Ouch

Fitness challenge here I come!!!

So GP has this new amazing facility called the multiplex, with all kinds of courts, tracks, fitness areas, etc., and a huge aquatics centre. It's such a great place for a growing town like GP. In order to draw different types of people in they'll be hosting different events throughout the year. One such event is the "move it and lose it" bootcamp that they're hosting.

In my effort in be more fit I figured that this would be a good opportunity. It goes for the next 8 weeks and will be very fun I think. The kickoff event was a 2 1/2 hour seminar given by the famous Paul Plakas. He's the host of the show X-Weighted (if you ever saw it), and he's actually from Edmonton. It was very interesting! Lots of information I already knew, and some new tips too. One thing he said, and I totally agree with is that you should only ever shop the perimeter of the grocery store - fruits, veggies, fresh whole-grain breads, deli meat (not processed), and dairy. Everything in the middle is junk. As I've been struggling to maintain a healthier diet, I find this to be more and more true.

Another tip: If you do everything you would normally do in a day, but add climbing 3 flights of stairs to your regular routine, you will lose 6-10 pounds in a year, without even noticing (all other things kept the same)

Also, if you remove a bit of cream from your coffee (or one equivalent fat item like salad dressing) and keep everything else the same, you will also lose 6-10 pounds in a year.

Crazy little stats. He provided lots in interesting information though, and I really enjoyed the seminar. Next came the first of the many bootcamps. I was surprised because I expected a lot of cardio work in the first bootcamp (i.e. running, jumping, ++movement) but instead he focused on muscle training and work. We did a lot of individual exercises that on their own, weren't too bad, but one after another ended up defeating me!

It was great to practice new exercises, but now, two days later my quads are still sore! Seriously, I really have to get in shape! I think the next sessions will be more cardio based, but this was a good enough workout for me right now!

Paul Plakas doing some teaching. No big deal.

Here's a pic of a couple of friends of mine that are doing the bootcamp too, with Paul Plakas! Sidenote: we had a little conversation about the Grouse Grind cause I was wearing the t-shirt!

Each week also comes with a fitness challenge. The challenge for this week was to do three exercises throughout the week, time yourself, and see if there was an improvement. The exercises are:

1) 20 reps of reverse lunges

2) 20 reps of shuffling 15 feet, touching the ground, shuffling the other way touching the ground and repeating, and

3) 20 reps of going down (chest and stomach on the floor) and getting back up

I would have done them today, but my legs are still too sore for lunges, so we'll try tomorrow! I'll try to let you know my progress. Wish me luck!