A few years ago I was unhealthy and unfit, to be totally honest eating right and working out were not high on my list of priorities. I generally ate everything and as much as I wanted and I couldn’t run 500m let alone 5km/10km. I’m sure at some point I made a resolution to lose weight like so many people do. However, what that entailed and the journey that has extended from that is far removed from the concept of weight loss.
When I think about weight loss now, it doesn’t have the connotation of a decreasing value on a scale, but rather a direct link to health and fitness, and by that I think about eating properly and working out in a healthy way, I don’t really constantly focus on weight loss. A few years ago I didn’t understand much about nutrition or eating in a healthy way, since then I have learned a lot. No fad diets, which I’m sure I have tried many, nor quick fix workouts that will give me washboard abs in 6 weeks. Nutrition and eating properly is a constant work in progress for me mainly because I have a small cake and baked good’s problem. I am no fitness model, I’m not a size 0 and I don’t have a 6 pack. But I have made positive changes to my lifestyle and the benefits have far outweighed a quick fix or just changed the number on a scale.
For this blog post I am going to focus on fitness or working out. I am sure anyone who has read anything about fitness or weight loss has heard the simple words of “lifestyle change”, for me it was a complete lifestyle change. At some point I decided to start working out and I tried a multitude of different programmes and routines from boxing to water aerobics and joining the local gym, none of these really stuck but I kept trying different things until I found something I was comfortable with and noticed vast improvements in my fitness. I must admit that at that point my focus was on fitness, eating properly and losing weight were on a back burner until I could get myself to a point where working out was part of my everyday lifestyle. That approach worked the best for me, changing one aspect of your lifestyle at a time is more manageable and it gives you the ability to be positive about small changes rather than feel pressure to keep up with multiple changes at the same time.
The “miraculous” exercise programme that worked for me was Adventure Bootcamp. Initially I signed up at around 3am on a Sunday morning because I felt like crap. It was conveniently located around the corner from where I live and it was outdoor’s which was different to so many other programmes. I remember that first class like it was yesterday mainly I remember struggling to get up the stairs the next day. I kept going though and three years later I’m still a dedicated member. In the last three years with the help of Bootcamp I have trained myself to run and explored other types of training like weight lifting in addition to bootcamp. Bootcamp however has remained a staple.
I have seen many blog post’s about Adventure Bootcamp as an experience, I like to consider this more of a testimonial. Adventure Bootcamp is a company that has multiple franchises through many South African cities and town’s. It’s a womens only programme and it happens outdoors; summer, winter, light or dark outside; everyday. Each franchise has class times that vary and a trainer specific to that franchise. Classes are limited to a maximum of 45 people per class and each camp is scheduled in 4 week rotations. The workouts vary everyday but work along the focus guidelines of General body days, Upperbody and core and Legs and Cardio days. Regardless of the day, each workout is challenging and the trainers design them to keep it interesting.
My trainer is Michelle who really puts a lot of thought and effort into her daily plans and extra activities for our camp. Over the last few years she has driven our camp to achieve amazing results not only in our personal fitness but also in terms of community and charity. I attend a class that is relatively smaller which suit’s me perfectly, over time I’ve gotten to know the ladies in my class and have really appreciated their support with every improvement and stride I’ve made. Working out outdoor’s is not common in Johannesburg and is one of the best things about bootcamp, that hour in the boiling sun, summer rain or frigid cold is an additional plus. I learned to challenge myself on a personal level and try my best as much as possible. After a few months of bootcamp, I was able to do things I never thought possible for myself, I was surprised that body was actually capable and at changes to the shape of my body. With the encouragement of our trainer and the ladies at bootcamp I’ve since done a few 10km runs and the Impi Challenge trail run, which are all things I would never have even considered previously.
For me fitness and working out is a constant evolution, my needs and interest’s change and that drives me to try different things but bootcamp has been a staple, it has undoubtedly been the one activity that has contributed to my lifestyle change and at this point if I don’t attend a class for a period of time I get a bit edgy. The serotonin alone makes me a bit of an addict, also that hour is my personal time where all the “stuff” just goes away. I can recommend Adventure Bootcamp regardless of your age or fitness level, there is a lot to be gained.
Life.Lights.Love 