On Saturday, I went to Cynergy for my weight and measurements to see if there were any body changes.
Here are my results:
Lost 2 pounds of fat and gained muscle
Lost almost 2 inches off my waist
Lost 2 inches off my hips
Lost 2 per cent of my body fat.
Lucky number 2!!
I plan on measuring my bust, neck, arms, thighs, and calves before next boot camp so I can see what changes happen in those trouble areas.
Gut Instinct: Numbers showing lost inches and pounds are important and exciting but more important and exciting is how you feel.
I feel wonderful!!
Monday, October 29, 2007
Boot Camp-Week 4--the Last Day
The last day of boot camp was Friday. Test day. We did the exercises we completed on the very first day of boot camp.We had to count the reps to see what improvement, if any, was made.
Here are my results as I remember them:
Push-ups: first day=11 last day= 40
Sit-ups: first day=15 last day= 40
Squats: first day=26 last day=51
Burpees: first day= 6 last day= 8 (UGH-I find these difficult)
1/4 mile run: Time-first day=3.26
Time-last day =3.05 (with a healing sprained ankle)
Cyndi will be emailing the results so if I have any of these numbers incorrect I will change them later.
I am pretty happy with the results. I had improvement in each area. I surprised myself with the push-ups. I did them full plank and lasted a lot longer than I thought. Admittedly I paused a couple of times for a few short seconds. Same with the sit-ups. I don't do them as fully and as well as I would like but I did better than I usually do.
I am happy and proud that I never missed a day of boot camp and that I challenged myself. I survived boot camp!!
I loved it so much I signed up for the November Boot Camp-the last session of 2007. It starts November 5th but in the meantime I will do the metabolic training (advanced boot camp??) for the week before.
Gut Instinct: If I exercise and eat right, I gain strength and flexibility. Confidence and self-esteem are additional benefits.
Here are my results as I remember them:
Push-ups: first day=11 last day= 40
Sit-ups: first day=15 last day= 40
Squats: first day=26 last day=51
Burpees: first day= 6 last day= 8 (UGH-I find these difficult)
1/4 mile run: Time-first day=3.26
Time-last day =3.05 (with a healing sprained ankle)
Cyndi will be emailing the results so if I have any of these numbers incorrect I will change them later.
I am pretty happy with the results. I had improvement in each area. I surprised myself with the push-ups. I did them full plank and lasted a lot longer than I thought. Admittedly I paused a couple of times for a few short seconds. Same with the sit-ups. I don't do them as fully and as well as I would like but I did better than I usually do.
I am happy and proud that I never missed a day of boot camp and that I challenged myself. I survived boot camp!!
I loved it so much I signed up for the November Boot Camp-the last session of 2007. It starts November 5th but in the meantime I will do the metabolic training (advanced boot camp??) for the week before.
Gut Instinct: If I exercise and eat right, I gain strength and flexibility. Confidence and self-esteem are additional benefits.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Boot Camp-Week 4 Day 4
Today was yoga day at boot camp. No intense cardio. No weights. No sweat. You know what? I missed those things.
A sweet young woman from the Hanson Holistic Center taught the class. I've taken yoga many times in the past but it has been a few years so I was a little rusty and at times I couldn't support my body with my weakened ankle. That's the great thing about yoga though, you can adjust it to your level. We did all the usual asanas such as swan dive, downward dog, upward dog, tree pose, the pigeon, warrior, and my favorite, child's pose.
It was a nice change but I didn't leave boot camp as energized as I usually do. I felt tired more than anything else. I prefer yoga at the end of the day or on days when I can go home and relax afterwards. Several women in my class that had taken boot camp before did not come today so I wonder if they feel the same way I do. I did see one woman from my boot camp class in the earlier metabolic class that was ending as we started.
Tomorrow is the last day and I think we will be retested on the exercises we did the first day: push-ups, sit-ups, burpees and I forget what else, probably squats or weight lifting of some kind.
It will be interesting to see what improvement I have.
Gut Instinct: Yoga is great for the body, mind, spirit. Cardio and Weight training are also wonderful for body, mind, spirit and ATTITUDE!
A sweet young woman from the Hanson Holistic Center taught the class. I've taken yoga many times in the past but it has been a few years so I was a little rusty and at times I couldn't support my body with my weakened ankle. That's the great thing about yoga though, you can adjust it to your level. We did all the usual asanas such as swan dive, downward dog, upward dog, tree pose, the pigeon, warrior, and my favorite, child's pose.
It was a nice change but I didn't leave boot camp as energized as I usually do. I felt tired more than anything else. I prefer yoga at the end of the day or on days when I can go home and relax afterwards. Several women in my class that had taken boot camp before did not come today so I wonder if they feel the same way I do. I did see one woman from my boot camp class in the earlier metabolic class that was ending as we started.
Tomorrow is the last day and I think we will be retested on the exercises we did the first day: push-ups, sit-ups, burpees and I forget what else, probably squats or weight lifting of some kind.
It will be interesting to see what improvement I have.
Gut Instinct: Yoga is great for the body, mind, spirit. Cardio and Weight training are also wonderful for body, mind, spirit and ATTITUDE!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Boot Camp: Week 4-the last week
It's Wednesday, the third day of my last week of boot camp. And man, it's been an intense week of working out. My ankle is still not 100 per cent but it's getting there.
As usual, I find Mondays the hardest day after not working out all weekend. I have to remember if I do boot camp again that I should try and do at least one workout, walk or something so I don't surprise my body every Monday morning.
Since last week, Cyndi's been warning us about Tuesday the last week. It's a huge challenge and former boot campers remember it with dread. One woman said she felt like crying last time. So yesterday, Tuesday, finally came and I was a bit nervous. I still worry sometimes if my body can handle all this work. The main event was called the Team 1500. We were divided into teams of 3 and the challenge was to keep moving and to build on each other's reps until we got to 1500. I'll try to explain. One person would do the exercise, the second person would be doing cardio (run, hop, skip, high kick and shuffle) and the third person would get to rest. The person doing the cardio would take over the count from the person doing the exercise and then there would always be someone in rest. The goal was to do a total of 100 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 300 burpees, 400 dumbbell raises and 500 band pulls. ( I think I got all the right exercises listed but I could be wrong about the dumbbell raises).
My heart was racing so fast and hard during this workout but I can honestly say it wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. Cyndi figures that each person probably does 500 reps total. Amazing. I didn't know my body could do these things. Truly a great workout. My team was great!!
Today turned out to be another intense day. The main event consisted of five stations and each person would work out at their highest intensity for 20 seconds with a 10 second rest for a total of 8 times per station. We had to keep count of our reps and we wrote down on the white board our "lowest set." The five stations were: sit-ups, push-ups, dumbbell squats, burpees, and bandpulls. For example, do as many sit-ups as possible in 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds and do more sit-ups and rest again--keep doing that for a total of 8 times. Then write down the set that had the least number of reps. And move on to the next station. I did the push-ups the full plank way and I think I can finally do them correctly. I was using my knees before because it hurt my ankle but today it didn't hurt as badly and I wanted to challenge myself. Exhausting. I could hear my heart beat in my head. At the same time though I felt such wonderful energy flowing through me. After the main event we did an Indian walk where we walk and throw a medicine ball over our heads to the person walking behind and then the last person has to run to the front of the line when they get the ball. This was the first time since my ankle injury that I could run. Cyndi said it looked like it was getting stronger and that I was running better than I did before the injury! Then we did some cool down and stretches which always feel fabulous after the workout.
Gut Instinct: Don't underestimate your body. Try before you say "I can't."
Your body just may surprise you.
As usual, I find Mondays the hardest day after not working out all weekend. I have to remember if I do boot camp again that I should try and do at least one workout, walk or something so I don't surprise my body every Monday morning.
Since last week, Cyndi's been warning us about Tuesday the last week. It's a huge challenge and former boot campers remember it with dread. One woman said she felt like crying last time. So yesterday, Tuesday, finally came and I was a bit nervous. I still worry sometimes if my body can handle all this work. The main event was called the Team 1500. We were divided into teams of 3 and the challenge was to keep moving and to build on each other's reps until we got to 1500. I'll try to explain. One person would do the exercise, the second person would be doing cardio (run, hop, skip, high kick and shuffle) and the third person would get to rest. The person doing the cardio would take over the count from the person doing the exercise and then there would always be someone in rest. The goal was to do a total of 100 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 300 burpees, 400 dumbbell raises and 500 band pulls. ( I think I got all the right exercises listed but I could be wrong about the dumbbell raises).
My heart was racing so fast and hard during this workout but I can honestly say it wasn't as bad as I imagined it would be. Cyndi figures that each person probably does 500 reps total. Amazing. I didn't know my body could do these things. Truly a great workout. My team was great!!
Today turned out to be another intense day. The main event consisted of five stations and each person would work out at their highest intensity for 20 seconds with a 10 second rest for a total of 8 times per station. We had to keep count of our reps and we wrote down on the white board our "lowest set." The five stations were: sit-ups, push-ups, dumbbell squats, burpees, and bandpulls. For example, do as many sit-ups as possible in 20 seconds, rest 10 seconds and do more sit-ups and rest again--keep doing that for a total of 8 times. Then write down the set that had the least number of reps. And move on to the next station. I did the push-ups the full plank way and I think I can finally do them correctly. I was using my knees before because it hurt my ankle but today it didn't hurt as badly and I wanted to challenge myself. Exhausting. I could hear my heart beat in my head. At the same time though I felt such wonderful energy flowing through me. After the main event we did an Indian walk where we walk and throw a medicine ball over our heads to the person walking behind and then the last person has to run to the front of the line when they get the ball. This was the first time since my ankle injury that I could run. Cyndi said it looked like it was getting stronger and that I was running better than I did before the injury! Then we did some cool down and stretches which always feel fabulous after the workout.
Gut Instinct: Don't underestimate your body. Try before you say "I can't."
Your body just may surprise you.
Boot Camp: Catching Up-Week 3
It's been a busy 10 days so I haven't been blogging. I gave myself a graduation party on Saturday. In May I graduated from Curry College with a BA in Communications after 5 1/2 years of night classes. The summer was too busy so I waited until the Fall to have a party. All last week after Boot Camp I came home and cleaned and prepared for the party. No time to blog. So here's a condensed version of what happened at boot camp last week:
My ankle is still swollen and slowly healing so my workouts have been adjusted to compensate for my ankle. I do the row machine instead of running. The workouts each day seemed to get progressively more difficult. More reps. More weight. More running. More cardio. Cyndi said something like, "It's the third week. It should be harder." Even though it seemed harder it was actually more of the same that we had been doing the past two weeks. I enjoy the boot camp days the best when it involves more weights than cardio. But since you have to give your muscles a days rest in between, two days of boot camp are more intense cardio. I enjoy all the workouts and when I'm doing cardio I am so aware that I am burning calories and fat. But building muscles helps to elevate your resting metabolism and as Martha Stewart says, 'That's a good thing."
The cool thing is though, no matter how hard it is, it's fun and I have a great time. A great time working out..did I really write that? Who is this person? I am finding that I enjoy this workout. I enjoy moving my body. I like building muscles and strength. I still don't like burpees but maybe when I can do them right I will (but I doubt it). I don't think I've lost a ton of weight. I cheated and weighed myself and it looks like 5 pounds or so. I'm confident I've lost inches though.
I'll find out on Saturday when I go back for post boot camp testing.
Gut Instinct: Our bodies were made for moving. So get moving, your body will love you for it.
My ankle is still swollen and slowly healing so my workouts have been adjusted to compensate for my ankle. I do the row machine instead of running. The workouts each day seemed to get progressively more difficult. More reps. More weight. More running. More cardio. Cyndi said something like, "It's the third week. It should be harder." Even though it seemed harder it was actually more of the same that we had been doing the past two weeks. I enjoy the boot camp days the best when it involves more weights than cardio. But since you have to give your muscles a days rest in between, two days of boot camp are more intense cardio. I enjoy all the workouts and when I'm doing cardio I am so aware that I am burning calories and fat. But building muscles helps to elevate your resting metabolism and as Martha Stewart says, 'That's a good thing."
The cool thing is though, no matter how hard it is, it's fun and I have a great time. A great time working out..did I really write that? Who is this person? I am finding that I enjoy this workout. I enjoy moving my body. I like building muscles and strength. I still don't like burpees but maybe when I can do them right I will (but I doubt it). I don't think I've lost a ton of weight. I cheated and weighed myself and it looks like 5 pounds or so. I'm confident I've lost inches though.
I'll find out on Saturday when I go back for post boot camp testing.
Gut Instinct: Our bodies were made for moving. So get moving, your body will love you for it.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Boot Camp: Last Day of Week 2
When I went to bed last night my ankle looked like a baseball..big and round and hard. I slathered arnica cream on it all night. It's a homeopathic remedy that helps bruising, swelling and soreness. I also took an oral form of arnica as well. When I woke up this morning, the swelling was pretty much gone but in its place was a nice purple and black bruise. It felt stiff and so I stepped off my bed gently and limped my way around to get ready for boot camp. Yes, I was going to boot camp. I did not want to miss one day. It didn't matter to me if I was just going to sit and watch, damn it, I was going. I rubbed more arnica cream and put an ankle support on to help keep any potential swelling to a minimum.
For the first time I was late to boot camp. They had already started the warm-ups so I joined right in with what I could. A few said it was good to see me and I think Cyndi was happy I was there too. They wanted to know how my ankle was and if it was still sore. One woman called me a "trooper."
I told them all I just couldn't miss it. I'm committed to this boot camp, NO, I am committed to myself , my health, for the first time in a long time.
Again the main event was a team activity involving running, dragging a tire behind you, squats, push-ups, sit-ups, high knees, burpees, weight lifting, and carrying a 40-pound bag. I could do some of those but for the running and the walking ones I did the rowing machine. This is going to sound odd, but I was disappointed that I couldn't do the tire dragging and the 40-lb bag. Those are challenges I would have liked to try. But I am thinking about doing boot camp again sometime so I am sure at some point I will get to do them.
I am hopeful that over the weekend my ankle will heal more and by Monday I will be able to do a little bit more. And more each day. Only 2 weeks left and I want the best possible results. This has been an exciting, invigorating and challenging two weeks. I have gotten stronger in just two weeks...body, mind and spirit. This boot camp has been about so much more for me. I am stretching my physical and mental limits beyond anything I could imagine.
Gut Instinct: An injury doesn't mean you have to quit or sit out, just re-adjust the workout to use other parts of your body to keep your metabolism and muscles working.
For the first time I was late to boot camp. They had already started the warm-ups so I joined right in with what I could. A few said it was good to see me and I think Cyndi was happy I was there too. They wanted to know how my ankle was and if it was still sore. One woman called me a "trooper."
I told them all I just couldn't miss it. I'm committed to this boot camp, NO, I am committed to myself , my health, for the first time in a long time.
Again the main event was a team activity involving running, dragging a tire behind you, squats, push-ups, sit-ups, high knees, burpees, weight lifting, and carrying a 40-pound bag. I could do some of those but for the running and the walking ones I did the rowing machine. This is going to sound odd, but I was disappointed that I couldn't do the tire dragging and the 40-lb bag. Those are challenges I would have liked to try. But I am thinking about doing boot camp again sometime so I am sure at some point I will get to do them.
I am hopeful that over the weekend my ankle will heal more and by Monday I will be able to do a little bit more. And more each day. Only 2 weeks left and I want the best possible results. This has been an exciting, invigorating and challenging two weeks. I have gotten stronger in just two weeks...body, mind and spirit. This boot camp has been about so much more for me. I am stretching my physical and mental limits beyond anything I could imagine.
Gut Instinct: An injury doesn't mean you have to quit or sit out, just re-adjust the workout to use other parts of your body to keep your metabolism and muscles working.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Boot Camp: Injury-a rite of passage to fitness?
Week 2 Day 4 and yesterday I wrote that I felt like I needed a break. Well, God, or Universe if you will, listens and gives. But I wish it wasn't so literal. Let me explain. Today, raining and grey, I went off to boot camp knowing it was probably going to be a cardio day because we did alot of weight work yesterday. The white board had the word "run" on it several times. UGH. More running. But, hey, I know cardio is what burns the fat and I thought to myself I will do the best I can.
We start by doing some intense rotations of push-ups, squats and sit-ups. And because I struggle doing the standard push-up Cyndi told me she wanted me to try something new. She had me suspend myself from a giant band attached to a pole in the gym and do push-ups that way. The band would support me so I could do plank push-ups and build up my upper strength. It was fun actually. That was all indoors then we moved outside and that's when the trouble began.
We laid our yoga mats on the wet ground and they became spongelike from the rainy mist. We were going to do alternate sets of exercises with a run in-between. The first exercise was a "high knee." We were to step up on this cement, short wall, like a sidewalk, with one leg and bring the other leg up high but not touch the step with it and bring it back down to the street level and do that over and over. The first time I tried I lost my balance but regained it quickly then I thought I had myself in good form and then...boom..crack...I went down on my ankle all the way to the ground. Shit. I thought I heard something crack. I have weak ankles to begin with and my left ankle has been sprained more times than I can remember. It's why I don't ice skate or rollerblade. I heard Cyndi say "Ohmygod, are you all right?" And I said I hurt my ankle. We looked at it, it hadn't started to swell so LeeAnn, a woman in class who owns a holistic center in town came over and performed reiki on my ankle immediately. Her hands emitted such warmth, I could feel the pain leave my ankle and go up my toes and out. Literally that is what it felt like. I laid on the wet ground while she raised my foot and wrapped her hands around my ankle. I laughed and told Cyndi, "Well I guess I don't have to do all that running now." I finally felt ready to sit up and I tried to stand. I could wiggle my ankle so we figured it probably wasn't broken. As Cyndi and I walked back to the gym she mentioned that this particular day of previous boot camps several people had gotten hurt before and that they will have to take a look at this to see if there is something that needs to be changed. She also said that maybe my body wasn't ready for that particular exercise because it does require a lot of stability and balance. I limped my way inside and told Cyndi I wanted to keep working out. She put me on the rowing machine, which I've never tried before, and I did most of my workout there in addition to the push-ups, sit-ups and chest-to-knee pulls none of which involved my feet. By the way, the rowing machine is an intense workout. Upper and lower body. Feel it everywhere. I probably should have gone home and put my feet up but I cannot tell you how mad, how seriously angry I was for falling. I wanted to do the workout. I want to do this boot camp. I do not want to quit.
Yesterday I wrote I wanted a break but I didn't want to break or sprain any bones to get it. I guess I have to be careful what I wish for because I don't know if I'll be able to workout tomorrow.However, I do plan on going and doing anything I can do without hurting my ankle. To top the day off I also got my period for the first time in two months...sorry if that's too much info. But it's relevant because I think it effects the way your body works and it could have affected my balance today, which admittedly isn't great but I felt like I was doing it. Plus I also had to work at the bookstore which means I'd be on my feet all day. I should have called in sick but I was hoping that if I keep moving, my ankle will do better. I got some arnica gel and homeopathic meds to help the swelling and bruising and I also bought an ankle support and a cold wrap pack to put around my ankle while I work. Work was fine and I limped my way around the store. By the time I got home, my ankle was swollen and black and blue. I raised my ankle and put more icepacks on it. Thankfully, my daughter made dinner AND cleaned up.
I am praying that my ankle heals quickly so that I can do the rest of the month of boot camp. I am so mad and sad as I write this I could cry.
Gut Instinct: Ask, believe, receive. Be sure of what you wish for, you may just get it.
(I hope that means my ankle will be better by Monday.)
We start by doing some intense rotations of push-ups, squats and sit-ups. And because I struggle doing the standard push-up Cyndi told me she wanted me to try something new. She had me suspend myself from a giant band attached to a pole in the gym and do push-ups that way. The band would support me so I could do plank push-ups and build up my upper strength. It was fun actually. That was all indoors then we moved outside and that's when the trouble began.
We laid our yoga mats on the wet ground and they became spongelike from the rainy mist. We were going to do alternate sets of exercises with a run in-between. The first exercise was a "high knee." We were to step up on this cement, short wall, like a sidewalk, with one leg and bring the other leg up high but not touch the step with it and bring it back down to the street level and do that over and over. The first time I tried I lost my balance but regained it quickly then I thought I had myself in good form and then...boom..crack...I went down on my ankle all the way to the ground. Shit. I thought I heard something crack. I have weak ankles to begin with and my left ankle has been sprained more times than I can remember. It's why I don't ice skate or rollerblade. I heard Cyndi say "Ohmygod, are you all right?" And I said I hurt my ankle. We looked at it, it hadn't started to swell so LeeAnn, a woman in class who owns a holistic center in town came over and performed reiki on my ankle immediately. Her hands emitted such warmth, I could feel the pain leave my ankle and go up my toes and out. Literally that is what it felt like. I laid on the wet ground while she raised my foot and wrapped her hands around my ankle. I laughed and told Cyndi, "Well I guess I don't have to do all that running now." I finally felt ready to sit up and I tried to stand. I could wiggle my ankle so we figured it probably wasn't broken. As Cyndi and I walked back to the gym she mentioned that this particular day of previous boot camps several people had gotten hurt before and that they will have to take a look at this to see if there is something that needs to be changed. She also said that maybe my body wasn't ready for that particular exercise because it does require a lot of stability and balance. I limped my way inside and told Cyndi I wanted to keep working out. She put me on the rowing machine, which I've never tried before, and I did most of my workout there in addition to the push-ups, sit-ups and chest-to-knee pulls none of which involved my feet. By the way, the rowing machine is an intense workout. Upper and lower body. Feel it everywhere. I probably should have gone home and put my feet up but I cannot tell you how mad, how seriously angry I was for falling. I wanted to do the workout. I want to do this boot camp. I do not want to quit.
Yesterday I wrote I wanted a break but I didn't want to break or sprain any bones to get it. I guess I have to be careful what I wish for because I don't know if I'll be able to workout tomorrow.However, I do plan on going and doing anything I can do without hurting my ankle. To top the day off I also got my period for the first time in two months...sorry if that's too much info. But it's relevant because I think it effects the way your body works and it could have affected my balance today, which admittedly isn't great but I felt like I was doing it. Plus I also had to work at the bookstore which means I'd be on my feet all day. I should have called in sick but I was hoping that if I keep moving, my ankle will do better. I got some arnica gel and homeopathic meds to help the swelling and bruising and I also bought an ankle support and a cold wrap pack to put around my ankle while I work. Work was fine and I limped my way around the store. By the time I got home, my ankle was swollen and black and blue. I raised my ankle and put more icepacks on it. Thankfully, my daughter made dinner AND cleaned up.
I am praying that my ankle heals quickly so that I can do the rest of the month of boot camp. I am so mad and sad as I write this I could cry.
Gut Instinct: Ask, believe, receive. Be sure of what you wish for, you may just get it.
(I hope that means my ankle will be better by Monday.)
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