90 Day Body Revolution

I go through phases of being serious about working out and then completely getting out of the routine and being lazy again.  I actually really do enjoy working out when I get into a good routine, and I feel a lot better.  So, several months ago I found myself averaging about 3 days a month of actually stepping foot in the gym and I realized I had to do something different.  The problem really started when I moved from the house I was renting in Madison, which was about 3 minutes from the gym, to my house now in Gluckstadt, which is at least 15 minutes from the gym.  I realize 15 minutes isn’t that far, but most days it was enough of a deterrent to keep my lazy self from going.  

I considered trying something like P90X or Insanity, but then knew I probably wasn’t in good enough shape to tackle those yet.  So I started looking for something I could do at home that would still be a hardcore workout.  I found Jillian Michael’s 90-day Body Revolution.  I was attracted to the program because it is only 30 minutes a day and all you need are dumbbells (I use 3 different weights) and a resistance cable.  And a mat if you want to lie on one for the floor exercises.  So I got on Amazon and ordered it.  You can also purchase it directly from Jillian’s website.  

The program consists of 3 phases, broken down over 15 DVDs.  In each phase, there are 4 different circuit workouts and 1 all cardio workout.  You do two different circuit workouts and then a cardio workout twice each week for two weeks, then move on to the next two circuit workouts and the same cardio workout.  I know that sounds confusing.  Basically, your week looks like this:

​Weeks 1 and 2

       Monday – Workout 1

       Tuesday – Workout 2

       Wednesday – Cardio 1​ 

       Thursday – Workout 1

​Friday – Workout 2

​Saturday – Cardio 1

​Sunday - REST

 

Weeks 3 and 4

       Monday – Workout 3

       Tuesday – Workout 4 

​Wednesday – Cardio 1

​Thursday – Workout 3

​Friday – Workout 4

​Saturday – Cardio 1

​Sunday - REST

And then you move into phases 2 and 3 using the same format.  The workouts progressively get harder and use a lot of plyometrics and HIIT (high intensity interval training), so you really burn a lot of calories.  The program comes with a meal plan, as it is designed for maximum weight loss.  My goal was only to lose several pounds, but to really tone up and get in better shape.  So I didn’t follow the meal plan, but did try to eat healthier.  The only negative to this program in my opinion is that it does get boring doing the same cardio DVD 8 times before moving on to a new one.  

I ended up completing the 90-day program  (in longer than 90 days as I missed a few days here and there due to being sick and/or traveling for work) having lost  9 pounds.  More important than the weight loss though was the muscle I gained and the difference I could tell in definition and how my clothes fit.  And MOST important was that I was in such better shape and felt so much better.  I’m even having few migraines, praise the Lord!

After I finished the program, I did some other various Jillian DVD’s for a few weeks and a couple of weeks ago I started the 90-day program again.  I just love having something that I can do consistently, at home before or after I go to work, that only takes 30 minutes of my day but still burns a lot of calories and builds muscle.  I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a new workout!