Another Wacky Wednesday Workout

Posted by Pam

Wednesday's Boot Camp was another great workout. Joe set up the obstacle course for us, along with lots of partner-based exercises with the resistance tubes. We did some exercises we hadn't done for a while -- but really, despite my title above, the workout wasn't all that wacky. It was a lot of fun and really got my heart pumping but nothing that was crazy. We never do any moves or exercises that are so wacky as to cause injury or even the chance of injury.

Sure, kettlebells may look wacky. And some of those kettlebell exercises may seem to have come from the mind of a crazy person, but done correctly, they are all safe.

Correct form on any exercise is of utmost importance. And the correct form can mean the difference between a safe move and an injury. It's also the difference between just going through the motions and getting results. That's why having a personal trainer is so great. Joe is good about making sure everyone is doing the exercises correctly. And he's great about customizing the workout and modifying moves if someone has an injury or chronic pain she has to work around. Even though we work out in a group, we're still getting personalized instruction.

Just remember to speak up if an exercise hurts. There's a big difference between pushing your muscles to work hard and aggravating an injury. Sure, we may hate flutter kicks or burpees because they're hard. But if they actually hurt, talk to Joe about a modification. You don't want to be put out of commission like that.

Some sciency stuff for your Monday morning

Posted by Pam

During Boot Camp this morning, I overheard a fellow camper say she had read that drinking water with ice chips helps you burn more calories during your workout. So, being the know-it-all curious person that I am, I thought I would delve deeper into that statement.

Well, let's see, according to this article, it would take about 435 8-ounce glasses of ice water to lose a pound. That's a lot of ice water -- and yes, you can drink too much water. It's true we actually do expend calories warming the water to body temperature. However -- and this gets a little technical -- there's a difference between "calories" and "Calories."

See:

The problem is that when talking about food, we're talking about Calories (capital C - also called a kilogram calorie) instead of calories (lowercase c - also called a gram calorie), resulting in:

1,000 calories = 1 Calorie

Performing the above calculations for kilogram Calories, we find that a single kilogram of ice consumed takes 117 calories. To reach the 3,500 Calories required to lose a pound of weight, it would be necessary to consume about 30 kilograms of ice. This equates to consuming about 66 pounds of ice to lose a single pound of weight.

Therefore, if you did everything else exactly the same, but consumed a pound of ice a day, you would lose a pound of weight every two months. Not exactly the most efficient diet plan.

Still, cold water is important to your workout. Research has shown that cold water passes through the stomach faster and is sent to the intestines for quicker absorption. During and after exercise, you should quickly replace fluids lost due to sweat, so cold water is preferred. In fact, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends that water and other drinks be chilled when used for exercise.

So, burn your calories by exercising (and take in fewer when you eat!) but drink your cold water to stay hydrated.

Maybe it wasn't me

Posted by Pam

Earlier this week, I complained that most of my Boot Camp buddies had disappeared, leaving just one other camper and me to work out together. Either people were paying attention or they just sorted out their schedules because we had a much bigger group today. Yay! It is better to work out with a group. It's much more motivating to me. I have a pretty competitive nature, so I feel the need to push myself when there are more people to compete work out with.

It was a great morning and a great workout. We had a few newer people there, as well as one of our veteran campers making her final appearance before moving out of state (Bye, Amy! We'll miss you!). So it was a good mix of fitness levels. And it was a good mix of exercises, with a strong focus on core. Hey, just because bikini season is coming to an end doesn't mean we should slack off working our middles.

According to Women's Health magazine:

Studies show that people with flat abs are...

• 25 percent less likely to develop heart disease
• 35 percent less likely to have a heart attack
• 41 percent less likely to develop high blood pressure
• 40 percent less likely to develop kidney cancer
• 60 percent less likely to develop gallstones
• 14 percent less likely to develop osteoarthritis

So, it's not just about looking good in a bikini or jeans or a slinky dress. It's about health. And while looking better is definitely a major benefit to working out, our health really should be a priority. Another reason I'm glad my fellow campers came back.

Is it me?

Posted by Pam

You know, I'm starting to get a complex. For the past several workouts, I've either been alone or with just one other camper. I shower. I brush my teeth. I use deodorant. I'm not hideously deformed. Where'd everybody go? Am I just that buff and intimidating that I scare off the other campers? Sure, I know personal things come up, and school just started, but I can't help but feeling it might be me.

I know I sometimes show up to Boot Camp with really bad bed head. And sometimes I might be a little grumpy when I first get there. But despite not really being a morning person, I'm pretty sure I've never bitten anybody's head off at Boot Camp.

I must admit I do get more attention when there are fewer (or no other) campers. Which leads to a tougher workout. Which leads to me getting in better shape. And when there's no one else -- or even just one other person -- there's less time to whine, sure. So, I guess that's another upside. But it's lonely.

I know people are still going to Boot Camp, because I see my 6 a.m. buddies leaving when I arrive. And they seem happy to see me. But there's lots of room at 6:45 a.m., and we work just as hard as any of the other groups. We do all the fun -- and not so fun -- exercises they do. We play the card game and have relays. We use the playground equipment and kettle bells and resistant bands and all the fun toys. And with summer drawing to a close, it's not too hot at 6:45.

And, honestly, I promise I don't bite.

Muggy Monday

Posted by Pam

I grew up in Central Illinois, and summer's are extremely humid back there. It's nothing for a day in August to reach temperatures in the mid- to upper-90s with humidity in the mid- to upper-90s. So, I know humidity. And this morning, it is humid here in Colorado Springs. In fact, the Internet is telling me the humidity is 88 percent right now. Granted, it's also a cool 62 degrees. So nothing like those hot humid August days of Illinois I remember. But the humidity level made for a muggy Monday morning Boot Camp.

I don't know if the fog kept my fellow campers home this morning, but there were just two of us at the 6:45 class today. And Joe worked our butts off. It was a tough workout, and the damp air made it seem even tougher. I felt like a giant hand was pushing down on me, keeping me from moving as quickly as I have like to. But my fellow camper and I powered through, even throwing some punches.

The humidity (and lack of other campers) didn't stop us from having a great time and working really hard. I'm sure the sun will come out soon enough, but right now it's still kind of ugly out, and it was really tempting to stay snuggled up in bed. But despite it being a gloomy Monday morning, getting up and working out has improved my outlook for the week.