is pendulum lunges with a reverse bicep curl (so palms are facing forward) and pelvic thrusts with your resistance band. Those are the only two moves but you repeat them several times throughout this circuit (each side, totaling the up and down four times I think) and your cardio is jump rope with weights. 

Circuit 3 is evil. Live backwards is EVIL. Or is it love backwards? When you do this workout, that’ll make sense. It’s a Natalie moment. ;). You have been warned. You get in crescent pose, and bust out some lateral raises. As if your shoulders aren’t already on fire, she has you in Warrior 3, with your hands out holding the weights. You get to do it on the other side right away, and then you get to do rockstar jumps, and then you get to light another match for your shoulders. ;) 

Circuit 4 is a weighted good morning, a side lunge into a crossover lunge holding weights on both sides one one leg (you’ll repeat on the other both times), and then bicycle crunches with your band. Your cardio is suicide runs. 

So I really like workout 7 and 8. I really felt like I was finally starting to be challenged! I liked the previous six weeks, but I can’t help but wonder if I should have done the less intense workouts for a shorter amount of time, because at times it felt a little too beginnerish. Then other times I felt like I was really being challenged. That’s the beauty of Body Rev though! 

Body Revolution - Phase 2, Workout 7

You’re officially past the halfway point and now on to Week 7! I think Week 7 and 8 are my two favorite workouts in the program so far. Jillian really steps it up during the second half of Body Rev, and I really feel like I’m getting to push all those muscles I’ve been working the last 6 weeks to the max! 

Week 7 starts with a quick warmup with some side to side squats, lunges with stretch, and a few short cardio moves. Jillian warns that the warmup is deceptive and she’s right. I know I said I liked workout 7 and 8 the best sp far, but the first circuit is mean! Want to know why? It’s mostly in plank. Ugh! The first move is crow pushups. I hate those. Does anyone like them? Haha. Then walking plank. And then if your abs aren’t already screaming, you’re doing plank ups. She finally gives you a break while you roll over. ;) And then you’re doing jackknife crunches. But never fear! You get a break as you roll over to get back in plank position for your cardio interval. I bet you’re really looking forward to workout 7 so far! ;) 

It gets a little better. Circuit two has pike pushups, tricep kickback with your resistance band, and then w-presses on one leg as you extend your leg out. Cardio reminds me of DDR. You hop on one leg forward, backward, and to the side. I like to do up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, select start. ;) Or pretend I’m jumping on some arrows! I use weights instead of the band for my tricep kickbacks because my band is different than Jillian’s and it’s hard to do the move in the way she wants. 

Circuit three has you squatting with your elbows in a 90 degree angle while holding the resistance band, and then standing on the resistance band, bringing it behind your head and doing a tricep extension. Then on the floor you go to do a single leg pushup. It’s about as fun as it sounds, a pushup with one leg extended in the air! Then you get to hold boat post. Cardio is star jumps, and I’ve always enjoyed these :D 

In circuit 4, you do something that I’m going to call quad raises, because I can’t remember if Jillian had a technical term for them. You’re on your knees, and then you sit back, your butt touching your heels, and then you pop up, doing this while holding your heaviest weights up. You’re working your quads. Then you get on your back and you do chest presses. You can your feet on the floor with your knees bent, holding your legs 6 inches off the floor, or raising your feet up and down doing leg raises. Jillian says it all depends on what is hardest for you. I usually alternate between holding them 6 inches off the floor and doing leg raises. Next you do side plank crunches, and then you’re on your back doing the same thing, but instead of chest presses, you do chest flies. Your cardio is double under jump rope, and then you repeat on the other side. 

After a cool down, you are done! Woo hoo! After that terrible first circuit, this may be one of my favorite Body Rev workouts so far!  

Body Revolution: Phase 2, Workout 6

Body Revolution. Phase 2, Workout 6

On to week six. You’re halfway through now, so congratulations! After a quick warmup consisting of swing kicks, speed rope, and alternating knee thrusts, you’re ready to work the front of your body. Did I mention that on even workouts (2, 4, 6, etc.) you work the front of the body and on odd days (1, 3, 5, etc.) you work the back of the body? I don’t think I did, so that’s one little tidbit I am pretty sure I forgot to mention. 

You start out with with bent over, high and wide rows. You do crossover lunges to the front with a bicep curl, and then you do a move that is in almost every Jillian workout: plank rows. She has you do supermans with weights. You repeat that after doing rockstar jumps for cardio. 

Circuit two is a bit meaner. She has you in stork stance (or warrior 3) with low rows. Then she has you in reverse plank. She has you grab you resistance band and do heavy bicep curls. Since my resistance band is kind of crappy, I just used my heaviest dumbbells and sped it up a bit. You repeat this after doing cardio, which I don’t know the name of. I remember doing it in Ripped In 30. It’s kind of like doing a skater, but instead of swinging your leg back like you’re skating, you bring your knee up and stabilize (almost as if you’re going to kick). 

Circuit 3 had Statue of Liberty, which is a single leg squat holding one weight and flying the weight with your arm back. Then it’s time to do the lunge chop, which kind of reminds me of a baseball swing. You repeat each of these on one side so you do each side twice per circuit, and your cardio is running man. Have fun with that. (Personally? I love running man, but I hear so many people who hate it!)

Circuit 4 is actually my favorite circuit, which is kind of weird since it’s mostly ab work on the mat, and I usually hate ab work! On your back with your heaviest weights, do a lateral raise and a high crush (basically a sit up). Then you work your low abs with reverse crunch. Next you work your obliques with windshield wipers. Last move is you’re up doing kettlebell swings with a dumbbell. Since I have a kettlebell, I just use my kettlebell instead of a dumbbell. Your cardio is zig zag jumps, and I love these. 

Body Revolution: Phase 2, Workout 5

I did Phase 2, Workout 5 just a little while ago. I’m gonna talk about it while it’s fresh on my mind. I gotta be honest: this one is probably one of my least favorite Jillian workouts. One word that comes to mind? Pain.

Your warmup consists of four sun salutations from yoga. Sometimes I feel like I’m not getting a good stretch from this but other times I do, so I guess it depends on just how loose my muscles are. You spend a lot of time in plank position for your first circuit! She has you do a pushup into side plank as your very first move, and I’ll be honest: that one bums me out! I can do military style pushups occasionally, but I often have to modify. It kills my ego! I’m not sure if I have the right form and that’s why my wrists, elbows, and arms don’t move that way, or of it’s simply because my wrists, elbows and arms don’t move that way! haha. I want to turn my wrists in or out, and not keep them straight. I’ve also experimented with having my legs wider or closer together. I’m worried that I might be making the workouts too easy though. That’s one of the downfalls of doing at home workouts and not having a personal trainer or someone knowledgeable watch my form and see if they can offer some insight on that. Mountain climbers are back, and I have mixed feelings with them. Jillian also favors crescent post in this workout, and she has you do tricep presses in crescent, and jump squats while holding weights if you want a little extra. 

I like circuit two is my favorite, but I can’t help but roll my eyes when Jillian tells you to get light weights (I’m assuming 3’s) and to do shoulder presses while in sumo squat. She talks about how you haven’t seen something like that before, but being familiar with her other programs, I’m pretty familiar with it, and definitely go heavier than she recommends. I find it a bit weird. Wood chops are back, which feel to me more like a baseball swing. Linking my favorite sport to this move has helped me like it better. Funny how that works! I enjoy scissor abs but I don’t stick my hands under my tailbone like Jillian suggests. High knees for cardio, which I admittedly sissy out of because high knees are what messed up my calf and I’m so afraid of messing it up again.

Circuit 3 is mean. It’s another ego killing circuit, haha. It makes my shoulders BURN. She has you use the resistance band. Mine is way different than Jillian’s. Hers has handles and seems to be like a tube, mine is about a 6ft long and 6in wide long piece of rubber. So it’s hard to do some of the moves in the way she wants it without the handles, but I do my best with what I have. In crescent pose with the resistance band, you do like a hug move. Open your arms out into a T and close them in front of your chest, and then on the floor in crab position to do tricep presses with one leg up. She has you do punches in crescent pose, also with the resistance band for cardio. Mean, mean woman. My poor arms, shoulders. I’ll love it when I put on a tank top, but doing it, I want to cry. :) 

Circuit 4 annoys me because I feel like it gets my heart rate way down and I don’t feel like I’m doing anything, although I know I am. Fitbit backs up the heart rate concern, but with that said, I know Fitbit’s aren’t 100% accurate. But I also do think I need to find ways to make this harder, and you may need to as well, depending on your level. She has you do single leg squats raising the weight up over your head, and then on the floor on your side, doing a tricep press. The up and down gets a bit frustrating too; every 30 seconds you’re dropping to the floor or popping up and for this one, it gets me a little dizzy, especially with it being towards the end.

Phew. This workout is one I will be happy that I only had to do four times! (Other workouts I love so much I’m bummed I only get to do them four times!) There are just some workouts that I am totally not fond of, and this is one of them. And that’s okay. In whole, I adore the program, and I’ll still do this workout for a random pick me up once I’m through with Body Rev! I might go back to this one once I complete the whole program again to see if I still find it as challenging as I do now, just to compare how strong I’ve gotten through the course of the program! 

Body Revolution Phase 1 Rundown

Jillian Michaels - Body Revolution - Phase 1

So here’s a rundown of Phase 1 of Body Revolution! Phase 1 covers the whole first month. There are five workouts in Phase 1 (P1) - four strength training workouts and one cardio workout. 

P1, Workout 1: Like every Jillian workout, you start with a warm up. This one has military march, arm swings, hip and knee circles. Once you’re warmed up, you’re ready to work! In Body Revolution, you have four circuits. In each circuit, you have three moves, you do a cardio interval, and then you repeat the three moves. Circuit one has squats, pushups, plank hold, and then chest flies. Cardio is something called towel run, which is where you pretend to run around a towel on the ground. I really liked this for some reason! Circuit two was sumo squats, tricep kickback, and standing abductions. Cardio was speedbag, which is a favorite of mine. Circuit 3 was chair squat with a front raise, standing tricep extension, standing in Warrior 2 Post, and then cardio interval was marching in place. Fourth circuit was leg extensions, bicycle crunches, leg extensions on the other side, and then lateral raises. Cardio interval was a squat out to the side. And then you cool down. 

P1, Workout 2: So again, you start with a warmup that has dynamic stretches to get your heart rate up. I think I remember skaters, arm swings, and toe touches in the warmup. Circuit one had you on your hands and knees, extending one leg back and opposite arm out (bird dog), pelvic thrusts with a resistance band, superman, and then pelvic thrusts on the other side. Cardio was alternating knee thrusts. Circuit 2 had static lunge with rotations, wide dumbbell rows, static lunge on the other side, and the bicep drags. Cardio was side to side kickbacks. Circuit 3 had deadlift with bicep curls, donkey kicks, crunches, and then donkey kicks not he other wide, with knee hikes for cardio. Last circuit has you doing seated rows with your resistance band, good mornings, hammer curls, and step ups. Cardio was uppercuts in squat.  And then it’s time to cool down!

P1, Workout 3: Quick warmup with a bit of cardio and dynamic stretching to get your body warm (jumping jacks, cat/cow stretch) and you’re ready to go! Circuit one has pushups, walkout planks, lunges, and downward dog with a leg grab. Cardio is jump rope and you repeat all the strength moves. Circuit 2 included sumo squats with a tricep extension, camel, squat presses, and cable presses, and you repeat these after your cardio interval, which is squat punches. Onward to circuit three where you do plank into crescent pose, crab, and side crunches, and repeating on the other side after plie hops. Finishing up with Circuit 4, you do tree pose with a lateral raise, plank up (which I despise), and inchworm. Your cardio is skiers. You finish up with a cool down - you’ve earned it!!

P1, Workout 4: You’re almost done with the first month! Woo hoo! So, after a quick cardio and stretching warmup, you start circuit one with alternating forward lunges, rows in squat position, and single leg deadlifts with upright rows, which you repeat after your cardio intervals of plyometric skaters. Circuit 2 has side lunges and bicep curls, bent over wide rows, surrender lunges, and weighted step ups, which you repeat after lateral/side to side hops. Next is thigh lifts, which I loved this little break. Lay on your side and put a dumbbell on the outside of your leg and lift them up! Alternating leg lifts in blank, and hollow man, and then you repeat all that after fast feet. In your final circuit of the final month, you do terry pulls, weighted good mornings, and something called squirms. You repeat that after your cardio interval that is a combo of jab, cross, and hook. I loved these! And then cool down! You’ve earned it! 

Cardio 1: So cardio starts quick and ends quick. Since it’s a straight up cardio workout, no warmup is needed. There are eihgt exercises that last a minute long, and you repeat it three times, making it about 28 minutes long, and then a cool down. The workout includes march in place, fast feet, half squat with punches, jogging in place, running man, speed bag, arm circle kickouts, and suicide runs. I’ve always been a cardio girl so this cardio was right down my alley. I loved it!

So, the first two weeks, I found pretty easy. In most Jillian workouts, she has you working two muscle groups at once. For example, while doing things like tricep extensions, you’re also doing squats and working legs and arms at the same time. With the first two weeks of Body Revolution, you’re not doing that, you’re only working one muscle group at the same time. I felt like I could have skipped the first two weeks, to be honest, but I also enjoyed it as it was a good way to rebuild myself up. Although I had started back up with Jillian workouts and repeated Ripped In 30 and played around with some other DVD’s, it was fun to start a new program from the beginning. If you’ve worked out with Jillian before, you may not need the first two phases. Personally, I still would squat or lunge while working my arms, and vice versa. Otherwise, it really was a bit too easy for me. (It doesn’t last though. Just wait! You’ve been warned!) The third and the fourth week were a little better, but I still revved it up. If you’re familiar with Jillian or done them before, you know that you can take it further. Just listen to your body, it’s your workout!

Introducing Body Revolution!

Hey guys! I did something that really intimidated me: I completed Body Revolution! Woo hoo! I was planning on blogging about it as I went but life happened. I’m still trying to decide on exactly how I want to break it down. Every two weeks you change your workout. Usually when I review a DVD, I break each workout down by levels, about about the majority of the exercises, but if that were the case, there would be a TON of entries. I initially thought I would break it down by weeks (week 1 and 2, week 3 and 4, and so on all the way up to week 11 and 12) but that would be a lot of entries on one program also, although shorter than one entry per exercise. Earlier today while thinking of how I was going to do the blog, I even thought about breaking it into phases. There are three (each month equals a phase) so that would cut it down to three entries about Body Revolution, not counting this one. If anyone has a preference, let me know! Lots of reading for you equals lots of typing for me and I’ve proven I can be a bit slow. ;)(That’s not that I don’t think of this blog all the time!!)

So Body Revolution. Ninety days. Oh man, guys, I just kept putting it off and putting it off. What if it progressed into something way too hard? What if I couldn’t do it? But…what if I could?? Ultimately I started Body Revolution because (not surprising!) I was scheduled to do an ab/core workout and uggggh! I still hate core workouts. They are a waist!! (Get it? Waist, waste, core workout…) Not wanting to do it, I remembered I had Body Revolution just sitting there and boom. I watched Week 1, really thought I would enjoy it, and that’s it. :)

So Body Revolution is different from any other Jillian DVD I’ve done. Instead of having two people in the background doing modified and advanced moves, there is a whole room of people! And this includes favorites of mine such as Natalie, Anita, Mimi and others from other DVD’s, but new people too! I really liked that there was a good mix of men and women in this program, because I felt like I might actually get a few guys to work out with me, and not feel that it was just a “girly” workout. This workout progresses, too! It really is a building block program. Each workout gets harder and harder. The great thing is that it changes every two weeks, so there is no getting bored. (Or if you’re like me, if there is a particular workout you despise, you only have to do it for two weeks, a total of four times!!! haha!) There is 15 workouts in total. Twelve strength training workouts, and three cardio workouts. It’s separated in three months, or phases. Month/Phase 1 is includes Cardio 1, Workouts 1, 2, 3, and 4. Phase 2 is Cardio 2 and Workouts 5, 6, 7, and 8. And Phase 3 is Cardio 3 and workouts 9, 10, 11, and 12. So for the first two weeks, you do workout 1, workout 2, cardio 1 each twice a week (Monday and Thursdays could be workout 1, Tuesdays and Fridays workout 2, and Wednesday and Saturday cardio 1), and have one rest day. Then on week 3-4, you do the same things except instead of workouts 1 and 2, changed those with 3-4 and continue with Cardio 1. It’s the same schedule as you progress to a new phase. Each workout twice a week (cardio remains the same for the whole month). I loved how except for the cardio (which did get a little bit boring by the time it came to switch) I was never bored!

The cast/background people are super motivating and it was great to see some of my favorites and get some new favorites! Mimi made me laugh just as much in this one as she makes me laugh in Killer Body. There were some moves that I had never done before in a Jillian workout so that was really cool! In all, the program was an amazing success! I definitely notice changes in my body that I could not see before, and that’s awesome, because I was beginning to feel a little stuck. I truly believe that a beginner could start with this (I felt that the beginning was a bit easy, but I will go into more details when I give a more detailed review) and be proud of what they’ve accomplished when they get near the end. I truly feel that way and I’ve been doing these type of workouts for a few years now!

Body Revolution may be my new favorite Jillian program and I am so excited to go further into detail soon! 

Jillian Michaels Six Week Six Pack - Level 2

Look up cruel and unusual in the dictionary and you may very well see Jillian’s face. I’m not even kidding. I’ll be honest: Level 2 scared me. I did another program in between Level 1 and 2 because it intimidated me so much! But finally did Level 2 and I’m not going to lie. It was hard, but it’s also probably one of my favorite workouts. And here’s the rundown! Basheerah and Matty are back. Matty is still the modifier and Basheerah is the advanced, but Jillian has Matty hold on to a weight, which was the main modification in Level 1. You start with your warmup, like always, and it’s your regular warm up except…THERE ARE BURPEES IN THE WARM UP. Well, not exact burpees, but up-downs which are basically a burpee without the jump at the end. Isn’t that a bunch of crap? ;) Who thinks of burpees in the warmup. Oh. Yeah. Some crazy lady named Jillian. ;). A few other moves; lunges, squats, that sort of stuff to get your muscles loose and then you begin to torture yourself. It’s all worth it!

Like in Level 1, you do one long circuit, and repeat it a second time going at a quicker pace. I held on to one 8lb dumb bell the whole time. You begin stepping into lunge and doing lunge with chops, where you’re basically wood-chopping to one side. Then you go to an oblique crunch with your weight up, touching your elbow to knee. Drop the weight and do jumping jackknives. Yes. Jumping jackknives. Repeat the lunge chops and the oblique crunch on the other side, and then you move on to low to high. This move is where you are holding the weight up high up in front of you over your head, and then twisting and pivoting into a 180, and dropping into a lunge. After that, you do repeater knees with the weight. Jillian takes mercy on you for two seconds - she lets you drop the weight, and then get into plank and do plant twists. Repeat low to highs on the other side as well as repeater knees. Next you do a lunge twist with a pass through, which I actually really liked. Lunge forward and twist, same leg lunge back, and pass the dumbbell under the front leg. Then she had you do light house swings, which I also enjoyed. Swinging your arm out straight in front of you and turning your hip and pivoting on the ball of your foot side to side. Next she has you do bicycle crunches, and after that you repeat the twisting lunge with a pass on the other wise, but instead of light house again, she has you do dumbbell swings, which are like swinging a sledgehammer. That’s always fun, right? 

Now the fun begins. Get into plank. Now. Plank moguls. After that, you have my sympathies, because she has you doing t-stand kicks. That’s where you start in plank and move into side plank, and then kick your foot out. And then back into plank, and do so on the opposite side. Those are tough. It got a little bit better for me when I realized to keep my hands pointed straight out in front of me and not turn my wrists. Otherwise, I’m asking for a broken wrist because I lose my balance easily. After that, you do double crunches, and as if she’s not evil then you do hollow man. And then flip over into mountain climbers. 

And guess what? You get to do it all over again, but at a quicker pace! On level 1, it seems like the quicker pace was almost too much, but this one wasn’t too bad. Even going at my own pace, what I felt was safe, was pretty much on time with the girls. So that was awesome! Not that modifying is bad at all, you still get an incredible workout when you modify, but it kind of kills my ego a bit. ;) 

Seriously though?? I really like this one, as hard as it is! Maybe because there isn’t lot of mat work, which we all know I hate. It’s more standing ab work. With how much I didn’t want to do it, and how bad Level 1 hurt my back, I’m surprised by how much I liked it! I expected this to be a terribly painful experience. It is, kind of. Haha! But it’s one that I like afterwards, which I can’t say I had that experience as much with Level 1 just because how bad it hurt afterwards. I’d say the DVD is worth it just for Level 2. I didn’t take measurements and I didn’t take my weight reliably but I definitely notice a lot of changes in my body. Positive changes! 

Revisiting Ripped In 30

I decided to revisit Ripped In 30 in between Level 1 and Level 2 of Six Week Six Pack (6W6P). RI30 has always been a favorite of mine (if not my absolute favorite program), and doing it again was great on so many levels! Six Week Six Pack really hurt my back and let me know that I may have lost some core strength while taking my Jillian break, so I thought, why not go back. Plus, Level 2 of 6W6P was sooo intimidating. I didn’t think I was strong enough to do it, so what a better way to get myself back in the groove than to get ripped?!

The first time I did Ripped In 30, I had been doing Jillian workouts for just a couple months, but it was the second Jillian program I ever did. Now that I’ve done a few different programs and a few different people, it was nice to go back and see how far I’ve come. Definitely a non-scale victory! It was great showing myself how far I’ve come physically! Since I’ve already given the rundown of what each week entails in previous entries, I won’t do that again, but feel free to go back and read those entries.

Week 1, I loved. It was great going back to Jillian and doing the 3-2-1 plan again. And I felt that it was a great way to reboot myself and my system again and get an all around whole body workout. It was all pretty basic and getting the moves down, but even for me, I still felt challenged. This time around I used 8 pound dumbbells and did fine with it. My first time around I used 5lbs.

Week 2 can burn in hell. I only did this one for five days because I’m pretty sure this workout made my back hurt something terrible - I had the same issue with 6W6P, so it makes me wonder if I’m doing something wrong or if I’ve pulled something. Since I’ve never been to a gym and never had anyone tell me that my form is absolutely correct, it very well could be that I’ve been doing all this wrong. But this time, I felt more challenged than I did the first time! 

Last time around, I hated Week 3. This time, I loved it! I can’t believe that I found duckwalks and bear crawls so hard! I mean, yes, they’re difficult, but I feel like I had them down! The whole entire workout was great. Challenging, fun, but I still loved every minute! 

And Week 4 is still my favorite, even with the burpees, which I’ll be honest - are not as scary as they used to be! That’s an amazing feeling! And at the end, the speech Jillian gives about brought me to tears. Again. I’ve been doing two workouts a day; an hour of cardio and then a strength DVD or youtube workout that’s anywhere form 30-45 minutes for over two years. And sometimes I just feel like a zombie. It’s just gotten to be routine now that I forget what I’m doing. Wow. I’m actually doing something! Not a lot of people do this, and her speech was another reminder of that! 

I didn’t take measurements or track my weight this time around, but I feel like I’ve come a long way. I can tell that when I read my old posts about this workout program. It was so nice to revisit and go back to the basics. It was like going through my old closet of bigger sized clothes, just to see how far I’ve come only fitness style. I think I need to do it more often! 

Jillian Michaels' Six Week Six Pack - Level 1

Jillian Michaels Six Week Six Pack - Level 1

Here’s the rundown for Level 1 of Six Week Sick Pack. This is a six week program where you do Level 1 for three weeks and then Level 2 for three weeks. Like every Jillian workout, there are two girls who do the advanced version and the modified. Basheerah is the advanced and Matty is the modifier. In this workout, Basheerah has a weight and Matty doesn’t. Get ready because Jillian is a mean woman and you have been warned. 

After a quick warmup that consists of military march, squats with x’s, lunges, and rotations, you begin the first circuit. In this workout, you do one long circuit that’s about 15 minutes long, and then repeat the circuit again, going quicker. You go up and down from doing mat work to standing ab work in this workout. You begin with knee thrusts and then backwards lunges with back extensions. You move on to burpees, and then squat rotation, where you squat down and then twist so you touch your right elbow to left knee and vice versa. After that is side lunges with a side bend. I had to drop the weight for that one. 

Next you hit the mat and extend your right leg out straight and your right arm straight, and then crunch up. After that she has you roll over and your do supermans with a lat pull. Raise up into plank position and do plank jacks. Next you do the same arm and leg crunch on the opposite side. Then she has you doing double leg stretch, which she says is a pilates move. That one was tough and I learned my core wasn’t as strong as I thought it was! Afterwards, Jillian has you doing side crunches, and then diagonal getups. Next comes extended walking plank, which I really liked, and then repeat side plank and the diagonal getups on the other side.

And next comes the last five moves that make me want to cry. Okay, not really. Well. Who knows! Even Jillian admits it’s cruel but for our own goods! It’s side plank with knee twists and spider planks with alternating legs. Both moves I imagine are what the people who are stuck in hell are doing. ;) Then comes mountain climbers, and you repeat side plank and knee twists on the other side. Finish up the circuit with bridge kicks. 

That’s it! Now you just get to repeat it, and faster! ;) 

I really liked this workout, but I will be honest. When you do the circuit over faster, some of the moves seem less safe. My back actually hurt consistently while doing this workout. I’m not sure if it’s because I may have been doing the moves wrong (I don’t think so though), using too heavy of a dumb bell (I was using 8’s), or if I was just trying to go too fast and keep up with Jillian. Once I remembered that I didn’t *have* to keep up with Jillian, it helped ease my back some, but that kind of killed my ego, and for that, I’m thinking that may be why Level 1 of Six Week Six Pack isn’t my favorite. It could also be the fact that I still really hate ab work. ;). Nothing will ever change! 

While I didn’t take measurements or really track my weight, I did notice significant changes when I looked in the mirror. Definitely was starting to get definition by the end of the three weeks, which was super exciting! Before this, I really wasn’t doing a lot of ab work, so this was really encouraging to see. As always, Jillian delivers!

Well, that lasted long.

Well, that lasted long.

My breakup with Jillian, that is. I was shopping at Sam’s Club back in January and I saw Six Week Six Pack for $8. It just sat there taunting and taunting me. Buy me, buy me. You’ve been doing the GymRa youtube videos for six months and you’ve been thinking of switching back, perfect opportunity to buy me, buy me. 

I gave in to the temptation and bought it, and a couple days later I started the program, or at least began Level 1. I’ll go further in depth soon (I promise) but after doing Level 1 for just over three weeks, I switched to Ripped In 30, which I loved the second time around even more! (I will touch base on that also soon!) But then I realized that it was time to buck up, and do Level 2 of 6W6P. I’ll be honest, this one *scared* me. The moves looked SO HARD! And Level 1, I learned that my core wasn’t as strong as I thought and it made my back ache. But once I did it, I loved it. 

And since mid-to-late January, I’ve been doing Jillian workouts again. That breakup lasted long. ;) But it’s been nice to go back to something familiar. Sometime soon I’d like to try some new workouts that I’ve been holding off on trying (such as One Week Shred, particularly the strength workout) and find some new workouts on GymRa’s youtube and maybe make up a schedule of a new routine a day to see what happens. I’m not sure if I’ve hit another plateau or what. I put about 7-10lbs (depending on the day) back on in November and no matter what I do, I can’t seem to get those 10lbs off. It’s only a few pounds, but technically, I’ve never hit my goal weight since starting this journey. I have my “realistic” goal weight, my “unrealistic” goal weight (which is more like a dream weight, who doesn’t want to weigh 120lbs?) My body may just be at the weight it likes to be with, and if so, I’ll have to come to terms with that. I’m still not happy with my body and I’m not sure I ever will be. That’s a scary thought, because I’ve hopefully got another 55+ years in this body! (That puts me at 84+). But I’m willing to try and trick it and see what’s going on. Probably eating the same thing over and over again and running on the treadmill every day for an hour doesn’t help; I know I should mix it up, but that’s where I’m hoping strength comes in because I just love running so much. I never thought I’d be the girl that would get up and go for a run. 

I haven’t forgotten about this blog. I want to inspire others but I also want to make this an accurate account of what goes on when someone loses a lot of weight, and just like any journey, whether it’s a health journey, a weight loss journey, a journey from here to there, there are bumps in the road. Occasionally you have to go in another direction. But even though we all know that, it’s still hard for me to talk about those bumps in the road. 

Until next time! (Which should be very soon!)