By Emma O'Donoghue

A Happy Boot Camper

Fitness and I have always had a strained relationship.

When I say strained I mean non-existent for the most part.

If I’m going to be very honest it was a casual fling that consisted of sporadic and whimsical dalliances with yoga, or aqua aerobics, or a walk if the weather was nice.

My habitual nature permitted one weekly tryst with exercise in the form of a swim at my local pool and that was a leisurely endeavour at best - more of a chance for me to catch up on all the gossip with my swim buddy.  So it is safe to say I was not a fitness fanatic.  It is very safe to say that the two words ‘boot camp’ were something I both feared and associated with crazed body-pumping lunatics who invariably woke up at silly am to do bench-presses, drink juices with raw egg as the main ingredient and who, ultimately enjoyed the prospect of extreme physical pain. 

It sounds harsh, I know, but I never in an infinite number of years could have imagined that I would be waking up at 5am three mornings a week to subject myself to an onslaught of weights, treadmills and strange exercises my poor body never knew it could do.

It all began when my friend spotted a weakness, a chink in my usually stubborn armour.

I was still in Ireland but I was moving to Australia where she was living and I was in a ‘game for anything’ mind frame. 

It was the perfect opportunity for her to plant the seeds of boot camp in my mind.  It was all part of my new life out here, I was going to get fit and embrace the offerings of unfamiliar surroundings.  Sitting at the end of a phone thousands of miles away listening to this suggestion was safe, it was easy for me to say ‘let’s do it!’ without once considering the reality of the pledge.  So, months later, at 5:45am one cold June morning when we walked into the gym where sessions were being held it would be a drastic understatement to say I was in for the shock of my life.

‘This is not boot camp!’ were some of the first words to depart the lips of our fitness instructor, and yes, though this fitness class was masquerading as something more affable, it was to all intents and purposes a boot camp, it was just indoors for the winter and involved less shouting.

I will never as long as I live forget the horror I felt when our instructor outlined what we would be doing for the fitness test.

A barrage of push ups, sit ups, squats, crunches, burpees (I hadn’t even heard of half these things) followed by running outside to a landmark then back to the gym.

And this was all to be done six times!

I believe it was on the first run outside that I wanted to just crawl or drop into a corner somewhere and forget the whole nasty experience.  I’m not going to sugar coat it, it was hell. I  shot my friend numerous menacing looks: what had she been thinking signing us up for this?!

Despite everything of course, we got through it, we survived to tell the tale.

Hilariously for about two days afterwards neither of us could move, our muscles were in a state of complete shock and paralysis from what we had put them through; we were hobbling like 80 year olds (flourishnote: most 80 years olds!) moaning and groaning but there was still something very satisfactory about the pain.  We knew we had done something difficult but extremely worthwhile and, in time, our bodies would thank us for it.

So that was the first session. 

It was bad news. 

Want to know the good news?  No session was ever as difficult as that first one and I can say that with genuine honestly.

A psychological barrier had been broken and I knew that I was able to do this.  Being thrown in at the deep end is never pleasant and it’s never welcomed by anyone, particularly not by someone like me who was always adverse to too much exertion.

Of course that’s not to say each session isn’t tough because it is, they are designed to aim at one specific body part at a time, arms, legs, abs, etc., while still maintaining and promoting overall bodily fitness with the incorporation of sprinting, push-ups and generally getting that heart rate up.

Each session targets the weaker body parts and slowly but effectively strengthens and tones them.

Exercise is something your body craves so I was amazed at how quickly my fitness levels improved.

At the end of the six weeks another fitness test was done and I was ‘most improved’ in the class, finding myself able to do five circuits in less time it took me to do four in the first week.  It was a proud moment!

After twelve weeks of indoor fitness, boot camp has moved outdoors for the summer.  It now focuses a lot more on cardio exercises like running and push ups, all orchestrated in picturesque areas dotted around Fremantle.

Stamina and endurance are put to the test but there is a great sense of camaraderie in the class, people struggle just the same as you, and they spur each other on.

Our instructor is serious about getting us fit but he never resists the urge to make a joke or two, particularly when we start to complain avidly.  There’s no feeling of judgement or competitiveness, everyone is just trying to do their best and go at their own pace.

That’s what boot camp is all about, the personal challenge, pushing yourself as far as you can go, and not trying to keep up with others.  There is a support system for everyone, no matter what their fitness levels and that is what keeps people coming back week after week.

Boot camp is not for the faint hearted, but it is for anyone who wants to see impressively fast results. 

I am far from being an Olympian athlete but I am improving all the time and that’s what it’s all about. 

For people like me with a need for something structured, consistent and intense this was the perfect opportunity to tackle my fitness phobia and I’m so glad I was talked into it!

Boot camp doesn’t discriminate against age, body type or fitness level, it’s for anyone who is willing to commit to it and while it is extremely taxing both mentally and physically, the fitter you get the more pleasure you derive from the endurance you summon and the discovery of stamina you never knew you had.

Yes it’s true, somehow over the last three months I have become a dedicated boot camper, and I am so incredibly proud of the fact.  I now can honestly say despite the risk of cliché that if I can do it, believe me, anyone can.

Boot camp with Focus Fitness runs for 6 week sessions.  For further information, visit www.focusfitness.org/boot_camp

Flourishnote: What are you experiences with boot camp? Did you love it? Or not.