Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred - A Review

I have a "Mum Tum". My first step is admitting it. Apparently,  some people with means schedule tummy tucks after giving birth. Before I had children, I thought this was ludicrous. Do a few sits ups. Cut down on the biscuits. Get out there and walk. No need for surgery, I thought with judgmental delusion.

Mind you, as I write this, I'm finishing off a glass of wine and just enjoyed a home made brownie. Perhaps I have ordinary "Fat Tum" rather than "Mum Tum" and am just in denial?

I realised I had to do something about the auld tum earlier this year when to my absolute horror, someone asked me if I was pregnant rendering me speechless for some seconds. When I confirmed I was not pregnant, instead of leaving it at that, the person asked me why my stomach was so large if I was not pregnant. Hello?

Since then, I've been passing on the biscuits quite successfully. In fact for the summer I cut down on foods containing gluten, sugar and dairy. I'm doing a lot more walking and I've also done a bit of Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred.

The Shred is an exercise DVD which comprises of 3 workouts of 20 minutes each. You start off with the first workout (Level 1) and progress at your own pace to Level 2 and 3. You only need a mat and some weights (or a tin from your cupboard if you've no weights). You are supposed to do the work out every day. Jillian Michaels is a US trainer who features on the program "The Biggest Loser." I've never watched it but out of curiosity I did watch a few clips on YouTube when I first started the Shred. Sure enough, on the show Michaels is a "bad ass" (as she might say herself). On the DVD however, she is very likable. She encourages you to push through the exercises. Her explanations are clear and she uses two students to demonstrate, one using modified beginner moves so you can do the work out even if you are not that fit or flexible.

The work out is interval based.  As well as a warm up and cool down each level comprises three circuits of 3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio and 1 minute abs. The current thinking is that interval training is the most efficient way to lose weight and tone up. As Jillian says herself "I'm not playing around". The workouts are relatively tough. Michaels works small and large muscles at the same time to burn more calories. She also pairs cardio with resistance moves in level 3 for more efficient weight loss. You keep moving for the 20 minutes with no rest.

I have gotten great results from doing the shred. Immediately, I felt good. I am fitter and I found my fitness improved very quickly. I am much stronger and able to do exercises now that I never dreamed I could before. I never have had great upper arm strength but now I can do push ups (more like half push ups), and cardio exercises while doing the plank at the same time. What? And if I can do it, honestly any one can.

The beauty of the workout is that it is only twenty minutes long and the circuits are short. Jillian varies the exercises within each section so you are only doing the same exercise for 30 seconds or a minute at a time. That makes it manageable. Sure you might move on to do another hard exercise but its a different hard exercise and you can cope with that until you change to the next one.

Its brilliant for those of us who don't have the time or money to go to the gym. I've now made it to level 3 and I'm delighted with myself. You are supposed to be "shredded' in 30 days if you do the workout every day and follow Michael's diet plan. The diet plan is not included on the DVD and you need to purchase that separately on another DVD or online.

Am I shredded? No. It is an all body work out and I am leaner and more toned all over. I don't do the workout every day as if I don't have time to do it in the morning it gets skipped. I also don't follow the diet plan, which I have not purchased. If I followed Michaels to the letter I would be further along the path. Unfortunately, I didn't weigh or measure myself before hand. This was a mistake as if I could measure weight loss or inch loss it would be very motivating. Mind you it is totally a thing for people to photograph their bare tummies before and after doing the 30 day shred. Something I would never, ever, ever, ever. do.

I purchased the DVD from Amazon. It currently costs £5 plus shipping. However you can watch and follow Level 1 on YouTube. That way you can try the workout out and see if its for you before you get the DVD. I was not paid to blog about this DVD and all opinions are my own.

So have you tried the 30 Day Shred and if so how did you get on? If anyone has made any major progress in eradicating their Mum Tum I'd love to hear them. I'm also interested in hearing about successes with gluten and sugar free or Paleo diets. And now to Christmas and hoping for a bit of resolve.