Weddingbee Blog

I was roped into joining a boot camp for seven weeks (six weeks, and they were running a one week free promotion) in Oakland. Was I nervous? Heck yes. I was essentially going from couch to working out three times a week+, and I expected it to be grueling. It was tough, but not too bad, and super rewarding.

My boot camp focused on gaining muscle while working out at an elevated heart rate. That meant short intervals of cardio with weight training mixed in between. So, it was never an hour long cardio dash (yikes! scary! too hard for me!) nor was it just weigh training where you didn’t break a sweat…it was a great way to go from not working out at all to getting on track.

Obviously there are different types of boot camps all over the world, so my boot camp experience won’t be the same as yours, but there are some key elements that were important that I think you should look for when choosing a boot camp.

Accountability - find classes that are small, and that meet at times that you know you can always attend so you have NO EXCUSES to miss classes. If the classes are small, people will notice and ask where you’ve been. If you’re serious (of COURSE you are!) find a specific-set week regimen that’s pre-pay, so when you feel like giving up you remember how much money you sunk into the camp. Larger classes are probably cheaper, but more impersonal, and you might not feel as obligated to show up consistently. (If you’re responsible and wonderful and committed, obviously this doesn’t apply to you, and you can find a large format cheap class and go to that!)

Find a buddy - hook up with a bride in your area getting married around the same time as you or find someone that has similar starting points/goals to yours (be it to get fit within a specific time frame or looking for a long term fitness solution or whatever). Working out with people outside of my fitness level is frustrating (whether they be too out of shape to keep up or too in shape that they run circles around me).

Control your environment - BE PICKY when choosing a boot camp. Every little thing that annoys you will be all the more reason to quit when you’re feeling low. I personally don’t like working out outdoors for long periods of time (allergies) and I prefer to work out with all women so we can talk about our menses and ladyparts (just kidding…but not really). What about you? Do you prefer the company of men or mixed sex classes? Do you like to be outside? Would you prefer a trainer that’s male or female? Do you like the idea of working out in a big group or one-on-one? Think about HOW you like to work out and choose your classes accordingly.

Some sort of focus on nutrition - I mentioned it before: the biggest part of my success this far has been the nutrition counseling attached to the classes. Working out alone will definitely get you results, but revamping your eating habits will make those pounds shed. If you can’t find a boot camp in your area that offers nutrition counseling tied to it (I have a feeling that Gym Class Fitness Oakland is a bit unique like that), ask your boot camp instructor for recommendations as to who you should speak to in regards to revamping your diet. Again—the key for me was not GOING on a diet—it was re-working my diet to fit my lifestyle and the foods I enjoy. Now I eat more of this and that, and less of this and that, but for the most part things haven’t changed in my household, aside from cutting portions and making sure I get what I need for nourishment. As commenters in my last post mentioned, sessions with nutritionists are sometimes offered for free or highly discounted through your health insurance or work! Check to see if this is available to you.

Most importantly, six week (or whatever amount of weeks) programs get you on track to getting in a groove to be on a schedule when it comes to going to the gym. It’ll train you to be consistent, because you’ll see results when you are, and lose them quickly when you fall off. It was really hard for my household, because Mr. Peng and I only have one car, so we have had to rework our schedules to fit my gym time in…but we made it work, and six weeks was a good amount of time to get into a real habitual routine. Because it’s not just about the first six weeks right? You gotta keep going.

Boot camps aren’t typically cheap. But expect to learn some great 45 minute to hour long workout routines that you can take home/to the gym and do on your own. Now that I’m out on my own, I often do quickie 30 minute routines at home when I don’t have time to work out at the gym, all of which I learned during my stint at boot camp.

I’ve seen a good number of boot camp style classes come through local daily discount sites like Groupon and LivingSocial. Find the deal sites in your area and sign up for the daily emails, and you just might get lucky and score a big discount.

The results will come! Here were mine in the first two months:

Pink represents days that I worked out—when I was too busy to go to the gym I’d do videos at home via Comcast On Demand ExerciseTV.

Next: as of today I’m 18.6 pounds down! What that looks like (it’s not that exciting, I have a ways to go!).

Have you recently started getting in shape? What’s some advice you can lend to brides just starting out?