I am what most people would call a yo-yo dieter, I am either 100% or zilch when it comes to working out and dieting. As of late, I’ve been extremely lazy and my pants have been getting tighter every day. And because I refuse to buy bigger jeans (or wear leggings every day), I’ve decided to join Burn Boot Camp. It’s a neighborhood gym with a great reputation to kick your ass and get lasting results. The idea is 45-minute boot camps that focus on either specific areas of the body or styles of conditioning every day. Thankfully, the gym posts each days workout on Sunday to their instagram/facebook (so people like me can avoid doing arms twice in one week). I completely expected to throw up or even pass out on my first few days but I didn’t, and now I’m hoping this is something I can really stick to. I thought I’d share my first few boot camp experiences and then I’ll come back and share my results after six weeks.

Day 1- Leg Day Mini Camp

Oh boy was I scared to walk into this gym. I’ve driven past it countless times on my morning and evening commute but it was very intimidating stepping foot in the building that morning. I was completely right; I walked into “leg day.” A brutal 45 minutes full of weighted squats, power lunges, leaps, and honestly I’ve repressed everything else for the sake of my sanity. It took days to walk normal and sit without cringing after that first workout.

Day 2- Biceps/Triceps and Shoulders

I haven’t been good at push-ups or pull-ups since I was a 12-year-old gymnast, this boot camp was a friendly reminder of how far I’ve come (for the worst) since then. On this day, I couldn’t do a pull-up to save my life. However, there are these magical giant rubber bands that make the impossible, possible. With the bands help, I was able to complete four, oh yeah, you heard me right, four pull-ups! However, brushing my teeth was a serious task for the rest of week.

Day 3- Athletic Conditioning

How do I describe athletic conditioning……. A sick attempt to kill us all! By far the hardest day of camp I’ve done, it was essentially what you see football players do during training camp. Crawling across ladders in a plank position then toe tipping our way back, squat jumps, rope pulls, mountain climbers and more. I was very close to getting sick, but I didn’t. And as much as I hate to say this, it was the most rewarding camp too. Knowing that I could accomplish each of those things at a fast pace was a huge self esteem builder, and will keep me coming back for more next week.

So while K. Bendy’s post was all about the finding acceptance in her practice with yoga, my fitness journey is about finding strength and pushing my boundaries. This will probably mean more achy, sore, exhausted muscles but I’m curious to see where I am after the six weeks are over. Hopefully, I’ll be a little closer to doing a pull-up, all by myself.

~K. Busy