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Breanne C. (Blackburn)
Fitness has always been a big part of my life, but until I joined, I worked out by myself. My workouts were always hard, and although I considered myself in good shape, I never had anyone push me outside my comfort zone. So, as you can imagine, my muscles eventually plateaued and I no longer saw results. This obviously was discouraging! But now, my workouts are shorter and I am seeing the results that I want! (And I get to eat more, which is fabulous!) All the instructors are so helpful and motivating-- even when I feel like quitting, they are always right there to help me keep going. I couldn't be happier!
Ashley C. (Blackburn)
I was nervous every morning for the first week of camp. I am the person who despised running before bootcamp. The thought of it made me cringe. When bootcamp started, I realized we were going to be doing a lot of running. I told myself that I signed up for bootcamp and I wanted a change and wanted to see results. I knew that doing my usual weekly workout was not going to give me a change and that I needed to push past my negative attitude and just run. The instructors really encouraged me and pushed me to keep running. When we completed the long run the third week of camp and I didn't stop once, I was so proud of myself! I enjoy running now and actually run for enjoyment.
Lyndsay K. (Pinckneyville)
When I first started bootcamp I was drinking a bottle of wine pretty much every night and smoking a pack of cigarettes a day (yeah). I'd never run a straight mile in my life, which I accomplished the first day, even though it took me 15:20. At the end of week 1 I ran 2 miles (one of my goals) without stopping. In the middle of the month I re-timed my mile at 11:53 (my 2nd goal was to run a mile in under 12 minutes). This week I ran 3.5 miles - further than I ever dreamed possible. Despite being consistently slower than most people in my group, I was never once left alone. It shocked me that the instructors were willing to stay with me and push me and make me succeed. If it had been up to me I'd have quit half-way into the first workout. I thought it was way too hard for me. But here I am - 4 weeks later - feeling my hard muscles and so proud of my accomplishments. I made it and I feel awesome! I've signed up for a second month and plan to make ABCC a part of my life long-term.
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Scott (Mason Mill)
What makes me leave a warm bed at the unholy hour of 5:00 a.m. to roll around in dew soaked grass, do weird things called “butt kickers”, “hell raisers” or “super stars”. I do it because of my numbers; 9, 147, 267, and 3.
- 9- Every night before going to bed I dump 9 different prescription medications in my hand and chase them with water. Out of these 6 are to help control my diabetes, and three are for high cholesterol. I hate pills, they are easy for the Dr. to prescribe but harder to get off of than crack cocaine. This number has been on a steady increase over the last 5 years, I am closing in on my 70 year old mothers daily intake of 16 pills. It is time to change.
- 147- My pre boot camp fasting blood glucose readings. The Dr. keeps telling me he wants me below 110 but I have NEVER averaged that low, and I have never seen a single reading below 100. There are 2 things that scare the hell out of me. First is I feel like I am following in my Mother’s footsteps, I was diagnosed about the same age that she was, and I have patterned the same worsening glucose levels, but the rest of the story is that she suffered a crippling stroke in her early 50’s and soon after became insulin dependent. The second thing is how my doctor keeps telling me I am at the same risk for a heart attack as someone in their early 40’s that has already had one. It is time to change..
- 267- My weight. Recently reviewing my weight the doctor’s office pointed out I have gained a pound a month over the last three years. It is time to change…
- 3- My wife and 2 children. The obvious reason is to be around to see them mature and grow. The less obvious but equally important is to show them they do not have to go down the same path I have with my health.
In 5 weeks my numbers have changed. 9 is now 8 not a big difference, but less is an accomplishment. 147 is now 115 I have seen several readings under 110 and even one under 100. That’s just 5 weeks! 267 is now 255 not bad considering how much muscle I have gained! 3 is now multiplied to include a group of people who get out of bed at 5:00 a.m. and stumble down to boot camp with The American Boot Camp Company at Mason Mill park to be healthier. It has also multiplied to include all of the awesome instructors at Mason Mill who never miss a chance to encourage, struggle, and laugh with me. I have paid the gym memberships and never gone. I have bought the exercise equipment that rusted away. Know I have found friends who will work with me to reach my numbers. If I can so can you! HooAhh!
Regina M (Blackburn)
My life before Bootcamp was.....
I am not an athlete. I did not participate in school sports programs. I never ran track, played basketball or any other sport. My job was to get good grades. In college I started running short distances (1 to 3 miles) with some of my friends who were "runners". I felt great mentally and physically. I looked really good physically too. The only problem was my parents. They felt exercise in any form was a bad thing. They discouraged running and working out every time they saw me. So I gave it up. I graduated college in 1994. The week after graduation I went to work in a high stress occupation. From 1994 until the year 2005 I never ran once. I never went to a gym. I didn't diet. I just lived my life working sometimes 60 plus hours in one week. I woke up went to work. I ate whatever I wanted to eat at whatever hour I chose. I'm an insomniac So when I couldn't sleep I would get out of bed and head to an all night diner. My college days made me a fan of all night diners. That carried into my adult life. I drank a lot of alcohol and often. And I gained weight. I gained 40 or 50 pounds between 1994 and 2005. In mid 2004 I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, borderline diabetes. But the thing that shook me was the diagnoses of clinically obese. I'm a medical professional I know what that means. The next stop was morbidly obese. The Internal Medicine Doctor prescribed a whole bunch of pills for me to take. I asked him if there was anything besides medication I could do to fix this. His answer was "You can't exercise enough or eat well enough to fix this." I felt defeated. Like I was stuck with a family history of obesity, diabetes and hypertension.
How Bootcamp helped me change physically.....
I lost weight. A lot of weight. I lost about 10 pounds on my own just by changing my diet. But I wanted to do more. That's where Bootcamp came in. I lost about 40 pounds on the Bootcamp program. After about 3 months of Bootcamp I was able to stop all of my medications. Today my blood pressure and all of my bloodwork fall well within normal limits. My blood pressure used to average 190/98. These days it's 120/68, without medication.
How Bootcamp changed me mentally...
I'm no longer defeated. I don't feel like a prisoner in my own body. I know I can do anything because I now accomplish things I never even imagined. In my family no one else can walk a mile much less run one. To run 6 miles or more, impossible. But I can do that and more. I'm in control. I've ran 5k, 10k and completed a half marathon. Those are things I never imagined doing. I now know my own strength.
My day is not complete without Bootcamp. If I miss a workout I feel like I've cheated myself out of something. I really can't imagine not participating in Bootcamp. I've made friends who are into fitness. Bootcamp has changed my lifestyle. I actually think about how my eating habits will affect my workouts. I follow the food plan because I want to do my best at the workouts. I feel like I'm a member of a team. Bootcamp has changed me for the remainder of my lifetime. I will never be obese again. I've left the old me behind and I'm never going back.
Bruce F. (Blackburn)
It is hard to believe that 7 months ago I started my journey as a boot camper and though there have been many "dog days" it was worth it. Part of the reason I joined boot camp was to reduce my blood pressure which had climbed to 140/90. I was told to either lower it naturally or face going on medicine. I have never struggled with high BP in my life and all other body parts were working well so the increase was linked to my weight gain and since I refused to go on meds to fix a problem that I should be able to address individually, I became a camper............. I am happy to report that at my physical last week my BP is now 117/72 !!!! Additionally when I got on the scale today I was 24 pounds lighter !!!. Your Boot Camp made it all possible and your team of instructors are the best !
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Jennifer E (Blackburn Park)
I was looking back at my first log book from my first day of boot camp six months ago. I can’t believe how much has changed. I was wearing size 12, weighed 165 pounds, blaming my three c-sections in three years. I barely finished the mile in a whopping 12:49. I could hardly do 10 sit-ups in one minute. YUCK! Today, I have an 8:09 mile. 35 sit ups in a minute and even more push ups. I feel great, I wear a size 8 and weigh 138 pounds. I may not look my best, but I feel my strongest.
Sherri Sisk (Blackburn Park & Brookhaven Fitness)
My friend asked me last weekend during our annual beach trip…….”Why did you finally do it this time? What was different? I have seen you go through multiple trainers and weight loss programs and you never succeeded. You are so much more confident and happier this year. The last beach trip you were out of breath carrying your suit case up the stairs and this year you were running up the stairs with a case of water and your suitcase. Also, the previous years you slept the whole vacation and this year you were up at 7AM running down the beach. What a difference a year makes. I thought about my previous failed attempts at weight loss and I finally realized what made the difference. I finally found someone believed that I could do it and pushed me to believe the same. You taught me to believe in myself and that is what made the difference. When previous Personal Trainers asked me to do something that was difficult I would say “ I am too fat to do that” and they would typically they would move on to an easier exercise. I remember the first time you asked me to do an AB Bridge, I told you “I am way too fat and there is no way that a 240 pound woman can do an AB Bridge. I thought you would say OK and move on to something easier but your response was different. You said that is absolutely not true and you are going to try it. I only managed to do an AB Bridge for about 10 seconds and now I can do it over 60 seconds. I also remember the first time you asked me to run. I told you that I haven’t ran in over 5 years and wasn’t plan on starting now but you convinced me that I could run and 5 months later I completed a 5K. This has been one of the toughest journeys in my life. The American Boot Camp Company has completely changed by life…….from my initial emails with the sales team, personal training to build my confidence and now Boot Camp. Boot Camp is giving me the extra push that I need during the 2nd half of my journey. I still can’t believe that last October I couldn’t walk ½ mile and now I am attending Boot Camp. Thanks for teaching me to believe in myself.
Laura Webb (Pinckneyville)
I decided to do Boot Camp because I was turning 40 and was in the worst shape of my life. I was just getting so sick of being the 'fat girl' at the party and not feeling good about myself. I wanted to do something to kick start my life and get me out of the rut I had been in ever since having my daughter (12 years ago!). It wasn't so much about loosing weight as it was about being active and healthy and feeling in control of my life. It was a hard decision to make, and I credit my friend for making me go that first day. I gave a million excuses for why I couldn't get up at 5am and go......my friend just kept saying "great - I will be in your driveway at 5:15". I have to thank her for being so persistent because it was the best decision I ever made. I still have days when I don't want to get up and work out but when it is all over and I have more energy and I feel great about myself it is all worth it. I have lost some weight, but more importantly in the last year I have gone down 3 sizes!!
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Abby C. (Pinckneyville Park)
I signed up for boot camp because I had become very lazy and gotten out of the habit of working out. I felt out of shape and had gained a few pounds and my clothes weren't fitting as well. I'm so glad I did! I have met and exceeded all of my goals and I feel great! My first mile time was 9:45 and I now have it down to 8:00. When I first started, I could barely do the super star pose and now I can do it the entire time and put my leg in the air - big difference in strength! I can tell I am so much stronger, my clothes fit better, and I have more energy!
Beverly R. (Blackburn)
Hey guys, I just wanted to thank all of you so much for encouraging me this month and helping me obtain my goal of getting my mile time below 8 minutes!! There were so many times I wanted to just stop and give up but I couldn't because there was one of you always right there encouraging me!!
Tiffany B. (Chastain)
I finished the ING half marathon today!! I did not really have a time goal (only to finish!!) but I felt great the entire race and actually had a good time. Other than slowiing down for water I was able to run the entire course. Without boot camp this would never had been possible. A year ago I could barely run 2 minutes at a time and I would just give up. I just wanted to thank you for pushing me and encouraging me to where I am now....mentally and physically!!
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