My Ode to Jillian

For years now, I have turned to my favorite TV personality and personal trainer, Jillian Michaels, for intense workouts, in which she yells at me just like my old boot camp instructors.  (I respond to yelling when it comes to working out!)  I've developed quite the collection of Jillian Michaels DVDs, my personal favorite that for some reason has never gotten easy, 30 Day Shred, as well as Killer Buns and Thighs, xTreme Shred (not that difficult surprisingly) and No More Trouble Zones (ouch ouch and ouch!).  I guess some day I could do a DVD review, but in a nutshell, I'd recommend anything that Jillian touches.  


While I love me some Jillian, I had no idea that she has this whole self-improvement/health life industry on lock.  


Quick Story Break:  On the very same day that I started this blog, I decided to enlist some professional help for my current state of blah (yes that is the medical term).  While talking to my friend about possibly finding a therapist, a more appealing, less expensive idea came to mind: Barnes & Noble!  They literally have the answers to all of life's questions, so it made perfect sense to me.  So there we were, 20-something women, still in our running gear, sitting on the floor in the middle of the "Self-Improvement" section skimming through books on finding happiness, discovering your passion and the like.  Thank goodness they changed the section name from Self-Help to Self-Improvement, or I might have felt like a crazy person.  I was ready to give up the search and just go find a good Dr. Seuss book instead, when I saw her:  the woman who I had always turned to when I needed that little push; the woman who yelled at me through the TV early in the mornings before work, "Make the most of it!"  Once I saw her book, I knew my searching was over...Jillian Michaels "Unlimited: a Three-Step Plan for Achieving Your Dreams."  


So I bought the book and dove right in, and so far I'm extremely happy with the latest addition to my Jillian Michaels collection!  Everything in the book's first 2 chapters has really spoken to me and she even gives little assignments to complete as you work your way through your likes and dislikes to pinpoint your passion.  


Assignment 1: List your hobbies and interests 
I'm somewhat ashamed to say that this was difficult for me.  Hopefully as time goes on, I'll have more to add to this list but here it is so far:
1. Working Out
2. Public Speaking
3. Singing
4. Eating


I'm most excited about Assignment 2, which is a Vision Board!  I eventually want to make a real one, but for now, I'm going to make an online Vision Board.  According to Jillian, you stick any and everything that you want, like or have ever dreamed about on the board and you look at it all the time to give yourself a reminder of what makes you tick.  So this is just a tease, but soon I'll post my Vision Board on here for all to see!


So thanks to Jillian, I've figured out that my 2nd step  off the treadmill will be working through this book to pinpoint my passions.  Who knows, I might have something lurking in my head that I've never discovered, or maybe I'll find that a childhood dream of mine is still my dream today.  


In the meantime, I'm going to keep running and building my physical strength, which someday will turn into mental strength I hope!  This week's challenge is a 5-mile run, that I am not really looking forward to, but I know I'll be so proud when I finish it!  Wish me luck!


*Keep Moving Rita