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BOOT CAMP!  It’s the latest buzz phrase in the fitness world.  What is it? Have you tried one?  Have you been wondering if you should try one?  Is it for you?  My hope is that, by the end of this post, you will have a better idea of what a boot camp is and whether or not it is for you.

Well, let’s start out with what a boot camp is.  Take your regular fun, one-hour, indoor group exercise class with your gal-pals and tweak it by beginning your class outdoors at the crack of dawn (rather than 9am or 6pm), add intense resistance training, lots of body weight exercises (ever tried the grueling crab crawl?), and add a drill sergeant —I mean instructor and you’ve got yourself a boot camp.

Boot camps are usually billed as “fun and challenging” (I would tend to agree) and are typically held every weekday for four weeks (20 days total) at the average cost of $300 (in my area).

A boot camp might be a good idea and fun to join if you are really hard to motivate, need the group accountability, and/or need a serious “jump start” to your fitness program.  However, since boot camps give you a rigorous muscular workout (and can also be hard on the joints), I would not suggest doing boot camps a daily basis, particularly if you are an exercise beginner or are older in age.  Our muscles need rest and time to rebuild themselves after a hard workout, which a daily boot camp does not offer.  Rather than a daily boot camp, one solution may be to participate in a 3-day boot camp (at a discounted rate) if it is available.

If you are considering a boot camp, or maybe you are already a boot camp junkie, here are a few things to bear in mind:

• Have an exit strategy – What do you do after the boot camp class is over?  As I mentioned boot camps usually only run 4 weeks or so.  So, the brevity of the class doesn’t really align with my healthy lifestyle philosophy — making smaller changes that you can keep for a lifetime (I know I can’t do boot camp classes for the rest of my life.  Can you?).  So, your best bet is to be thinking ahead and, once your boot camp class is complete, choose a fitness program that you can be involved in, that will fit into your lifestyle, and that you can continue for the foreseeable future.

• Get proper nutrition – If you are going to do a boot camp class or any regular physical activity, keep in mind that your body’s nutritional needs will increase.  To keep up with your new nutritional needs, you may want to seriously consider supplementing your normal diet with the right king of nutritional supplements.  If you have any questions about nutritional supplementation and how to get started the right way, feel free to contact me.

Boot camp classes are definitely fun, challenging, and different.  If it is a good fit for you and you don’t have any physical limitations (you should check with your physician before beginning a new fitness program), I believe you will enjoy yourself and begin to see some results.

In this anti-carb world, I must admit that I love–I REALLY LOVE making and eating a good sandwich.  Especially a sandwich with lots of thick, soft bread.

So today I made one of those sandwiches for lunch and oh, yummm.  I just gotta share with you.

The good news is that the entire lunch will fill you… Continue reading | 1 Comment

O.k., ladies.  Just a few days ago, I shared with you my 5 steps–Getting Back to Basics–to overcoming a “slip up” or a bad day or two in your weight management, especially if you are in weight loss mode.

I am here to tell you (just in case… Continue reading

O.k. ladies.  This is something I’m sure you’ve heard before, but I think it is always something that we can be reminded of every now and again.

Salad

Watch out for the salad. 

 This post is in our 500 club (how to cut 500 calories a day) because, depending… Continue reading | 1 Comment

Here I am at the end of a busy weekend, which followed an even busier week.  Here are my confessions.:-)  This week, I ate lunch out twice, went out to dinner twice, baked cookies for my sweet family, and missed one work out day (due to being too sore—I started a new fitness program.  Sweat… Continue reading

Mmm.  Mmm.  Yesterday, I had my favorite salad for lunch.  I thought I would share it.  It’s quite simple, but very low- cal and, and of course, the important part—yummy.  Here it is.

2-3 handfulls of mixed salad greens

chopped green onions to tast

3 oz. hot or cold salmon (grilled or broiled)

2 Tsp… Continue reading

Sometimes it is nice to sit in front of the t.v. to relax while watching your favorite show or movie and eating a quiet meal.  Ahh, I am feeling more relaxed just thinking about it.

But do you know that eating in front of the old “boob-tube” can cause you to consume up to 288 calories more, according to… Continue reading

First, I have to thank everyone who entered my Metabolism Makeover drawing.  The response was overwhelming.  I read some funny entries and some touching ones.  I was so moved by them all that I totally had to reply to each comment, which is also why I absolutely had to use Random.org for this drawing.  I… Continue reading

Recently, I hosted a contest and gave away Free Metabolism Makeover Body Transformation Program Trials.  Although I was very pleased with the overwhelming number of entries, I was struck by the number of women who are truly frustrated with failed weight loss efforts or women who just can’t seem to get motivated to even begin the journey of weight loss and living a healthier life.

If you’ve looked over my… Continue reading

This is me with my 2 girls sliding down the inflatable at Jungle Jumpers.  Here are 2 of the best reasons I can think of to get to a healthy weight.  I couldn’t do this when I was almost 200 pounds. 

Remember:  finding your future figure and keeping it isn’t about being… Continue reading