The Shred

Yesterday, I saw an article about how Heidi Klum gets back into shape after having babies. She sounds no-nonsense. Clearly she's very disciplined, exercises and eats well. She also doesn't procrastinate, but gets back into shape immediately rather than dragging it out.

I can't say I was as motivated as Heidi Klum obviously is. Maybe it's because I don't make millions by looking totally fit (wouldn't that be great!). Whatever the reasons for dragging my feet, I finally did reach a point where I wanted my body back. Not just my pre-pregnancy body, but my wedding body. This would not be easy, since I've been married eight years, have had two children, hadn't worked out regularly since my first child was born and am now in my forties.

Now I am almost there and am in the best physical shape since my mid-twenties. I have three people to thank for it: my friend Bill at Daddy Is Tired (who also blogs at Shredheads) who told me about the workout DVD The 30 Day Shred, Jillian Michaels, the killer trainer who designed it, and my husband, who started seriously working out around the same time that I did (thank you for the moral support!).



There are a few reasons why The 30 Day Shred works for me.

1. The workouts are only 20 minutes long. This is about the same length as an episode of Max and Ruby or Danny Phantom. Not that I park my kids in front of the tube so I can get my workout in. No way.
2. They are brutal and work the entire body, including cardio. I actually found running a few miles (without stopping) to be easy after doing the DVD for 30 days. I've even done it pushing 80 pounds of kids in a double stroller.
   
3. Jillian Michaels is not annoying.
4. It makes me feel tough. She accepts no excuses, reminds us that even 400 pound people do these exercises. This made me believe that I could do it, regardless of my two knee surgeries. (The surprising result: I have less pain in my joints now that I'm in shape.)
   
5. I got results within one month. I dropped a dress size, changed the shape of my body and broke through a tough weight plateau (I hadn't been able to get rid of the last 5 pounds to get back to my wedding weight).

If you read her book Master Your Metabolism you will also appreciate her greenness. She just makes such sense. I heartily recommend the book, too.