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!".

Wintertime Approaches... Boot Camp Marches On!

The clocks will be changing soon and you might have to wake up and go to work in the dark and come home in the dark too. Some people train very hard during the summertime then either cut back on their training or stop altogether over wintertime which isn't a good idea to do. People normally train for 45-60 minutes 2-4 times a week and if you're working hard enough you should be hot and sweating whilst moving around staying warm and not noticing the cold or damp conditions if you're training outside. I train people outdoors 7 days a week all year through and have only been caught out by heavy rain 5 times this year which isn't bad going!

I've brought some goretex Asics trainers from Sports Direct that keep my feet warm and dry for £50.
I've brought a light, breathable, windproof goretex jacket from TK Max (which comes with a hood which keeps my head and ears warm and dry) for £20.
I've brought a couple of pairs of breathable and waterproof exercise trousers from TK Max £15-£20 each.
I've brought some waterproof gloves from a BP petrol station on the A3 (big basket in front of the till) for £5.

So I'm fully waterproof and toasty all year long for approximately £100.

Training in the winter is beneficial for the following reasons:

You don't have a break in your training so you can maintain or improve on your fitness.
You won't have any loss of health or fitness or weight gain which can be accompanied by a negative mood change.
Training during the winter time is physically and mentally more difficult so you'll reap more rewards.
Training outdoors can strengthen your immune system so you'll be less susceptible to common colds.
The other Get Fit Boot Camp members will be there making it a fun and sociable group environment.

Burpham Floodlit Sessions

Burpham Tuesday and Thursday 6.45am sessions, Tuesday and Thursday 6.15pm sessions and Tuesday 7.30pm session benefit from taking place right next to the car park which gets plenty of light from the car park lights, road lights and also the floodlit tennis courts 50 metres away. The park is empty at those times and if the grass is wet we can use the car park etc for a drier surface.

Nutrition Boot Camps

Get Fit Boot Camps meets Enhance Your Nutrition

Get Fit Boot Camp joins Enhance Your Nutrition to become the only one-day Bootcamp to incorporate Military Physical training and Marisa Peer’s world renowned lecture!

Marisa Peer, famous psychotherapist and hypnotist has trained Kate to deliver this lecture from her best selling book:

You Can be Thin.

Train with Rob in the morning and achieve:

Fat loss, weight loss and body toning, Improved heart and lung function, Increased speed and stamina, Increased muscle strength, Improved energy levels, Improved posture, Improved flexibility, Lower blood pressure

Circuit training in a group environment is also great fun and psychologically rewarding. No matter what your fitness level you can really push yourself and achieve your goals.

Enjoy a delicious and healthy lunch followed by Kate’s nutritional talk and Marisa Peer’s lecture. You will understand why so many of the foods we eat are making you so ill, unable to exercise and stopping you from losing weight! Learn how to stop cravings. Stop thinking about diets and learn strategies that change attitudes and beliefs surrounding foods.

One day Nutrition Boot Camps are currently Burpham Park, Guildford Sutherland Memorial Park, Clay Lane, Burpham, Guildford, Surrey

Future dates coming soon, please contact Rob or Kate to register your interest:

Rob - www.getfitbootcamp.co.uk
Kate - www.enhanceyournutrition.co.uk

WalkJogRun

The once a month half day (4 hour) boot camp in Guildford starts with a 45-55 minute walk, jog or run down the River Wey and around a nature reserve lake.

Some of the members who have been to the half day boot camp and live in Guildford haven't been to that part of the river or come across the lake (as it is a little bit hidden) and they have all said how scenic and beautiful it is.

The half day boot camps cater for all ages and abilities as everyone can work at their own pace and are great for melting away fat and improving your fitness.

Members who do the shortest version of the walk and go around the lake once cover approximately 4 miles / 6.5km.

Members who jog down to Bowers lock and around the lake twice cover approximately 6 miles / 9.69km.

One of my members told me about the below site which is really good for finding new routes, mapping and sharing your own routes and both of the half day boot camp routes are on there under the Guildford location:

http://www.walkjogrun.net/

People who live in Guildford, Woking, Godalming, Camberley, Dorking, Leatherhead, Cobham, Walton on Thames, Weybridge, Haslemere, Chertsey, Esher, Epsom, Kingston, Surbiton, Wimbeldon etc and are keen runners or have just started training for an event should try out the half day boot camp as it's 4 hours of focused, functional training that works the whole body and great for building strength and stamina for the legs and core muscles which will improve their running.