I finally reached the end of my 30-day Beginner Shred challenge and I wanted to give you a quick review. If you recall, Beginner Shred with Jillian Michaels consists of 3 levels of 25-minute workouts, each one more difficult than the last. Each workout includes a warm-up, strength, cardio and ab intervals, and a cool-down. The idea is that you would do each level for 10 days. While it is for beginners, it is by no means easy.
My strategy was to do each level for two weeks, leaving the weekends free for rest or long runs. When it was time for me to advance to the next level, it always seemed like it was time. I have done some videos where I felt the first level felt manageable, but then the next level was ridiculously difficult. This video is much better at preparing you to move on and is much more consistent from one workout to the next. It is enough of a challenge to make you feel like you are getting a good workout, but it doesn’t feel impossible, or discourage you from moving on. There are also modifications on every level, so that you can ease yourself in as workouts increase in difficulty.
Completing Beginner Shred was a really positive experience. It got me focused on strength training, which was my primary goal, and I really enjoyed the workouts. I also liked the nature of the 30-day challenge, which got me in the habit of working out consistently at the same time each day.
My initial plan was to complete another 30-day challenge next, and I decided on Yoga Meltdown with Jillian Michaels. I will have to do another post on this video, because it is one of my favorites she has made. About a week into this challenge, I found myself getting really burned out and tired of that workout. This was frustrating, because I love it so much. Ultimately, I have decided that I am going to continue doing some form of strength training 5-6 mornings a week; however, I am not going to do the same workout every day. I will mix things up with yoga, Pilates, and weights. I think this will be better for my mind and body, while keeping me motivated to continue. Have you tried any kind of 30-day challenge? How did it work for you? Would you do it again? Please let me know in the comments, on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!
Tags: Exercise, Health, Jillian Michaels, Lifestyle