Over the weekend I had the opportunity to attend a free (yes, free!) 30 minute workout with Ms. Motivation herself, Jillian Michaels! Some of you may know her from “The Biggest Loser” or maybe her brief stint on “The Doctors”. Others may know her from her books or workout DVD’s. Either way, when you hear the name Jillian Michaels, the words “motivational” or “transformation” may come to mind. To add to the torture, she brought along with her Tee Major, another motivational fitness guru. Between the both of them, I was sweating before the warm-up was over. Her workout included lots of cardio that incorporated several full body moves. I couldn’t remember the last time I had completed pushups, side planks, jumping lunges, sumo squats, jumping jacks, and burpees all in one setting. And that was only half the workout! But because of the custom Jillian Michaels, heart pumping soundtrack that included catchy high-tempo beats, I actually thought I was having fun! My favorite part of the workout was that she would take breaks and come into the crowd to motivate us and push us to new limits. There were several times when I was actually within inches of the most hardcore trainer in the country…and I may have even sweated on her a time or two (sorry, Jillian). It was a pretty amazing experience just being near her and before I knew it, the 30 minutes was over. 😦 It is now 2 days later and the soreness has reminded how out of shape I really am. I didn’t take a ton of pictures because I was too busy working out and trying to catch my breath! Plus I knew they were filming and taking their own photos that I am sure will appear somewhere in cyberland for me to view later.
Now I must say, there were several other factors that made this experience super fabulous. One being that this whole workout took place on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum. So not only did I get to workout with a celebrity, it occurred on a historic ship with a beautiful view! The other factor was that this event was sponsored by Thrive Market, who provided all attendees with a swag bag and a free year of membership ($60 value)! If you are unfamiliar with Thrive Market, it basically is an online market that offers natural and non-toxic foods and healthy goods at wholesale pricing. The founder and co-CEO, Gunnar Lovelace, even shared a few words at the end of our workout. It sounds like a really awesome company and I can’t wait to place my first order! Did I also mention that this event was family friendly?! Meaning you could bring all of your little kiddos along to workout alongside with you and the trainers! Even though my kids stayed at home to nap with daddy, this was one of the things that attracted me to this event in the first place. I loved seeing all of the kids working out with their parents and watching Jillian engage with them and get down on their level to workout with them, too!
This was also my first experience at a Blue Star Families event and overall, I was more than impressed. The goal of their organization is to strengthen military families and lead them to ongoing opportunities by providing community connections. And the best part: it’s free to join! I would say the entire event was well organized and ran pretty smoothly. I arrived around 2:40pm (20 minutes prior to the advertised scheduled start time) and found the tent that was set up outside of the museum. Someone came along and handed out “Thrive Market” and “Blue Star Families” shirts and gave us photo releases to sign. Then, they took our pictures, gave us a couple of bottles of water and sent us up to the flight deck. The area upstairs was clearly roped off and security stood around the parameters of the stage. I also liked that the event wasn’t overcrowded – there were probably less than 250 people in attendance. I really thought this place was going to be packed and I wasn’t going to have any room to workout, but it was perfect! I’m not sure if it was because the event wasn’t overly advertised or if people just weren’t up to spending their Saturday being tortured by Jillian and Tee. Either way, I had a great time and those people definitely missed out! The only complaint about the event (which really wasn’t a big deal) was that it started about 45 minutes late due to technical difficulties. But, I do feel that a delay on start time should be expected at any event involving a celebrity.
I really cannot say enough great things about this event. It combined healthy living, family togetherness, beautiful views, military appreciation, and celebrity engagement all in one lovely afternoon. I have to give a huge thank you to Blue Star Families for providing this amazing opportunity and for organizing such an awesome event! I hope you get the chance to check out an event like this in the future. Now I’m off to pop in one of Jillian’s “Body Revolution” DVD’s to get tortured some more. 😉
Learn more about Jillian Michaels at Jillian Michaels. Learn more about Tee Major at Tee Major. Learn more about Thrive Market at Thrivemarket.com. Learn more about Blue Star Families at Bluestarfam.org. Learn more about the USS Midway at Midway.org.
UPDATE: This event was recently featured on Jillian’s new show “Just Jillian” that airs on the E! Network. Check it out and see if you can spot me in the crowd! 😉
“Transformation isn’t a future event. It’s a present day activity.” ~Jillian Michaels
Now for the SWAG!
Free admission to the USS Midway for the day
Thrive Market Tshirt (and Blue Star Families shirt for kids)
Tote bag (I love tote bags!)
Thrive Market membership for one year ($60 value)
Boom Chicka Pop popcorn
Fiesta Lime Rice Chips
Tomato Basic Crunch Bean snack
Pure organic triple berry nut bar
Eboost Energy Powder
Bottled water (not pictured because I drank it)
I am definitely satisfied with this swag bag and can’t wait to try these products! 🙂
The Swag Mama 