Jillian Michaels is Trying to Kill Me
A guest post by our friend, fellow twin mom and Biggest Loser Mom contestant, Liz from Goddess in Progress.
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I'm a fan of The Biggest Loser. I think it's amazing and inspirational to see what people are capable of doing. Like any "reality" show, there is plenty of inserted drama, and I always DVR over the too-obvious product placements. But still, I love it.
I will admit, however, to scoffing at the scenes when the contestants break down in tears, begging Jillian to let them take a break, swearing up and down that they are going to die. "Yeah right," I think. "Get over it. Jillian isn't actually going to let you die."
I think I might be wrong.
This morning, I tried her 30-Day Shred DVD for the first time. Now, while I am out of shape and overweight, I am not a stranger to exercise. I completed the EA Sports 30 Day Challenge, which was definitely real exertion. I went to the gym just yesterday and did 40 sweaty minutes on the elliptical. I am not completely sedentary. But I got about two-thirds of the way through the Level 1 Workout (complete with beginner modifications), and I could not breathe. Seriously, I had to wake up my husband to find out where he keeps his inhaler, and I am not the asthmatic in the family. I couldn't make it 20 minutes with Jillian on a DVD. Yet I watch 400-pound people have her all up in their face, and know that they're doing it for six hours a day. I will never call any of them whiny, ever again. (Or, at least, not when they're protesting the workouts.)
I had heard about what an ass-kicker this DVD can be. I've jumped on the Shredhead bandwagon and signed up for their October Challenge. I was ready for my legs to be sore (they are) and for my arms to be like jello (they are). I was not prepared for the fact that I could not even complete the first workout. It's a good thing I was in the living room by myself, because it was downright embarrassing.
And yet... I'm finding the competition and mob mentality of these group challenges, like here on Loser Moms or over at Shredheads, to be a welcome external source of motivation. I definitely have a competitive side, and so any time I consider falling off the wagon, a little voice screams "but I want to WIN!" And though that voice has some serious crazy in it, I'm listening. Hell, I'm down nearly 10 pounds, it can't be all wrong.
And Jillian, you crazy bitch you... I'll see you again on Friday.
I will admit, however, to scoffing at the scenes when the contestants break down in tears, begging Jillian to let them take a break, swearing up and down that they are going to die. "Yeah right," I think. "Get over it. Jillian isn't actually going to let you die."
I think I might be wrong.
This morning, I tried her 30-Day Shred DVD for the first time. Now, while I am out of shape and overweight, I am not a stranger to exercise. I completed the EA Sports 30 Day Challenge, which was definitely real exertion. I went to the gym just yesterday and did 40 sweaty minutes on the elliptical. I am not completely sedentary. But I got about two-thirds of the way through the Level 1 Workout (complete with beginner modifications), and I could not breathe. Seriously, I had to wake up my husband to find out where he keeps his inhaler, and I am not the asthmatic in the family. I couldn't make it 20 minutes with Jillian on a DVD. Yet I watch 400-pound people have her all up in their face, and know that they're doing it for six hours a day. I will never call any of them whiny, ever again. (Or, at least, not when they're protesting the workouts.)
I had heard about what an ass-kicker this DVD can be. I've jumped on the Shredhead bandwagon and signed up for their October Challenge. I was ready for my legs to be sore (they are) and for my arms to be like jello (they are). I was not prepared for the fact that I could not even complete the first workout. It's a good thing I was in the living room by myself, because it was downright embarrassing.
And yet... I'm finding the competition and mob mentality of these group challenges, like here on Loser Moms or over at Shredheads, to be a welcome external source of motivation. I definitely have a competitive side, and so any time I consider falling off the wagon, a little voice screams "but I want to WIN!" And though that voice has some serious crazy in it, I'm listening. Hell, I'm down nearly 10 pounds, it can't be all wrong.
And Jillian, you crazy bitch you... I'll see you again on Friday.
Liz is a stay-at-home mom to twin toddlers, which is not so much the guarantee of exercise and weight loss as some people suggested that it would be. It kicks her ass in entirely different ways, which she writes about at Goddess in Progress, and at How Do You Do It?, a blog for moms of multiples. She also writes about her (entirely sedentary, hrm) quilting obsession at Teeny Tiny Quilts, and figures that stress-fabric-buying is better for her waistline than stress-eating.
2 comments:
Hi there-
It's been kind of quiet. I had my final weigh-in this morning. I was 174 lbs. I lost 5.4% of my body weight. Thanks for motivating me to a good start. I have another 15lbs to my goal. Maybe I'll be there by Thanksgiving.
Thanks for having me!
I thought I was the only who couldn't get through it. I wanted to yell at the TV "DON'T JUDGE ME LADY!!!!"
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