Butt. It's fitness boot camp, and it sucks. It all started when one of my co-workers emailed a couple of us girls at work to see if we'd be interested in signing up for a month of boot camp. There was a groupon special, and she had already decided that she was going to do it. She was just looking for some friends to join her. I immediately decided against the idea. It's hard enough getting myself to the gym. Boot camp just sounded terrifying. Well, my other co-worker decided she was going to do it too, so of course I felt obligated. Leave it to peer pressure to make a girl agree to something she has absolutely no interest in doing. So I bought the groupon.
We waited until we got back from Christmas to start our month of classes. After all, we knew we'd be needing some exercise after our holiday feasting. And so it began. We started our first class with a 5 minute warm-up, during which I questioned whether or not I would make it to the end of class. I made it, but barely. I went to class three times during the first week (my friends went 4 times), after which I had to take a 4-day break to recover. My body was in so much pain that it hurt to breathe. Walking up or down stairs was torture, getting up after sitting down was nearly impossible, and hugging was too painful to bare. During my 4-day recovery, I was having visions of my muscles being torn. Not only was I in pain physically, but I was also suffering mental pain. Yes, that was my life for the first week or so. I desperately wanted to throw in the towel and walk away, but my friends seemed so excited about boot camp that I couldn't bring myself to do it. So I kept at it.
I did a lot of painful grunting and complaining to anyone who would listen during the first couple of weeks. After all, shouldn't people feel sorry for me? I'd been suffering through this horrible ordeal 4 times a week. SOMEONE FEEL SORRY FOR ME, for crying out loud. Everyone kept telling me that it would get easier, but I had my doubts. Well, I was proven wrong. Although the intensity of workouts remained the same, my muscles had an easier time recovering. In fact, I actually started looking forward to classes. The endorphins I experience afterward are almost as good as chocolate (but not quite).
Well, I've just finished my month of boot camp and am so glad to be done. The end.
Just kidding. There's more. At the end of the month, I was offered a promotional rate of $60/month if I signed up for 2 more months. I first reacted to this offer the same way I reacted to my girlfriend's offer to buy the groupon. No thanks. But then there was the peer pressure of knowing that the other girls were doing it. And it is a great offer (normally $140/month). Plus, I feel good about what I'm doing. I'm making healthy choices. AND, I get to be coached by a giant black man who motivates us by blaring obscene rap music. It doesn't get much better than that. So I wrote the check. I figured if I've already put in a month, I might as well do a couple more and really see some results.
You may be wondering if I've had any results so far. Well, yes, I have. My ring fits a bit looser on my left pointer finger. And I have a 12-pack. Of water. (You're crazy if you thought for a second that I have ripped abs after 4 weeks. I'm thinking it will take at least 6.
If you're interested in checking out a class, it's called No Excuses Athletics. The classes are led by a husband and wife team- James and Joyce Moore- who are both awesome. Click here to visit their website. Who knows, maybe I'll get an even better deal next month if they see they're getting free publicity for the millions of people who read my blog!
