Jillian Michaels giggles.

...and I am here to whup your ass. You're welcome.

Last week, I told you about an upcoming interview with the fiery, passionate, bounce-a-quarter-off-her-butt specimen that is Jillian Michaels. I asked for questions and they poured in. Your inquiries were inspiring, and proof that many of you truly want to make a change for the better in your lives. But sometimes it's not as easy as simply tossing the TV remote in the garbage disposal and churning out a 10K. We need motivation. We need mentoring. We need Jillian Michaels.

My Monday afternoon interview with her was - I swear - Absolutely. Freaking. Delightful. Listening to her talk is not in any way the same as watching her on Season One of Biggest Loser. I was expecting a woman who forces people to Ellipticize themselves to the point of puking; who hops on the backs of overweight men and makes them carry her around like a human backpack. Jillian may very well do those things on camera, but in real life, it was like talking with a girlfriend. She giggles. She pokes fun at herself. She - I'm not making this up - quotes Madeline Albright. (When discussing the importance of women lifting each other up, she referenced Albright, who famously declared, "I think there is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women.") We also discussed girl crushes, as many of you professed undying love for Miss Michaels in the previous post. And yes, I asked who who hers is. You'll have to read on to find out.

"Have you ever struggled with your weight? How did you make the decision to change?" - Chloe

"Absolutely. I was an overweight teenager, from childhood into my early teen years, about age 14. My mother had the insight to get me into martial arts. That was the catalyst for me to make that transformation into health and wellness, using it as a means to change my life. But it’s consistently a struggle and I’m sure it will be until the day I die. Every day you wake up and you make a commitment: Are you going to be self-destructive or are you going to commit yourself to positive change? "

(I added in a question about how martial arts influenced her workout philosophy): “Martial arts was really the beginning for me of core training. Also, martial arts helped me understand the importance of intensity in my training – of focus, discipline, using my body weight as resistance like push-ups, pull-ups, squats. Intervals, bursts of energy. The ability to overcome pain. It’s pretty much the foundation of my [fitness philosophy.] On Biggest Loser, I mix it up for them- everything from spinning to yoga. They’re working out six days a week for five months at a time, so you gotta keep it fresh for them. So I do a lot of martial arts with the contestants - it helps them get out their aggression.”

"When you're short on time in the gym, what are your go-to moves? How much time is enough spent on cardio, and what is a good ratio of cardio vs. strength training?" - Meg

“I always like to use moves that I call hybrid or combination lifts, which work multiple muscle groups at am time. A lunge with a bicep curl. Or rows in a plank position. A squat and a press. Anything with upper and lower body in it is a great way to go.

Cardio is the bread and butter of weight loss. You could do hours upon hours – we have contestants that do four hours a day of cardio. But I never let them do more than four hours of strength a week. That would be overtraining – your muscles never have a chance to heal. I would say no more four to five hours of resistance training a week. Two times a week is ideal [for a single muscle group.] If you don’t have weight to lose, make sure you’re balancing out your cardio with calories (if someone told me she was doing two hours of cardio a day, I’d say make sure you’re taking in an extra 500 calories.) But if you have a lot of weigh to lose, you can do as much cardio as you want. It’s not realistic at all, but it is possible.”

Me: If you only had 30 minutes to workout, would you do cardio or strength? “Both! It’s called circuit training. You’re heart rate is constantly elevated, so you can do both cardio and strength and get the benefits. It’s an ideal weight to burn fat, shed weight and tone your muscles all at the same time.”

"I'd like to know what is the worst workout Jillian has ever tried and what is her new fave? How often does she change things up?" - Charlotte

"This is going to sound really terrible but anything like, “Eight minutes in the morning” – that kind of false message. Those 10-minute workouts…anything that promises you a workout in less than 10 minutes is a crock of you-know-what. Personally, I’m bored to tears with Pilates but people love it. If don’t have weight to lose, it’s great for flexibility and core strength and rehabilitation. But I want to get the most bang out of my buck when I hit the gym – I want to burn calories.”

Me: What about 30 minutes broken up into three, 10-minute sessions? “It’s advantageous to do the 30 minutes all at once. You’re mobilizing more fat stores. But 10 minutes, three times throughout the day is better than nothing. But if you think doing eight minutes in the morning means you’ve worked out, that’s hysterical. The average person, if they’re lucky, burns 10 calories a minute. That’s 80 calories. That’s a glass of skim milk.”

Keep reading more after the jump...

PS Jillian was at our iVillage offices today as part of her Oral-B tour and answered a whole bunch of other questions – from lower tummy- and triceps-toning exercises (asked by Marie F and Kima) to avoiding junk food (Betty) to escaping a “fat kid” mentality leftover from childhood (thanks, Elizabeth!) We’ve got all of her answers videotaped and will be posting them week-by-week – I’ll keep you posted as to where to go for this fab expert info. Debi, Bette, Bdaiss, Farrah, Dee, Charlotte, Muriel, Joseph, Julie, Sally, Sharon, Crystal and Renee: Your Qs were picked, too!

"I am interested in the best snacks/light meals that pack the most nutrition in the smallest package." - Kelly

“You can buy travel-size packets of organic Greek yogurt – keep it in a cooler or the fridge in your office. Hummus and veggies; baked chips and salsa. I like protein bars, especially by Greens, Kashi and Luna. (She mentioned that Greens bars are higher in calories, though. and that Kashi would be better for people who are dieting). Protein shakes – can you bring protein powder to the office and use a blender to make a shake? Dry roasted or raw nuts. Low-fat organic cheese sticks - Horizon makes a good one. 365 is the Whole Foods brand and they have good low-fat cheese sticks. Health Valley and Kashi whole wheat crackers. Hard boiled egg whites. You want protein and carbs – like a half-apple and 10 almonds.”

"I desperately need to motivate my 16-year-old daughter to get fit. She's not overweight, just very unfit, eats horribly and hates physical activity. I see her starting to gain weight and I'm wondering if you have ideas or tips to get her interesting in being more active? I want her to love exercise, not just do it because she's afraid of getting fat." - Valerie

“The key here is DO NOT make an issue out of her weight. If you make it an issue or your daughter feels alienated, the likelihood is the girl will go in the opposite direction and say, ‘OK, you don’t love me they way I am? Watch this.’ That could mean anything from overeating to anorexia to bulimia. Your best bet is to lead by example. Work out, keep healthy foods in the house. Don’t make it about the teenager but about the entire family being healthy. Is there something she’d be interested in exploring? If the girl is into dance, sign her up for hip-hop cases. Horseback riding, marital arts - make it about her being social and perfecting a craft. My mom got me into martial arts without saying, ‘Hey, you’re a fat kid.’ It made sense to me – I was getting picked on a lot and [it empowered me.]”

Me: Quite a few readers copped to having a girl crush on you. Does this happen a lot?

"(In an embarrassed tone) Yeaaah, I get it sometimes – it’s really flattering! That’s just a woman’s way of saying, ‘I admire this person and they have qualities I respect.’ Like, Tina Fey is a very smart, funny successful woman and businesswoman, plus she’s accessible and isn’t fake. Women respect and admire that. Angelina Jolie comes across as tough but she’s an ambassador to the UN. I would hope with me, it’s because I am truthful to the point of being controversial and I do have women’s best interest in mind. I’m a feminist. It’s about women being healthy, about men being healthy, about the elderly being healthy.”

Me: Do you have a celeb girl crush?

“Oh…let me think, let me think. For me it would be Maria Shriver or Madeline Albright or Hillary Clinton. I mean, she is a Rhodes Scholar, hello! I love her.”

Me: "Anything else you’d like to say to your devoted fans?"

“Thank you so much for supporting the show and me…it is very appreciated and does not go unnoticed. Just remember one thing: At the end of the day, it isn’t about having six-pack abs. The bigger picture is that when you’re strong physically, you’re strong in every aspect of life. There is no diff between me and Oprah and the soccer mom in Idaho. The only difference is, I believe I can do it. Oprah believes she can do it. We can all do anything. Believe in yourself. Yes, you’ll fall of the wagon. Stay the course, bring action to your intentions and if you stick with it, sooner or later, it will happen.”

PS For all of you wondering about the arm band thingies (Kelly, Becky, Byrdie): It's the Body Bug, a calorie counter, from 24 Hour Fitness

Comments

I'm so pleased she's a human being! I only saw The Biggest Loser for the first time the other week and they portray her as some drill sergeant cartoon character woman. It makes for fun TV but I wonder if it makes the idea of fitness seem a little intimidating for the everyman?

I'd like to see her do something more geared to fitness-for-life rather than fat burning and fast results. Her knowledge base must be pretty impressive.

TA x (longs for a Body Bugg but knows it well send her crazy again, sigh...)

Great blog! Tons of useful info here which I will definitely use...Thanx!!!

Jillian was at our iVillage offices today
------
and? AND? was is as aweinspiring as this MizFit imagines?

This is fantastic! So exciting that you got to interview her. Don't watch the show but those Biggest Loser recipes (on iVillage) are really great, and her 30 day shred dvd is super.

I likes her:) (especially, as TA notes, for her "real-ness").

Okay, HOW many times can I say "I heart the Jillian" without getting banned? :-)

She's my girl crush for exactly the reason she stated...she is so real, no bullshit, and she exudes a genuine, honest concern for other people's health. She exemplifies that you can care and be empathetic and still kick people's asses for their own good - being kind does not mean being easy or weak. That is SO what I'm all about. Or want to be, anyway.

And hey, she mentioned my other two girl crushes - Tina Fey and Angelina Jolie - how can you not love that?

V.

Can't wait to read/see the rest of this! It seems like the BL does Jillian no real favors in her portrayal. On the podcasts of her radio show, she comes across exactly as you mentioned - kinda goofy, self-deprecating and caring.

Oh my god! I have a girl crush on Jillian Micheals now. She's still my fav Biggest loser trainer. And now to top it off, she's a feminist as well.

That interview made me smile! I always thought Jillian was a total hard-ass (literally and figuratively) from seeing her on BL, but her intelligent and caring self really shines through! Yay Jillian!

You know, I've had mixed feelings about Jillian. I've read one of her books although I've never seen her on TV (what? Don't look at me like that!). But after reading this interview I feel a little girl-crush of my own developing. Loved her answers, loved your questions, love all the comments! I'm truly excited to hear more from her now!

Thanks Jillian!

What a fantastic interview! Thanks Jillian for sharing with us. My fave part: "Are you going to be self-destructive or are you going to commit yourself to positive change?"

I so see a blog post coming...lol!

For those who are interested in learning more from Jillian, she hosts a weekly radio show on KFI 640 AM and the show is available weekly as podcasts at the website. On the radio, she comes across every bit as knowledgeable and personable as she does in Leslie's interview.

Here's the link:

http://www.kfi640.com/podcast/SUNDAY.xml

Can I just say how shocked and pleased I am with Jillian's answer to Valerie's question about her 16 year old daughter?

Not being a big fan of The Biggest Loser or Jillian Michaels, that answer was like a breath of fresh air!

Jillian sounds so cool! I now officially have a girl crush on her.

My favorite part of the interview was her closing remarks:

"At the end of the day, it isn’t about having six-pack abs. The bigger picture is that when you’re strong physically, you’re strong in every aspect of life. There is no diff between me and Oprah and the soccer mom in Idaho. The only difference is, I believe I can do it. Oprah believes she can do it. We can all do anything. Believe in yourself. Yes, you’ll fall of the wagon. Stay the course, bring action to your intentions and if you stick with it, sooner or later, it will happen.”

I saw Jillian when she was at BlogHer '07 in Chicago last year. An amazing, inspiring woman!

Yayyyy Jillian! WOohoo! This article just makes me love her more (in a completely asexual way Jillian... I promise...). Score on the interview Leslie!

I too thought she might be scary-tough because of her rep on Biggest Loser, but just caught her radio show and she's hilarious! She has a much more down to earth attitude than I would have expected.

That's so cool that you got to interview her!

I love that she doesn't pretend that exercise is always gonna be fun the way so many fitness gurus do.

Thanks for the interview Leslie!

what a great interview! I crush/love her even more now!

Hillary Rodham Clinton was NOT a Rhodes Scholar. Bill Clinton, however, was.

Jillian rocks! Great interview. Wish I could meet her in person. When will she be in Augusta, Georgia?

I love her, too! I am soooooo jealous!

Glad I'm not alone in my girl crush (AND my crush on Blake Lively). ;-)

so it means if I do four hours of cardio I will lose weight faster? Currently I do only 90 minutes 6/week.

Ok, so what IS a girl crush??? I do not "get" it.