June News: Bootcamp Success Stories

In June, we started and finished a 21-day Stronger/Leaner fitness bootcamp for our members.

Running a fitness bootcamp for women was not a novelty for us, however, this time we approached the challenges differently. Normally, we would organise a 6-week long team challenge, where every little point counted towards the team’s victory. We came up with fun assignments, some of which were meant to help our ladies lose weight and/or get healthier, and some of them were just pure amusement, for a boost of good mood and sharing a smile. These fun little challenges worked great during the lockdown, because, at that time, everyone needed something positive and light-hearted to focus on.

This time, however, we recognised that everyone has busy lives, so we decided to keep our fitness bootcamp short and sweet. We had only 21 days, and we were going for achieving tangible results. We always listen to what our ladies have to say about their personal health and fitness challenges, and we wanted to help them get fitter, lose weight to fit into that dress, improve flexibility and build muscle – all in just 21 days!

Do you know what is the most important in losing weight or building muscle quickly? It’s the focus. Of course, losing weight and especially building muscle mass is a long game, and we never supported quick fix. However, we wanted to demonstrate that with small lifestyle tweaks, you can achieve tangible results. One inch off your waist is enough for a dress to feel different. Doing abdominal exercises every other day for 3 weeks will visibly help tone the stomach muscles. It was all about focus and consistency.

To help our members achieve maximum results, we separated the bootcamp participants into two groups: Team Leaner and Team Stronger. Each team received a checklist with daily challenges. Some of the challenges were similar for both teams (such as drinking 2 litres of water per day and walking every day). Team Leaner’s challenges focused more on nutrition – portion control, reducing sugar, cutting off alcohol, and eating more protein, fruit and veg. Team Stronger had to start lifting heavier dumbbells to build lean muscle, and support this muscle build with post-workout high-protein meals or snacks. Both teams were encouraged to get more sleep (studies suggest that lack of quality of sleep can undermine weight loss efforts) and cut alcohol (which is high in calories and may interfere with weight loss). We had a special WhatsApp group, and every day started with motivation from the coaches. The ladies shared their healthy recipes, asked questions and had an opportunity to vent about the challenges.

The members could pick and mix the challenges, too, say, team Leaner borrowed a few strength workouts from the Stronger team, and vice versa, team Stronger enjoyed (or, at least, endured) drinking more water and eating healthier. Both teams had full access to all our classes and were encouraged to take as many classes, as they could.

The results were incredible. Those who wanted to lose inches around the waist could finally zip that party dress. Those who wanted to get stronger started lifting heavier weights. Most members picked new healthy habits that they decided to carry into their daily lives after the bootcamp.

The bootcamp was not a quick fix, but it was definitely a kick start. We will run it again in September, so contact us to get on the waiting list or ask any questions you may have.

Here’s what our members had to say about the bootcamp:

“I liked the positive message every morning. I wanted to increase the weights I use and have achieved this. I thought the idea of two different bootcamps but people could do bits of both was a great idea.” – Judi, Team Stronger

“I liked it that it was more focused – lean and strong. That we had a set personal objective. You always nail the engagement, with the WhatsApp group, exercise videos, recipe ideas, etc. I took the first step of getting back to exercising, eating healthy and being more conscious of the food I consume. Now I need to take the next step to up my game and fully stick to the plan. I enjoy cooking but sometimes I don’t prioritise it, and I really enjoyed doing it again I started moving again and thinking about my body and taking care of it. ” – Constanza, Team Stronger

“Brilliant boot camp with 2 choices so suited different ambitions. I achieved more than personal goal – aimed for 3-4lb loss and lost 7 lbs but more importantly now easily able to do up a side zip in dress that was really tight. I liked all the challenges and all the helpful recipes. I started drinking more water – was never very good at this – got water bottle with an inbuilt straw and definitely helps to drink more. I’m drinking a lot less tea and alcohol! Most positive change is mindset – that I can keep on eating better and be in even better shape for my youngest son’s wedding in October!” – Alison, Team Leaner

“I found it really good to refocus my thoughts with regard to food, exercise and my general well-being. A reminder of what we all should be doing. I wanted to lose weight so followed the leaner challenges but also dipped into some of the strength challenges too. I did lose a few pounds over the 3 weeks. I enjoyed getting outdoors. I’ve been trying to do 10,000 steps each day and the boot camp forced me to get fresh air every day. ” – Jenny, Team Leaner + Stronger

“I liked the fact that you split the bootcamp allowing different people to work on different things appropriate to them. Over the years I’ve picked up many little tips from the various bootcamps including: Increased protein especially at breakfast and post workout snacks, I drink 2-2.5l water per day and I am active probably 6 out of 7 days. My personal goal was to try to increase my weights, which I did increasing from 4kg to 5kg for static strength exercises. ” – Debbie, Team Stronger

Think you need a Bootcamp to give your healthy lifestyle a boost? Contact us to get on our mailing list and hear about the next Bootcamp first!