Workout Wednesday {boot camp edition}

So it’s pretty safe to say we have this clean eating thing down, and all this running is leading to some pretty great endurance and calorie burning…but something’s been missing from the equation for awhile now and that’s MUSCLE.  I’ve tried the machines at the gym but wish I had some guidance, I’ve looked into a personal trainer but I wish I had the money, and I’ve tried some at-home strength training but wish I didn’t have kids.  No no no, I want my kids, I love my kids, I just can’t go to the bathroom alone what makes you think I could get a workout in at home?

I saw a friend post on another friend’s Facebook wall that, Long Beach Boot Camp, her favorite program, was expanding to our town!  It immediately caught my eye so I jumped in to their conversation and just had to know more.  I checked out their website and was definitely intrigued and saw they had amazing reviews online.  I still wasn’t sure if I was ready to commit, but then THIS happened.  $49 for a month unlimited?!  SOLD!  {There are still 4 days left local peeps, get it while you can!  If you miss it, you can always still try it out for free}.

Today was my first day.  I laid out my clothes and shoes last night, set my alarm clock for 5:00am, and forced myself to be in bed by 10:30pm.  Now I know most of you are saying to yourself “5:00am? That’s insane, I’m not a morning person”.  Well 6 months ago I said “Running? No thanks. I’ve never been a running person”.  If it were easy it wouldn’t be worth doing right?  My friend Samantha wrote a great post about early morning workouts.  She didn’t like running and she didn’t like early mornings.  Guess who is doing both these days at 6:00am?  She hit the nail on the head when she said “you don’t have motivation in the morning.  You just do it!”.

I got out there today having no idea what to expect and was instantly greeted with smiles, handshakes and encouragement.  Oh and a waiver….a funny one at that.  I signed my life away but also committed that if I swore I’d have to do 20 push-ups, and the same goes for any talk of donuts.  This was going to be good.

It was more than good, it was actually great!  We ran, we lifted weights, we high knee-lifted, we butt-kicked, we squatted , we push-uped, and most importantly we had fun!  I’m not even kidding…it was actually FUN.  What I really liked most was our great trainer Jodie showed 3 variations for all the workouts so there was something suited for all levels of fitness.  It was such an upbeat, positive and supportive group of people.  I also found out that several people there today are also running the Long Beach half marathon in October and said this boot camp has helped immensely with their running abilities.

I don’t know if it was the 5:00am wake-up, the great workout, the beautiful sunrise behind me and a rainbow in front of me, or the motivated group of people that did it…but I was inspired this morning.  I have a feeling they all contributed equally to my fantastic mood today and my eagerness to set my alarm clock again for tomorrow.  5:30am….I’m ready for you!  Long Beach Boot Camp…this is just the beginning my new friend!