So Friday, Day Three, didn’t seem like it was going to be that hard. I knew that yoga, a massage, a cardio session, and a motivational talk were on the schedule. WELL, forget that…I get to yoga and I could barely keep up! Thank goodness Boxing was next so that I could let out my frustration. The trainer, Marco, is so darn cute, but he’s very caring. I had a conversation with him on Thursday, the day I walked all the way to the pier. He told me about his experience working with the Oscar De La Hoya corporation which was mostly good, but he grew tired of the excessive travel and working hours which kept him away from his family. He only started with Camp Technique about 5 weeks ago, and he said that he really enjoys it because he sees the positive impact that it has on his clients – that he loves seeing our expressions when we succeed at something we couldn’t do before, or achieve an important goal. That made me feel so good about attending this particular fitness camp. Anyway….I digress…I loved the boxing drills and am looking forward to more of that, even though it was very tiring. Shoot, EVERYTHING is very tiring! Following that I had 60-minutes of cardio exercise. I like this, too, because I just jump around from machine to machine without any supervision. That was followed by my FIRST MASSAGE! Fabulous! Nina is from Thailand and man, does she have strong thumbs! It was a full body massage for a whole hour, and it came at a good time because Day Three was the first time that I was feeling really sore in a lot of places. Now, I might be ignorant, but most women from Thailand that I’ve ever seen were teeny-weeny petite. Well, Nina is petite, but she has a very muscular body – I guess it’s necessary since she has to massage some pretty big people every day. After a motivational talk by the gym’s owner I had another 60-minute cardio session. The entire time that I was on the treadmill I was DREADING the next hour….a 1-in-1 training session with Amber. Amber’s the one who concentrates on core and abs and does the yoga. I struggled so much with all the other exercises I’ve done with her and I was watching Arnae, the client before me. Seriously….I was mentally scaring myself to death as I watched Arnae do stuff that I absolutely, positively knew that I could not do, and I had this fear all day that I was going to be a big disappointment to Amber.
So, finally, it’s my turn with Amber. I can’t remember all of the exercises we did but it was all mostly arm and back stuff. I had to do these “dips" in which you sit on a bench with your feet forward a little more than usual, keep your hands on the bench, and then scoot your butt off, then push your butt up and down by bending your elbows. Amber had me do 3 sets of 10. After the 1st set, I had my first emotional crisis. I just had to stop and cry a little bit from frustration or fear or embarrassment…I don’t know what. Amber talked with me and I admitted that I was fearful of the exercises I thought she was going to have me do, and she assured me that she knows that I’m a beginner and won’t push me more than I can handle. And she said, “Are you one of those people who are always hard on themselves because you can’t do something perfect the first time?” I nodded Yes, because I am, and I’m terribly impatient. But I said that I know WHY I CAN’T do these things now and I know that I will be able to do them soon. Anyway, I took a minute to calm down and have some water, and then we got sets 2 and 3 down. It was difficult, but I did it. We did some other stuff, too, including get on this weird elliptical machine for cardio – but only 2 minutes at a time (which is all I can handle on that contraption anyway right now). Finally we did some ab-work on the floor. Guess what…I did 4 sets of 50 crunches. That’s 200 crunches! That was my last workout of the day so I headed home but first I went to the sports shoe store around the corner which gives all Camp Technique people a 10% discount. I want to have 2 pairs of trainers so that I can alternate them and thus not wear them out. The salesman was fairly knowledgeable about proper footwear. He had me walk on a treadmill and walk up and down the store so that he could check my gait (he does this with the guys, too, silly!). He was very patient and had me try on several pairs of shoes before I found the pair with which I was most comfortable. I wore the shoes to walk home, of course, but first popped into the grocery store to get some DECAFFEINATED herbal teas (we’re not allowed to have caffeine) . That also gave me the opportunity to see a few of the stores that are across the boulevard from our apartment complex. There’s a big US Postal Service. Oh, and guess what? I saw a couple of the other clients and I think they were having “contraband” (i.e., food not allowed on our diets!) And today I saw another girl smoking!! I won’t tattle on them…it’s their problem, not mine! Anyway, I was so mentally and physically exhausted by the time I returned home that I took a nap on the sofa, was too tired to have my last meal of the day, and then went to bed without posting a Day Three update on Facebook. Sorry!
On to Day Four, Saturday, TODAY. Even though the Saturday schedule is shorter and starts a little bit later, I still have to get up about 6am every day so that I can eat my breakfast as scheduled. I have been getting to sleep usually no later than 10:30pm every night. I knew we were heading to the beach for “Boot Camp” so I psyched myself up for it. I was also fearful of what we’d be doing there. I’ve seen photos and videos of the trainers having people run up and down the beach and doing drills, and it terrified me. You know I love going to the beach, but not to go running! That’s hard to do, man! Marco was our trainer and this time there were 15 of us there. After warming up he had us to various drills, each with a cardio-walk in between, but he kept saying “At your own pace.” So, my pace is to walk as best as I can. I learned that by keeping my posture and my head up, taking longer strides and swinging my arms, I could manage the deep sand a bit better. I couldn’t stand that I was last at every turn ‘cause you also know I don’t mind if I’m the center of attention, but not for the wrong reasons! It’s just pressure I put on myself, ‘cause I know none of them were thinking “that girl is so slow.” It’s only Day Four, for crying out loud. There was one guy, who just comes to the Saturday boot camps, who yelled at me to run when we were doing a relay. Well, under my breath I just laughed in exasperation, shook my head, and said, “F**k off dude” (I hope he didn’t hear me ;-) He doesn’t know me at all but it still pissed me off. We also had to do some bench presses with dumbbells on one of those giant rubber balls. I was so drained at this point that I barely got to 10 of the 25 that I was supposed to do, and I just quietly cried out, “I can’t do it” (OK, it was more like a loud whine) and I rolled off the ball onto the sand. Divya, another client, was next to me doing the same and she said, “You CAN do it, Donna.” Marco came over, pulled me up, let me take a breath, and got me back on the ball and I finished them. Then I had to do another cardio walk in the sand…these were always solo for me since I was always last, so this is when I would weep to myself, but that’s when I’d think about all the encouraging notes that I’ve received from you and I would just suck it up, dry my eyes, and plod back to the start for the next exercise. So guess what…more crunches!!! This time there were FIVE sets of 50 (various versions). I did 250 crunches! We had to do 5 more sets of those reverse squat things that made me cry the day before, with a quick walk or jog in between each set. This is when Divya, who whipped out 25 reverse-squats for the 10 that I could barely do, said that I was doing really well for someone who was really new and that I would be able to do 25 in a couple of weeks. That was encouraging, too. That’s twice that she gave me a mental boost and so when we were getting into the van to return to the gym, I thanked her, but she didn’t know what for. I said, “For pushing me.” Marco also came to me and told me that I did really well for my first boot camp. I didn’t think I did but I thanked him anyway. I mean….if you think about it….I haven’t done one second of exercise in four years, so the amount I’ve done in 4 days is pretty incredible to me, so I’m pleased with that.
On Saturdays they traditionally have a “brunch” at the chef’s catering kitchen. Most people had ordered the turkey burger, but I was one of a few who had an omelette. And it was GOOOOOOD. Back to the gym for a short break, and then we had a 2-hour group circuit with Marco (so far he’s my favorite trainer, can you tell?). This involved doing 5-minutes of cardio, then 3 or 4 weight machine exercises to work on specific areas of the body. We had to do 3 rounds of that, then switch body parts. I did back and chest first, and then 3 rounds of cardio and leg work. I really like the leg press. I think there are still remnants of leg muscles from all those years of dancing (thanks, Mom and Dad!). Had to finish up with 10 minutes of cardio and Marco made sure my heart rate didn’t go to high (so that means he knows what’s in my profile – I’m impressed). Then we went to stretching….FINALLY, something that I can do with ease. It felt so good. I might be chubby but I can stretch, baby. At the end of it, as we’re all just gathering strength to get off the mat and just leave, I decided to do a forward split. I INITIALLY didn’t do it to show off; I really did it because it’s another good stretch for hips and leg and it felt GREAT to do it. Well, everyone’s mouths just dropped open, even Marco’s; he was shaking his head in disbelief. So then I DID show off and do it with the left leg in front this time. I did let them know that I’ve been doing that since I was 6 years old so it’s not hard for me to do. Two girls asked how to do it so I showed them and did it again, this time with my back straight and hands up in the air. Man, that felt sooooo good to stretch like that! I think I will add this to my stretch routine every day. Then I REALLY was a showoff and showed a standing heel stretch, in which you stand straight, grab your right heel with your right hand, and then straighten your right leg up high. I can still do that on both legs, too. Hee hee. Mentally I was feeling much better by then!
So, we finished at 3pm today and after having our shakes and gathering our strength, we all left. It takes about 18 minutes for me to walk to/from the gym from/to the apartment. Of course I want to shorten that time over the next 12 weeks. MAYBE I’ll even be able to jog the distance before I leave, eh? I still have 80 days to go. Tonight there’s a social event (watching the UFC matches with the option of doing more cardio) and I planned on going, but as I’m sitting here in comfy clothes and my mind and body are decompressing and I’m drinking some orange zinger herbal tea, the thought of walking back to the gym does not appeal to me at all. And I’ve been on the phone for a couple of hours, so I think I’m settled in for the night. Gotta remember to set the clocks forward one hour….my least favorite day of the whole year! Why should we lose a perfectly good hour of sleep, eh? Well, I’m going to just go to bed an hour early! That means 9 pm!
So, while yesterday and today were emotionally and physically difficult, as I’m writing this and reflecting, I’m feeling better mentally. Actually, it’s confidence that I’m feeling. Seeing Arnae and Divya do things now that they couldn’t do when they first started, knowing that the trainers really are aware of my abilities and limits, and knowing that I have the support of soooo many family members and friends, (and knowing that I only have to workout for 2 hours tomorrow ;-P ), I’m ready for Day 5, Day, 6, and every day through Day 84 (or maybe only 83 – I lost a day since I arrived late).
Thanks again for your support. I love and miss you all!
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