20 minute workout DVD from Jillian Michaels

Last year, I got my pre-baby body back with the help of Shaun T and his incredible Insanity^® workout, a series of 10 workout DVDs that have you sweating in minutes and push you to your limits to completely change your body in just a few weeks.

Available from beachbody.co.uk, it did exactly what it promised it would – within 2 weeks my body looked and felt completely different, and within 60 days I was in the best shape of my life.

While I remain a devoted fan of those workouts and still do them when I have time to spare, life does often get in the way of those hour-long sessions, so I’ve been looking for alternatives that I can fit into my day more easily, giving me one less excuse not to exercise!

Recently, I tried a new DVD that I stumbled upon in the supermarket – Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred. After the addictive Insanity^®, I wondered whether anything else would really cut it, and had thought of 30 Day Shred as something of an easy option, but I was wrong!

And best of all, this is a 20 minute workout DVD, so no more excuses not to do it!

While not as fast and furious, the muscle work is pretty intense, and though I wasn’t as out of breath as I would usually be, I did get to the stage where my arms were threatening to give out before the end, and I could definitely feel the work I’d done the next day.

I don’t think 30 Day Shred will give me the military-style fitness I had become accustomed to, but I do think it is a workout with the capacity to change the shape of your body in a relatively short time.

It is a great mix of cardio and strength training, combined with some abdominal work and stretching, giving you the best of all worlds.