Shredheads

Dear Shredheads - What do I do after the 30 Day Shred?

@CooleyHorner: @shredheads What does one do *after* the 30 Day Shred if still losing weight? Can we do it again, or do we go buy another DVD?

If the 30 Day Shred is working for you, and if you are still, uh, "enjoying" it (heh), then by all means keep doing it.  You may want to go back through the levels following Natalie instead of Anita, or you could increase the weights.  Or you may want to do a different level every day to keep things fresh.

At some point, though, you may begin to tire of doing Shred every day.  Or, your body may get used to the exercises and you stop seeing results.  If (or when) that happens, the key is to introduce some variety. 

Workout DVDs
When we finished our initial 30 days at the end of March, Kristen came up with a Team Bob versus Team Jillian challenge.  Her workouts consisted primarily of Bob Harper's DVDs, and mine consisted primarily of Jillian Michaels' DVDs.  They're all great, but have different feels to them. 

Of course you aren't limited to just Biggest Loser stars.  There is a wide variety to pick from - once you figure out what style you like, ask around to see what other people are doing. 

ExerciseTV
ExerciseTV has TONS of free workouts available both online and through On Demand - and we're not just talking about Jillian and Bob videos, although they're there.  They've got yoga, pilates, pure cardio, toning...it's a great mix if you're looking for something different.  Look for the ExerciseTV section (it may be several levels deep, but should be in the "free" section).

You can also buy the workouts (download) from their website...and they even tell you how to make a DVD from them!  This is a great option for when you're on vacation - buy a couple of cheap workouts and throw them on your laptop and you're set in the hotel room!

And, they just happen to be the awesome sponser of our October challenge!  Even if they weren't, though, I'd recommend them - I've purchased a couple of downloads and also use the On Demand workouts frequently.

Running
If you've had enough of doing workouts in front of the TV, you could always try your hand (or feet) at running.  Before you dismiss it outright like I almost did, realize that I have terrible knees and never ran at all before May, but now run 3-4 times a week!  I highly recommend any one of several Couch to 5K training programs to get started, but feel free to modify them to suit your body.  Check out our series So You Want to Run a 5K for training programs, essential gear, and other beginning advice.

The Gym
Of course you can always join a gym.  If you've got access to a good one (and can afford it), a gym can be great during those cold winter months, particularly if you remember Jillian's tips.  You know those people you see standing around the weights or machines?  Don't be one of them.  Don't rest.  Keep moving.  Don't quit.

Remarkably, I'm still enjoying running, so my plan is to continue a mix of mostly Jillian DVDs and running.  The mix of cardio and toning is working fairly well (or would if I could curb my stress-related eating a bit better), but I still need to make time to do some quick ab workouts.

-Bill

Life after the 30 Day Shred - ExerciseTV

Exercise during my first two months of being a Shredhead was primarily from Jillian DVDs.  She's awesome, but sometimes even I need a break from her.  And once I began running I couldn't handle the intensity of her workouts on run days, so I tried out some of the workouts from ExerciseTV.  They have free workouts ranging in length from a couple of minutes to almost an hour, and they're available both online and On Demand.

Did I mention that they're free?

Sure, there are some ads that pop up at the bottom that are annoying, but it's great to at least be able to try out different workouts before buying them.  You can get some of Jillian and Bob's workouts there, and a whole slew of other workouts as well.  Some of the workouts have been there for a couple of months, and some seem to rotate, so you aren't likely to get bored.

If you want ab work, you'll find it.  Elise Gulan's Straight to Core workout is amazing, and I also enjoy Nicole Stewart's Pilates Abs and Kendall Hogan's Rock Solid Abs.  These are all great because they're only about 10 minutes long and can fit into ANY day.

The free yoga and pilates workouts range from pretty simple "morning" workouts to some pretty advanced workouts.  I knew that yoga was supposed to be good, but I never really understood how much of a workout it was.  Many are long enough to be full workouts - I especially like Angie Stewart's Yoga Fitness Fusion.

If you're looking for something a bit more adventerous and/or daring (I haven't tried these), check out the 20 Minute Dance Party or the Real Housewive's workout.  And if you're a Natalie Yco (that's the Natalie from 30 Day Shred) fan, check out her workouts too.

If you like something and want to buy it, you can get it directly from ExerciseTV, along with a bunch of workouts that are purchase-only (you can preview them online).  Everything seems to be reasonably priced, and you can burn the downloads to DVD to use them away from the computer.

- Bill

Have you tried anything from ExerciseTV that you love (or hate)?

*Note: We are not paid by ExerciseTV.  I've paid for a couple of video downloads, and everything else I've done from them is available for free.