Measured Success - Results!

I apologize to any of my readers who thought I disappeared. I am still plugging along at toward my fitness goals. Sadly, as Mike and Jen move to a new morning location I won't be able to participate in their program as regularly and therefore, my posts will be few and far between.

But, as promised, here are my results after 3.5 months with Great Valley Adventure Bootcamp:

Start: 6-13-09 Waist: 28.5in Chest: 39in Shoulders: 39.5in Hips: 41.75in Left Arm: 12.25in Right Arm: 12.25in Left Thigh: 24in Right Thigh: 24in Weight: 176.6lbs

End: 10-09-09 Waist: 26in Chest: 33in Shoulders: 37.25in Hips: 38in Left Arm: 11.25in Right Arm: 11.25in Left Thigh: 19in Right Thigh: 19in Weight: 161.6 bs

Difference Waist: -2.5in Chest: -6in Shoulders: -4.5in Hips: -3.75in Left Arm: -1in Right Arm: -1in Left Thigh: -5in Right Thigh: -5in Total Inches: 28.75

I am thrilled with the 15 lb weight loss and the 28.75 inches gone. I can feel these results in my clothes, see them on the scale, and notice them as I exercise and feel significantly more fit.

I am so grateful to have found this program. It gave me the motivation I needed to regain control over my body and my fitness.

Survivor Is Back!

Survivor has resumed and I’m not talking about the reality show. This week’s bootcamp sessions are being touted as “Survivor Sessions” because they push us to see how far we can go and still survive the hour. These extreme sessions are my favorite and definitely keep me motivated.

Today was the chilliest morning I’ve faced since joining bootcamp. I kept my sweatshirt on for the first 15 minutes and was convinced that I would need it to keep warm the entire session. To my surprise (and relief) I was wrong. Within 15-20 minutes I was thoroughly warm and by then end of camp I was wiping sweat from my face.

The best part of these Fall sessions is the wake-up call from the crisp morning air and the sun rising over Reeves part as we’re about halfway through our workout. It’s such a great way to start the day.

But the weather and the sights aren’t why I signed up for bootcamp. It’s all about the fitness and the results. Today we did a good amount of running, lifting, lunging, and crunching and I was able to do every move with strength and confidence. At the end of this camp session on October 9, I will report in to all of you readers with measurable results. I’m looking forward to noting the inches and pounds and am confident that the changes since starting bootcamp in June will be considerable.

Last Camp Session

I’m sad to report that this will be my final two weeks of Great Valley Adventure Bootcamp. Mike and Jen have decided to move the morning camp from Phoenixville to Chester Springs. The need for a program like theirs in Chester Springs is greater than the need in Phoenixville and so they are answering the call and heading in that direction.

Some campers will be following Mike and continuing camp at the new location. But I have decided to take a break and try what I’ve learned from Mike and Jen on my own.

After 4 camp sessions I have become much more confident and motivated. I’ve seen the results that consistent workouts can give me and I’ve learned from them what types of routines I should be doing. While I know that no solo workout will be quite as good as the camaraderie that comes with camp, I need to give it a shot on my own.

I am thrilled with the results I’ve gotten from Great Valley Adventure Bootcamp and it is very likely that I will sign up for more sessions in the future. But for the upcoming months, I am going to try to translate what I’ve learned here and do it on my own.

There are two weeks left of camp and I plan to attend a few more sessions, learn a few more tips, and get my final measurable results so I can share my success/changes with this blog.

It’s time to move on to a new routine, and I will continue to work toward improved fitness and health.

Back to Health

Last week I came down with some sort of flu. It hit me Monday night and took me out of commission through the weekend. I was so excited bootcamp was back in session and then I was too sick to participate for the first week.

I’m feeling much better now and was thrilled to get back to it this morning. After the two week hiatus and almost a week of being sick I was antsy to be challenged and pushed again. I was not disappointed.

Our warm-up was a make-shift game of tag. That’s the best way to wake myself up I’ve had in a long time. We grown women chased each other in a park in the chilly fall air as our heart rates elevated and the chill in the air subsided.

For the remainder of the hour we worked our backs and biceps as the sun rose.

I couldn’t be more thrilled to be back to bootcamp!

Back in Session

Last night I felt like a kid on the night before a new school year starts. I was anxious and excited. I laid out my clothes for the next morning. I tried to go to bed a little earlier but couldn’t fall asleep because of my nerves. Why the child-like jitters? Because this morning was the start of a new bootcamp session.

Lucky for me, I knew what I was getting in to. Unlike a kid on their first day, I already know my teachers. I know what Mike and Jen expect of me. And I have come to know what I expect from myself. But that’s what I was worried about. With a two-week break between camps I was concerned I would have been a bit set back.

Another first-day-of-school comparison has to do with making new friends. As a student I would stay up late at night praying that I would make a friend to sit with at lunchtime. My number one fear was sitting alone at a lunch table. As a bootcamper I cross my fingers and hope that the new attendees will be motivating and excited to be there.

And if I had been a kid on my first day of school, I would have come bounding off the bus excitedly chattering to my parents about how it went. I feel good about my fitness level starting this 4-week session. I made it through the run easily, huffed and puffed through some lunges and shoulder presses, and barely got tripped up while jumping rope. And the other campers seem great. They are just as anxious as I am to improve their physical well-being and to be pushed to the next level.

It’s going to be a great school year, uhm, I mean bootcamp!

A Few More Days...

I only have four more days until the start of the next bootcamp session. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am! I've done very well on my own, but there is something about checking in with an instructor and seeing a bunch of other women working towards their goals that keeps me motivated.

I'm glad to be a part of this fitness program. Normally around this time of year I start to get anxious. It's just the beginning of September but the holidays are looming. It all starts with Halloween. A few extra pieces of candy here and there lead to more temptations and my resistance starts to weaken. Then comes Thanksgiving and Christmas. I often give in to all-or-nothing thinking. If I'm going to eat all of that Halloween candy I might as well skip my workout too... I'll start again on Monday...

This year, with the help of Mike and Jen combined with the positivity of the other bootcampers, I'm confident that I can stay motivated and avoid the holiday weight gain phenomenon. How great would it be to go home for Christmas weighing a few pounds less than last year? Not only would it be great, but it will be great!

This is the first time I've been looking forward to Monday. Hopefully I'll meet a bunch of new people with similar goals. Can't wait!

A Week Without Bootcamp

Thank goodness for Jen and Mike and their emails! It has been one week since the last Adventure Bootcamp session ended and it is certainly more challenging to motivate myself without a scheduled daily workout. Fortunately, while on hiatus, they don’t forget about their campers. We still get regular emails with tips and motivation and suggestions.

I’ve been working out on my own since last Friday and have done a good job keeping to a routine and fitting in the cardio exercises. Like I said in a previous post, it’s the weight training that I have a hard time doing on my own. I’m never sure I am doing the right activities and I find it a bit boring to do solo so I slack off. That said, at the end of last camp my arms were feeling very strong and I was starting to see definition. I don’t want to lose that hard work and have been doing my best to keep up some sort of weight routine.

In the week sans bootcamp, I did a strength training DVD with my sister on Saturday, used the weight machines at the gym on Tuesday, and will complete another strength training DVD either today or Saturday. With one more week to go before bootcamp resumes, I need to be sure to continue to work on strength in addition to cardio a few more times. Fortunately, emails from Jen keep me thinking of that goal.

Jen ends her emails with this note: Think Differently. MOVE more. EAT well. That’s my goal. I’m trying to do these things on my own and fortunately I’m getting friendly reminders to keep me going.