My Body Goes to Boot Camp

This week I joined a Boot Camp exercise program. Two nights a week I subject myself to a demanding workout routine that includes such things as: burpees, star jumps, frog squats, plank scissors and abdonimal curls along with running jags, sprint sessions and lots of skipping. Seriously, I haven't done that much skipping since I was 9! It is difficult. For 45 minutes I feel like I am going to fall over - ok, I did fall over once. I wonder how I got to the point that I cannot do 5 minutes of exercise that relies on pushing my own body weight around. And then I reflect on why I started the class in the first place - my body weight.

To say that my body and I are BFFs would be a lie. We consistenly betray each other for our own selfish reasons. I try to poison my body with alcohol and sugar and caffiene and ruffles and donuts. My body responds by adding another ring around my mid-section. Exhibit A:


It is an uneasy partnership at best. So this week I decided that it was time to get back on the same page with my body. My stressed out mind and over-working emotions had run the show loooooong enough. The excuses of Christmas and a new job and a move and a new apartment and a relocating boyfriend let me throw my structure out the window. And, my body, free from the rules, ran amok in a self-destructive frenzy. Exhibit B:


But I know that when I am actually paying attention to my body the response is positive. There are thoughts that abound in the world that you should treat your body like a temple but I have decided that the best plan is to treat my body like a child. A child that I love. A child to whom I pay attention. A child to whom I give structure - even if it seems harsh at the time. I know this can work because I spent last fall being a positive mentor to my body. I exercised regularly. I cleansed my cravings. I built menus and ate well-designed meals throughout the day. And I felt great. Now all that positive work gone.

So I am in boot camp. I am throwing my body around in the hopes that will once again crave the activity. Right now I admit to being so sore it hurts to even lie down but the start of a rush is there. I have also started to count my calories again. I find this tactic very helpful when evaluating my menus and finding my trouble spots (Hello Popcorn! Good Morning Tim Hortons Muffin! Happy Weekend Pint of Beer!). I use an easy and comprehensive website to chronicle my noshing. It's where I got that nifty (scary?) chart above. And I am going to make that line fall again. One burpee, starjump, pushup, skip and calorie at a time and my body and I will be a team once more.