She became ?America?s toughest trainer? after helping contestants shred a ton of weight on the hit TV show ?Biggest Loser.? and she makes no excuses for her ?tough love? attitude. 
Whether it is the countless contestants or you at home, Jillian Michaels wants you to live your best life. Having grown up overweight herself, she has learned what it takes to get results. If you have tried one of her many hardcore workout DVDs or read any one her books, one thing is for sure, she gets results.
Last month, Michaels released her seventh diet book ? that she actually never thought she would write ? ?Slim for Life.? According to Michaels, ?Slim for Life? is everything she has learned over more than 20 years as a health and wellness expert and created a simpler approach to helping people slim down for good.
?There is so much conflicting information out there that it is easy to feel confused and overwhelmed when it comes to losing weight and keeping it off,? she says. ?In the book, I share simple strategies and tips for eating, exercising, shopping and living with no gimmicks. I break through all the myths and misconceptions to share information that people can really use and customize to their daily lives.
?It really is the best of what works to help give everyone the body, health and life that we all want and deserve in the easiest most cost effective way possible.?
Q: What is some of that bad advice you can?t believe people will follow?
A: There are so many. A couple big ones:
MYTH: High-protein
low-carbohydrate diets are a healthy way to lose weight. FACT: Complex carbs are a necessary source of essential vitamins and minerals that the body needs. Fat comes from too many calories, not too many carbs.
MYTH: Eating small, frequent meals boosts Your metabolism. FACT: It is based on the theory that if you keep adding small amounts of food to your fire (that fire being your metabolism) you?ll keep it going strong and burn more calories overall. The OPPOSITE is true. If you keep adding food to the fire, you?ll never dig into your fat stores.
The goal is actually to eat every four hours. In the book I explain my ?Four-by-Four? rule. Eat four times a day, every four hours. This means one substantive, healthy snack between lunch and dinner. This will help stabilize your blood sugar, optimize insulin production and manage hunger ? all of which are critical to weight loss and staying slim.
Q: What are some of the areas we slip up on and need to be more mindful of?
A: What we eat. Not just the number of calories ? which can still be an issue as it is so easy to eat more calories than we realize ? but things like skipping meals, eating processed foods filled with chemicals, and grazing all day are all common mistakes that can really get things off track very quickly. Another big one is lack of sleep. So many of us don?t get enough sleep (7 to 8 hours) and this does play a critical role in the effort to lose weight.
Q: I like how flexible ?Slim for Life? is. A lot of health books can be very regimented and unrealistic. You have created eight chapters that are like a challenge with points awarded to your slim suggestions. The higher the points you attain the faster the results. Can you explain how this all works?
A: The point system is an important part of making ?Slim for Life? customizable to the individual, so the plan they choose lasts forever. I know that it isn?t realistic for people to do every single thing in the book every minute of every day. The points system is essentially a ?hierarchy of slim? that specifically tells you which tips and pieces will give you the most bang for your weigh-loss buck.
3?s are the most powerful and important, 2?s are solid and useful but not utterly essential and 1?s are a nice add on. All will help you get slim, so you you like one more than another, have at it. The whole point of ?Slim for life? is to create a structure that works for you.
Q: We are a world of quick fixes, and while we know there aren?t any, do you feel that weight training and circuit training can get us fit more quickly than long bouts of cardio?
A: You can see great results fast when you work out smart and hard. I definitely understand how tough it can be to find the time for a workout. I don?t have a lot of time for mine, but I make sure they are very effective and work out HARD when I hit the gym.
Working multiple muscle groups at the same time and doing high-intensity interval training circuits to really blast the heart rate are both key in seeing great results in less time.
Q: While diet and exercise are the more important part of a healthy lifestyle, you also touch upon other things in our lives that can be roadblocks preventing us from reaching full potential such as cleaning and hygiene products, traveling and even the way we dress.
A: As I mentioned above, sleep is really crucial. And so many of us neglect it all the time. The fact is, sleep plays a huge role in our hormones, our metabolism, our energy levels and more. It is crucial that we get sleep.
Another thing we can do is work to be as natural as possible. Not just in the food we eat, but in the products that we use. Chemicals really have no place in or on our bodies and can wreak havoc on our metabolism. Going natural as much as possible can make a big difference.
Q: I could totally visualize you spraying Heidi?s cookies with dry shampoo in your section called ?Wreck Havoc.? I?ve actually seen some reality TV people do this. How do we do this and not just reach for something else?
A: The key is too control your environment. Will power is like a muscle: The more you use it the more fatigued it gets. Remove temptation whenever and wherever possible. So if you destroy the cookies, make sure you don?t have cake in the fridge.
Q: Eating at night has always been a big no-no. You say we can, but just no carbs three hours before bed. What would be Jillian approved evening meals and snacks?
A: I really don?t snack before bed. I?m pretty good at adhering to the 4-by-4 rule, but if I did I might have veggie sticks and hummus. A low-fat cheese stick with a couple slices of turkey. A deviled egg. Some turkey or beef jerky and so on.
Q: On March 5, you will release another killer DVD, Hard Body. How does this DVD fit in with the book?s advice, and what else should we do the other five days? (see below for my review of the DVD)
A: My DVDs essentially take all my fitness advice and make it failproof for you. There is no thinking required on the part of the consumer. They simply pop in the DVD and I provide all the knowledge. They simply need to show up!
Q: Now that you have added two little ones to your already busy life, how has your diet and exercise regimen changed to fit it all in? Moms never seem to find the time for themselves to work out and often grab-n-go snacks in their free time. What are some of your top tips for fitting it all in and taking care of yourself?
A: It?s true. With two small children at home, I have to work my workouts into the schedule in any way I can. Sometimes this means hitting the gym while my mom watches the kids. Sometimes this means getting on the treadmill or doing a DVD workout after the kids have gone to sleep.
I also do everything I can to be active WITH my kids. I take the baby for a hike in the Bjorn. Or I take my toddler in a sidecar for a bike ride. I do all I can to both keep myself fit and set a good example for my kids, creating healthy habits early.
When it comes to food, I make sure to have healthy alternatives on hand, so they are easy and readily available. Raw almonds, non-fat greek yogurt, organic string cheese, even Popchips when I?m feeling like a little treat. The key is to having healthy choices at the ready on those busy days.
Q: Finish this sentence: ??Slim for Life? is not another diet book, it?s a ??
A: way of life that will make you happier and healthier ? permanently.
(Get your copy here)
WORKOUT DVD REVIEW:
Title: Jillian Michaels Hard Body
The skinny: This 45-minute workout consists of two quick paced interval-style workouts. There are seven segments that you repeat twice. The moves are hardcore exercises that you have come to expect from Michaels, but the key to getting the Hard Body the title suggests is how she has taken her traditional moves and intensified them by moving quickly and adding weights to most all of the cardio moves. Michaels describes the moves before she performs them so you won?t fall behind or be confused. As you?ve read in her interview, these quick intervals shred fat fast. The DVD is for all levels with a modification offered for every move, but if you are truly going to get that Hard Body you will need to kick it up a notch and be sure to watch what you eat.
How to buy: $13, amazon.com or jillianmichaels.com
For those of you who want to get extra inspired get tickets to one of her ?Maximize Your Life Tour? shows where she will talk about:
- Science ? The science behind losing weight, Jillian breaks it all down and teaches you what, when, and how to eat so you maximize your metabolism, ignite your fat-burning potential and keep the weight off for good.
- Sweat ? Learn the most cutting-edge, state-of-the-art fitness methods and techniques to transform your physique in the shortest period of time, to get you in the best shape of your life.
- Self ? Get motivated, focused and ready to make the changes in your life you want to make. Jillian gives you the secrets and tools of super achievers. You will learn to:
Cultivate your passions and embrace your uniqueness to create a purpose-filled life ? on your own terms.
Work through fear, worry, shame, and negative self-talk to blast through obstacles and create self confidence, self esteem, and a healthy self image.
Take powerful, informed, deliberate actions to make your dreams and goals a reality.
For a special message from Jillian listen here
clane@timesunion.com ? 518-454-5436 ? @tiredorinspired ? http:facebook.com/carinlane.healthylife ? pinterest.com/carinlane
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