review and results: jillian michaels' 'banish fat and boost metabolism'.

IT'S OVER! it is with great pleasure that i bring you this review.  is this because i enjoyed it? because i had lost a staggering amount of inches? because i am filled with a renewed zest for life having discovered this bundle of joy? NO. it's because it's over. finished. gone. 

measurements before:                         measurements after:

waist: 27''                                                           waist: 26.8" (-0.2) 

hips: 38.5''                                                          hips: 38" (-o.5) 

thighs: 22''                                                          thighs: 21.8" (-0.2) 

calves: 13''                                                          calves: 13" 

upper arms: 9.8''                                              upper arms: 9.5" (-0.3) 

lower arms: 9.1"                                               lower arms: 9.0" (-0.1)

TOTAL INCHES LOST = 1.3"

before workout
i wasn't sure what to expect so i came into this with no assumptions at all. my only concern was the fact that i didn't think cardio alone could help me burn the inches i want. i had seen the dvd a few times before i began to familiarise myself and was quite happy to see 1) no push-ups, 2) no squat thrusts and 3) no moves that seemed absolutely impossible (or so i thought).

during workout

this is a real step up from anything i have ever done before, and it's hard.  i really can't lie! the dvd is 56 minutes long, but in reality i think the workout is somewhere between 40-45mins once you exclude the warm-up and cooldown. it incorporates some moves i had done in the 30 day shred but also introduces some new ones, such as kickboxing - which i actually had fun with. plyometrics feature a lot in this too. the hardest struggle? finding the energy within yourself to carry on moving for so long. there are 7 cardio circuits that are repeated twice (lasting 6 minutes) and it's just so, SO HARD. DID I MENTION IT WAS HARD?! i'm starting to think that hard doesn't even cut it. you'll be begging to die. 

not only that, but i struggled with the general length of the workout. i had initially wanted to do this for 14 days, but it took up so much of my time. imagine, 60 minutes exercise + 20 minutes showering + 30 minutes drying hair + 10 minutes getting dressed every, single, day. no bueno. that is two hours worth of my time. it's definitely great to do once in a while or a couple of times a week, but i just didn't have the time to do it every day for a fortnight for review purposes. so, i ended up doing it for 7 days instead. i tried eating clean but it just didn't happen, whoops.

h8h8h8h8h8.

after workout
i am not as enamoured by this as i was by the 30 day shred. firstly, i hated the music (it gets all weird and siren-y towards the end). second, i didn't really like the girls jillian had in the background. this isn't some petty bitch comment but i just didn't feel motivated by them at all, and the girl on the right often forgets what she is doing! thirdly, there isn't always a modified move for beginners. luckily,  i could remember some modifications for the moves that were familiar from the shred - which gave me a headstart over someone who would be an absolute beginner.  however, i do think BFBM is great if you're perhaps very athletic already and want something to do every now and then that will knock you out. i made quite a few people try this and frankly, they all almost died, often quitting before it had finished - let alone completing it 7 times in a short space of time. i will definitely hold onto this dvd in case i have a terrible case of pigging out and feel overly guilty about it though.

i've lost 6.1 inches since february. boom! now i need a new challenge. punch me in the face if i ever do this again.  once again, i kept a diary of how i found the week...

pre-diary note: the first time i tried this workout, i failed miserably. i overestimated the fight i had in me (i'm going through a bout of depression) and my energy levels. i hadn't really been eating properly for about 3-4 days before i first tried the workout (usually around 700 calories) and it really showed, because i had to stop after 15 minutes. i honestly thought i was going to puke.

day one - i made a conscious effort to eat today. i had some cereal, a biscuit, a creme egg, and a garlic bread pizza from domino's. yes it's not healthy i know, but it is food. and at this point, that means progress. the workout itself? really, really, really hard. harder than anything in 30 day shred. i don't think the word even exists for how painful it is. for the first time in my life, i have gone red in the face from exercise, i sweated absolute buckets and my clothes are soaked. sexy, right? i had to stop for breath and/or water quite often, made a few half-arsed attempts at a few moves, and generally wanted to quit about 3 or 4 times during. but, i managed to finish it. legs ached for the rest of the day, but that was nothing compared to how they were the next day.

day two - i was nervous. following the aches and pains, i thought i'd really suck at the workout. plus it was before midday and i hadn't eaten much. the odds were stacked against me to say the least! however, i was pleasantly surprised. yes i still do the easy versions of everything and i'm still learning what comes next, but the workout felt as if it went by much quicker. i'm eating slightly better now (i.e. more), but it's literally all junk food - so i really ought to begin my conscious effort to eat healthy. what better way to start than some pinkberry?

day three - i've come to realise that the first half is a lot harder than the second half. i'm still finding it a challenge, but i'm vaguely learning the routine now. i've slowly attempted to do normal moves rather than modified (e.g. burpees) but i haven't perfected them yet. to be truthful, i'm really regretting setting myself this challenge because it's so hard... buuuut i can't blog saying i'll do something and then not. plus a bigger challenge is something i should overcome, right? anyway, i'm past the aching stage now. still sweating buckets.

day four - i had little sleep, and was out from 9am to 6pm doing everything non-stop. this included a hospital visit too, where i found out that i have all the vitamin deficiencies possible. suffice to say, i was pretty burnt out to begin with. however, my cousin is visiting tomorrow and i can't exactly jump around for an hour when he is here. so, i bit the bullet and did the workout. now that i am more familiar with the circuits, i can place how far along i am and find it easier to finish. it is odd how some days you'll be great at doing something and other days you're not (for example, today i did proper burpees for the first time without stopping) - but i did pull a muscle in my back during the cool-down (smooth).

day five - today i weighed myself for the first time in about two weeks. i'm down 0.7kg! what's more is that the tape measure showed some results too on my hips and waist. i honestly don't know if the 3kg i gained during the 30 day shred was water and wish there was an easier way to find out, but i'm happy nevertheless - or maybe i am just eating less, who knows. anyway, i was unable to do this workout for two days due to a foot injury and by the third day, i was going mad and did it anyway even though i probably shouldn't have (considering i had also started my period aswell). i couldn't do everything but managed to do standing mountain climbers properly, without stopping for the first time.

day six - god, it's like i'm past the point of no return (i REFUSE to commit six hours of my life to this and then quit) but i'm not even at the halfway point. what even is this. i've decided that i have a vendetta against scissor kicks as they are probably the only thing i'm consistently crap at - so my mission for today was to improve. i did a few, which is better than none right?

day seven - today went fine. i basically collapsed in a heap by the end of it. however, i don't think i can keep this up because i'm just so burnt out. this is hard, and not even whining hard - i mean SERIOUSLY hard. i don't know what's changed since yesterday, but i am exhausted and just don't want to do it anymore. obviously i'd want any exercise dvd i buy to be tough but bleurgh, bad times. i need to do this sporadically as and when i need to or want to because it just isn't meant to be done this often. however, i'm definitely content with my results and the fact that i'm down by 0.7 kg. maybe i'll do this once a week in the future? sarrrryyyyyyyyy.