It's a Jillian thing. You wouldn't understand.

I once created a design that I meant to put on a shirt that says, “It’s a Jillian thing, you wouldn’t understand.” It's a play on the, "It's a fitness thing, you wouldn't understand," shirt, but since I do mostly Jillian Michaels' workouts, I traded the word Jillian for fitness. I never got around to making it, partly because if I were to make a fitness related shirt, there are a ton of other designs or words I’d like to put on it. Plus, nothing annoys me more than when someone says, “It's a math thing, you wouldn't understand” or “ it's a kitchen thing, you wouldn't understand.” Who's to say that I don't understand that?

In the last few weeks, that design has come to my mind a lot. I frequent a website Guru Gossiper, or GG. For those who don't know what GG is, it’s a forum where members discuss YouTube Gurus and their content. They have a Rave About A Guru subforum and they also have a Trash a Guru subforum. Maybe I’m a closeted mean girl, because I lurk in the Trash a Guru section. I read all the dirt on a guru that I used to be particularly fond of, but then started to not like for various reasons. I’m not going to say what guru, but I will say that there is a reason why I’m posting about it here.

I don’t keep up with this guru, but I do read their GG to keep up with what she's doing, and she’s apparently been really involved in going to the gym. This didn’t surprise me. I can remember years ago she posted a video about fitness with Natalie Jill, who also appeared in Ripped In 30 by Jillian Michaels. (I never actually realized because this video was made in 2012 and I only watched maybe a couple of times soon after it was uploaded, and I started doing Jillian videos in 2015.) “She is also obsessed with her body now, who the hell go to the gym with a broken foot?” Immediately I thought of myself. I've worked out with an injury. I thought a lot of people who've worked out with minor injuries. Look at Christmas Abbott - she broke her foot in the Big Brother house, had to have surgery, and still did workouts as soon as she was able. Search YouTube and you'll find all kinds of seated workouts for people who are injured or disabled. Who the hell goes to the gym or does workouts with a broken foot? Um...a lot of people? I casually mentioned that I have worked out with injuries, and explained that how if you are seeing results, an injury or an illness can be absolutely devastating to a fitness routine. “I guess it’s an American thing,” came the reply. Uh...no. It's not just me, it's almost everyone I know who is committed to a healthy lifestyle - and I’m in some great fitness groups that have women from all over the world. I can't even begin to count how many times I see people saying they’re sick and realizing they’re too sick to work out or asking if they should work out. Lots of members feel devastated over injuries - it’s a real thing. And it’s not an American thing. It’s a dedication thing.

I went back and forth with a couple members on this subject. One said rehabbing a broken foot is one thing, but working out with an injury is creating issues with your body. Again, I respectfully disagree for the most part. If you’re able to do it - do it! I brought up all low impact, seated workouts you can find on youtube, under the weather workouts, and so on. It’s there! So I’m clearly not the only one who thinks this! Then it was brought up about working out with the flu and how that can be life threatening and in general not kind to other gym members. I agree to that, too, but sources say that above the neck symptoms usually mean you’re okay to go to the gym. Trust your own judgment.

In the end, maybe I felt defensive because myself and so many others want to keep working out despite life, illness, and injury trying so damn hard to knock you down. This wasn’t a redeeming factor for this guru (I can’t support a person who lies, scams, and neglects their kids all while painting this facade of sunshine and rainbows for your YouTube content) but I certainly do get where she’s coming from IF she’s experiencing the same thing I am. Don’t take a giant shit on what brings others joy, unless, you know, what brings them joy is being detrimental to someone else’s joy. I have a feeling that they feel like I am defending the Guru, but that’s not it. I am defending myself and others like me. I felt a need to defend others who workout while injured, or others who are dedicated to themselves. They weren’t dissing the Guru, they were dissing the guru's actions as well as anyone who goes to the gym with an injury. As long as you have the okay, then that's okay. Just my feelings, of course.

With that said, my shirt design comes to mind again: “It’s a fitness thing. You wouldn’t understand.”

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!

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 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. 

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! 

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!

Resistance Band Jam - Christie Cash workout via GymRa

Here’s the third workout I’ve been doing consistently since breaking up with Jillian! It’s a Christie Cash workout from GymRa’s youtube page, and it’s a resistance bad workout! I really like this one.

There is no warmup for this workout, so I always make sure to do a quick warmup before starting. It’s two circuits; where you do the moves twice, similar to the previous Christie workout I talked about. There are several moves where I’m actually not using the resistance band but I’m using my 8lb dumbbells (my resistance band is light to medium resistance). I also incorporate squats or lunges since standing in place can get so boring. And adding in two muscle groups burns more calories! During the bicep curls, the front lateral raises, tricep extension, and the V-Raises, I do squats with my 8lb dumbbells. During the shoulder presses, she actually has you do one arm at a time and switch, but I stay in lunge position and do the first 15 and then switch legs and do the next 15. During rows, I stay in a squat position. There are also deadlifts which I use my 8lbs with. I feel like that’s good way to burn a few extra calories. I do use the resistance band to do the lunge and lateral raise, because I hate those. ;) I’m familiar with these in the other Christie workout and I use my 8lbs then, so I figure the resistance band gives my arms a little break! After that, she takes you to the mat! I can’t believe I missed doing matwork, but I did. She has you put one leg in the air with the resistance band and lifting in and out of bridge with your other leg. It looks easy but it is not! You do that on both sides, and then put both feet in the band and you do a leg press with the resistance band. Next move is a reverse crunch. I sometimes switch out here with a reverse crunch or do a bicycle crunch in boat pose because I don’t do ab work as much anymore (I can’t believe I’m missing it!) and I don’t want to lose all the hard work I put in strengthening my ab game. ;) Afterwards, you’re back up doing a move called windmills. This is another one I do a bit differently. She has you stand on the resistance band with two feet and twist side to side, twisting your obliques like a windmill. I usually just do high knees with a torso rotation or jumping because it’s slightly higher impact and I feel like I get my heart rate up a bit higher. After that minute, the next thing she has you do is stand on the band with two feet again, but cross over and stretch out your obliques. 

Rinse and repeat and you have a 30 minute workout! You do finish up with some cardio moves; 30 seconds of high knees, 30 seconds of jumping lunges and then 30 seconds of Rockstar jumps or “explodes” as she called them. You just explode off the ground. 

So that’s that! And I *really* like this workout. I am a bit bummed out that there isn’t a warmup and the cool down is very very quick (just a deep breath so almost non-existent) but I like this workout so well that I don’t mind adding in the warmup and the cool down on my own! I highly recommend this one! You can watch the video below or click here to go right to the youtube page to watch it.

This is the second workout I’ve done with the resistance band and the first one that I’ve done more than once. Have you done a resistance band workout? 

Natalie Yco's Full Body Workout with Dumbbells via GymRa.

Hi guys! I’m going to talk about another workout I’ve been doing lately since ditching Jillian. ;) But if it weren’t for Jillian, I wouldn’t know about this woman - it’s Natalie Yco! (Natalie has been in Killer Buns and Thighs, 30 Day Shred, Killer Abs, and I think a few other Jillian DVD’s that I haven’t actually bought). I’m a huge fan of hers, and a big fan of this workout! I’ve linked the video below. This one is also on GymRa’s youtube page, like the last workout I posted about. 

This one is about 30 minutes long. There are five circuits in this workout, each circuit with two strength moves and two cardio moves. I use my eight pound dumbbells for this workout and man, do I ever feel the burn! Each move lasts 45 seconds and she gives you 15 seconds to transition from one move to the next, and she demonstrates each move, which I love! After a quick warmup, you start doing two strength moves, a squat into a lunge alternating sides, deadlifts, and then rotating jumping jacks and then a kickboxing kind of move where you are doing jump kicks. Next circuit had walkout pushups, chest flies in bridge, and then burpees with a ski hop which made me consider throwing my laptop across the room and then crab kicks which made me SERIOUSLY consider throwing my laptop. I hate that cardio bit. ;) Third circuit has rows, chest flies in plank, four way hops and then jumping lunges in plank, which is have to modify (I could probably do them, but I think I’d do them incorrectly). Fourth circuit may be my favorite but I’m not sure; it has pikes with lateral raises, upright rows, and then skaters, which is my favorite cardio (!) but then she’s got you back in plank again for jumping side to side in plank. Last circuit has you doing triceps dip and a bicep curl (which I can’t curl without twisting my wrist, so I actually kick my leg instead of curling. I think that my dumbbells might be too tall and that’s why my wrists feel unsteady) and a half get up with the weight. Cardio is surfer get-ups and side mountain climbers. And then you’re finished with all the hard stuff! She has you finish off with a nice cool down with lots of good stretching and then you’re finished with that workout!

Natalie’s workout reminds me of a lot of Jillian’s and I’m familiar with all the moves. But just like in the other GymRa workout with Christie, it’s something different, and I think that’s what I welcome the most. A different voice, a different change of scenery. I like that these are filmed outside. Sometimes when I’m finished with the workout, I just want to hop into the TV and jump in that pool behind her! What I liked about it is that she did the workout with you, the change in scenery, the fact that it’s Natalie (haha), and that she demonstrated the workout and gives you a few seconds to transition in if you need. 

I burn anywhere from 200-250 calories as according to my Fitbit Charge HR. I’ve been doing this one consistently for a couple months now and I really like it! When I started out, I had to modify so much but now I can do the majority of the advanced moves! 

Christie Cash's Full Body Workout with Dumb Bells via GymRa.

In my last post, I talked about breaking up with Jillian. I’m going to talk about the first non-Jillian workout that I began doing consistently. The trainer/instructor is a woman named Christie Cash. I really like this one and I like Christie. This workout is similar to Jillian’s workouts and only 30 minutes long. What I like about it is that it gives a totally different scenery, she’s doing the workout with you the whole time (Jillian had two girls doing the workout for her the majority of the time while she does a few moves here and there but not the whole time - smart woman!), and while the moves are basically the same that Jillian does, it’s still different. Different mannerisms, different everything. You do fifteen exercises for one circuit, a couple minutes of cardio, and then you go through the circuit again, ending with the cardio again. There are a lot of lunges, which isn’t always very knee friendly and she does go quite fast. One thing I’m not sure I like is how fast she goes through the moves, especially if you’re needing a second or two to transition, but since I generally watch the workout before doing it so I have a good idea of what to expect I was okay most of the time, and now that I have the routine down pat, I do well with it. The warm up and the cool down both seem really quick and maybe not quite enough. She doesn’t talk much about correct form, so a beginner might need to watch or make sure they have the form down right before going through this one. Making sure you have the right form is something that Jillian is very good about in her workouts. (You know how I said above that Jillian does a few moves here and there while her modifier and her advanced girls do it all? Jillian is usually showing you the right form!) I always get a good laugh when Christie ends a move with, “You’re [insert body part you just worked] should feel great!” and by great if you mean burning then yes!! Haha. But really, I do like this one. It gave me a much needed change when I needed it the most!

This workout includes bicep curls, shoulder presses with squats, rows, deadlifts, pyramid squats, lunges with lateral raises (which I absolutely abhor), lunges with a knee tuck (which I hate, hate, hate!!), and ab rotations, woodchoppers, side crunches. There is no mat work on the floor but since I hate floor/mat work I like that. ;) Occasionally it seems as if their might be editing problems because there are times where she’ll have you do the moves 20 times instead of 15. It’s all in the first circuit (that I’ve noticed). Cardio is plyo squats, knee tucks, and fast feet. 

I haven’t taken photographs and I didn’t take before and afters with his because I didn’t think that I would do it consistently when I started, but I think I can tell some good changes in my body since doing this one! But because I like it, I recommend it anyway. I use my eight pound dumb bells and I find that I burn anywhere from 200-250 calories as according to my Fitbit Charge HR.

Breakups

Well, it’s official: I have separated with Jillian and moved on. So far it has been an amicable separation; her DVD’s have not fallen in front of me while preparing or doing other workouts and I haven’t given her too much thought since moving. Seriously though, I haven’t done a Jillian workout since June or so, and it really has been a welcome change. After 18 months or so of doing one of her workouts nearly every day, it got to the point where there were times I was literally having dreams about her or hearing her voice in my sleep. Some might not see that as a big deal, but it honestly wasn’t pleasant for me, I would wake up startled. (Kind of like a weird lucid dream). And I’d been wanting to branch out or find something new for a while to switch things up. I would occasionally do GymRa workout here or there, but one night I really did not want to do Jillian, and I had a few extra minutes, so I went to GymRa on Youtube and found this workout. I still alternated this and Jillian for a while, but then I found another GymRa workout that I like with Natalie Yco instructing. Since she’s in a lot of Jillian DVD’s anyway, I felt it was right and have really enjoyed it. I’ve since been switching up a lot, going between three to four workouts on GymRa’s YouTube page, a couple of Keaira LaShae’s dance workouts (I’ve already really liked her!) and even doing stuff like playing Kinect. Zumba, Kinect Sports, and so on. It’s kind of like I’ve been going back to my roots - dancing, video games, and having fun with working out again. For a while there it was beginning to really feel like a chore. I think I just needed a change, but sometimes it still does feel like a chore even with the changes. That concerns me. I know that this is my future, this is my new life. I know weight loss and a journey to getting healthy doesn’t necessarily have an ending, and it concerns me that somedays I find myself getting really tired of it. Sometimes I wonder if I had taken slightly different turn somewhere back there, if things would be different now. When I really started fearing rest days, or when I really started feeling like I couldn’t stray off of my clean eating plan and it brought on a lot of crazy emotions, maybe I should have sought help from someone like a therapist. Maybe instead of doing it completely alone, I should have joined something like Weight Watchers to get out of the “good food, bad food” mentality. Maybe I should have gotten a personal trainer to learn the right amount of exercise and not go at it so obsessively. There are times where I cancel plans or feel an insane amount of panic about missing a workout or eating more calories than I feel is safe for me to eat. I know that that is not healthy either. What’s hard is that I don’t really have anyone who has lost weight like I have. Some people understand to a degree but not 100% and that’s frustrating for all parties. I’m told to balance it out, find moderation, but those are just words to me. I don’t know *how* to do it. It’s like telling someone who breaks their leg to walk it off. 

I’m sure I’m not alone in feelings like this, but a lot of times I do feel alone. I knew all along that losing weight wasn’t an instant answer to everything, but sometimes I wonder if my strategy hasn’t been the smartest way to go, either. It’s scary to start questioning everything! I’m hopeful that I’ll get the answers I’m looking for soon. 

Are you in the same boat? Or have you overcome this? What did you do? 

Coming up in future blogs: the workouts I’ve been doing in further details (with links!) and a good review of my Fitbit Charge HR now that I’ve had it for several months and feel like I can give a good review. 

Jillian Michaels Killer Abs - Level 2 Review

Hey guys! I finally decided to give Level 2 of Killer Abs a try. I've done it a couple of times and I think I've got a good idea of how I like it now! If you saw my Level 1 review, you’ll know that I love, love, love it! It was so hard to move to Level 2 simply because I loved and still love the first level so much! So how does Level 2 add up?

Natalie and Nicola are back for Level 2, and the DVD starts quickly with a quick warmup that includes windmill skater, jumping man, halo squats, skipping in place, and snap kicks. After the warmup, you move to the first circuit. The first circuit has you on the floor in a wide pushup, and then into extended plank. I can’t decide if I love or hate extended plank. Next is something I think I do hate, which is chest press, fly, and headbanger in hollow man. The reason why I hate these is because it’s almost a little too much, and I don’t want to downgrade my weights and make it too easy with fives, but using eights, I have to modify and keep my legs down, which is a kick to the ol’ ego. Next you’re doing around the world hip heist, doing doing them in a circle. These always take me a few to get to them. I don’t think I’ve actually done them right once since starting the DVD. Finally it’s sumo boat. I get my eight pound weight and I just feel all excited because I know a year ago I would NOT have been able to do this. Rinse and repeat for the other side. 

On to circuit two, which is my favorite! You start out doing diagonal touch town, which is where you stand in a surfer position and twist, and then extend your weight and leg. Kind of reminds me of a dance move! Then you do alternating side lunges with a back fly. Cardio is standing mountain climber with shoulder presses, and then a good morning press. And then next is a lunge chop which makes me feel like a lumberjack. Repeat on the opposite side. I have no idea why this one is my favorite other than maybe there is some cardio? I LOVE CARDIO. 

Then that damn circuit 3. I think I tend to hate circuit 3 in every Jillian DVD. I know Killer Body core level 3 at one point made me want to cry. Maybe it’s just core workouts?! Anyway, you’re doing another pushup variation where you pushup and go into table or something. I actually just do pushups here because I’m the kind of person that needs to watch the DVD first to make sure I have the moves down. I did that with this one too but I forget what the move looks like. So rather than watching the moves instead of actually doing them to make sure I have it right, I just do pushups and will continue just doing pushups here until I remember that I need to fast forward and watch that part again to see what to do. Then she has you do bicycle crunches in boat which I can totally do now! Woo! I could not do these a couple months ago! After that you do superman rolls into pike, which is a favorite of mine. Next you do a chaturanga pushup with a knee twist, and I tend to modify these because I have never been able to manage chaturanga pushups well. Next is side plank angels, which I also modify. I can’t figure out if I hate this circuit because I have to modify and that is a hit to the ol’ ego again or if its just because these are my least favorite moves. Once you do those, repeat not he other side. Try not to die! Maybe that’s why she ends the circuit with side plank angels?! Haha. 

Circuit four is a little bit better. You’re up doing side to side hops, which I really like. Then you do sit up, stand up which I love to hate. These are in several other Jillian DVD’s and in some of them I do and in others I don’t. Because I can see myself breaking an ankle or flying forward after standing, I usually modify these somehow. In this one, I reverse crunch, and then so a sit up. Next is reverse plank, driving your knee up. After that, you’re doing three point burps. And then you’re not he floor doing scissor abs. Repeat and then you’re done! After a quick cool down, you’re done! REJOICE!

All right, so while I like Level 2, it is not my favorite. I've talked about level 1 enough for everyone to get that it's my favorite ab workout so far! Level 2 just feels more like an ab workout. And of course, that’s what it is, but I abhor ab workouts. I think some of my dislike for level 2 is that I need to modify a lot of it. It’s a bit hard for me to follow, and that’s probably why I don’t like it as much as I do level 1. But in all, I do feel like it’s a good workout! I alternate this one and Level 1 a lot. I felt like I had to move from level 1 because it was just getting way too easy. 

So there it is, level 2! Have you tried it? What do you think? If you're interested in buying, you can check out the DVD on Amazon buy clicking here! 

Springing along!

Is anyone else just ready for Spring? I know I am. I’m tired of these 1-2 days of warm weather only to have it rain and get cold. Phew. I’m ready to get outside and take the dog on some nice walks and really test out my Fitbit someplace besides the treadmill and in my bedroom doing Jillian DVD’s. It’s not that I’m necessarily getting bored with my workouts, but I just am itching for a change somewhere and I think the weather changing would be a great start. 

Nothing has really changed too much lately. Right now my workouts are an hour of treadmill or a run everyday where I average 4.3-4.5 miles. I don’t try to necessarily “kill” it, but I just try to keep a decent pace and get a good amount of cardio in. I still love cardio more than anything else, and I think it’s because I can do my own thing. I can listen to my own music, I can just have a good time. I can run, I can dance, I can listen to cheesy 80s music, Disney, or DDR music. With that said, strength training has changed my body in awesome ways, so I’ve been keeping up with Jillian. As I mentioned in previous entries, I’ve been doing Killer Body - Upper body workout and Killer Abs Level 1 (still not gotten to moving up to Level 2, but I want to. Level 1 is starting to get easy but I love it so, so much!) but just a couple weeks ago I added in Killer Buns and Thighs and I’ve been doing Level 1 of that also. I don’t have a set schedule of what workout where, but I alternate a shower one night and a bubble bath the next and on nights where I shower, I’m more pressed on time, so I tend to do Killer Abs OR Killer Body Upper because they’re shorter. Despite Jillian going on and on about Killer Buns and Thighs being under 30 minutes, she doesn’t know how to count, and that one is 40 minutes from warm up to cool down. Those extra 10 minutes are needed on nights where I shower, wash my hair, and so on. I try to do each workout twice a week. Still struggling with days off, but I’ve been trying to take off one day a month running and Jillian, hmm. I’m iffy with her. Honestly, I really am starting to dislike Jillian workouts and am DESPERATELY looking for a strength training program that is LIKE Jillian’s; same length, same style, but just different. Maybe I need to switch and look into a new Jillian DVD but I think it’s just that I want to branch out to more trainers. But because I am beginning to see Jillian as a chore, it makes me more nervous to take the days off. I’ve slipped off the strength training bandwagon before, and I definitely don’t want that to happen again with Spring and Summer weather coming up! Plus, my ten year high school reunion (really!? 10 years ALREADY?!) is coming up and who doesn’t want to look their best for that?!

Other than that, not much going on. I’ve been dealing with some back pain and I think it’s because I desperately need new shoes. I have really weird feet; they’re extremely wide and pretty small too. They just do not make shoes that are small enough (left foot is a 6, right foot is a 7) and WIDE enough. I mean, they make one or the other, but not both! Not that I can find in my price range at least! I’ve been to so many shoe stores to the point where I feel like the salesclerks picture me in their nightmares. I've bought 3-4 pair of shoes, but none of them work out and I have to return them. I wore one pair of shoes for almost five months thinking, “Okay, gonna break them in any day now!” when I finally realized, okay, after five months constant pain, these shoes are NOT going to work for me. Right now the Nike Air Pegasus’s I’m running in are over 8 years old, and they are literally holding together by threads. They just have no support anymore, and my ankles, legs, and lower back are now really starting to protest these shoes. (Which is why I alternate between baths and showers now; the baths help my legs and back ease enough to where I can sleep. That bath bomb recipe I posted earlier has been a godsend!) I am the only woman I know that would go bathing suit shopping and model for all the strangers in the mall rather than shoe shop. Shoe shopping brings up a whole new wave of feelings, which I hope to touch base on shortly. Ever heard of Fat-Girl Mentality? Oh man, do I have it bad. 

So now that we’re in April, how has your 2016 been going so far? My goal for the year was to have 1000 active miles. I’m already 386 miles into my 1000 goal for the year! Pretty proud of myself! That’s a rough estimate as I always run just over four miles a day, but I also count it as four, regardless if I go just a little over. The treadmill says I run 4.3 miles and Fitbit says 4.6 miles while on the treadmill, so not sure which one is right so I just say four and make it easy! I’m trying to think of new goals to set to try and keep myself on the upside. This has been a rough year so far. My dad’s side of the family has suffered two very sad losses and that’s been hard. It is a reminder that time on earth is limited and a beautiful gift. I’m trying to stress less and enjoy life more, and I’m trying to be as healthy as possible. To be honest, I’m not 100% sure I’m happy and healthy mentally right now, but I will touch base on that soon with a new blog hopefully very soon! 

Think some duct tape will help my shoes?! ;) Phew. Aren't they a mess?!

Happy April!

Jillian Michaels Killer Abs - Level 1 Review.

I’ve found it. I have found it!! A core or ab workout that I do not hate. Run off and buy a lottery ticket because you might just get lucky. It’s rare that I find an ab or core workout that I like. It’s Killer Abs and it’s by Jillian Michaels. I’ve done the first level quite a few times and here is my review!

Like all Jillian DVD’s, she has two girls demonstrating the moves, one doing the advanced and another doing the modified version. In this DVD, she has Natalie and Nicola. I’m a big Natalie fan but I also like Nicola, too! I’ve learned if that the background girls are likable and fun, they make the DVD’s more fun (like Golden and Mimi in Killer Body Upper and Lower) and that is definitely the case with Killer Abs. The DVD starts off with a quick warm up of marching in place, mummy walk, alternating knee twist, and then what Jillian calls a plunge. You get in plank and you bring one foot up outside your hand and back, the other foot up and back, and then four mountain climbers. After that you’re ready to move!

Circuit one has you doing inchworm. You walk out into plank, walk your legs up, and then step or jump back and then walk your hands back up, and then stand. Next you get into a sumo squat and do an oblique crunch, touching the floor. Then crescent crunches, where you are in crescent pose and crunch forward, as if bringing your nose to your knee. You can hold on to a weight, which I hold on to an eight pound dumbbell with this one. Last move before you get your heart rate up with high knees and repeat on the opposite side is roller boat. I love roller boat for one reason: this move tells me how far I’ve come! I used to hate anything in boat pose because it was so hard. I can do it now! :D Is that a non scale victory?! 

In circuit two, you get into a static lunge with your arms out parallel to the floor, and you twist your torso to the side. Then she has you get your heart rate up with doing this little jig she calls River Dance (I live on a little river town on the banks of the Ohio River and I am always so amused by the term River Dance!) where you basically are kicking your feet out and lifting your legs up a bit. It kind of reminds me of high knees but not quite. Then she has you get into down dog and bring your knee in. I think this is a move that also is in Ripped In 30 but I can’t remember. It seemed awful familiar! Next is triangle, which I’m super familiar with now because it’s been in a ton of Jillian DVD’s. After that, get ready to get your heart rate up with jump rope drills. Four high knees, four kicking your legs out straight, keep doing that for about 30 seconds. You get to do it all over again on the opposite side. Have fun! 

All right, now it’s time to get on the mat! The next two circuits take place on the mat entirely. Circuit three you get on the floor and you do a leg raise, a star crunch, and then a reverse crunch all as one move. Then you to plank jack moguls, which I love only because I used to hate plank moves but now I can do them! Flip over onto your back and you’re circling your legs with tornadoes. Next you get into bear crawl and crawl up for steps and then rotate and crab walk back four steps. Remember when I used to hate bear walk? Last is on your back again, your torso at a 45 degree angle, and you’re twisting your torso. I held on to the eight pound dumbbell again. 

Circuit four you get on your elbows in an ab hold on your elbows, and twist your knee in and then out and then back to repeat on the other leg. By now, you’re really feeling it in your abs. Then she has you go into dancing crab, which I love to hate. By now my abs are usually screaming and crying. She gives you a tiny break with uneven table, but then she gets you back by doing this elbow planking pike move that is pure evil. She says you need a slippery surface. I use furniture sliders, and from an elbow plank, you pike up. This is 100% abs and phew, it's tough. Next is a move that Jillian calls the Carolina after her yoga teacher, where you have both legs up in the air, you stay in a static crunch, and then bring one leg up and down. Rinse, repeat, and hallelujah because it is time to cool down. The cool down seems awful quick, but I’m not complaining because usually by now I’m just done! Phew. 

I really, really, REALLY like this workout! It’s tough enough for me that I feel challenged, but fun enough that I like it more than anything else right now! I’ve been alternating between Killer Body upper and then Killer Abs Level 1 (do want to do level 2. I have watched and it looks like it’ll be awesome! Just need a bit more space, and once the weather heats up, I’ll be able to go back to the living room to work out and not freeze!) and so far I like it. I do miss working out my legs and I’m trying to decide if I want to do Killer Buns and Thighs or Killer Body Lower OR look into someone new. As much as I like doing Jillian workouts, I like broadening my horizons! Anyone have a suggestion?! 

What I love most about Killer Abs is that it has some moves that I have’t done in a while and it reminds me of where I was a year ago, some of these moves I suffered though, not even kidding! And now I can do them! I don’t always see changes in my body but to know that the moves I hated and struggled through I can now do is an amazing feeling. There were a lot of epiphanies with this DVD!

So there it is, Killer Abs level 1! I like it a lot! :D Interested in buying a copy for yourself? Check out the DVD on Amazon!

Treating myself with bath bombs!!

Hey guys! How has your February been now that the month is almost over? I definitely cannot complain about mine! February is a pretty cool month for me regardless because I happen to be born in February! Any February 9th babies out there?! Special shoutout to you! Even bigger shoutout to the ones born in 1988 - I was born at 2:29PM - am I older?! :D 

I’m pretty sure mentioned before that I have some issues taking rest days. This is because I’m so afraid of falling off the bandwagon and because of the guilt that I experience on days off or on days where I might indulge a little more than usual. Since I know that’s not healthy at all, I’ve been coming up with ways to treat myself! This month I’ve been making sure to stop telling myself no so much, and I’ve also been giving myself LOTS of love by means of bubble baths!! I love love love bubble baths. Growing up, my parents only had a shower stall in the bathroom that we had access too (we rented the second floor with the beautiful claw toed tub out until I was in 8th grade) so my bubble baths were limited to Grandma Doris’s house and a large storage container that I used as a tub until I got too big for it and old enough to just take showers anyway. Maybe that’s why I prefer bubble baths now as an adult? While a bubble bath is nice in general, I like to go the extra mile! So I’ve been trying my hand at making bath bombs! I’ve finally found a recipe that works pretty for me and I’m so excited to share!

Bath Bomb Recipe!

The ingredients you will need are baking soda, cornstarch, epsom salts, citric acid, oil, essential or fragrance oil, soap or food coloring, a teeny bit of water, and a mold. I used a medium size Easter egg. You can usually find the citric acid in the canning section of the supermarket. It was a bit difficult for me to find, but I found mine right away at Meijer! I got scented oil for soap and soap coloring at my local craft store but food coloring would be all right, and on the last couple I made, I’ve been out of scented oil for soap, and I’ve used lavender scented baby oil. 

Dry ingredients list
1/2 baking soda
1/4 cornstarch

1/4 citric acid
1/4 epsom salt

First you take your dry ingredients. You need 1/2 cup of baking soda, and then 1/4 cup of cornstarch, epsom salts, and citric acid. I use a whisk to mix them together and make sure all my dry ingredients are thoroughly mixed. 

Second you mix together your wet ingredients, and this is where things get a bit tricky depending on your location, you level of humidity, and so on. Here’s what worked best for me. Take 3 teaspoons of oil first. I used castor oil but any oil would be all right. Olive oil, coconut oil, baby oil, you get the idea. The first recipe I found on Youtube called for a tablespoon of essential or scented oil. My first two batches of bath bombs, I followed it to a T. It works all right, but the scent was VERY strong. That’s okay, but I also had problems with the wet ingredients reacting with the dry ingredients when I mixed them and expanding a little bit and taking a long time to dry. Because of this, I added in one to two teaspoons of scented oil to my castor oil. Next I added several drops of my soap (or food) coloring. I added quite a but because I like the color to be fairly dark and vibrant. I don’t have an exact teaspoon amount, but I put anywhere from 20-30 drops in. I mix my wet ingredients and then SLOWLY mix it to my dry ingredients. I’ve actually learned that the wet oils don’t exactly start the fizzing in the dry ingredients, but I still use my whisk and mix the wet and the dry ingredients very, very quickly to try and avoid any reaction.


Once it’s all mixed up, you will have a consistency of slightly wet sand. You can press it together in your hand but for me, the bath bomb still crumbles when you try and it in your mold (I used a plastic easter egg) or at least it does for me. In this second youtube video I found, these girls added in the wet oil ingredients and the dry ingredients and then added the water last. This has worked great for me! I use 1-2 tablespoons of water and either mix it in VERY slowly, whisking as I mix in the water to avoid reaction, or I use a spray bottle, still whisking quickly as I mix the water. Once finished, this gives me the same consistency of wet sand, but instead of slightly wet, it’s slightly wetter if that makes sense. I took this video to give you an idea of what the consistency looks like for me!

A video posted by Julie (@z0mgaah) on Feb 26, 2016 at 11:07pm PST

You can stop here and bottle up the mixture as a fizzy bath salt, or you can continue making bombs. Pack the mixture into both sides the mold tightly to where it is overflowing and them press together. Carefully take off one side of your egg/mold and then the other. If your bomb crumbles, you might need more water. One thing I’ve been doing is that after taking out my bomb out of my egg, I will press it between my hands to make sure it really is packed in. As you can see in my images, the bombs look slightly lumpy and more round than an oblong egg shape, but I just like making sure they’re completely packed together. This recipe makes two to two and a half medium sized bath bombs. After packing them together, I set them on a paper cupcake holder to dry out at least overnight, sometimes up to 48 hours. Then I drop them in the bath tub and thoroughly enjoy the fizzy goodness! The epsom salt helps my sore and achy muscles, the fragrance makes the whole bathroom smell amazing, and the oil helps my dry skin.

It’s an awesome way to treat yourself after a long week of hardcore workouts! I love soaking in the tub and using these along with my favorite bubble bath! What a way to relax… dim the lights, play some music, and just relax. Ahhhh!

Interested to see how they work? Here is one I used the other night. Same recipe I shared, just used a different soap coloring!

A video posted by Julie (@z0mgaah) on Feb 28, 2016 at 10:14am PST

I like to think of working out as a way to better myself and in the long run, I hope it’ll be a great treat, but it’s obviously not like a bubble bath! What’s you favorite way to treat yourself? 

Jillian Michaels' Shred It With Weights - Level 2.

Wow! It’s been a while. Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving? Get any good deals Black Friday shopping? How’s Christmas shopping going? On the subject of shopping, I got tired of doing Level 1 of Shred It With Weights on Youtube, so I went Amazon shopping for myself and bought the DVD so I could move on to Level 2. I thought that would take a few minutes to talk about it! 

Like every Jillian workout, she has two girls doing the advanced and the modified versions. Basheerah and Maddie are back again, doing advanced and modified respectively. In this workout, Maddie used a dumbbell like Level 1 and Basheerah used a kettlebell. I used my 10lb kettlebell for this workout. Like always, it starts with a quick warmup that includes figure eights, hip thrusts, deep squat into a lunge and a couple more moves that I’m forgetting. You move right on to your first circuit. Be afraid. 

Circuit 1 has you doing awful, horrible split jumps (basically a backwards lunge while pressing up your kettlebell or dumbbell, and yes, I hate this move), halo while balancing on one foot, and Rock n’ Roll like Ripped In 30 and Killer Body. I’m going to be honest with you guys - Rock n’ Roll’s have always been really tough for me. Some of it was the limited space I have in my bedroom when I work out. One time I almost busted my head and face coming up from a Rock n’ Roll and while I even made a joke about it when I mentioned it, it was quite terrifying! That was always on my mind when it came to doing that move. I would always modify it, and a lot of times anyway I couldn’t go from the sitting on the floor with my knees up to a standing position (like a deep squat). I would cross my ankles or use my hands to help me up. I moved all my Jillian workout stuff downstairs to our living room, so I have much more room now to swing the kettlebell. I also have less chance of busting my head. So I looked on different websites such as Reddit and on Youtube and researched how to master the the Rock n’ Roll/Deck Squat/whatever you want to call it. I’m not 100% perfect, but I can now do this without crossing my legs or using my hands! It is an AWESOME feeling!! Anyway, that aside, you repeat this circuit on the other side and then finish out this one with star jumps while holding the kettlebell. Have fun, those star jumps are tough! ;)

Circuit 2 coming up! She has you doing Plank Rows. I’m not sure why this is so difficult for me, but I cannot do this with the kettlebell. It’s not because my kettlebell is too heavy, but I think it’s because it sits so high and I feel like there isn’t must to row with how high the handle comes up when I’m in plank! I used the dumbbell for this. Then she has you do something she calls swing throughs, where you do a regular kettle bell swing and then swing it through your legs, looking between them. Next is “plyo swings” where you start out taking steps forward and backward with the kettlebell and then jump forward and backwards. Repeat, and then finish the circuit with deep squats while holding the kettlebell.

Circuit three has you doing what Jillian calls Rotating Heroes, where you swing the kettlebell and rotate to the left (or the right when you do it again). You swing the kettlebell over your head and let it hang over your head for a few minutes. Then she has you do inverted pushups while holding the kettlebell horns (or handle). After that, she has you do what she calls punch swings, where you swing the kettlebell with one arm and punch it out. You repeat on both side and then finish this circuit with Russian Swings. After that, cool it down.

All right. I really want to trust Jillian. I really do. I love her DVD’s and they have changed my body in ways I never thought possible. But there are some moves on Level 2 of Shred It With Weights that just do not seem safe to me. I mentioned that I looked on Reddit and Youtube to try and learn how to do the rock n’ roll squat. During that research I also found a lot of people claiming that Jillian’s form with the kettlebell is wrong. I also read claims that her moves on Level 2 was unsafe. I have to admit that as I was doing some of the moves, I was a little concerned of the safety. With that said, I am a beginner to kettlebells; I’m a beginner to all of this. I have never been to a gym and lifted weights inside a gym, I have never been told if my form is correct (I sure hope it is! I think it is.) and pretty much what I’ve learned, I’ve learned by watching and researching and then more watching and researching, and mimicking the moves. So when it comes to circuit 2 and Jillian says it’s time for Swing Throughs, I just do a regular kettle bell swing. For Plyo Swings, I do swings again, but I will step into them more often than I will jump. I actually found a video tonight of a man doing a plyo hop with a kettlebell where he doesn’t swing his arms. I might give that a go. For rotating heroes, I swing and rotate, but I don’t go over my head. I’m trying to research and find a good way to add that into my workout. For pushups on the kettlebell horns, I just toss the kettlebell away and do regular pushups. For punch swings, I just do a one-armed swing. I’ve still done this every night for close to three weeks now. I really like Level 1, and it’s not that I don’t like Level 2. I’m still doing the work, but switching it up a bit. 

So now that I’ve reviewed the whole DVD, here’s what I suggest: Level 1 is on Youtube and it’s great. And Level 2 is a lot of fun, and I like it, when I feel like I’ve got alternatives to the moves and am doing it safer. Personally, I still would have bought the DVD for Level 1, but you could probably do just as well without Level 2. I actually feel like Level 1 is tougher with all the modifying I’m doing to level 2 to make it feel safer to me. 

So there it is: my review on Level 2 of Shred It With Weights by Jillian Michaels. Don’t shoot me, guys! 

Jillian Michaels Yoga Meltdown - Level 1

The other day I decided to take a break from the treadmill and Shred It With Weights since my knee and quad have been a bit sore. I went back and forth on what workout to do and decided to give Yoga Meltdown another try. I don’t own the DVD (I do own Yoga Inferno) but Level 1 is on Youtube. 

I still feel like a total n00b when it comes to yoga. I’ve never taken a class and I’m still not 100% confident that I have the poses down correctly, but with that said, I was definitely more confident this time around than I was the last time I did it. I’m not sure if it’s because I’m more flexible than I was the last time or stronger or because I’ve done Yoga Inferno, which from what I understand is like yoga on uppers. :P

Like all Jillian DVD’s, this one has a girl doing advanced moves and another doing modified versions. It starts with a quick warm up that includes chair pose, stretches to warm up your hips, and chaturanga pushups. After the warmup is the first circuit, where you go in and out of poses (“rep it out” as Jillian calls it) and then you do a power pose where you hold the pose for 15 seconds. Circuit one has you popping in and out of crescent pose, doing knee thrusts/donkey kick in downward dog, and then chaturanga pushups. You repeat on the opposite side. After you repeat on the opposite side, she has you do two sun salutations and then you’re ready for circuit two.

Circuit two has you popping in and out of warrior 2, going in and out of camel, and then side planks, where you hold each pose at the end for 15 seconds. You repeat it again on the opposite side. Afterwards, two more sun salutations and then you move on to circuit three. 

In circuit three you’re popping in and out of warrior 3, and then you’re in an ab hold on your elbows doing dolphin (I still love to hate dolphin! Reminded me of Killer Body core workout), and then in and out of locust pose. Repeat on the opposite side, and end it with two sun salutations. And then you’re ready for a cooldown. 

I’ll be honest: Yoga Meltdown is not my favorite. As gross as it sounds, I love getting hot and sweaty after a workout, I love feeling like my heart is about to pop out of my chest. I don’t get that with Yoga Meltdown. It does feel a bit too easy for me. BUT I did feel very relaxed and stretched out! But I will say that the next day, I noticed that my body felt a bit sore. What?! I don’t get that very often anymore, so that opened my eyes that maybe I’m using muscles I haven’t used in a while. So while there was no part of the workout I felt like I was going to die, I wasn’t gargling my heart (a favorite Jillian quote of mine, hahah!), the next day, I still felt it some. I think I might actually do this one a little more often, maybe once every couple of weeks. 

Jillian Michaels Shred It With Weights - Level 1

So here I am with another Jillian DVD review. With this though, I don’t have the DVD. Level 1 is on Youtube and I’ve been doing that! I do plan on buying the DVD when I can find it. 

So, here’s the rundown of Shred It With Weights and here’s my review! As always, Jillian has two girls doing the advanced and the modified versions and this time it’s Basheerah doing advanced and Maddie doing the modified. In this workout, you can use a dumbbell, which is what Maddie used, and Jillian recommended 3-8 pounds and Basheerah used a kettlebell. I’m not quite sure of the weight of the kettlebell though. I have a kettle bell I bought years ago and it’s ten pounds so that’s what I used. For this,  I’m proud to say that I used the advanced version the whole time! Woot! Is that a non-scale victory?! ;) I will say though that I don’t think I noticed much difference between the modified version or the advanced version when ti came to the moves, just heavier weights. 

After a warm up that included arm stretches, butt kicks and twists holding the kettlebell, and different ways to warm up with the kettlebell (doing halos holding it is one I specifically remember, but drawing a blank on the rest, you’re really to go. This workout has three circuits. It runs around 25 minutes from warmup to cool down. Circuit One has you down on the floor in bridge, pressing the kettlebell up, and then back up for kettlebell swings, and then deadlift rows. She has you repeat that on the other side and then adds in bent leg deadlift which reminded me of bodybuilders, which Jillian even said it was reminiscent of. 

Circuit two has a squat swing with a pass. You squat and swing the kettlebell up with one hand and then pass it off to the other hand. It sounds scary and it kind of is. I still have this fear that I will accidentally lose my grip on the kettlebell and send it flying through the TV or a window, but that hasn’t happened yet! hahaha. Next she has you doing a rack, squat, and press. Then she has you doing rows in a static lunge. These I’m used to, but going up to 10lbs, I definitely feel it more than I did with the 5lbs!! Repeat of the opposite side, of course. After this, she has you down on the mat to crunch and holding the crunch pressing the kettlebell up. 

Circuit three has windmills with the kettlebell (which in this blog I’ve called triangle press previously. It is slightly different as you twist your arm and I guess that’s where you get the idea that you’re “windmilling” the kettlebell), turkish get ups, and this horrible awful move that I love to hate where you squat down and jump up, rotating to the side, holding the kettlebell. OH. MY. GOSH. It’s hard. It gets my heart rate up. I groan every time it’s time to do that. But it works! After you repeat on the other side, she has you do snatches. On this, I’m also a little terrified something terrible is going to happen, haha. It’s where you throw it up with one arm and immediately pull it down. As if your arms weren’t burning enough, right? :D After that one, you get your much deserved cool down. :D

So I really like this one! I’ve been looking for it at my local target and I looked for it at Walmart and no luck yet. I might have to order it online. I started doing this one rather than another Jillian DVD because I wanted to do a bit more strength training since I was getting a lot of cardio in (I recently bought a treadmill and I have been running on that A LOT until I hurt my foot of course. More on that in another blog post) and I felt like maybe needed something with more emphasis on strength. I can say that I really love this workout and am looking forward to finding the DVD to buy to try level 2. I feel like I get a good workout even though it’s fairly short. 

Thanks for reading! Click here to view this DVD on Amazon to learn more. 

Jillian Michaels Killler Buns and Thighs - Workout 1 Review.

Hey guys! I tried Level 1 of Killer Buns and Thighs the other day and did it for a week straight. I haven’t done level 2 or 3 yet, but I thought I’d talk about Level 1 while it’s on my mind and I have time! 

So far, I love love love this workout and am really looking forward to doing level 2 and 3 when I get a good and stable chair, which is something you need for those two levels. I really enjoy all lower body/leg workouts and I think that’s because they remind me of dance just with all the plyometric moves that Jillian has in her lower body workouts. Plus this one has Natalie and Anita in them, and since my very first Jillian DVD was the 30 Day Shred with them, I loved seeing them on the screen! 

So as always, you start with a warm up. This particular warm up has jump rope, deep lunges in plank (you’re in plank and you bring your foot up by your hands), side lunges, military march, and a pivoting crescent pose. So, I really loved the pivoting crescent pose and here’s why: (WARNING, NERD  ALERT!!!) It reminded me of Hurricane Helms. Yeah. The wrestler. I giggled while doing it! A little bit of nostalgia for me. I used to be a huge wrestling fan. Still am a fan of the old stuff. Okay! Back on the workout!

Circuit one has squat into a lunge, static sumo calf raises, goddess jumps, single leg chair pose pose, and stiff leg deadlifts. Oh Jillian, you are so terrible with those single leg chair poses. My legs are burning just thinking about them!! 

Circuit two has butt kicks, judo bridge, mountain climbers, swimmers, and then plank pose jumping into squat. I actually really liked this circuit and I thought I would hate the plank into squat, but it wasn’t too bad! I’m going to call this a non-scale victory because things like that (plank into squat, burpees and the like) I know I could NOT do before Jillian! 

Circuit three had fire hydrants, donkey kick, side plank leg raises, a leg raise where you lay on your side and bring your leg in front of you 90 degrees (not sure the technical name) and hamstring curls. I was laughing so hard during this circuit. Fire hydrants. Just like you imagine. Jillian even made jokes about her dog. “I can’t remember the last time my dog peed on a fire hydrant, maybe because he’s peeing on everything in the house!” Jillian totally gets it. A dog is a dog whether it’s human is a celebrity or not! Jillian is human too! Those side plank leg raises though were tough even though they looked easy. 

In circuit four there are high knees, front kick back kick combo, a lunge to warrior 3, a super fun move where you squat and then do a front kick, squat again and do a side kick, and then squat for a back kick, and then curtsy lunges. After that, you do your cool down. 

And that concluded one of my all time favorite Jillian workouts. ;) Really, I love this workout. It’s fun. It is a little bit longer than the other Jillian DVD’s that I have and it runs right at 40 minutes, but really those extra five to ten minutes I have never noticed because this is probably my favorite workout, except for the Lower Body workout on Killer Body. What’s also fun about this DVD is that it include bloopers. How cool is that? So far, I can say that I absolutely recommend this DVD! If you're interested in buying, you can check it out on Amazon by clicking here. It is such an amusing workout!

Jillian Michaels Yoga Inferno - Workout 2

Hey guys! Here are my thoughts on Yoga Inferno, workout 2! I did this one every day for two weeks straight, taking Thursdays off. 

As mentioned in a previous post, I’m a total beginner when it comes to yoga. I always held off on doing it because for a long time, I didn't feel like it was an efficient workout. Workout 1 of this DVD totally changed my perspective! And workout 2 just furthered that! During this particular workout, Jillian called it a “yoga hybrid” as she incorporates weights and cardio intervals. For weights, she recommends very light ones such as three pounds or if you were crazy, use five pounds. I don’t think I’m crazy, but I used fives just because I thought the workout was totally doable with fives.

Like workout 1, there are three circuits or sequences. Circuit one contains squat and press, bicep curls with your elbows resting on your knees, squat thrusts for cardio, wide rows a, triangle crunch with a lunge into a bicep curl, renegade rows, squat thrusts again for cardio, and a push-up with our leg going under your body and across (not sure what the technical term is here) and then into a side plank. Repeat this for the other side. By the end of the bicep curls in the static squat position and my elbows on my knees, my biceps were cooking! Kind of strange because it’s been a while since I’ve felt that burn! 

Circuit two contained figure four squats and press, a deep lunge into warrior 3 with a fly, warrior 3 tricep kickbacks, tree pose, and then dragon with your arms in eagle. Like always, repeat on the other side. I thought I would hate the figure four squats since they looked super tough, but I think I did great! What I thought I would really be great at - the eagle pose, I was never able to quite figure out. I’m not sure if it’s a flexibility issue or the fact that I have really short arms and couldn’t get them to fold right!  

Circuit three contained superman angels, press and fly in superman pose, camel with weights, lat pulls in bridge, headbangers with a pelvic thrust, sit ups with weights and a alternating leg raise. You repeat again, but instead of sit ups for your last move, you do a shoulder stance. 

Phew! That’s it! I really love that weights are incorporated in this workout, but I don’t like that after the first circuit (or honestly, I love to hate it!). I’ll admit that the whole Yoga Inferno DVD is not my favorite by Jillian, mostly because again, I’m a yoga n00b! While this program totally changed my mind that yoga isn’t an efficient workout, I didn’t stick with this one nearly as long as I do the others. All the planking really bothered my wrist and I think that might be because I am such a beginner with yoga. I feel like I need to attend a class to make sure I have the poses down pat and my form correct. 

Above all though, I do really like it and recommend it! I can definitely say I’m happy it’s apart of my collection! Thank you guys for reading!