Shred ‘em Baby
Kristen Chase
It’s 8:00 on a weekday morning. Kristen Chase, mother of three, just dropped off her 4-year-old at school. Back home now, she changes into her workout clothes and turns on the DVD player. Her 2-year-old begins to play in the pretend kitchen, and Kristen puts her six-month-old into the bouncy chair. Then, she starts her daily 20-minute workout.
When she’s finished, she goes over to the computer and writes about it. Today, she’s feeling a little sore.
I started this morning feeling like someone had punched me in the sides. And my upper back is sore as well. I noticed that [the workout] requires a ton of concentration, which is hard when you’ve got a 2 year old trying to serve you pretend pizza and chips.
Kristen is writing for I’ll Stop the World and Shred With You, a weight-loss blog she created in March after deciding that she wanted to “shred” some pounds. She had given birth in October and was looking ahead to being a bridesmaid in a May wedding. She had read about fantastic results from the 30 Day Shred program, offered by Jillian Michaels, a fitness expert perhaps best known as the tough trainer from TV’s The Biggest Loser. Kristen Twittered about her plans to start the program and received a huge response. The enthusiasm prompted her to start the Shred blog.
“It was just so funny how it caught on kind of in a crazy way. I was just really surprised,” she said.
The site, which gets around 1,000 page views a day, is an offshoot of Kristen’s Motherhood Uncensored blog, where she writes about motherhood and marriage. She also is the co-founder of two Internet businesses.
Kristen was attracted to the Shred program partly because the workouts were only 20 minutes and she could do them with just a DVD.
“As a mom, I have three kids, it’s just impossible to go to the gym.”
Kristen made just two dietary changes, largely because she’s breastfeeding. She drinks only water (maybe one tasty beverage a week) and she stops eating every day after 8:00 pm (except for dessert on a Sunday here and there).
After 30 days on the Shred program, Kristen lost 12 pounds and gained a following of about 50 people who also were doing the program and writing about it on their blogs. She linked to those postings on the right side of the Shred site.
She also began calling participants “Shredheads” and created an “I’m a Shredhead” logo. Participants posted the logo on their blogs.
In addition to writing about her experience, Kristen posted pictures of herself as she began to lose weight. She also set up a page on Flickr that includes photos of the Shredheads.
“The pictures are the most convincing for people. Getting that visual really helps,” she said.
To keep the program fun, Kristen has been giving the Shredheads prizes that companies donate, including a Bootcamp for Tummies kit from skincare company Mama Mio, a Brita gift package and a $100 Gift Card from Land’s End. She chooses winners via random.org.
After completing the 30 Day Shred program at the end of March, Kristen decided to try some of the yoga and cardio workouts from Bob Harper, also a trainer from The Biggest Loser. Bob also offered workouts that could be completed in fewer than 30 minutes.
She created two teams that competed during April, Team Jillian, with members who followed Jillian’s programs, and Team Bob, with members who followed his workouts. Kristen leads Team Bob. She asked Bill Gookin, a father of two who was an avid participant during the 30 Day Shred program in March, to lead Team Jillian.
“I actually was really surprised, really excited” when she asked me, said Bill, who blogs at Daddy Is Tired and Moob Removal. “She definitely is in the top couple of blogs that I read so when she contacted me I thought, “˜Wow.’ It was like talking to a celebrity.”
Bill Gookin
Bill, who has lost 45 pounds since starting the Weight Watchers program in November, discovered the Shred blog through Kristen’s Motherhood Uncensored site. The program “came along at the right time for me,” said Bill, who was finding it harder to lose weight without exercising.
He provided frequent updates about his progress during March because writing about it helped him stay motivated.
“I was keeping myself honest. That’s why I posted every day,” he said.
Kristen and Bill take turns writing about their Team Bob and Team Jillian progress on the Shred blog.
“People like it because neither of us are fitness or diet experts. We’re just parents,” Kristen said.
At the end of each post are links to updates from team members. On the right side of the site is a growing list of Shredheads who continue with the Shred program but aren’t competing. There are now about 70 Shredheads, in addition to the 25 team members, and people continue to join. Kristen also receives emails from those who are participating but who don’t have a blog.
“[People are] amazed at how easy it is and it’s great to just take the 20 minutes a day for themselves,” Kristen said.
Every 10 days team members weigh themselves and take measurements.
Bill enjoys the team leadership role because it keeps him focused on the exercise program.
“Motivation is a super challenge. That’s why the group is so helpful. There is that accountability. I feel like, “˜Gosh, I need to post. I better work out this morning. I can’t fake this one,’” he said.
At the end of April, both teams were able to declare victory ““ Team Bob lost more weight, while Team Jillian lost more inches. But the competition doesn’t stop there. For the next six weeks Team Bob and Team Jillian are training for a 5K.
For Bill’s part, he looks forward to continuing to exercise in this virtual group setting.
“There’s no better way to stay motivated. I can’t quit now,” he said.
Post by Jessica Braun
 |
Jessica Braun spent 11 years in the news industry, working at Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal for 10 of them. She recently made a shift from journalism to marketing but wants to keep one foot in the journalism door because she enjoys writing. She's also a mom of two little ones who keep her busier than she ever could have possibly imagined. Jessica can be reached at Jessica.Braun@momswhoblog.com. |
