My dad would never have predicted this. I used to sleep until noon as a teenager, and now I’m happily getting up at 4:30 every morning to go work my butt off at dawn.
It’s my second week of New Orleans Boot Camp, and I still love it. It’s so hard, yet I feel myself get noticeably stronger every day.
I end up a bit tired, sure, and sometimes my yoga practice requires more effort because I’ve already worked so hard first thing in the morning, but how amazing it is to feel this physically satisfied!
Yesterday we worked legs and core. A lot. Jonas had us doing squats and lunges and crunches and every variation of exercises you can think of. One of the things I like the most about this program is that I never know what’s coming – it changes every day.
Well, I guess there is one thing that seems to repeat, which is holding plank on the forearms at the very end of the class, when I’m good and tired. Each time we did this in the last week I’d drop down to my knees for a second to recompose myself, then come back up.
Yesterday I took a 2 second rest in plank and Jonas busted me. I totally loved how he did it; he tapped my heel lightly, and then very quietly, so that I knew he was talking right to me, Jonas said “Up.” So simple, yet very effective. He’s really good at what he does.
Today Jonas had us running an obstacle course. After we worked legs, arms/chest, and core at our mats, he set us up running laps, then going to various stations. At each station we did things like 20 jumping jacks, or jump squats, or lunges from one set of cones to another, or high knees through ladders on the ground. With running in between each exercise.
I have affectionately named today’s workout “The Suffering”, yet it was such an excellent day of boot camp. As tired as I was, I found I always had more to give, and pushed myself to stay with the two girls at the front, even as Jonas had us pick up the pace at the end.
I’m sore today, for the first time. My legs are really talking to me, but it’s so great to feel this strong. My capacity is expanding and it’s so fulfilling.
And get this – today, for the first time, I stayed up in plank the whole time! And if I can do that, then surely I must be able to hold warrior or handstand, or any other yoga pose for that matter, just a little bit longer.
Believe it or not, I’m looking forward to waking up tomorrow and sweating as the sun rises.
If you want to get in on my Yoga version of a boot camp when I start it in Kamloops, BC this Spring, check out: Kamloops Yoga Fitness Boot Camp.