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? 

Happy 2016!!

Hey guys! Happy 2016! Did you have a good Christmas? Was Santa good? How about those New Years Resolutions?

I had a great Christmas! I ended up getting a Fitbit Charge HR, which I adore so far! I’m still learning all the cool things that I can do with it and will write a more detailed review soon. So far I really love it, which makes all the worrying I did wondering if the Fitbit was worth it totally a waste of time! I need to stop worrying so much. So much energy spent getting all nervous over things I have no control over! 

My New Years Resolution is to continue on this journey of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, worry less about things I should not worry about, and just try to enjoy my life. I actually went to our local Chinese joint to get some food and I thought it was quite fitting. I don’t actively talk about this, but sometimes, I just really struggle with all this healthy lifestyle stuff. Sometimes I am far too strict with myself; not giving myself time off to let my muscles heal, telling myself no to a treat. I’ve recently been doing much better about that, but it still is very hard sometimes. I constantly am reminded by friends (and I remind myself) that I will not lose over three years of hard work if I take a night out and eat at a restaurant, or have a slice of cake, or whatever I indulge in. Constant indulgences might be an issue, but every once in a while? It’s okay! So I thought, you know, why not start the year off with a nice treat to myself? Gotta live! Live more, worry less! So far, it’s all right. So in addition to worrying less, I’ve also decided that in the year 2016, I want to be on the move, and I want to get in 1000 miles this year. When I run, I generally run just slightly over four miles. I think 1000 is a good number, if I were to run four miles for 366 days (Leap Year!) that would be 1464 miles in a year. I know that there are going to be days where I don’t feel like running, whether I’m sick or injured or whatever, and that gives me 464 miles to play around with. ;) I actually need to get better at taking a day off - it’s that whole worrying thing again. It’ll all come with time. 

I’ve been doing Killer Body again but only the Upper Body workout although I might add in the dreaded core workout, and start doing the lower body also. I missed doing it. Using five pound weights feel like nothing now! Great feeling when I think back to how heavy they felt in the beginning. I’m not sure if Shred It With Weights helped build me up or what. Despite it all, I feel like that’s a non-scale victory! I can definitely notice a difference in how heavy I can go! Gotta invest in some heavier weights now! Even with doing Killer Body, I’m still looking for something more, and I think I may even be ready to branch away from Jillian and look into other at-home DVD’s. I’d like to be able to get to where I can lift heavier and really start building up some noticeable muscle this year. 

I have lots of dreams this year and my hope is to be able to accomplish them all! I’m grateful that I’m at a place where I feel like I can accomplish the dreams and goals I set for the year. I don’t see myself falling off the bandwagon. Even a few weeks ago when I fell slightly off the bandwagon for a few days after the illness that never was, I was still able to get back on it (thanks again, fictional guy). With that said, think of those who might not have the support or determination you or I do. I’ve come across many memes, jokes, and articles in fitness-inspired groups and just online in general making fun of the people who have fitness and health related goals as their resolutions. I’ve seen so many articles about the “New Year Gym Rush” and how they wonder how long the new people will last. Why are we saying this? Why are so many people so sure that someone new can’t do what we did? We all began somewhere! I began in August 2012, rather than January 1 on some random year, but I started at the bottom. We all start from the bottom. Yes, many people resolve to make changes at the beginning of the year. Sure, some people don’t stick with it. Some people do, but why are we discouraging others? Lets build one another up and not make another feel as tall as a blade of grass. I became a fan of PrayFit on Facebook, and I saw this, I thought I would end my post by sharing it here! Happy New Year! 

“I said it last year, but I can't help but already notice – from Twitter to chain emails – the avid exercisers mocking the new faces at the gym (or those they will soon see.) And they all have the same, general theme: “Oh those resolutions. I wonder how long they will last…”Aren’t we glad God doesn’t say the same about us? “Oh, here’s Jimmy again. Same sin, same confession, I wonder how long this commitment will last.”Guys, if it helps, think of the new face at the gym or on the road, or in the pool, like a visitor at a crowded church on Christmas day. Acknowledge them, welcome them and tell them you’ll see them next time. They may not be familiar with the gym's layout, but they'll know where to find grace. You never know, your words of encouragement might be what saves their lives. Remember, it takes courage for them to show up. Now, it’s your turn. -JP #‎PrayFit(It also takes courage NOT to show up. Join us at prayfit.org from January 1-10 for our retreat; from the gym, from the road, from movement, from activity. But it doesn't mean we won't be "training.”)”

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!