What the human body can achieve in the cold...

The human body is amazing and can adapt to any conditions:

People climb Mount Everest with the aid of oxygen.

People can scuba dive to cold and dark depths of 150 metres plus.

People trek to the north and south poles for fun.

People can ski or board in the snow for up to 10 hours a day.

People swim for up to an hour in the Antarctic ocean which is the coldest in the world wearing no wet suit (just their heads covered).

45-50 minutes jogging, boxing, skipping and circuit training in your local park is a doddle compared to the above!

Crank Up Your Training Before The Christmas Break

The next 4 week period runs from Monday 22nd November - Saturday 18th December before having a two week break for the Xmas festivities!

Get Fit Boot Camp very rarely has any time off but I know it's a busy time with trips abroad or in the UK, seeing family, buying and wrapping presents etc.

That's why you might want to increase your training for that 4 week period so you can work extra hard before indulging in mulled wine, mince pies, Terry's chocolate oranges, roast turkey and Christmas pudding! E.g:

If you normally do 4 sessions in the 4 week period maybe try to rearrange your diary to fit 6 in.

If you normally do 10 sessions in the 4 week period maybe try to rearrange your diary to fit 12 in.

All sessions need to be used by Saturday 18th December - or you can purchase 10 flexible 'anytime' sessions for £95. Please pay in advance if possible either direct into my bank a few days before the new 4 week period or bring payment along to your last session of the current period.

Improve Your Football, Horseriding, Tennis, Golf, Swimming, Rugby, Dancing etc

All top athletes and sportsmen / sportswomen will do some element of circuit training to improve their speed, stamina, strength, power, agility, flexibility etc. From circuit training at least once a week over a 4-6 week period you should feel an improvement in your performance and confidence and your clothes should feel looser. The more you train the fitter you'll get and the least susceptible to injuries you will become so you can play longer during a football match / season etc = 'ultimate performance'.Gift VouchersStuck for a Christmas present? You can buy one to one personal training or boot camp sessions for a unique gift. Contact me for further details.

Boot Camp 'Retreat'

Some people go away on week long boot camp retreats either in the UK or abroad. They consist of 6am starts and late finishes doing 6-8 hours of exercise everyday for 6-7 days in a row. You could do a less hardcore and cheaper version with my weekly 45 minute circuit training sessions e.g.

Monday 9.45am Claygate

Tuesday 9.30am Burpham

Wednesday 9.45am Claygate

Thursday 9.30am Burpham

That's 4 sessions in 4 days!

Or you could do Tuesday and Thursday at 6.45am and 6.15pm at Burpham. That's 2 sessions spread out over the day = 4 sessions in 3 days!

Tuesday 7.30pm Burpham has a late session that anyone can turn up to after work.

Contact me for discounted prices of more than 12 sessions in the 4 week period.

Plus the once a month Sunday half day (4 hour) boot camp for all ages and abilities (spaces are limited).

You could do a similar thing too for your New Year Resolutions!

Leg Injury?

If you have a leg injury but can still walk around you can still turn up for boot camp and have an 'extreme' workout for your upper body, arms, shoulders, chest, back, abs and lower back. Get the blood pumping around and burn some calories.

Upper Body Injury?

You can still turn up to get some fresh air and 'beast' your legs and have a good workout for your core muscles. Much more fun than running around the roads by yourself.

Do You Arrive To The Park Early?

If you get to the park 10 minutes early you could go for a jog or brisk walk as an extra warm up. If you get there 5 minutes early you can pass me your keys and give me a hand with carrying the gear over.“

The greatest wealth is health.” - Virgil

Injured or a niggle? Use RICES to get you back and training quicker!

R = Rest

I = Ice

C = Compression

E = Elevation

S = Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drug (NSAID)

Try to rest as much as possible and sit or lay in a comfortable position.

Wrap the injured part in a compression bandage.

Apply ice to the injured part (use a bag of crushed ice or a bag of frozen vegetables) for 10-15 minutes. Let the area warm completely before applying ice again.

Elevate the injured part to reduce swelling (using pillows / cushions etc).

Follow instructions on the packaging and take ibuprofen or aspirin to help reduce the inflammation.

When exercising wear comfortable exercise trainers (with a thick, bouncy sole, preferably not flat) and make sure the laces are secured tightly around the ankle joints.

Wear knee, ankle, elbow, wrist exercise supports if neccessary.

Scared Of The Cold? Don't Be!

Winter time is coming up, are you thinking that it might be too cold for you train outdoors till March? The answer is NO it's never too cold. Millions of people all over the UK exercise outdoors every day and reap the benefits from it, every day I drive around Surrey I see countless people jogging down the road or around parks, some wearing very little! My boot camp along with all other boot camps / outdoor circuit training companies run all year around.

There's no need to stop or head indoors, indoor gym workouts / exercise classes are pretty much the same every time which will lead to you getting mentally and physically bored. Training outdoors in the fresh air will help you get some sunlight through the winter months and also boost your immune system, people who stay indoors all day long catch colds a lot easier then people who exercise outdoors 1-4 times a week.

The main result of exercise is an increase in blood circulation, increase in breathing rate, increased heart rate, increase in body temperature and increased sweat rate (yes you will still sweat!).

There's no standing around getting cold! 45-50 minutes outdoors working hard, getting hot, burning calories and getting fit and healthy. Keep jogging or walking on the spot whilst I quickly explain circuits then go straight into it - the 45 minutes will soon fly by.

Coldest ever session I have done in the UK was back in January this year, snow on the ground, 6.45am Burpham boot camp, pitch black, minus 8 degrees (-8!), no wind at all, I stand around whilst everyone does the hard work and even I wasn't cold, some members still took off layers after 5 minutes.

Gloves and hats will keep those areas warm and sometimes too warm but you can always take off layers when you get too hot.

Artic Warfare Training

A few years ago when I was in the Royal Marine Reserves I went to Norway for 2 weeks artic warfare training. We were 150km into the artic circle and used cross country skiing to get everywhere carrying all our gear on our backs.

For 6 days we camped outdoors skiing from one location to another location gaining altitude until we went above the tree line. The last 2 nights it went down to minus 25 degrees (-25!) even having things in our pockets like toothpaste etc froze. One night we dug a snow hole into a snow bank and slept the night in there just on some thin roll mats and our sleeping bags (just like in the current TV programme '71 Degrees North').

We finished off the exercise with 'ice breaking drills' minus 6 degrees (-6) ice 2 foot thick on a big lake was cut open and we had to go for a little swim hehe!

I was outdoors for 6 days in a row in sub zero temperatures with artic winds and never got frost bite or hypothermia etc so 50 minutes outdoors in our country is a walk in the park!

Some photos of me in Norway are here: http://www.getfitbootcamp.co.uk/client-marines.html

6 Weeks to Become a Habit

It takes 6 weeks for anything new to become a habit.

If you are new to exercise it will take your body about 4-6 weeks of regular training to notice a change before it starts making positive adaptations. It will take a while for your metabolism to increase so you burn more calories (even during rest) and for your muscles to get a bit more flexible, toned, stronger and fitter.

If you have done lots of running in the past for example (which is one type of training - cardiovascular / aerobic) it will take you about 4-6 weeks of regular attendance to get used to circuit training (which is three types of training combined - cardiovascular / aerobic - muscular / skeletal / core training - anaerobic / interval training).

Set yourself short term achievable goals:

For women you can't expect to eat healthy and train hard for 1-2 weeks and turn yourself into a supermodel that fast, likewise for men you can't suddenly lift a few weights and do a few pressups for 1-2 weeks and expect to look like Arnold Schwarzenegger!

Look at healthy eating, a healthy lifestyle and a regular exercise routine as a long term career and not a short term fad and you'll soon look and feel better for it!

Are You Fitter Than A Pensioner?

Interesting programme on BBC3 and you can also watch the repeats on the BBC iPlayer too.

2 young women and 2 young men from Great Britain head over to different parts of America to compete against some 'Golden Oldies'!

The Brits are aged between 18 and 22 years old and at the beginning of the week perform some physical tests to get their 'fitness age' which in most cases is pretty shocking. The youngsters spend most of their time at home smoking, drinking, clubbing, sleeping through the day, eating rubbish and not exercising.

Worst one we've seen so far is an 18 year old girl with a fitness age of 75!!!

They spend a week with some fit old Americans who get them up early every day to walk, jog, cycle, swim, kayak, go to the gym and eat healthy etc then at the end of the week they compete against 2 American women and 2 American men aged between 65 and 80 years old!

We've seen 4/6 episodes so far and it's 3-1 to the Americans which is pretty embarrassing :(

It's a good eye opener and shows that for most people who don't exercise at least 3 times a week that their 'fitness age' will in most cases be higher then their real age which could cause them problems in the future.

One American guy (66 years old) said a good quote and a rule that he lives by every day "Winners Never Quit, Quitters Never Win!".