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Elizabeth Black, Salem Boot Camp Recruit - It’s hard to believe that a year has passed since I started coming to Boot Camp. It began as just another whim that my friend Becky had (another of Becky’s whims is the reason I swim in the ocean every New Year’s Day!). She called me up and said “Hey, I’m thinking of doing this Boot Camp thing. It’s at six in the morning and we would be exercising in the Common four days a week. You want to do it?” I had been going to the gym fairly regularly, but wasn’t seeing any real results, so I very decisively said “Um...okay I guess so.”
I missed the first day of Boot Camp and was not able to test, so I will never know what my initial lap time was. I recall, however, that by the end of the week I was barely able to walk, sitting down was an excruciating experience and navigating a flight of stairs required almost ten minutes to accomplish. What had I gotten myself into??? Brandi promised me that I would be better by Monday. She sent out an e-mail targeting “new recruits,” telling us what to do to maximize our recovery and encouraging us to stick with it. So I stuck with it and it did get easier (but not too easy!) and I was feeling better by Monday. I made it through to the end of the session…and signed up for the next one and the next one…
This past summer my work schedule changed and I was not able to attend Boot Camp for two months. It was then that I realized…I’m an addict! Even though I was using all of my newly learned skills to work out on my own, it just wasn’t the same. I missed everything about Boot Camp. It was all I could do to make it through to September when I could start up again.
Since then, I have received my first dog tag for perfect attendance (a very exciting day for me!). I seem to have channeled my “inner runner” and at the beginning of this session I was able to run the lap around the Common in just under four minutes…I’ve joined group one!
So here I am, a year later. I can’t believe that I can run and (despite Becky’s proclaimed hatred for the “running stuff”) I love it! I feel incredibly strong and can feel myself becoming more fit with every session. I love the camaraderie of the group that meets on the Common and the encouragement I receive from them. I especially appreciate the support I receive from Brandi and Steve, who were both as excited as I was when I clocked in at 3.59. Yup…I think I could be a life-long Boot Camper.
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Heather Mahoney, Salem Evening Boot Camp Recruit - “I’m a 2 year veteran of Salem Evening Boot Camp and I love it! I’ve never seen myself as an athlete. I dropped out of swimming in high school. Now at 34 yrs. old, this is the longest I’ve consistently stuck to any sport/gym/program. I’m feeling healthier and have more energy for other activities. It’s given me the courage to pursue other athletic endeavors I would have never tried. I ran 2 half marathons this summer. I’m a little slow, but planning to do it again and improve my time this coming summer. I’m also learning to ski. We’ve got a great instructor and a great people. If you don’t show up for a couple days people ask “Where you’ve been?”. (No one ever noticed when I stopped going to a gym) I know it’s the group environment that keeps me coming back!
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Nicole and Scott MacDonald, Salem Evening Recruits - "Several years ago, I was a 6 times a week workout freak. I was in the gym for 2 hours a day until eventually, I got burnt out. I was bored with the usual weight lifting routine found at many gyms so I decided to take a break. My break lasted longer that it should have and when I finally decided to get going again, I found your Bootcamp program. I was a bit skeptical at first as I assumed that the boot camp could never provide me with the workout I was used to. I WAS COMPLETELY WRONG. Not only is the program challenging and rewarding but the instructor, Ross, was the best. Pushing us when we needed it and making sure no one got hurt. There are many different level in our class and we all find what we need. Best of all, each calss is different so I know there is no chance I'll get bored.
I highly reccomend this program to anyone I know, it is fun and I am back in shape again. THANKS ROSS!"
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Husband and wife team, Mark and Mary Adorney, Beverly Recruits - "For the past year and a half, we've motivated one another to wake up in the early
morning hours for a challenging Boot Camp workout. The workouts are diverse – never
boring – and there's always laughter in our group. We leave each session feeling
invigorated and ready for the day. BNS Fitness runs a fantastic program!"
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John and Kathy Wilder, Marblehead Recruits - We joined the Marblehead bootcamp at the end of last summer (2006) not knowing what to expect. Kathy had seen this group on the Seaside Park basketball court at some ungodly hour doing some pretty weird exercises; at least that’s what she told me they were doing. And she was determined to join. I on the other hand, held out for as long as I could.
I crossed that 40-year barrier a few years ago and could feel the body starting to droop in places I didn’t think droopiness was allowed. It had become difficult keeping the pounds off and feeling healthy. I kind of felt like Bill Murray in the movie Stripes, where he proved to his buddy that he could do 10 pushups. I could do 12.
Move ahead 7 months. We are in our 5th consecutive bootcamp session and see no end in sight. Where else could we be at 5:45am in the morning, 3 days a week, doing exercises called the bear crawl, crab walk, superman, plank, v-ups, barn door, dead bug, suicides, and my favorite, the inch worm. Could we choose to sleep that extra hour instead of running the obstacle course 9 times, or stepping into an extremely tight rubber band and squatting across the basketball court while our thighs, gluteus maximus and hamstring muscles all sing loudly to stop and go back to bed? Sure, but we also know that if we pause for just a little bit, that droopy feeling will quickly return. And for less than $7.50 a session, you can’t beat the value.
Our bootcamp instructor, Betsy Caliri, is awesome. She’s no Sergeant Hulka, but she is also not afraid to push us to our maximum potential in a safe way. And if some of us reach that sooner than others, so be it. We can’t all lead the pack.
Yes, we could stop this unusual behavior at any time, but we won’t. We love the feeling of being in the best shape since the days of J. Geils Band, Bob Seger, and the Doobie Brothers. We love the camaraderie and the support we all share with each other no matter if this is our 10th session or our first. We love co-participating in an activity that is vital to our hectic lives. We love the feeling after the T’s and superman waiting to hear that welcomed phrase “right into the cat stretch”, knowing we have completed another intense workout and it’s only 6:45am. And unlike Bill Murray, I’m up to 33 pushups in 45 seconds.
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Gail Owens, Salem Evening Bootcamp member since July 2004 - I am not one for exercising and playing in the dirt. Or I should say I WAS not. I saw an ad in the Salem paper almost three years ago now about an evening boot camp that would be held at night at the Salem Willows. I was at a point in my life where I knew I had to make some changes. I needed to think about exercising and diet. Needed to lose weight and this ad caught my eye. I didn’t want to join a gym.
I went the first night and had such a hard time with the exercises and the running. Especially the running! I am not a runner. But I didn’t die! I went back the second night and have not missed a session since. It will be three years this coming July.
I wasn’t too sure about exercising outside, in public, in the summer with lots of people around. Now I prefer being outside in the dirt than being in. I can’t wait for this session to end so we can go back to the Common. I go home and see how dirty I am and I feel great! This is such a big change for me. My friends were surprised when I told them I was joining and they can’t believe that I’m still doing it.
I’m still not a runner, but I have seen some improvement. I can do regular push-ups but usually do the modified.
Sometimes the best part of bootcamp is the complaining. We complain and whine for every inchworm and crabwalk we are “forced” to do. We run over hurdles, through ladders and through hoops and we laugh and smile, or grimace, the whole time.
I think bootcamp is one of the best things I’ve done for myself. I feel better after class, until I have to walk up a flight of stairs or pull a shirt over my head! But I try for perfect attendance each session and have succeeded in that multiple times.
I encourage anyone who has an opportunity to “play in the dirt” at bootcamp to go for it. And have fun while they do. And it’s okay to hate inchworms and crabwalks. EVERYONE does.
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Written by Robert Norton, Salem Morning Boot Camp Recruit - The Pan Mass Challenge – “I did it!”
I first enrolled in Boot Camp to get myself "back in shape". Too many years of not enough exercise were taking their toll. When you are younger you can compensate for a lack of fitness with sheer energy. Once you pass 50 you learn that basic conditioning is essential for quality of life. I also find that regular exercise improves ones outlook on life. When you start the day with a little success at boot camp you are better able to cope with the challenges of the business world.
So off I go to boot camp. Pushups, I haven't done pushups since college. But I did them with the rest of the group. Then I remember the first day I decided to do "hills". I was sure I would die before I finished. Miraculously I did not. Steady progress all the way. You see small improvements everyday. Good for the body and good for the soul.
After a few sessions of boot camp I was feeling pretty good. At a family get together I was challenged by a group of Dianne's cousins and their friends to join them in the Pan Mass Challenge ride. 200 miles over two days to raise money for Cancer Research. Why not, I thought. I'm a boot camp guy! So back to more boot camp basics with a new goal in mind. In January of this year I bought a bike for the ride. I began riding indoors with the new bike on a trainer. When the weather broke I took the new bike out for a first ride. Five miles and I was ready to die again. But the lessons from boot camp were fresh. Just keep it up and you will see gradual improvements.
I trained about three mornings a week on the bike for four months. On weekends I would ride longer distances. My longest solo ride was 85 miles up to Rye, NH and back on a day that was pouring rain. You learn in boot camp that rain does not melt you. That felt pretty good.
The day of the Pan Mass ride I felt great. 4300 other riders all united in a common cause of raising $25 million for cancer research at Dana Farber. Our team raised over $30,000. So far I have raised about $8,000. The Pan Mass combines the sense of achievement of an endurance event with the privilege of helping others. How can you go wrong. The sense of accomplishment at the finish felt great. It wasn't hard to make the connection back to that first morning in the mud on the Salem Common.
I have always said there is a special place in Hell for Brandi for forcing us all to push beyond our limits. Actually pushing beyond our limits is the only way to achieve the sense of satisfaction that comes from a personal achievement.
Finally, the ride came at a special time. Dianne's uncle Mort was in the last days of his battle with Cancer as we were riding. He passed away last week. One of his last moments of pleasure was looking at the pictures we took of the ride. Pushing yourself in an effort to help even in some small way, find a cure for this dreaded disease is a life altering experience.
Pan Mass '07 here I come.
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Larissa Lang, Danvers Morning Boot Camp Recruit - I discovered B&S Danvers Boot Camp back in February and I have become addicted. It has become a regular part of my life. You’ve heard about that “natural high”. It’s true. One of the best parts is pushing yourself to the limit, and then taking that smile with you for the rest of the day. It’s that feel-good rush you get from knowing you gave it your all. A lot of that is attributable to our instructor, Kelly. She knows how to make us work hard, not give up on ourselves, and get the most from that early morning 60 minutes. Kelly is a dedicated professional - she is always there set up and ready to go when everyone arrives at 5:45 a.m. She keeps us interested and motivated by mixing up the exercises one right after the other, coaching and coaxing us all the way. She’s an inspiration to all of us because she is so physically fit and strong, not only demonstrating each move, but leading us the whole time. Kelly is tough; she won’t let us back down, but we love her because she is making better people out of us all. That’s another factor that draws me to this class – the camaraderie. What a great group of classy people. Everyone is so nice, supportive, and fun to be around. And, we’re all in the same boat – trying to stay healthy. I recommend this class to anyone who likes to move and sweat! You don’t have to be a morning person because there’s an evening class, too. Personally, working out can be boring – I do the treadmills and machines at the gym – being in a group environment makes it easy and fun. Everyone knows the benefits of daily exercise. The regimen of strength moves and cardio has made me a stronger, fitter, happier person. Give it a try!
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