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Boot Camp diary, week two – staying on track

Me in a few weeks?!

Baby weight is so last season. Follow me as I try to get in shape and shed a few pounds following Denver trainer Anne Parker’s TRX Mini Boot Camp.

Read week one here.

Watch the video here.

By Lesley Kennedy

Funny how you can be so good all week, only to blow it on the weekend.

Actually, I did still manage to hike and walk, but a visit from my siblings and their spouses last Friday and Saturday had me finishing said hike with Coronas on the Cactus Jack’s patio and said walk was followed by heavy apps and wine tasting. Sigh.

Then, there was the Rockies/Cubs game Saturday night. I don’t think a Rocky Dog and three Coors Lights were on my allowed food list. Oops.

But, I did my best to get back on track, and prepared to get my butt whipped at Monday’s boot camp.

Boot camp workout three

Don’t let trainer Anne Parker’s sweet voice fool you. Tonight, she was all business.

Back on the track, she led us through a warm-up of high knees, jogging, kicks and more. Breathing was heavy, talking was limited. The class was smaller than last week, so we each had our own TRX, and she whipped us through a flurry of exercises for legs, arms, back and core.

During one water break, I honestly thought I might pass out. I could feel the dizziness, but sucked it up and powered through. I still can’t do the core exercises where you’re in a plank pose with your toes in the TRX straps. You’re supposed to bring your knees to your chest in a crunch movement. And when you flip around and put your heels in the straps, lift your hips off the ground and crunch that way? Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.

I didn’t feel quite as sore, and maybe it’s my imagination, but I swear I caught a glimpse of a tricep muscle in the mirror.

Boot camp workout four

Anne was out of town, but trainer Dana wasn’t about to let our workout slide. “Are you doing the diet plan?” she asked everyone. “Are you sticking to it?” Silence from the crowd.

Anne warned me when we started that planning is key to eating clean, and she is 100 percent right. In my refrigerator: eggs and condiments. Thankfully, my husband hit Sunflower Market and brought home bags full of fruit, veggies, almonds and chicken.

Back to the workout: same basic routine. Warm up on the track, rest of the time on the TRX. Oh, and a boatload of plie/lunge combos that had my legs burning. No wonder ballerinas look so svelte. No wonder I’m still hating on those petite little So You Think You Can Dance chicks.

I was exhausted post-workout and woke up in pain. If I keep this up my shoulders and back should make Jessica Biel jealous in no time. Aw, come on, I’m not that delusional!

Boot camp workout five

Oh, you should be so proud of me. I hauled my still ample booty out of bed for an optional 9 a.m. Saturday workout. Normally, I’ve been up for hours, but this Saturday, the kids (aka my alarm clocks), actually slept in. I downed a peanut butter cookie Larabar (I could eat three of those a day), and met Dana and seven other women at the park.

I left feeling awesome. Morning workouts are tough for non-morning people like me, but you get your exercise out of the way and start your day with a feeling of accomplishment. Oh, and while I still suck at planks and crunches, they were a tick easier today. People in the class were talking about signing up for next month’s camp, and I am so with them.

I even went for a two-mile walk with the family in the afternoon, feeling tired, but strong. (And I had to be strong, since my almost 3-year-old insisted on being carried half the way, and we ended with the almost 5-year-old being carried piggy-back style.)

The diet

Looking back over my food diary for the week, I did pretty well. A home-cooked meal at my mother-in-law’s wasn’t so hot (seriously, I dare you to take a nibble of her potato salad and not just start shoveling it into your mouth). And, again, weekends are tough. I ate three slices of cheese pizza with the kids Friday night — but drank only one Bud Light. And I knew Saturday night would be trouble – dinner, a fashion show and a birthday party were on the evening’s agenda. We went to Mezcal and I managed to only eat two of the three chicken gorditas on my plate (pillows of heaven, I tell ya) and I only had one beer. At the party, I had just a few sips of really good champagne. And get this: I totally skipped the tower of red velvet cupcakes.

Now, that has to be progress, right?

Watch a video of Anne’s boot camp.

Related posts:

1. Boot camp, week 13 – Halloween makes for a scary diet
2. Boot camp, week 12 – mixing things up
3. Boot camp diary: Week one
4. Boot camp, week four – no rest for the wicked
5. Boot camp, week nine – pump you up!