Bootcamp: Day One

Happy Monday, everyone! I know most people don't like Mondays, but this one has been pretty good to me. I was excited for Monday morning to come for one reason: the start of Tina's Best Body Bootcamp!

I signed up for this bootcamp on a whim a couple of weeks ago, forgetting about it until I received Tina's email last Thursday containing the Phase One workouts. I had read about the first round of this bootcamp on some various blogs and when I saw that she was holding another round of it, I was pumped, so I immediately signed up for it. It is an eight-week "virtual" bootcamp in that every two weeks the workouts are emailed to us and we can all modify it how we want and of course, do it on our own time, but there is a Facebook support group and everything so that we can motivate and inspire one another. It's really great and the workout today was a 20-minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout of your choice followed by a great (and super challenging) upper-body workout. It had me doing a lot of exercises "until fatigue," which definitely inspired me to push myself through each exercise. I don't want to post the exact workout and take away from Tina and the other participants, but I will post different moves that I find new and/or challenging.

Pullover -- Dumbbell on Stability Ball (Source) These were tough!

I am so excited about this bootcamp program because I am always looking for something new that will challenge me and I definitely think this bootcamp will challenge me. I often get into a routine and I will slack off on the strength training, something on which this program places quite a bit of emphasis, which is why it is so perfect for me Plus, this bootcamp will end just about when I should think about seriously training for the Houston half-marathon! Perfect timing!

Anyway, I completed a 20-minute HIIT workout that looked like this (thank you truetonefitness):

At first I wasn't sure if it would be challenging enough, but running at a speed of 9.0 for 90 seconds is tough! I hope to increase the speeds as the weeks go on and I (hopefully) get faster and faster. After the upper body workout, I cooled down with 20-minutes on the elliptical as I continue to read Heroes and Monsters, which is seriously so good. If you are looking for a new book to read, I highly recommend this one!

This program does not come with a "menu," which I am thankful for because I don't think it is possible to create a menu that works for some 400+ people, as people have different caloric needs, but it does encourage you to set two weekly goals. They can be the same each week, they can be different, they can be related to diet, exercise, or personal wellbeing; they can be anything you want! What are my two goals this first week, you ask?

1. Drink at least 64 oz of water a day (I know, I should be doing this anyway, right?)
2. Eat at least one serving of fruits and/or veggies at both lunch and dinner (and if I can squeeze fruits or veggies into breakfast too, even better!)

I know I don't drink nearly enough water to keep me adequately hydrated, especially in this Texas heat, but with this goal in mind, I have kept water on hand all day. Luckily, my trusty Camelbak makes it pretty darn easy!

Gotta love selfies!

I managed to accomplish both of my first-week goals today (good start, right?) with three Camelbaks of water, my childish lunch,

Nothing beats a PB and banana sandwich! I definitely missed this while I was in Spain!

and my delicious dinner!

White bean salad 

Italian veggies

Let's hope this routine continues for the rest of the week! I can't wait to see what the rest of this bootcamp brings! I am loving the workouts, the challenge, and the support from all over the world! How fun!