Winter 2012 Boot Camp

What better way to start off a new year than with a new commitment to a fit and healthy lifestyle? A group of students at the Grove Park Inn Sports Complex is doing exactly that! Labet Pritchard has organized a new Boot Camp for the new year, filled with new challenges and new goals to be met. As Boot Camp kicked off, she offered her students a riddle to ponder as they started off their new program.....

Who Am I?

I am your constant companion.  

I am your greatest helper or heaviest burden.  

I will push you onward or drag you down to failure.

  

I am completely at your command.  

Half of the things you do you might as well turn 

over to me and I will do them - quickly and correctly.

  

I am easily managed - you must be firm with me. 

Show me exactly how you want something done 

and after a few lessons, I will do it automatically. 

I am the servant of great people,  

and alas, of all failures as well.  

Those who are great, I have made great.  

Those who are failures, I have made failures.  

I am not a machine though  

I work with the precision of a machine  

plus the intelligence of a person.  

You may run me for profit or run me for ruin - 

it makes no difference to me.  

Take me, train me, be firm with me, and  

I will place the world at your feet.  

Be easy with me and I will destroy you.  

Who am I? 

I am Habit.

(Taking that very first step is often the hardest part.)

One Bootcamper's Story

Hi.  My name is Kelly.

I am one of the least athletic people you'll ever meet.  I was picked last in gym class in high school for four grueling years and can't hit a barn with a ball from 10 feet.  Also, I'm clumsy.  I can trip over a crack in the sidewalk, fall up steps, and am generally so clumsy that I have knocked my glasses off my own face.

I was overweight and deeply insecure about it, wasn't sleeping well, couldn't fit into any of my clothes, was grumpy to my kids, and wondered often about who that chubby woman was who stared back at me from the mirror.

So taking an exercise bootcamp seemed like a very daunting idea.  My friend called me and asked me to go with her.  I gritted my teeth and said, "Okay, I'll do it." It's 8 weeks, I decided.  That isn't a lifetime.  I can try it for 8 weeks.   I called LaBet and asked her what kind of skill level I needed.  "I'm really out of shape" I told her, wondering when it was--if ever--that I was 'in shape'.

As it turns out, she wanted me to push myself, to be successful, to get my rear end off the floor ("you grew it, you LIFT IT!") but she didn't try to kill me.  She was 180 pounds in high school, so she knows what it's like to be uncomfortable in her own skin and what it takes to change that--so you aren't taking this class from someone who hasn't been there.  She gets it.  She's compassionate and genuine, and while she urges you to do just ONE MORE LUNGE, she also urges you to listen to your body and not hurt yourself either.  She encourages you to go at your pace, and can provide alternate exercises for your level of fitness right there on the fly.  There is no judging because you're not up to the fitness level of others. Let me say this again:  she wants you to succeed.
 

So, what do you do now? You show up. It's only 8 weeks of your life.  Eight weeks is something we can all do, right?  It's only 2 months.  In two months time, you can fit into your clothes better, sleep better, be nicer to your kids, and get some confidence, because you're doing something good for your body.  All you have to do is SHOW UP.
 

Boot Camp Heads Outdoors

Starting out a July morning with an invigorating outdoor workout!

Summer Boot Camp Begins!

The summer session of Boot Camp got started this morning, bright and early at 6:30 am. I have to say, 6:30 am doesn't feel nearly as early in June as it does in January, when you're trekking out into frigid blackness. This morning, the sun was well up, and the birds were singing their good morning songs by the time I made my way over to the Grove Park Inn Sports Complex. On the way in, I even passed a group of baby turkeys with their mothers, busily working on finding breakfast in a neighbor's yard. It's impossible not to smile at the sight of baby turkeys, no matter how messy and irritating you know they'll become as adults!

On Day 1, LaBet gets us started by outlining the plan for the coming weeks, and explaining how the workouts will be structured. We weigh in, and take benchmark measurements including percentage of body fat and lean muscle. LaBet also records how fast we can run the mile, the number of situps in one minute, and the number of pushups we can do without stopping. Then we work on setting goals. Motivation is high. We've got 8 weeks. We can accomplish all kinds of progress in eight weeks. Off we go!!!

  

The Results Are In!

Seven of the 15 Bootcampers were tracking their weight and trying to achieve specific goals by the end of this session. These steadfast 7 lost a total of 34 pounds and 18 inches, and an impressive 13.3% body fat! That's a lot less flab for the coming swimsuit season, better health, and better energy. Way to go Bootcampers, and keep up the good work!

Bootcampers Learn Yoga!

LaBet was feeling ambitious this morning - 

she decided to introduce us to yoga!

We didn't too bad for beginners!

While Everyone Else Is Sleeping

Do you see how dark it is outside those windows?

Oh yeah, we're bad.

Goooooooo Bootcampers!!