Over the last three weeks i have run three bootcamps back to back and i have to say what an amazing bunch of women…..all of them worked really hard, had the right attitude and achieved some incredible results!! The weight loss results were amazing, one lady lost nearly two stone in eleven days and didn’t get hungry Another lost over a stone and a half, one a stone and several came in around ten – eleven pounds – these over a week. Now this is where i let you into the secret of how we do things the reason being is that i purely like to help people get the results that they want & deserve and plus i am not very good at keeping secrets!

The basis of the bootcamp programme is HIIT training, full body strength training, a challenging and varied amount of different sports such as Thai boxing, boxing, surfing, kayaking, mountain biking (which keeps you mentally & physically challenged without the opportunity to relax) and interval training coupled with a great high protein diet and plenty of rest periods. The HIIT training is high intensity interval training…..which is cardio performed at such an intense level that your body will spend the rest of the day expending energy to recover from the hammering you have given it. This is referred to as EPOC (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) and it means that you consume a great deal more oxygen recovering from the exercise bout than you would have if you’d just done a steady-state workout. Steady rate training is fine but if you really want to burn fat, get fitter in minimal time and enhance your immune system then this is it – PERIOD! When you partake in this kind of exercise you will burn up to nine times more fat while just chilling out later in the day than you would have if you’d spent an hour on the treadmill or a bike or even a cross trainer at a moderate pace. But you have to remember that i am talking about intense training. You will need to push yourself harder than you are normally used to – IF YOU DO WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS DONE, YOU WILL HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS HAD! So for this to be effective you have to get out of that COMFORT zone you are in and work harder than you are normally accustomed to. This is the same whether you are unfit or fit, so it can work for just about anyone – what you have to do to start with is (after a suitable warm up) work hard for around 30 seconds and recover for 90 seconds, as you progress you work for 30 seconds and recover for 60 seconds and so on. You can in fact create your own formula to suit. We use HIIT for power walking, running, hill sprints, mountain biking, boxing and a whole lot more stuff!! If you are willing to do this, however, I can guarantee that you will spend less than half the time you usually do on those machines and get much leaner in the process.

The full body strength training is also a hugely important part of the programme (strength training is crucial for you to strip body fat as well as the obvious like making you stronger for everyday chores and looking great) if you are not utilising strength training your body will lose muscle – SIMPLY USE IT OR LOSE IT! Muscle is a metabolically active tissue which means it will burn fat while you are asleep if you have plenty of it – so the idea is to put some on or at least maintain what you have. Ideally always perform the strength training prior to the HIIT cardio work – when you strength train you use Glycogen stores as fuel so that when you start your cardio afterward the body will have to use fat as a fuel source (it has proven that it can take up to 30 minutes for the body to utilise fat when performing cardio) but if you have done your strength training first with exercise such as squats, press ups, lunges etc the fat will burn effectively when doing your cardio! Always work in circuits of around 12 reps and about 8 to 10 full body exercises….if you email me at info@fitwomanbootcamp.com i can let you have the programme with all the exercises! The reason we have so many activities is so that you don’t get bored and you’re body doesn’t have the chance to go into auto pilot (this happens when you keep performing the same routines constantly like other military style bootcamps utilise) your body learns things very quickly and it then starts to do them more efficiently which is great if you want to make it easy and not challenge your body to look & feel better! But if you want change in the way you look & feel you need to shock and awe the body with many different routines in different activities – end of story!

Lastly but no means least is the nutrition this bit is trickier as i have a fantastic nutritionist and chef, but her recipes are her own totally and are like gold dust – so unless you have been to this camp or are coming you won’t have access to them. But don’t worry as i will give you the frame work……remember your nutrition plan has to be high protein, high fibre carbs and good fats in a 40/30/30 format. Ensure that they are portion controlled and they are spread throughout the day in i.e. eat every three to four hours at the latest. This way of eating will help the hormone Glucagon release fat to be utilised by the body and stop there being too much of the hormone Insulin…..Insulin is the fat storing hormone. If there is too much insulin in the system through eating too many carbs and not enough protein you are more likely to store fat and have highs and lows of energy causing you to become tired and more likely to eat junk food. Oops almost forgot the “Rest periods” these are vitally important throughout the day to allow you to recover and also at night – the main reason we don’t start training before 8am is to give the body plenty of chance for the immune system to work effectively and allow the body to recover from the strenuous exercise from the previous day. Anyway below here i have added some of the testimonies form the girls that have attended over the last three weeks. Some are by means of video and some are written – it was a really enjoyable and full filling time for me as well as the girls…..the video testimonial’s below are from Jo, Sally, Alison & Paula young women that worked they’re socks off and did fantastically PLEASE EXCUSE ANY TYPO’S

Please consult with your Doctor before beginning or changing any exercise program or taking any advice regarding your diet or exercise needs