Oohs and Aahs (not Grunts and Groans)

This morning’s bootcamp got a special treat. One of the ladies brought her 8-month-old son to class. Her husband is traveling on business and she didn’t want to miss the session so she was able to bring her son along to act as a spectator. She even joked that he needed to sit there quietly while she exercised to take off the weight that he’d caused.

He was absolutely adorable and amazingly well-behaved. And while he sat in his stroller, we all worked out around him. As Mike tasked us with various back, bicep, and tricep moves we were all a bit distracted by the baby. But it was a great distraction. As our heartbeats quicken and our muscles became fatigued we continued to push because we weren’t focusing directly on how much we hurt. If it were up to me, I’d tell my fellow bootcamper to bring her son each week to give us all something to ogle as we are pushed to our limits.

Despite the diversion from pain, today’s session was definitely still a struggle. My arms were shaking about half-way through and my shirt was soaked with sweat. The best part of the day, for me, was our warm-up lap. We started the session with a lap around the park. One lap is equal to half a mile. During the last 4-week session of bootcamp, I really struggled with any running. I could complete the lap without stopping but it would take me a few minutes to recover. Today, after the lap, I was certainly out of breath and my heart rate was up but I still felt comfortable. It only took me a few seconds to recover and I was ready to start the workout almost immediately. Today I could feel the improvements I’ve been making since starting camp.