Jillian Michaels Challenge: Update

Hello internet world.

I'm still doing my Jillian Michaels challenge.  Man, I'm really starting to like her.  I've always been a fan but I'm really loving her DVDs.

Since I'm doing so many different DVDs, I thought I'd review some of the new ones.

Killer Buns and Thighs:  Level 1

The Facts:
This is a 30 minute workout PLUS warm up and cool-down.  You'll need a set of dumbbells and a mat if you're working on a hard surface.  (Actually, the dumbbells aren't desperately needed in this one.  You could get away without using them say, if you were traveling or something.)  This is a circuit workout.  She runs you through a series of moves that, obviously, targets your lower body, you repeat that circuit and then you move on.  She throws in some cardio moves every now and then but this is mainly a strength/toning video.   But you DEFINITELY will be burning some calories.

I burned 362 calories according to my HRM.

I LOVE this DVD.  Mainly because I LOVE working out my legs.  Always have.  But this is also a great workout.  I love the pace, she changes poses quickly but you will definitely feel the burn in all the right places.  If you do this one regularly enough, there is no way your butt won't look amazing.  And I'm just on level 1!

No More Trouble Zones:

The Facts:
The workout is 40 minutes PLUS WU and CD.  Get out your dumbbells and mat for this one.  This is another circuit style workout.  Each circuit targets something up top and something down below.  You'll do a series of moves targeting said muscle groups, repeat the series and then move on to 2 other muscle groups.  I believe you do this for 5 circuits total but I'll have to double check that.  This DVD also is predominantly strength training.

I still need to wear my HRM while doing this to get a count.  But I'll do that soon.  I promise.

I also LOVE this DVD.  Every since I did p90x last year, I've grown very fond of strength training.  So this DVD is right up my alley.  It's called no more trouble zones because she literally hits every zone in your body.  Even if you're short on time and can only do half of it you'll still hit both upper and lower body and get in a good workout.  The only caveat with this one is that there is just one workout.  I plan on keeping it in my rotation sparingly so I won't get sick of it.


6 Week 6 Pack: Level 1

The Facts:
This is a 30 minute workout PLUS WU and CD.  Like Killer Buns and Thighs you need a set of dumbbells and a mat (if on a hard surface) BUT you can definitely do this without the weights.  It's another fast paced routine that targets the abdominal muscles.  But don't think you'll be on the floor the whole time.  She has you doing moves you wouldn't think target the waist but they do.  In addition to my abs being worked, I also felt like my arms and shoulders got a decent (not great) workout due to moves like the plank.  Just holding your body weight up is enough to give them a workout.

Need to do a HRM reading with this as well. 

I very much like this workout.  I'm not going to use the word love yet, but I feel like I MIGHT fall in love with this one too.  I like that the moves are different.  I was a little apprehensive about doing a workout that focused only on getting a 6 pack, but after doing it and seeing how well rounded the moves were, I was definitely up for keeping it in my rotation.  And yes, I definitely think if you do this workout, your waist will shrink.

And now my disclaimer about all 3 videos.  I firmly believe you will get excellent results with these videos.  But only EXCELLENT results if your diet is clean.  And when I say clean I mean just short of perfect clean.  I didn't realize how much more effective workouts were until I changed my eating.  There is a reason she includes menus with most of her DVDs and talks about eating.  It's more than half the battle.  That being said, I imagine you'll get really good results if your diet is still in progress. 

I believe diet is the most important factor of getting a great body and also the hardest element.  It is TOUGH.  So take it a little at a time.  It took me years of trying to get to a point where I was willing to change things.  I had the info, my soul was willing but my brain wasn't on board.  This year, things have fallen into place.  I've made changes that I sincerely hope are lifelong.  And I also hope I keep seeing results.

Mini Progress Report:

I'm about halfway thru week 3 of my 7 week challenge which is kind of like a halfway point so I took some preliminary measurements last night.  I'm down around 6 inches all over.  I also tried on some previously too tight pants/shorts and they seem to be fitting now.  Week 1 was a great week.  I did 4 workouts.  Week 2 was less than stellar - only did 1 workout.  And now I'm on Week 3 with my 3rd workout happening this evening.  I'm pretty happy with the 6 inches considering I feel like I lost a week with Week 2.  No matter, I will push forward.  I'll give a real update next week with pictures and actual measurement numbers after my Whole30 is over.

Weight Watchers Weigh In: Week 44

It's that special, precious time again.

It's Friday.

Man I love Friday.

So lets kick off this post with the weigh-in.

Drumroll please ....

Weigh-In: +0.8

Oh fluctuation weight loss how I love thee.  I feel amazing today ladies and gentlemen.  My clothes are hanging just a tad, I woke up pretty easy today, and I feel like I am going to have a kick-ass weekend.

Good times.

What I Did:

1.  I earned about 12 AP.  I did four of my Jillian Michaels workouts (my workout week started Saturday the 13th so I still have one workout to go for "the week")  They were:  30 Day Shred, Ripped in 30, No More Trouble Zones, and 6 week Six Pack.  Tonight will be my fifth workout and it will be Banish Fat Boost Metabolism.  Haven't done this one before so I'm excited!

2.  I ate 199 points plus.  (note:  I never eat my AP or even account for them online.)  I usually shoot for around 205-210 so I was under for the week but I wasn't hungry.  Everything I've been eating has been so filling.  I don't know if this is a good or bad thing yet.

3.  I still am doing well with my water.  In fact, I feel worse when I don't drink enough!  You know what that is?  That's called progress.

4.  What did I eat?  I'm still doing my Whole30 and today is day 11 - so I'm still sticking to proteins, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and healthy oils.  If you check out my Whole30 update you'll see specifically some of the stuff I've been eating.  But so far this week I've made:  tomato soup, hamburger mushroom stroganoff, and a really awesome breakfast casserole.  And I've been indulging in apples, watermelon, baby carrots, almonds and sunflower seeds.  I can say that YES I do have moments where I would like to eat candy or even just a side of rice but all in all, it's not too bad.  The feeling crazy good part is a pretty nice reward to sticking with it.

This weekend is going to be yet another challenging experience.  Starting Saturday, I've agreed to house sit for a friend who lives on the other side of Los Angeles.   It's always hard not to be in my own home w/ my own kitchen and have all my lovely cooking utensils and appliances but I'll manage.  I'll just adjust my menu to not require any super fancy kitchen stuff.  

I also have to account for working out over there since I'll be there for the next 5 days.  Thankfully Jillian doesn't require much in terms of equipment so I'll just grab my yoga mat and some dumbbells and be done with it.  If I have time tonight, I'm going to rip all of my DVDs onto my ipad - that will save me having to lug my laptop around as well.

And the silver lining in this house-sitting debacle, they have a washer and dryer in their home.  I am not fortunate to have one in my apartment, so I will be fully enjoying the luxury whilst I'm there.

And that's it for me.

I hope you all have a fun filled weekend.  I plan on hitting the beach, doing some laundry, cooking up some awesome food, working out, and hopefully some relaxing.

Coming up:
I still haven't posted my starting pics and measurements so that's coming soon.  I think I will do it at the 3 week (or so) mark so I can put up some comparison photos and numbers too.  These days the numbers on the scale don't get me nearly as excited as the numbers on my tape measure going down so here's hoping.
 

Vacation Plan Part 2: My Jillian Michaels Challenge

Now that I have the food component of my vacation plan taken care of, it's now time to turn to the second half of that equation.

Exercise.

So far this year I have had great results using DVDs and working out in my home gym.  I still have my gym membership and I'm usually an everyday participant but for some reason working out at home has been pretty successful.  And if it ain't broke ...

Let's do a quick recap:

I did Beachbody's Slim in 6 from March to late April
results:  -7 inches

And then Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred from April to June
results: -8.25 inches
That's -15.25 inches in just about 3 months.

And from the start of Slim in 6 to the finish of 30 Day Shred (I did them pretty much back to back), I lost 5.2 pounds total.

Both programs were effective but I did enjoy the 30 Day Shred much more.  Probably because the workouts were shorter and just a little more challenging.

After the 30 Day Shred, I started Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 DVD.  I managed to make it to the level 2 DVD when I decided to stop.  It had nothing to do with the workouts or the quality of the workouts.  I was just burnt out on the same workout everyday format.  

Since I enjoyed Jillian Michael's program so much, my next thought was to buy her Body Revolutions program.  It's 3 months long and has 15 DVDs.  It is, however, $100.  I mean, that's not too bad but still, I'd rather not spend that much.  So I had an idea.

I really wanted to do the Ripped in 30 and I already loved my 30 Day Shred workouts so I thought, why not just make up my own Jillian Michaels program.

And so I did.

I went and bought a couple more DVDs and ended up spending about $50 on 6 more DVDs (they were around 8 bucks each).  In total, I now have 8 DVDs and from those DVDs I have 17 different workouts to choose from.

$50 is so much better than $100.


So for the next 7 weeks, I'm going to put all of my eggs in one Jillian Michael's basket.

My goal is to do exactly as I did with the other programs: work out 5-6 days a week, eat as cleanly as possible, and just enjoy the ride.

I've scheduled the first four weeks below.

Weeks 1 and 2 are going to look like this:


Day 1:  Ripped in 30 (RIP30):  Level 1
Day 2:  30 Day Shred (30DS):  Level 1
Day 3:  No More Trouble Zones (NMTZ)
Day 4:  6 Week Six-Pack (6W6P):  Level 1
Day 5:  Banish Fat Boost Metabolism (BFBM)
Day 6:  Killer Buns and Thighs (KBT):  Level 1 (optional day off)
Day 7:  off

Weeks 3 and 4 are going to look like this:

Day 1:  KBT:  Level 2
Day 2:  30DS:  Level 2
Day 3:  6W6P:  Level 2
Day 4:  RIP30:  Level 2
Day 5:  NMTZ
Day 6:  Shred It - with weights (SI):  Level 1 (optional day off)
Day 7:  off

I have only done the 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 so I know I like those workouts.  I'm a little nervous to see how the other ones pan out!  I'm sure it'll be fine because hey, I kinda only have to do them, what, 7 times max if that.

I'm beginning to think I'm a genius.

Saturday July 13th will be my Day #1 and August 30th will be my last day as I fly out for the east coast on August 31st.

I'll do the usual and post pics, measurements and updates as I try new DVDs.

I'm really excited about this one folks.  And I'm really hoping Jillian's workouts don't let me down!!