Jillian Michaels is a pretty famous person, especially to anyone who has ever seen The Biggest Loser. She just made the 2013 list for one of most influential people in the fitness world and has held two training certificates since 1993 from the National Exercise & Sports Trainers Association (NESTA) and Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA). In addition she is Kettlebell Concepts certified. Jillian has also developed a continuing education series for trainers with AFAA and holds a nutrition and wellness consultant certificate with the American Fitness Professionals and Associates (AFPA).
    She's also a mommy like a lot of people reading this and is a proud and out lesbian.

How I feel about Jillian Michaels: I LOVE her. She's an amazing trainer and her workouts make me so sore I can't sit down and they're only 20 minutes! I wish she didn't talk as much through her DVDs, but it's a fair trade off.

    That's me about ten minutes after 30 Day Shred Level One.

    The concept behind this workout is Jillian's 3-2-1 system. 3 minutes of strength training (weight bearing exercises), 2 minutes of cardio, and 1 minute of abs. You start out on level one and as you progress, increase to level two, then three.

    Jillian doesn't perform much in the DVD (hence the comment I made about talking), but the two ladies in the back do, and that's who you follow. Natalie (the dark haired girl) is for unmodified examples, and then other woman is for modified versions. None of the moves are really difficult, though, so you shouldn't need a modified version unless you've suffered an injury or you're REALLY out of shape. Basically, if a 400 pound person can do a jumping jack, so can you.

Would I recommend this: Most definitely. Especially for someone just starting to workout. The DVD is easy, and for those who are worried about their food, Jillian created a diet plan for 30 Day Shred and Ripped in 30 that you can find here. As if that's not enough, you don't even have to buy the DVD to try it. You can find the workout for Level One on Youtube by clicking this link: Level One

Coming Soon!

    I think most people know who Dr. Oz is. Just an overview, he became famous when he was doing a health segment on the Oprah Winfrey show. He now has his own show, is a published author, and is a professor in the Department of Surgery at Columbia University and majors in Cardiovascular Medicine.

    My Opinion on Dr. OZ: I have some really mixed feelings about Dr. Oz. I think his meals and cleanses are great, but he also has some controversial issues I don't agree with at all. For example, he recommends a weight loss supplement called Garcinia Cambogia and I'm a huge believer in not using supplements to lose weight. It's mostly small things like that; nothing huge.

    The best part about this is it's an eating cleanse. I love the cleanse and the recipes. I've started it again, but I'm only going for a week this time. I'm only on Tuesday (Started on Jan. 4) and I've lost 2-3 pounds. It's a cleanse that focuses primarily on supporting your liver and kidneys in ridding toxins. My favorite recipes are the Hummus Chicken  and Lamb Tacos.

Pros: It's healthy for you and I definitely feel a lot better when I do it. The food is delicious, I don't find myself hungry and all the recipes are easy for me to prepare. You're also required to take an Epsom Salt bath. Mommy time? BONUS! Oh, and it's FREE.

Cons: You're supposed to limit your bread (which stinks because I'm a huge bread muncher) and you go to the bathroom A LOT. I guess it's in a good way, because the fiber is removing yuckiness from your system, but still. I find bathroom trips tedious, so I was irritated at always have to go one and two.

Would I recommend this: Absolutely. I think everyone should try a detox at least once, and this is a great one. You can read all about it and get the plan here.

That's my food for thought

-Shelby

    So, in an attempt to motivate myself in to a healthy new year, I tried a Jus cleanse by Jus by Julie. There was a Groupon for it and I thought, "Well, why not?"
   
    The Jus arrived on December 31st, and I began the cleanse on January 1st. The rules were simple. One cup of coffee in the morning, as much water and tea as I wanted, 6 Jus to get me through the day and if I absolutely couldn't handle not eating, steamed fresh vegetable.
   
    The beginning of the first day went okay. I enjoyed all the Jus I had, and I wasn't feeling any of the side-effects I've read about when I was researching various cleanses (fatigue, shaking, head aches, stomach cramps, etc). Then the evening rolled around and I felt like I was dying. Not only are you drinking nothing but liquid, but a Jus cleanse is only about 900 calories. You may find some out there that are a little bit more, but you're drinking all of them. At 1900 (7PM), I caved and had dinner with my family. Women in my family are notorious for blood sugar problems and that's exactly what was going on with me.
   
    Not to be discouraged (or waste my money since with the groupon, this was still $125), I decided I would Jus all day and eat one light meal in the evening. I did this for day two and three and it worked okay.

Now, let me be perfectly clear: I AM IN NO WAY ASSOCIATED WITH JUS BY JULIE OR ANY OTHER PROFESSIONAL COMPANY.

My results: I lost about a pound (thought it was probably muscle mass) and I didn't feel as bloated. I didn't crave sweets and I was motivated to pursue my healthy lifestyle.

Would I recommend this to anyone: No, and here's why. Any diet or fad that is having you eliminate food is, in my opinion, not good for you. My body knew what it wanted and when I fed it, it was happy and I felt a lot better. It's also incredibly expensive and you lose a lot of the fiber these foods can give you (which is really the best thing for you anyways).

If you decide to do a Jus cleanse: Talk to a doctor or nutritionist beforehand, don't workout while doing it (your body will end up eating your muscle to replenish energy and continue functioning), and listen to your body.

That's my food for thought.

-Shelby