The Boot Camp Diaries Addendum (aka Please Ma'am May I Have Another?)

It seems that my transformation from semi-couch potato to semi-athlete is moving quite along. Although we're on a two-week break between boot camps, our instructor set up a "drop-in" day last Thursday at the Capitol for anyone who wanted to get an extra session in. I signed up to attend, and when I read her email asking us to bring our mats with us, I thought that maybe she'd take it a little easy on us and that we'd get to do some yoga.

WRONG. Thursday's session was one of our toughest sessions, which is saying a lot. Our mats were not used for some peaceful, relaxing yoga. Instead, we began by doing 5 push-ups, 10 squats, 5 burpees, and 10 full sit-ups. And we repeated that cycle 8 times.

She then has us--you guessed it--run the stairs for what seemed like an eternity. We ran singles 10 times, followed by doubles 10 times. Then we shuffled up and down. We stopped twice along the way to do 50 triceps dips (for a total of 100). By that time my legs were burning, which meant that it was the *perfect* time to run sprints up and down the stairs. Suffice it to say, by that point I was ready to drop and starting to regret my decision to "drop-in" that day.

After all the stair running, Margaret has us do four more rounds of our mat exercises before finally cooling down. Despite the exhaustion and pain, I'm glad that I went. I figure the more active I stay during the break, the less difficult it will be when boot camp starts up again in another week.

By the way, I've also started the Couch to 5K program, which I plan to do on non-boot camp days. I completed week one yesterday and will do week two this week. I'm hoping that it will help me have more stamina for boot camp and, of course, enable me to run a 5K non-stop. At this point I'm doing good to run a minute without stopping, so it will be a minor miracle of this program transforms me into an actual runner. But miracles DO still exist, so we'll see...

The Boot Camp Diaries, Day 12 (aka Last Day)

Final day of boot camp! To kick things off, we had post-camp evaluations with Margaret yesterday so that she could measure us and see how our weight, inches, body fat, etc. compare to where we started. Although I didn't lose weight, I did gain some muscle and lost a couple of inches. My body fat percentage also dropped by a few points, and my lean muscle increased. All in all, a decent improvement from where I'd been four weeks earlier.

After a quick warm-up, we completed our follow-up fitness test, which consisted of running a mile and doing as many sit-ups and push-ups as we could in a minute. I was a little disappointed that I had pretty much the same time on my mile and number of sit-ups from the first week of camp, but I was much improved on my push-ups. I've obviously got a lot to work on, particularly when it comes to cardio endurance.

We then completed several one-minute exercises, including walking lunges and some weight exercises. We finished up with some yoga, and then wrapped up a few minutes early so that Margaret could take everyone to Starbucks. Talk about a great way to wrap up our session!

I've been seriously considering signing up for another round of boot camp when it resumes in a couple of weeks, and before I left Starbucks I told Margaret that I'd decided to do it. (And believe it or not, I would have re-upped even without Starbucks!) I've been reluctant to shell out another couple of hundred bucks for a month of workouts, but this morning I realized that I wasn't just spending money--I was investing in my health.

Boot camp has helped me be more disciplined with exercising consistently, as I've been exercising at home on my "off" days. It's also helped me be a bit more disciplined when it comes to my eating habits, although I still give in to my sweet tooth far too often.

All in all, boot camp has been a fantastic experience, and I'm so thankful that I've done it. If it's something you've ever thought of but were afraid to try, let me wholeheartedly encourage you to do it. I'm reaping not only physical results but also some increased inner confidence as well. I'm looking forward to seeing how the next round of camp goes. Stay tuned--the boot camp diaries sequel may be coming!

The Boot Camp Diaries, Day 11 (aka Take My Breath Away)

Last day at the Capitol for this boot camp session. While I still don't exactly share the same sentiment mentioned earlier by one of my fellow campers about Capitol days being her favorite workout days, I have grown to appreciate having a change of scenery, even if I know up front that this change will involve a lot of stair climbing.

Once again we used a 5 lb. weight ball through much of our workout. Once again I found myself huffing and puffing through the majority of it, although I like to think that I'm huffing and puffing less than I was when boot camp first began. I have yet to actually count those steps at the Capitol; perhaps one day I'll remember.

We ran all the way down Dexter Avenue, around the fountain at Court Square, and back uphill to the Capitol. Well, most people ran--I alternated between running and walking. My fellow slowpokes did not show up for boot camp today so I was the slowest one by far, and everyone else was back to running steps by the time I hoofed it back to the Capitol. (Maybe there's an upside to coming in last--missing out on some exercises!)

I have to admit that I was tempted to throw a little pity party for myself; I really am tired of coming in last. But Margaret was a great encourager and told me that she was proud of me for finishing strong. And you know what? I'm proud of myself too. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that there will always be a big bunch of people faster and stronger than me, but I'm trying to remind myself that I'm doing my best and that I AM getting faster and stronger. Maybe one day my body will be as lean and mean as my mind wants it to be. For now I'm going to focus on how far I've come in this first round of boot camp.

And by the way, doing boot camp two days in a row was pretty brutal. Like I said in my last post, I don't think I'm ready to up my sessions to five days a week just yet.

The Boot Camp Diaries, Day 10 (aka The Beginning of the End)

I can't believe this is the last week of boot camp. Although I normally go on Mondays, I was still at the beach so I went on Tuesday instead. It didn't take long before I was feeling the effects of taking it easy over the weekend.

We incorporated a jump rope into some of our exercises. I can't remember the last time I used an actual jump rope, and my lack of practice showed as I struggled to keep it going. Thankfully I wasn't the only one who was having a hard time today.

We also partnered up and did some exercises where one would run across the tennis court with a band around their waist while the partner tried to rein them in. I felt like I was at football practice but was actually stronger than I thought I would be.

I'm a bit nervous about going to boot camp two days in a row. Hopefully my body will hold out tomorrow. I think it will still be a while before I'm ready to go five days a week instead of my usual three.

The Boot Camp Diaries, Day 9 (aka Hitting Boot Camp Before Hitting the Beach)

Today I leave on my beach vacation with three good friends. Most normal people would be sleeping in a bit and finishing up some last-minute packing. You've probably figured out by now that I'm not so normal, as evidenced by my decision to go to boot camp before hitting the road.

Once again we had Heather as our instructor instead of Margaret. She started by placing orange cones in a wide semi-circle around a field at the park. We were instructed to run to each cone, pick up the cone and read the exercise on the bottom of it, and then run back to our mats and perform the exercise before running to the next cone, and so on. We could start at any cone we wanted and go in any order we wanted. Perhaps unwisely, I began with the cone nearest me; maybe I would have been better off tackling the cones that were farthest away first while I still had fresh legs and lungs, but I was afraid that if I didn't go in order I'd quickly lose track of which cone I was supposed to run to next.

The exercises were mostly strength exercises such as lunges, crunches, burpees, etc. I liked having the strength exercises mixed in with cardio; it seems to be a bit more palatable than running for a long time in one stretch.

For the last half of class we did a combination of yoga and pilates. I've always been pretty flexible, but I'm finding that I'm even more limber thanks to the yoga we've been doing in boot camp.

I'm glad that I did get up and go to boot camp right before leaving on my trip. It probably doesn't hurt to get some last-minute toning in before putting on a swimsuit.

The Boot Camp Diaries, Day 8 (aka Weighing Me Down)

Another Wednesday, another Capitol day. If I thought running steps was hard before, then I was in for a rude awakening, as we were each given a 5 lb. weighted ball to carry with us. We used the ball in virtually every part of the workout--carrying it running up and down the steps multiple times, wedging it between our knees while doing triceps dips, using it as a base for performing mountain climbers and push-ups, switching it from arm to arm as we did walking lunges up the hill.

I think the most challenging exercise was running up and down the side driveway while carrying the ball. Our Capitol sits atop a very steep hill, hence a very steep driveway. It would have been tough to run up and down without the weight; with the weight, I was definitely feeling the burn and counting the minutes until the cooldown.

It's amazing how much effect such a small weight can have on you. I'm sure there's a very profound metaphor about life's challenges somewhere here, but I'll spare you the life lesson for now.

Book Review: The Part-Time Vegan

I enjoy cooking, and I love books, so it's no wonder that I adore cookbooks. I love sitting down with a good cookbook on my lap, poring through recipes and marking the pages (with post-it notes--no dogeared pages for me!) of recipes that I want to give a try. That's why I was looking forward to reviewing The Part-Time Vegan by Cherise Grifoni.

The book begins with a brief explanation of veganism. Basically, it's not eating any animal-based food--that means no meat, no dairy, no eggs, no gelatin. The book does not expound upon any moral or political issues associated with adopting a vegan lifestyle; to its credit, it merely attempts to provide recipes that fall under the vegan standards that are simple, healthy and delicious (criteria that I always look for in recipes).

Recipes are divided into categories ranging from appetizers to soups to pasta to desserts. There's also a chapter with 11 dinner plans with appetizer, main course and dessert selections to suit a variety of occasions.

I have a couple of complaints with this cookbook, and they are, in my view, pretty major complaints. First, there are NO pictures! One of my favorite aspects of reading cookbooks is seeing photos of the finished product (always helpful to have something to compare my cooking attempt to), and I was very disappointed to see that not a single photo is included in the book. That's a definite downside.

Another disappointment was the lack of nutritional information. You'd think that a cookbook filled with healthy recipes would gladly include nutritional stats such as calories, fiber, fat, etc., but not so with this book. If you're trying to watch calorie or carb intake, using these recipes could make that somewhat tricky.

On the plus side, I've already picked out quite a few new recipes from the book to try. I'm by no means a vegan (or even a vegetarian), but I do like to have several meatless meals throughout the week, so I am confident that many of these recipes I can easily incorporate into my usual recipe lineup.

That said, due to the lack of photos and nutritional info, if I were leafing through this cookbook in bookstore, I'd probably take a pass on it.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through theBookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Boot Camp Diaries, Day Seven (aka Keep On Keeping On)

I'm not sure if it was the fact that it was Monday, or if boot camp sessions are in fact more challenging, but today's session was one of the toughest yet for me. After our usual few minutes of warm-up, we ran/walked a mile around the park. That part wasn't so bad. Little did I know what our instructor had in store for us next...

We were told to each pick up two bowls and put 20 poker chips into one of the bowls. Margaret had lined up two sets of cones, about 40 yards apart from each other, and we placed our poker chip-filled bowls at the far set of cones. We had to run from the starting set of cones to our bowl, pick up one poker chip at a time, and run back to deposit the chip in the empty bowl. We ran five laps at a time, and after each set of five, we'd do a quick set of various exercises with weights before returning to running another set of five laps.

I am by no means a runner, and it didn't take long before I was at the back of the pack. Some campers (who are obviously in far superior running shape compared to me) were on their final set of laps while I was still on my third. Still, I tried to not focus on comparing my performance to theirs (a surefire way to disappointment in a hurry) and instead just concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. We ran a total of 20 laps, and amazingly I was still upright at the end of them!

After all that running, weight training seemed somewhat easier. We did quite a few abdominal crunches and some plank exercises, so I'm anticipating really feeling it in my abs tomorrow.

The Boot Camp Diaries, Day Six (aka Halfway There)

Two weeks of boot camp down, woo hoo! I can't believe it it's already halfway over. I can tell a big difference--just last night, some co-workers and I did the cardio boot camp workout on one of the "Biggest Loser" DVDs. That particular workout used to really wear me out, but last night I barely broke a sweat. Bob has nothing on Margaret!

Once again, we had a substitute instructor (Heather) for boot camp today. She conducted boot camp last week and will also direct next Friday's session as well. She's nice, but she doesn't pull any punches. Right off the bat we did a series of exercises:

• 30 mountain climbers

• 30 walking lunges

• High knees skips

• 30 walking skaters

• 30 jumping jacks

• 30 jump squats

• Run/walk back to where we started

• 15 burpees (not sure why only 15 of these--I suppose that was her way of showing a little mercy)

Now imagine doing ALL of that FOUR times! That is how we spent the first half-hour of boot camp. I thought Margaret was tough, but I think Heather may have her beat. At any rate, I think we were all missing Margaret. Funny how running up the Capitol steps a million times seems so tame in comparison to this.

After the first 30 minutes of torture, we did some strength training: lunges with weights, donkey kicks with weights, arm work, planks, etc. We finished with some yoga as our "cool down".

In a weird way, I'm encouraged to hear veteran boot campers moan and groan about these tough workouts. It's nice to know that I'm not the only feeling the pain.

The Boot Camp Diaries, Day 5 (aka Capitol Gains)

Last week, a fellow boot camper who's a repeat camper remarked that Wednesdays were her favorite days because boot camp is always at the Capitol. I'm not sure that I can share that sentiment just yet, but it is nice to have a little "field trip" and take a break from the park.

As expected, today's boot camp involved lots of running up and down the Capitol steps. I still didn't think to count them; hopefully I'll remember to do so next week just so I have solid numbers to brag about. Of course, it's a little hard to remember to count when you're focusing on keeping one foot in front of the other and not tripping.

In addition to the many, many steps that we ran, Margaret had us run/walk all the way down Dexter Avenue and back. I've driven down Dexter many times--let me tell you, it is MUCH farther when you're actually running it. And I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to run much farther than I expected. I made it down most of Dexter before stopping to walk. I alternated between walking and running on the way back. Again, I was one of the slowest folks there (a couple of slower pokes did not show up for boot camp today!), but the important thing was that I finished.

For strength training, we did 50 push-ups against the wall, plus mountain climbers, triceps dips, and kickouts. Tough, tough, tough, but I can tell that, slowly but surely, my endurance and strength are increasing. My legs and glutes are more toned thanks to those many steps. Seeing results is encouraging--it definitely reminds me that all this pain is worth it, and makes me seriously consider signing up for another round of boot camp in a couple of weeks.

The Boot Camp Diaries, Day 4 (aka Run, Lisa, Run!)

Can you believe that I was actually looking forward to going to boot camp this morning? The getting up early part I could do without, but in just a week's time I've grown to really enjoy the boot camp experience. Except for the getting up early part. (Did I already mention that?)

Today was our first fitness test day. (Yikes.) For the first part of our test, we were to run or walk a mile, which was two laps around the park, and Margaret would time us. As usual, she reminded us to do the best that we could and to not worry about how fast others were going. As we got started, she told the walkers that they could just do one lap if they wanted.

I'm not a runner, so I alternated between walking and running, and after completing one lap, decided to go for a second to complete the mile. I was the last of the milers to finish--but darn it, I FINISHED IT! There were a few slower ones than me who only did one lap, so I was pretty proud of myself for lasting the whole mile.

The other components of the fitness test were seeing how many push-ups and how many sit-ups we could do in a minute. These were the full-on push-ups and sit-ups--not push-ups on my knees or crunches. We wrote down our results of the three tests so that when we do a final test at the end of the boot camp, we'll see how much progress we've made.

You'd think that the fitness testing would be enough of a workout for today, but oh no, we got our full hour's worth in. We did lunges (both static and moving) with weights. We did arm exercises. We did side kicks. We did shuffle suicides, which are (amazingly) even tougher than regular suicides.

This was a really tough hour, but I'm proud of how I did, and even more excited about how much better I'll be by the end of camp.

Despite how tired I was at the end of this morning's session, when Margaret told us that she was bringing some elastic bands and other equipment to use in Tuesday's workout, I immediately started thinking about going to it. So we'll see--I just may roll out of bed tomorrow and show up on what would normally be my "off" day. Then again, I may have to hit the snooze button and take the morning off from camp. Stay tuned...