Jillian Michaels Kicked My Keester

I skipped working out for two weeks. This is not a good thing for me—I gain weight very easily, and last Friday I could tell my jeans were getting a little snug, no doubt from the combination of not exercising and a little (or a lot) too much ice cream. I got my temporarily lazy behind into gear and got moving again. But it was slow moving. I’m bored silly with the treadmill and bike and I’ve been too edgy to enjoy the peaceful flow of Pilates.

So where does Jillian Michaels come in?

First, I need to back up a bit. I hadn’t even heard of Jillian Michaels until a few months ago. I don’t watch much television, and even though I’d seen a handful of episodes of The Biggest Loser, I had no idea who the trainers were. It wasn’t until this past Friday that I made the connection between the show and an advertisement I saw for Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred. (And the advertisement was included on the list of “The Top 10 Worst Mother’s Day Gifts.” HA!)

Anyway, I haven’t been diligent about strength training and I knew I wanted to incorporate more of that, so after reading a few reviews of the workout and how it’s broken down into cardio, strength training and ab work, I thought I’d give it a try. The routines are broken down into three levels for beginner, intermediate and advanced—I did Level 1, thinking that even though I hadn’t worked out in a few weeks, how bad could it be?

Now, that was a mistake, because every time I think, “How bad can it be?” it turns out that it can be very bad. Very, very bad. Like the time I had an infected lymph node and the doctor asked if I wanted a numbing shot before the needle biopsy. I looked at him and said, “Nah, how bad can it be?” You see where I’m going with this?

Anyway, I did the Level 1 workout with Ms. Jillian Michaels. Let me tell you, it was tough, but I did it. She keeps you moving, without a break to even get a drink of water. The good thing is that it’s short and intense, and then it’s done. I felt good afterward—invigorated! And proud that I was able to keep up! Last night, laying in bed and drifting off to sleep, I actually thought…I should probably just go up to Level 2 right away…

Um, I can barely move this morning. Every step I take brings on a new wave of agony. My arms are on fire. The only thing that doesn’t hurt is my abs, and I think that’s because even though I’ve got a soft pooch around my middle, my ab muscles are pretty strong underneath (probably from Pilates).

Even though I’m hurting, I just keep thinking that I can’t wait to try that workout again!