After Charlotte at Travel Supermaket contacted me in regards to a weekend away, in my head, i had already signed up for it. It wasn't until i scrolled further down the email that i saw the wordbootcamp. As most of my readers will know, fitness was something i was incredibly passionate about - but i can hold my hands up and say it is very easy to slip out of the habit, and before i knew it my weeks were starting to revolve around cheat meal after cheat meal.
Deciding it would be the best way for me to get back into fitness and clean living i decided to agree on a bloggers 'weekend away'.
The event was created by an outstanding team at Travel Supermarket, their aim being to encourage a healthy lifestyle in the lead up to the summer holidays. They hand chose 20 leading fashion and lifestyle bloggers to review their Holiday Health Club event, which took place on the 20th April.
After, what seemed, thee longest journey of my life, myself and the other bloggers all arrived at No1 Bootcamps, residential camp in Norfolk. I was pleasantly surprised with the surroundings. Myself, never having been in a field, was taking back by the picturesque views all the way around the camp.
We were greeted by the lovely Paula, camp manager & camp mother! Paula showed us all to our rooms, where we were surprised with personalised clothes for the event by the girls from Travel Supermarket.
After we got settled, we met in the living room of the house, to say the house was tranquil would be an understatement! Here we had a briefing, introduced ourselves and even met our trainers (who, by the way, are absolutely beautiful and make training a lot more fun! - Not easy, just fun.)
After our delicious bite sized lunch, the group begun an ice breaker game in just one of the beautiful gardens - when i say games, i still finished the session panting and sweating. We also learned some of the basic's which included squats, lunges and burpees to name a few. Considering we had only been at the camp for no longer than two hours, we didn't stop there. Just as the girls and i thought it was snack time, we were faced with this.
This was the 'Gun Run'. We had to take this apart and walk out towards more fields. When our trainer yelled "prepare for fire" we had to assemble the gun back together in a matter of seconds. Slightly hard when us girls are only use to carrying handbags around and a laptop at a push! We were suddenly bombarded with logs and tyres. It wasn't easy, but nothing is at bootcamp (except falling asleep at night).
Setting my alarm for 5:30AM is something i have never done before, in fact i didn't even think my phone would recognise it. By 6:00AM my fellow campers and i were in the courtyard, the same courtyard that seemed so peaceful the day before was now the place i wanted to crawl a mile from. I say crawl because, as unbelievable as it sounds after your fast day at bootcamp you are already put through your paces - and i was in agony.
At the end of each session i felt like jelly, you go through so many emotions as you are pushed to your limits. At times you think about making a run for it, other times you want to lay on the floor and play dead and hope the trainers forget about you. - FYI they don't forget about you. These boys do not waste any time. They are there for you and have your best interests at heart, adapting to different campers needs and providing educational talks. They are very professional, ex Army & Military - you can only imagine! At the time, you want to kill them, and you do find yourself screaming all sorts at them. But you do see results and i only experienced two days at the camp! (I lost 3lbs, other campers lost up to 5lbs! Over the weekend, as a group me lost 50lbs altogether)
No1 bootcamp not only works with a strong team of trainers, but also talented cheifs. Serving campers fresh, healthy and very tasty food throughout the day. No1 bootcamp's expert nutritionists cater to any dietary and special requests.
The bootcamp isn't just about loosing weight, it is a lifestyle change. I can't stress enough how motivating and inspiring No1 bootcamp has been. You meet other campers that are so determined and who all support eachother. Although i found the hardest part of the weekend was the portions of the food, the chiefs do an amazing job in introducing healthier food habits.
Look how delicious the food looks!
- "It doesn't get easier, i just get stronger" -
Somewhere in our hectic schedule we had time to talk with a lovely lady, Katie, that had been at the bootcamp for 12 weeks. She had already lost 4 1/2 stone and as her time at the bootcamp drew to an end she decided to stay for another 8 weeks. The determination that Katie had and the motivation to carry on inspired all of us. Katie's whole outlook on life had change and she was genuinely theemost thankful and happiest person i have ever seen. She looked great! I could have spent hours talking to her about her journey but we had another session called 'Boxing Hurricane'. It was exactly what it sounds like. This session was gruelling and i couldn't see the end of it.
A little while after we took a 7 mile walk around the countrysides of Norfolk. This was a nice chance to get to know the other bloggers and even share our experience at the bootcamp so far!
On our last day, not one of us could move. It was painful for me to get in and out of the shower. We were all suffering with DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness).
We started with our weigh out (we all lost something!) then we took a walk to the beach at 6:30AM. After breakfast we flipped tyres! You can't go to a bootcamp and not flip a tyre right?! When i suggested we do this i should have known the trainers would have more in mind. Tyre flipping turned into picking the tyre up and walking around with it, this then turned into flipping three different sizes of logs over - all a lot taller than any of us!
Every individual person gets something different out of their experience at No1 Bootcamp.
To tell you what exactly we were doing in one day would not even touch on how challenging it was.
It was hard. No one says it is easy - it is definitely a challenge.
I saw a change in myself in just two days! My sister and i are even planning on going back in the summer for a week. Thats how much faith i have with the team at No1 Bootcamp.
- How has No1 bootcamp effected me? -
It has changed the way i want to lead my life, it is so important to have a healthy lifestyle. It isn't just about loosing weight - it is so much more than that. Just by spending two days at the bootcamp i saw a dramatic change in my energy. I could wake up in the mornings without feeling like i needed another hour. My skin was glowing and as the sessions went on i felt like i was getting stronger. The bootcamp has encouraged me to live a healthy lifestyle instead of a fad weight loss diets. Taking care of yourself is a life long journey!
Education and support is also a big factor of staying motivated, and it is all provided by the team at No1 bootcamp. They educate you on FACTS. I completely understand that there isn't anything easier than picking up a magazine and seeing how Kourtney Kardashian lost her baby weight in under a week - I was a fine one to talk when it came to fad diets. At bootcamp you also learn about nutrition, i was so shocked at how wrong i have been in the past!
Benefits of a healthy lifestyle:
- Energy levels rise
- Feeling motivated - which leads you to be a much more positive and optimistic person
- Glowing skin
- You gain confidence
- Your metabolism will gradually get faster
- Your body is getting all the nutrients it needs - cleansing your inside which effectively shows on the outside
- Your immune system becomes more efficient, lowering the chances of catching viruses
- You look HOT and feel GREAT
We are driven by emotions, and if you are truly interested in improving your physical and general well-being, this should be enough motivation to help you achieve your goals - may it be to change your outlook on life, weight loss, personal strength or just to challenge yourself mentally. The trainers at No1 Bootcamp cater for each individual person.
PEAK & PIT OF MY OVERALL EXPERIENCE AT NO1 BOOTCAMP
PEAK - ENCOURAGING ME TO LIVE A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE
PIT - LEAVING AFTER JUST TWO DAYS
A huge thank you to all of the team at No1 bootcamp. They were SO lovely to us bloggers, and put up with us!
Thank you to Paula for being the mother, the experience can be daunting and emotional but your words were inspiring.
Thank you to Craig, Wills and Ali for pushing us! I could imagine 20 fashion and beauty bloggers aren't easy and not your usual campers - but you guys had a lot of patience with us when it was needed, and adapted to the different levels within the group.
And a massive thank you to the girls at Travel Supermarket for organising such an amazing experience. I would never have put myself through that and i am so thankful that i got the opportunity to do so. Thank you for all joining in on the action and supporting us!
See #holidayhealthclub on twitter for the bloggers newsfeed while we were at No1 bootcamp.
My views and opinions on my experience are of my own. Travel Supermarket nor No1 Bootcamp are not accountable for my review.
No comments:
Post a Comment