Work it – How to be like Jillian Michaels

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Work It

After watching Biggest Loser last night, Jillian must have infiltrated my psyche. Because last night I dreamed that we worked out together. Scratch that, last night wasn’t a dream…it was clearly a nightmare. But alas, I woke up inspired by Jillian and her ripped abs scared that Jillian would haunt me all day and figured it would be a good day to SHRED.

Confession: I have had the 30-day Shred for more than a year. I unwrapped it this morning.

It’s not that I don’t love working out and it’s not that I’m a slacker — you all know I work out regularly. The simple fact is, I HATE exercise DVDs. They really do have such a bad rep, don’t they. Ugh! That being said, I’ll admit I wasn’t being entirely fair to Jillian — I didn’t even give her a chance before I started judging her video!

So I sucked it up, cast my judgment aside and decided I’d give her 20 minutes to prove me wrong. And prove me wrong she did. That little witch cast her spell over me and now I’m drinkin’ the fruit punch.

Jokes aside, the DVD was awesome! As we all know, Jillian doesn’t have the annoying shrill personality that other instructors possess. So she doesn’t make me skin crawl. In addition, the circuits are tough! You really feel as if you are getting a workout. I confidently started on level 2 and 5 minutes into it I was cursing myself for being cocky and not starting with level 1. But I powered through and got a GREAT workout. Added bonus? It’s only 20 minutes! Kinda feels too good to be true. No? For those of you who do the Shred, is it the only exercise you do that day? Because I’m considering going mall-walking later…

For the days that I strapped for time, or don’t feel like waking up as early as usual, I’m glad to have a go-to workout that gets me sweaty and doesn’t take up a lot of my time. And it’s nice to know I won’t want to rip the instructor’s head off — no one wants blood on their fancy workout clothes ;) Thanks, Jillian – you rock!

Do you do the SHRED? Have any other exercise DVDs you enjoy?

32 Responses to “Work it – How to be like Jillian Michaels”

  1. Tonyne @ Unlikely Success Story said:

    I have wanted to get that and everyone I know that does 30DS LOVES it. I think this might be the final straw. I will buy the thing! :p

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  2. Morgan @ Life After Bagels said:

    yeah workout dvd’s are so not my favourite . . . I pulled out the good ol Carmen Elektra strip tease workouts last week . . . okay these sucked, I don’t even know why I bought them some 4 years ago!

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  3. Sarena (The Non-Dairy Queen) said:

    I don’t have this video, but I have heard people love it. I don’t have a gym membership, but I work out at home everyday to recorded workouts on FitTv. I completely agree with you on the instructors that drive you crazy, but I do like Jillian. I will have to give this one a try. Thanks for the review!

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  4. katie said:

    ahh i so wana try this! heard so much about it! i love jillian-shes a freakin beast!

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  5. Anna @ Newlywed, Newly Veg said:

    lol– so funny that you dreamed about Jillian. Talk about a nightmare :-)

    I used to do the Shred last year when I was a nanny for a baby– I would do it as he bounced in his bouncy seat…he loved watching me do it and thought it was hilarious :-)

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  6. Jamie said:

    I am not huge into work out DVDs either BUT one summer I did get into really good shape using billy blanks Tae Bo dvds. They are great!!

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  7. Anne @ the doctor takes a wife said:

    DVDs are so hit or miss for me, but I LOVE jillians. They always kick my behind. I still have yet to get past level 1 of the shred, but I think I should bust it our again, inspired by so many bloggers!

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  8. Tweets that mention Work it – How to be like Jillian Michaels | The Daily Balance -- Topsy.com said:

    [...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by The Daily Balance, The Daily Balance. The Daily Balance said: @JillianMichaels First time I've made it through an exercise video without wanting to claw out the instructor's eyes ;) http://bit.ly/7UbWd5 [...]

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  9. Mishy said:

    in my area, we have Exercise TV on Demand and all 3 levels of the 30DS are almost always available. i usually don’t do anything other than the 30DS in one day, although i’m sure i could if i set my mind to it.

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  10. Erin said:

    I love the Shred! I must confess I am a DVD slacker as well and much prefer to run outside or work out at my gym for this reason I have never been able to do it the full 30 days in a row but I one day want to.

    Posted on | Reply
  11. Heather (Heather's Dish) said:

    i’m so glad you reviewed this…i’ve been wondering if i should try it for a long time now! amazon, here i come :)

    Posted on | Reply
  12. Chelsea said:

    I should try this :) P90X is also a good workout at home but it’s EXPENSIVE.

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  13. Jeremy Logsdon said:

    Glad to read a review of this; I’ve been thinking about it. I may have to add this one to my want-list. I like having short workouts I can go to on days strapped for time, but most videos suck.

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  14. Elina said:

    I did the 30 day shred at some point last year. I kept up my regular exercise routine and it was definitely hard! I did get pretty good at push ups though ;)

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  15. Emily (The Experimentarian) said:

    Hmmm, interesting. I’m glad to see you liked the Shred. I haven’t tried it yet because i HATE workout dvds…but I might have to check it out! Thanks for your comment–it made my day to see ya on there! xoxo

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  16. Sagan said:

    I don’t like exercise dvd’s either but this 30 day shred dvd is the ONE exercise dvd that I enjoy! And I do it about once a week or once every couple weeks. I really like her attitude in the dvd. It’s motivating!

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  17. Estela @ Weekly Bite said:

    Workout DVD’s aren’t my fav either, but I do feel like Jillian gives a decent workout :)

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  18. Tracey Neithercott said:

    I’m skeptical because I generally don’t like workout DVDs. (It all started when I wasn’t coordinated to keep up with Billy Blanks’ Tae Bo.) I’ve heard so many good things about this one, though, I’m starting to cave. Thanks for the review!

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  19. Stephanie said:

    i just wrote an article the other day on exercise dvd’s. I don’t know what it is, but I never have the motivation to do them, even though they are a good 30 minute workout, but I can go outside and run miles!

    I’ve been wanting the Shred, I may just have to pick it up soon.

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  20. Ash @ Good Taste. Healthy Me said:

    I just bought this! So I’ll let you know once I actually pop it in the DVD player…it’s been a couple weeks LOL

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  21. Taysa said:

    I love Jillian’s DVDs. You’re right–she isn’t the stereotypical annoying DVD trainer you often see, and her workouts are HARD. I rented 30-Day Shred from NetFlix and did find that, while intense, 20 minutes just wasn’t enough for me to “feel” like I exercised that day. I own her Burn Fat, Boost Metabolism DVD which is 45 minutes and that way I always know I’ve put in a good amount of effort.

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  22. Ashley said:

    I love that workout video, but despite having it for a year i’ve only used it about ten times. I just hate plugging in a video and working out, I’ll always pick outside or even the gym over working out in my living room. Jillian isn’t called crazy for nothing though, gotta love to hate her!

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  23. Karissa (CardioFoodie) said:

    I like the Shred! I own one other Pilates dvd that I like, but in general I do not care for workout dvds either.

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  24. Jenny said:

    I am a video vixen (you know what I meannn ;) ) when it comes to workout DVDs.. I love them! and Jillians abs are definitely enough to keep me motivated!

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  25. Sarah said:

    I LOVE this video. I always feel a sense of accomplishment when I finish the video. I am glad you like it :)

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  26. Katie O. @ Fit to Wed said:

    I love the shred! Level two is the hardest in my opinion. I’m also a huge fan of her No More Trouble Zones dvd. I tried the Women’s Health Wedding Workout for awhile but it is too cheesy for me.

    Back when I first started working out consistently I would only shred. Now I couple it with running. I’m glad you like it!

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  27. Angel Williams said:

    OKAY!! I am so going to buy that DVD now! My sister-in-law keeps telling me that I need to get it! She loves it! I got the Wii Fit Plus for Christmas and so I am like, “No I don’t need another thing to workout too.” However in the back of my mind it is just an excuse cause I think I would love it! But for some reason I just don’t want to hear it from my sister-in-law.

    So now that you recommend it I think I will try it out! I do love Jillian and would want hear to be my personal trainer! So I am going to give it a try! Thank you! I am glad you like it! :)

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  28. Jessica @ The Process of Healing said:

    Ok so i’m like the exercise dvd queen. I have a LOT. Including the 30 Day Shred and Jillian’s No More Trouble Zones. Both are awesome. I love the 30 Day Shred because like you said, it gives you a kick-butt workout in only 20 minutes. I used to do it if I was really short on time or in addition to any easy run. BUT be forewarned… be careful with the plyometrics. I have an injury that is partially resulted from the plyometrics. However, it could be just me and I did not stretch properly or was not properly warmed up but just be careful. I never had had a problem with exercise before but it happens sometimes.

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  29. Work it – Physique 57 | The Daily Balance said:

    [...] day I received the package, I had already done THE SHRED, but I wanted to test out the workouts. What can I say, I’m hardcore I figured I’d go [...]

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  30. Daily Delish – Breakfast with G Love and the Special Sauce | The Daily Balance said:

    [...] I was able to enjoy this breakfast and still fuel my body with some MUCH needed protein (level 3 of the SHRED this [...]

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  31. P90X – Week 1 | The Daily Balance said:

    [...] is HARDCORE. If you want to kick things up a notch, give the SHRED a try, not [...]

    Posted on | Reply
  32. Reanna Elmes said:

    Jillian Michaels is certainly the biggest success with running a business at the moment. She must be careful not to encourage rubbish products however as she says that the actual approach to fitness is great food and exercising.

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