Love it or Leave it? 30 day shred by Jillian Michaels

This is my first weekly (hopefully) review! I have so many great things around my house that I thought I’d share some of my favorites and help you save money on some things I wish I would have never bought. As I buy and find things I’ll share wether I think you’ll love it or you should leave it on the shelf.

Working out is one of those things that is always on my mind. Its the constant struggle between just being healthy and working out to feel good and set a good example for Annabelle and that voice I try my best to hush that reminds me that 18 months post partum I’m still not at pre-pregnancy weight. I LOVE workout classes. I have a ton of videos, even though I don’t love them as much as going to a gym and doing a class, there hasn’t been a class that I’ve been passionate about yet like the classes I used to love at Equinox gym when I lived in NYC. Annabelle doesn’t like being dropped off at the gym daycare after being away from me all day (and frankly, I can’t stand the thought of dropping her off either) but working out after she goes to bed at night has proved to be unrealistic. I’m too tired.

I’m trying my best to workout in the mornings (this of course is dependent on Annabelles sleep situation). I’ve thought about buying P90X since everyone raves about it but it’s a big time commitment (60 minutes 6 days a week) and it’s expensive. In all honesty I’m not going to wake up a whole 60 minutes early to workout, not when I have to be out the door at 7:15am. Mornings aren’t my thing. So I bought Jillian Michaels 30 day shred instead. It’s 20 minutes. That’s easier for me to commit to than 60 minutes, especially in the morning.

The verdict? LOVE IT!

Worth every penny. I’ts a hard core workout that combines large muscles with small muscles so you’re burning calories every second of this workout. If you’re a brginner this shouldn’t scare you. Jillian includes some modifications and encourages you to do as much as you can. There are 3 levels and you’re supposed to stay on each level for 10 days before moving on to the next. I’m still on level 2 since my mornings have been interupted by a baby adjusting to going back to daycare for the past few weeks but it looks like she finally has turned a corner and will hopefully start sleeping in late enough to let me squeeze in a 5am workout.

I didn’t take measurements or weigh myself before starting. I have definitely gotten stronger. My push-up reps have increased, I’ve upped the weights on some of the exercises and most importantly I feel better. I’ve done a lot of workout tapes in my day but this is my first Jillian workout and I will by buying more of them. This is probably my favorite because of the intesity of the workout in the short amount of time.

Have you tried the 30 day shred? Did you love it as much as I do? What workout videos do you recommend and why? Share with us!