Boot Camp: Hu-yah?

My inner kid is locked in the closet for the next month because she's to young to experience what's happening to my body. The month of February (mayhaps March, as well) will include me getting my butt kicked, no foul language (seriously), no alcohol (seriously), no caffeine (seriously), and no baked goods/candy (seriously).

I enlisted in boot camp. Like, FITNESS boot camp. Wherein I pay someone really good money to yell at me and make me run and sing cadence and do scrimmages.

Day 1 (M, 2/1): White hot pain running through my arms. I tried putting mascara on on Tuesday morning and couldn't get my arm up high enough. I was the only new recruit; everyone else was a seasoned boot camper. I felt like the Major genuinely wanted me to succeed, though. And the Lieutenant was just there for correcting form and words of encouragement. All said and done, it was actually a lot of fun (despite my body groaning in pain).

Day 2 (W, 2/3): Had to grind and snort ibuprofen all day. I now believe I had muscle atrophy, if that's possible. When I walk, I can feel every muscle from the meat of my toe to the back of my bum. Also, I never knew I used SO MANY MUSCLES to wash my hands. Washing my hands is The Worst. I almost had to report that I didn't attend Day 2, but I sucked it up and my muscles actually felt better after the second workout. Though, during Day 2, we did sit-ups on a steep hill with our head facing the bottom of the hill--because regular sit-ups aren't hard enough. So Thursday, not only were my arms about to fall off, but my abs were sore. (I have abs?!)

(Day 3 was scheduled for 2/5, but it was canceled due to inclimate weather. Because of this, I get to go 4 days for Week 2, instead of the scheduled three. Whoopee.)

Day 3 (M, 2/8): The Major sat us in a circle and asked us to discuss our feelings. Kidding. But I think I've overcome the caffeine withdrawals. It's day 8 of no caffeine and no unnatural sugar. I don't feel cleansed, in case you wanted to know. During Day 3 I RAN a mile and came in 13 seconds after a marathon runner. When I told the Major I was going to collapse, he didn't let me. Instead he made me do sprints.

I love how all of the boot camp sessions have been totally different circuits. Always a balance between running, upper- and lower-body, but totally different routines. The scale isn't really going down (though, I did lose 1.9 lbs after the first workout), but I can tell that good things are happening in my body. All of the "pain" is a good pain (e.g. no pulls or strains). Also, I look different already. I can see my waist getting a bit trimmer. If only slightly.

Kind of related, but not really: I've discovered raw organic ice cream made from coconut, fruit, cashews, and not much else. The weird thing is that it's unexpectedly rich and delicious. You can read about the brand that I love here: http://www.tomberlies.com/ (And, no, I was not paid to add that in, I actually really love it.)