Happy Thanksgiving week to my friends in the states, and as I normally do, I traveled to Florida to visit my parents in this cute little retirement community down here. I love it here. Lots of walking, beach time and my mom is always on it with the vino, which I appreciate, ha!

I brought Pip (my 8-month old Pomsky puppy) on the plane for the first time yesterday. I gave her a little doggie Xanax and she was an 😇😇😇.

Hard to believe I was so distraught when I got her back in June.

I still always think about the hundreds of replies I received back then when I came to my email newsletter gals asking for help with Pip. She was 9 weeks old, biting everything in sight, not house-trained and turned my nice little life of autonomy upside down! Lol. I was seriously rethinking owning a puppy at all, but the insights and strategies that you all shared with me GOT ME THROUGH the hardest weeks with her! So thank you. I love her and honestly cannot imagine my life without her.

So, it seems fitting to say thank you at Thanksgiving. I truly appreciate you, and want you to know that I always read every single response that comes in. It means the world to me. THANK YOU for being here and for being open!

So today, I also want to give back.

It’s the one I did this morning at my parent’s little community gym. All you need is access to a treadmill (or at least 100 meters of flat ground to sprint) and a set of moderate dumbbells (I used 25 lbs).

One of the questions I get asked the most (especially) about the #treadLIFT workouts is: “Jill, why do we do cardio first, I thought you’re supposed to do weights first and cardio second?”

Great question, and the idea around doing weights first is that it’s preferable to have as much energy as possible for the thing you are most focused on, so your weight training. And then, whatever energy you have left, you do your cardio with.

BUT, that is more true for longer workouts, which makes sense. If you’re draining your energy over HOURS, then sure. But who seriously has time for that.

Which is why all #treadLIFT workouts are short, 30 minutes or less. And shorter is better, not only for time management and consistency implications but for results.

There’s some science to doing a short cardio primer before weights. And that is because if you are looking to burn fat and build muscle (if physique change is your goal), there are 2 parts to that—let’s all think back to our biochemistry days:

1) Lipogenesis (mobilization of fat from the fat stores to the blood stream to be burned as fuel)

2) Beta oxidation (the actual metabolism of fat as fuel during exercise)

Your short cardio primer does #1 above. It starts mobilizing fat so that when you get to your weight training portion, your body starts burning it (#2). Got it?

I love today’s workout because it uses a 15-minute cardio primer first, followed by 15 minutes of intense weight training—in and out in 30 minutes.

As always, these workouts are done Rest-based Training (RBT) style—Metabolic Effect’s signature training approach, which means you rest as much as you need for as long as you need, so that you can push hard again. It’s the opposite of pacing. And better for generating results, and also keeps the workout safe since you're in control.

This workout is considered intermediate to advanced so please adjust speeds and weight as necessary for your fitness level. I don’t expect that everyone will do the workout as is, but that’s the whole point, helping you learn to adjust intensity for you, and honoring where you are–while also having something to shoot for. Please check in with your body!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Xo,

Jill

P.S. The reason why I want you to complete this workout by Friday is because on that day (Black Friday), I’m launching a 4-week coaching program that will include both #treadLIFT and #moderation365 during the holidays. It’s going to be a blast! Get it on your mental calendar, I’ll be rolling out all the coaching details on Friday – hold tight! Get this workout in this week, so that we are on the same page for December. Legooo!