30 Day Shred Level One Review

I have wanted to tone up for years as I would say I'm a little soft around the edges, but have never really done anything about it. I went to the gym 2-3 times a week while I was at uni, but since graduating my exercise levels had tailed off to nothing. As I saw my weight creeping up recently and my double chin making a reappearance, I knew something had to change. I decided to start Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred programme, as I've heard lots of good things about it and I have seen lots of inspiration before/after pictures of other people that have achieved good results using this workout.

I started Level One on the 7th of February and did 10 days of this level. I thought I would do a review of my thoughts so far.

All the workouts are split into three circuits of strength, cardio and abs. The workout takes less than 30 minutes, so it's great to add onto the end of your day and doesn't take up too much time. I tend to do the workout around 10-11pm, before I shower. It's great if you don't have a big budget, as the DVD is affordable (usually around £5) or you can find it on Youtube and it needs barely any equipment - Just a yoga mat or towel and some dumbbells. I like that you can do it at home, so you don't need fancy gym gear.

Jillian has 2 helpers, so you can copy Natalie for the more advanced moves or Anita for the beginner versions. I found this level fairly easy to do and managed to complete the level each day. I found the ab moves the most difficult and I still cannot do full pushups, even though it is one of the strength exercises. I found that I broke out a sweat, but not as much as if I'd been on a treadmill for 20/30 mins. However, apparently the workout is the equivalent of hours at the gym and is more interesting than just running on a treadmill.

So far I started seeing a minor difference on my body on day 6. I felt like there was a little more definition, however my weight didn't change over the 10 days of level one. I think this can be attributed to that I have not changed my diet drastically (as I tend to eat fairly healthy, but I need to watch my snacking) and that I found the level fairly easy, so I didn't break out too much of a sweat.

I have started Level Two now and will do a review of that once I have 10 days.

Have any of you done the 30 Day Shred before?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy