Getting Fit With Jillian Michaels

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’ve been working on my fitness. I plan to take part in a sprint triathlon in early September and while I’ve been working on the swimming and biking part of my training, I haven’t been running. Running, I’ve found, is the only way that I lose weight. I just don’t get the same results from biking, even when it feels like hard work.

It’s been too hot to run outside and I’ve got a wooden bed frame stacked against the wall where my treadmill is (waiting for a yard sale and I have no garage) or that’s the excuse I’ve been using on myself. (Oh brother, not even I buy that one). I’m moving it this weekend. No more excuses.

I picked up a scale and was horrified at my weight. I usually go by how I feel, how my clothes fit me. I want to be fit and look good in my clothes, but honestly, my biggest concern is my health. I am the parent of a young adult with special needs and first and foremost I need to be able to lift and transfer my son.

I decided that I needed something extra, a boost to my routine. I’m a fan of the NBC show, The Biggest Loser so, I picked up Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. The routine consists of intervals of:

3 minutes of Strength
2 minutes of Cardio
1 minute of Abs work

Today, I did day 2 of the 30 Day Shred. Oh man. It is a good workout and it’s completed in only 20 minutes. Jillian goes from step to step to step with no rest in between, focusing on working more than one muscle group at a time, or a simple ab or aerobic workout.

Yesterday, I did the Day 1 afer swimming laps. I was a little sore today, so I’m only doing the Shred today.

I’ll update later with my results, but for now I can say I’m really feeling it and I do not know how those contestants get through the first few days with a real live Jillian Michaels kicking their butts. Ouch.

Image credit: Amazon.com