I bit the bullet and tried Jillian Michaels' 30-day shred today. First, I had to shred the following preconceptions:

- 25 minutes won't do anything for me
- I am in better shape already than most people doing this workout - it will be too easy!
- My downstairs neighbor won't want to hear my elephant feet shaking his/her ceiling

My mat and 8 lb. weights have been living in front of the TV for healthier TV and movie watching (I am taking advantage of my "summer vacation" - more about that in a few weeks), so all I had to do was fire up the workout and get to it.

WOW. The level 1 circuits were awesome!! I was already sore from this morning's yoga class, but I felt some extra burn by the end of round 2 on each circuit. (If you're not familiar with this workout series, there are three levels. I have only ever done level 1, but it is made up of 3 circuits that include strength, cardio, and abs.) I hope I will stay committed to the full 30 days - I loved the workout, it managed to hit some muscles that I haven't been getting to in my regular workouts, and it was so quick and "easy" that I was able to keep one eye on the Spain - Italy game (ESPAŅA!!!).

You can get the whole series on your computer instantly through Amazon for about $5. If you have a towel (or a carpeted surface) and even two cans or water bottles, that would work for level 1 - you are mostly targeting small muscles with the strength exercises in this level, so you don't need anything too heavy. (My weights were very heavy by the end of each circuit, and I have been lifting consistently for more than 2 years....)