March yourself into action, military style!

Ever had that feeling that no matter how much exercise you do, how many glasses of wine you cut out or how much chocolate you deny yourself the stubborn weight just won’t shift?

I do. I’m your classic yo-yo dieter. My waistline has expanded and contracted more often than a well-used concertina. Whatever I’ve been doing just hasn’t been working. I know that it’s not about dieting, it’s about changing lifestyle. This is all well and good, but where does the discerning dieter begin?

Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I began with an intense car crash course in fitness with the Back to Basics New You Boot Camp in the Brecon Beacons in South Wales. A week of rigorous military training on the top of a small mountain in the middle of nowhere would do the trick.

Boot camps are en vogue right now, and for good reason. They work. The mantra at New You Boot Camp is ‘Drop a dress size in a week’, but after seven days of press-ups, squats, lunges, uphill power walking, hikes, 6am morning runs, boxing, sprints, stretcher races, climbing, boat racing and the rest it was clear to me that there was much, much more to boot camp than weight loss. And let’s face it, there’s something very appealing about men in uniform!

Sounds intense, doesn’t it? Well it was. But break through the initial pain barrier and it suddenly becomes fun. You’re pushed to your absolute physical limits, which are much more stretchy than you would ever believe – and the high from that is incredible. So here, for your pleasure is the New You Boot Camp survival guide…

Be prepared

When I arrived at the boot camp bunkhouse a few miles outside of the sleepy village of Crickhowell near Abergavenny I was greeted by some curious cows, a herd of sheep, a pond full of frogs and lots of chickens. And a group of apprehensive ladies who, like me, didn’t really know what to expect.

If I thought I would be gently eased into my military training I was sorely mistaken. After the initial weigh-in we were frogmarched outdoors for the first of many intensive exercise sessions. An afternoon of circuit training, running and boxing was finished nicely by an eerie late evening trek around the mountainside. It was hard work, but when your surroundings are beautifully lit by moonlight the burn takes a back seat.

Top tip: In order to prevent the dreaded DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), remember to stretch, stretch and stretch again. Otherwise you’ll spend the week walking like the Tin Man.

The early bird gets the worm

My first night's sleep passed in blissful reverie. I dreamed that I was floating on a swan-shaped bed on a sea of pink feathers. Then my alarm rang and I had to face the gruelling daily programme. It was 5.30am. I’d have to get used to it, this would be my routine for the next seven days!

They do this for a reason though. Pre-breakfast workouts are great for burning fat because your blood sugar, insulin and glucagon levels are minimal. Putting theory into practice is slightly more difficult, but (ignoring the fact that we were getting yelled at by our army PTs) interval training when faced with the mountain sunrise is more exhilarating that you’d imagine. By the end of the week I was looking forward to our morning jaunts! No, really.

Top tip: If you want to burn fat (as opposed to increasing fitness), exercise before food and finish your workout with a short, intense blowout session that will leave you gasping for air. The exercise releases fat from your cells, and shifting your body into an anaerobic state post-workout will burn the released fat in your bloodstream. Believe me, it works. Just don’t eat cake afterwards.

Tantrums and tiaras

Getting through the first couple of days of boot camp is rock hard. My body was in complete shock, having gone from a sedentary chocolate-and-wine-loving sloth to GI Jane wannabe in 24 hours. And predictably I became irate, as did most other New You Boot Campers. They have a name for this phase. Yes, you guessed it… ‘Tantrums and Tiara Day’

Apparently it’s a side effect of the detox, but I’m embarrassed to say that I lost my temper and cried like a baby at the thought of carrying even more barrels uphill when I could be reading gossip mags and drinking hot cocoa instead. It soon passes though, especially when you remember that it’s all for the greater good (i.e., fitting into that size 12 dress from Top Shop).

Top Tip: Try to stay positive, it works wonders at getting you through the day and it encourages everyone else to keep going.

Learning to live well

The folks at New You Boot Camp  know exactly what they’re doing. We weren’t being forced to carry army issue stretchers loaded with sandbags for the sake of it, every session had a lesson to be learned. Our PTs - all former or currently serving officers - taught us good form when exercising, and helped us develop good techniques to get the most from our workouts. And they really like their lunges. By the end of the week I swore I’d never lunge again – but after I effortlessly slipped into my skinny jeans I changed my mind.

We were also given the heads up on healthy eating, and the food was second to none. There was no gruel here, we were treated to granola, Thai green curry, turkey burgers, pizza…in short we had a detox diet disguised as scrummy gormet.

Educating us about food was a big part of the week, and I came away fully equipped to make good educated choices about what I decide to scoff, or not.

Top tip: Small tweaks to your diet can produce big changes to your waistline – and it’s all about keeping your blood sugar levels, well, level. Choose slow-release carbs like sweet potatoes over normal potatoes, and ditch the sugar, you really don’t need it! You’ll find the urge to snack goes away very quickly.

Living the high life

Of course New You Boot Camp isn’t all circuit training, lunges and squats. Once everyone was broken in (there really isn’t a better way of describing it) we got to do the fun stuff, like, erm, abseiling down an 80ft cliff.

It sounds awfully scary (and it was) but our GI Janes were leaping from the cliffs with wild abandon, commando style. Not me though. After about 20 minutes of gentle coaxing, I was unceremoniously chucked over the edge. I shuffled down the side of the cliff like an arthritic octogenarian. But I did it.

Did it improve my confidence? No. But I learned that I really don’t like abseiling. I did enjoy the boat racing, rock climbing and the mammoth hikes though. Because you don’t feel as though you’re going to die.

Top Tip: You will inevitably be put through something you’re not comfortable with. Do it anyway, you may surprise yourself! And if not, at least you can say that you walked down the side of an 80 ft cliff to impress your friends.

There’s no ‘I’ in team!

By the end of the week my skin was glowing, my jaw-line was emerging from my formerly chubby face and I could run uphill without gasping for air. It was also really lovely seeing the change in my boot camp buddies too! And perhaps this was one of the best aspects of boot camp, the camaraderie you get with a group of women all in the same boat. It was every bit as empowering as the physical achievement.

So how much weight did I lose? Well, that would be telling! But suffice to say that post boot camp I’m still loving my morning runs, I’m wearing my skinny jeans sans muffin top (kind of) and I feel fabulous.

The saying ‘No pain, no gain’ is especially true for New You Boot Camp but was it worth it? Absolutely. With every press-up, lunge, squat and sit up!

Need to know

New You Boot Camp offer a wide range of different boot camp experiences, from the Back To Basics to their Boutique and Alpine Fitness Camps. Prices start from £985 per person, including food and accommodation.

For more information visit the New You Boot Camp website.

Tel: 0871 223 0066