It is interesting how if you’re from one part of the world – the USA – you would treat the question ‘who is Jillian Michaels?’ with a strange look, because she is a very well-known and familiar face. However, for other parts of the world the name Jillian Michaels does not necessarily strike the same chord. She is not a household name outside of her native America. But why is she so well known in the States, but not really famous outside of it? If we are going to answer that question we need to learn who she is and what she is all about.
Michaels is actually most famous as being a trainer on America’s version of The Biggest Loser, a reality TV show about obese people attempting to lose weight. But she is actually now more broadly known as a television personality, a fitness guru, a talk show host, an entrepreneur and a motivational speaker. She has released best-selling books and a number of fitness and workout DVDs that have been extremely popular. Her website is also known to be the fourth most visited health website in the world – pretty impressive stats given how much competition there is in this sort of area.
The truth behind her success is that she is a very friendly and genuine person who makes time for her fans and has real warmth when she talks – but she also knows how to say it like it is and not pull any of her punches when it comes to the reality of someone’s diet. Of course, what people really love about her is that her weight loss plans actually do the job that they are supposed to. Unlike so many fad diets and fake systems the offer the impossible, Michaels’ plans can actually help people to slim down and achieve the body they have always dreamed of.
She started off her career as a fitness trainer, but then decided to move career into the entertainment industry, hoping to move to Hollywood and become an agent. Unfortunately, things did not work out for her and upon her return she was not too sure whether it was a good idea to go back into the role of a fitness trainer.
“I thought of training as going backwards in the world. But I opened myself up to the opportunities that came my way, and I pursued them with passion and intensity,” she said. In 2002, aged 28 she opened her first gym, named Sky Sport & Spa. But it wasn’t until 2005 that she got her big break when she was asked to become a coach on the TV show The Biggest Loser. She ended up coaching the winner of the show, who managed to lose 122 pounds (more than a third of his body weight).
So how does Jillian’s diet stack up against the one that she preaches on the TV? Does she push herself with the same brand of tough love that she does with her clients and the people on her TV shows?
“Absolutely!’ she says, ‘everybody has capabilities and potential that goes unrecognised, and I believe we have one obligation on this planet – and that is to be our best, happiest self”. But she also admits that she isn’t someone who loves to go the gym – in fact she has to really push herself to keep doing the exercise that has been able to keep her so slim and given her this job and lifestyle and a fitness guru. She maintains a healthy diet, cutting out foods packed with chemicals, but she allows herself the odd treat, including chocolate.