A Treadmill Story

Hey guys! Did you all have a great Christmas? Get any cool presents? I got a Fitbit Charge HR and I love it. I'll blog about it soon once I learn all the niftiness of it. For now, I'm going to tell you a story. The story of the fitness gadget that stole my heart before the fitbit did a few days ago.

Are you ready to hear the story of my treadmill? Gosh, how nerdy am I? Haha. 

So, a few months ago, I broke down and bought a treadmill. My family had a really old one that we bought at a yard sale for $50 when I was 14. I’d guess the previous owners had already had it for four or five years, so when it started shorting out and dying after 20 or 30 minutes of running on it, I had mixed feelings. Bummed, of course, because on nights I didn’t feel like playing DDR, the treadmill was a great alternative and sometimes just what I needed to get a break from DDR. But then again, this treadmill seemed to last forever and I had bought it for next to nothing. It definitely had a good life with us and I’d imagine it did well for the people who had it previously! I couldn’t complain about the treadmill itself, but but the cost to buy a new one knowing that I would use it a lot was a bit unnerving. There are sooooo many out there, I research to the death, I’m wishy washy and a bit indecisive and, I’ll admit it, very frugal. If I’m buying something, I want to be sure I’m making the right decision. With that said, I’m the only person in my home that exercises regularly and eats healthily and frankly, the treadmill was my decision and mine alone. I had input and opinions about where and what to buy, but in the end, it was all me. And since I’m the only person who exercises, it was hard to get my family on board to go to different places and test out different treadmills. I drove to a second hand sports store one time but mostly the only other option I had were to look online and read different reviews. I also asked questions in a workout group I’m apart of on Facebook what treadmills, if any, that they have bought to get more opinions. 

In the end, I had it narrowed down to two treadmills. One from Walmart (which would have been bought on Walmart.com and unable to actually test out) with several positive reviews. It was a Weslo Cadence G5.9. The treadmill that was bought at the yard sale was also a Welso and it lasted a long time. It was reasonable (under $300) also, which made it an ideal purchase. The other one was a Proform Crosswalk 415 from Sears, which I actually got to test out at our local Sears when we made a random trip to the mall. I had no intentions of testing out the treadmills but happened to walk past and it seemed to be fate! The sales guy at Sears (shout out to Timothy at the Tri-County Mall in Cincinnati - you were beyond awesome and helpful!) was great and he was really helpful by letting me know how long the sale would last with the treadmill (it was on sale for just over $400) and also printed out something that I could take to another Sears which was a bit closer and buy it there for that price guaranteed. After coming home and researching it I was in a bit of a dilemma. The Proform was a bit more expensive, and whereas the Weslo had over 1000 reviews and a lot of information online, it seemed as if the Proform was hiding. There were less than 50 reviews on the Sears website, there was a video on YouTube that only had a few hundred views, and it was as if the Proform was virtually unknown. Phew. It might not seem like much, but I agonized over this for days! It seemed like the Welso was the way to go, I mean I had all the reviews I needed, ample youtube videos, it was cheaper by $100, my only option was to order online and that would help me earn Swagbucks* through Shop and Earn, and even some of the ladies from the group I mentioned previously had a Welso, although a few actually said they had a Proform and liked it. The Welso had a manual incline vs. the automatic incline on the Proform and that was a con, but still not sure what to do. But in the end? I bought the Proform from Sears. And seriously, I could NOT be happier with it! I sure I would have been happy with either Treadmill, but the cool thing about the Proform is that I got to try it out, I got to hear it run at the store. The sales guy at Sears was beyond nice. If something goes wrong with it, someone from Sears can come and fix it. I think I made the right decision.

I paid for the treadmill completely with money I earned via Swagbucks, which makes it extra awesome. If you’re not familiar with Swagbucks, here is a quick rundown: you earn “Swagbucks” for little tasks you do throughout their site and on their phone/tablet apps. One swagbuck (or SB) equals one cent. You can  one cent or 1SB by voting in a daily poll. You can take, say, a 10 minute survey and earn around 50SB’s (sometimes it’s more, sometimes it’s less. The higher paying surveys are usually a little longer). You can install the Swagbucks TV app on android and iOS and watch videos on your tablet or phone and earn at minimum as of this writing for the US 36SB’s a day. The other day I requested a brochure on a vacation to Alaska through their discover section and I got 68SB’s. I ordered something for my dog a few weeks ago at Petsmart and activated Shop and Earn via Swagbucks and picked it up in the store later that day, and I got 360SB’s ($3.60)! With very minimal effort (it usually takes me about an hour a day give or take a few minutes) I can usually made anywhere from $1-3 a day or 100-300 Swagbucks. Sometimes I make more, and sometimes I make less. But at the end of the month, I usually make anywhere from 3000-5000SB’s, or $30-50 a month. It’s not a lot by any means, but it definitely adds up! You can trade the Swagbucks in for several different gift cards to places such as Walmart, Sam’s Club, Target, Ebay, Foot Locker, Bass Pro Shops, Kohls, a Visa Check Card, and so much more. I usually trade mine in for a Paypal gift card, which can be moved over to my bank account. That’s how I paid for my treadmill! While researching and trying to decide what was right for me, I was Swaggin’ away earning money to help pay for it, which definitely helped with my frugality! I definitely recommend Swagbucks if you’re looking for a quick and fairly easy way to earn a little bit of extra money. Sometimes I take the money and buy work out clothes, shoes, or groceries or even pay bills with it! I have linked Swagbucks with my referral (which is ArrowDancer - get it?! :D) and would love if you signed up to sign up with my referral. It’s not necessary, but I would much appreciate it!

So there it is, the story of my treadmill. All the research, the wishy washy thinking, the major Swag I had, and more was totally worth it. I actually haven’t played DDR once since getting my treadmill. I miss it quite a bit actually, but my workout playlist consists of DDR songs and I will watch DDR videos WHILE running on the treadmill. Oh man. DDR nerd for life!! 

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!