Jillian Michaels is this generation’s Jack LaLanne. She’s a fitness guru, a wellness coach, an author, a charity spokesperson, and one terrifyingly motivating presence in the gym. For 11 years, her role on The Biggest Loser has inspired countless overweight Americans to get off their asses and transform their bodies and themselves in the process. And after she was much-missed during a season away from the show, Michaels returned to The Biggest Loser this year, whipping people into shape and inspiring the masses. Now, with another season under her belt, Michaels has embarked on a new endeavor — one designed to take the transformation past the physical and help people across America make changes from the inside out. Her “Maximize Your Life” tour hits the James L. Knight Center (400 SE Second Ave., Miami) this Saturday. “Of course I’m going to teach people the science behind optimizing their metabolism and maximizing their workouts so they get a great transformation with their physicality,” Michaels tells New Times. “Whether it’s for losing that last ten or 30 or losing 100 pounds. That’s a given, simply because I’m known for it and I would never want anybody to come to the show and feel like they didn’t get what they signed up for.” But mostly, she says, she’s here to help Miamians get their minds right. “That first part of the show isn’t the crux of what it’s actually about. I can teach you very quickly the answer to those problems. If you can add and subtract, I can impart that info in about ten minutes. The real question you have to ask yourself is, Why have so many people not engaged in these behaviors? Whether it’s finding a job they love or finding a relationship or partner or creating a healthier physical self. That’s the bigger question — that’s the crux of everyone’s destructive behaviors. “What I want them to walk away with is the wisdom about what makes them tick, the why and how,” she explains.
Sat., April 20, 7:30 p.m., 2013