Almost 2 years ago I did a round of P90x with some fellow teachers, and I loved it.  P90X is a very challenging workout, and I really enjoyed it.  Part of what was great about my experience was doing it every day with friends because we motivated each other.  It's really hard to slack off when there are 6 or 7 other people working out with you.  And, since we did it after school in the gym, we had all the necessary equipment - lots of space, large varieties of weights, pull-up bars, chairs, etc.  The excercises were good, I was constantly sore, and I was getting measurably stronger.

I tried to do P90X at home by myself, and I found it really hard to stay motivated.  Maybe because I'd already done it with friends, but a few other things came into play.  First, the workouts are a minimum of 1 hour.  The yoga routine is 90 minutes, so it is a very large daily commitment.  As a Mom, it's hard for me to find that amount of time each day because I also need a few minutes to cool down (literally cool my body temperature) plus time to shower and get ready.  And, I can't rely on myself to commit to that every day after the kids go to bed - there's too much other stuff to do (dishes, laundry, cleaning, relaxing) during that time.  The other problem is equipment.  P90X uses a larger range of weights plus pull-up bars.  I know you can buy the kind that fit in doorways, but our doorways are extra tall (about 9ft), and so I would actually need a ladder to reach the bar. 

If you have the time to commit to P90X, I highly recommend it.  I loved it, and the workouts really get all the muscle groups, plus cardio and yoga.  I really enjoy the yoga DVD, and still do it occasionally if I have the time. 

You've read all the reasons why I like JMBR, but I will just add that there are several excercises she does that are also in P90X.  So, I would say the routines are of similar difficulty and intensity, but Jillian takes less time to do it.  She even mentions in one video that  she doesn't have an hour a day to work out, so she packs it in to 30 minutes.  I have not seen any of her other videos, but it seems that this workout is a little P90X inspired, unless these types of workouts are just the general trend right now. 

So, both are challenging and make you work hard.  If you have time to do P90X, go for it!  I've known some people to lose weight and really buff up on the program.  But, if you are strapped for time, yet still want a pretty intense workout, go for Jillian MIchaels.  I do wish she put a challenging yoga workout in there as that always felt very beneficial in P90X, but maybe she has one on the market already.  Whatever you choose, make sure it's fun for you! 

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I continued in May with Jillian Michaels Body Revolution, but due to my 2 out of town trips, my workouts 5 and 6 took 3 weeks instead of 2.  I missed a few due to being out of town, so I just did each a couple extra times instead of moving forward.

I started workouts 7 and 8 in June, and they are TOUGH, and I really feel it after each session!  I missed the second half of last week, which ends up being one day of each workout.  I hope to make that up this week.  I continue to jog rather than doing her cardio workouts for a couple of workouts.  First, I much prefer to be outside if I can, and surprisingly it has been decent enough in the evenings that I can still jog outside.  And, it's really hard for me to do cardio indoors - it's just so boring for me, even though the workouts she has designed aren't boring because they are all 30 or 60 second sets.  But, I'm an outside girl, so anytime I can be outside I will do that instead.  Also, some of the moves have been hurting my left knee.

I continue to really enjoy these workouts, and would definitely recommend them.  They are extremely challenging, and while I can pretty much do all of the excercises (even if poorly), there is a great deal of room for me to improve and get better.  I've discovered that my arms are just not very strong, and many of the excercises focus on upper body.  So, while it is really challenging to me, it's good.  The only problem I have is listening to the same banter on each video.  Even though the videos are designed to be done only twice a week for two weeks (before moving on to the next ones), I get irritated listening to the same conversations between Jillian and her workout friends.  But, it's not THAT bad.  Jillian does have some great motivational things to say, and I just try to stay focused on why I"m doing it. 

We are heading out of town in less than two weeks and we'll be gone for probably 6 weeks.  We'll be visiting so many different places that I don't think it will be feasible to bring all my weights and videos with me, but I always get as much excercise when on vacation as possible.  We visit family in different places, so I have some favorite jogging spots in each place.  I'll continue the workouts until we leave, and I'll probably start the whole thing over again when I return since there won't be any travel interruptions once school starts. 

I just completed Month 1 of the Jillian Michaels Total Body revolution, and I did every workout.  Several times I chose to go jogging (usually about 2.5 miles) instead of doing the cardio video, and part of the reason is because the weather is so nice for jogging right now.  Soon enough it will be very hot with enough mosquitoes flying around that they could carry a person away, so I'm trying to take advantage of being outside as much as I can right now.  That means I excercised 6 days a week for the past month, and I'm pretty proud of myself.  It's no easy feat, but the fact that each workout is 30 minutes and doesn't require anything more than what is shown in the picture below makes it doable. 

I realized I never took any measurements when I started, so I don't have any quantatative data regarding results, but all my clothes are fitting better and I"m feeling awesome.  I've lost probably about 5 pounds, and if you follow her meal plan you could probably lose several pounds a week.  However, I like a glass of wine in the evening, and life is simply too short to pass my daughter's birthday cake or the opportunity to go out to dinner. 

I've set up my workout space in our bedroom so I can workout early in the mornings if my husband is out of town or I can do it when the kids are watching their pre-bedtime tv show.  I was using a yoga mat, but it wasn't withstanding my sneakers well, so I used the foam mat that I was about to get rid of.  We used it previously in our playroom that has a wood floor when the baby was learning to walk (and falling a lot), but it was just getting in the way.  It's easy to clean, withstands my shoes well with all the excercises and I can put it away easily if I need to.  The only other things used in the workouts are the resistance band (comes with dvds) and the weights.  I have 5lbs and 8lbs, but the 5lbs weights are getting a bit light for me.  I may be purchasing some 10 pounders soon.  So, it doesn't take much to get a great workout.  I've been pleased so far!

I joined Crossfit back in November.  Crossfit is intense and fun, and I loved it for all the challenges it provides.  It's like having a personal trainer but in a group setting, and the atmosphere is very positive and encouraging.  The only problem for me was that there are only a few classes a day, so, if you miss it, too bad.  I signed up for twice a week, and I could only go in the morning, so if I missed it just ended up being a waste of money.  Crossfit is not cheap, but it is money well spent if you go.  My schedule changes so much, the husband is traveling at least a week every month and kids kept getting sick, so I had to miss several times.  And while they had a room for kids to hang out while parents work out, the baby is too young to be unsupervised for an hour.  In the end I had to break up with Crossfit.

I also found myself wanting to be able to work out more than twice a week and so I looked in to gyms.  The gym closest to my house began charging an extra fee for childcare and the YMCA is a little too far for me right now.  So, one night as I was flipping through the channels I came across an infomercial for Jillian MIchaels total body revolution.  I admit it sucked me in and it looked pretty good.  It said it was only 30 minutes a day and you don't need much equipment - just some weights and a resistance band that they include.  I could do 30 minutes a day, and I could easily do it when the kids are awake or early in the morning or whenever.  I thought about it for a few days and decided to buy it.

I've done P90X (which is great), but it's a minimum of 1 hour a day and I don't have all the necessary equipment.  Plus I did it at school with a bunch of other teachers, which was great for motivational purposes.  It was a little hard to stick to that regimen at home by myself.  So, hopefully JMBR would be perfect!

It has been 3 weeks now, and I've done every workout, and they are hard.  If the particular excercise feels too easy, she provides ways to make it harder.  I have gotten up at 5am several times to work out, and I've also been able to squeeze it in while the kids watch one 30 minute show.  She does two days of muscle workouts, one day or cardio, two days of muscle, one cardio and then rest.  I've even doubled up a few times when I've been able to and gone for a run (usually around 2 miles) on muscle days.  I'm sweating each workout.

I've been really happy so far, and the workouts are challenging.  And, I can easily do 30 minutes every day.  I'm sad I had to break up with crossfit, but I'm happy to be working out every day at times that work for me.  Hey, a Mom's gotta do what a Mom's gotta do, right?