Exposure therapy

Today Fit Camp pushed me to the outer limits of my comfort territory. 

The theme of our session was "high-intensity cardio." It started off simply with high-speed, high resistance intervals on the Spin bikes and Arc trainers. Then, we hit the program room for abdominal exercises using Bosu balls to make it more challenging.

Afterwards, Charlotte announced we would be hitting the pool. When I mentioned that I had forgotten my swim suit she said not to worry; I could jump in with my workout clothes (yoga pants and a sleeveless top) on. I knew I was in trouble.

Our assignment was to jump into the pool and pull ourselves out of it 50 times. This terrified me.  I've had a fear of diving into deep water since I was a child and a neighborhood boy pushed me underwater. I was only underwater for a few seconds, but I can still remember the swirling water and the sensation that I wouldn't be able to make it to the surface.

I can swim in deep water, but only if I start on the shallow end of the pool.

Charlotte offered me a lifejacket. But even with it strapped on I stood frozen as I contemplated jumping into my lane. Charlotte provided words of encouragement and a tip about holding the lifejacket close to my body to keep from sinking too deeply into the water.

Eventually, I faced down my phobia and jumped. Other than inhaling some water, I emerged OK. Each jump became a little easier, though honestly I enjoyed pulling myself out a lot more than jumping in.

I guess I can chalk it up as another Fit Camp victory. My arms and shoulders got a killer workout and I tried something that I would have never contemplated doing on my own.

The Pinnacle of Fit Camp

Today, for my Fit Camp homework assignment I climbed the Pinnacle. Actually, this was tomorrow's assignment, but my husband and I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate our anniversary while the kids were in school. Plus, the weather was absolutely perfect for hiking.

The Pinnacle isn't a long hike (2.8 miles from trailhead to summit and back again), but it's a steep climb. There are lots of rock stairs plus a couple of large boulders to scramble over near the peak. The climb up gave us a great cardiovascular workout. The climb down gave our legs a good workout and helped us practice our balancing skills (who needs a Bosu ball when you can balance as you leap from one rock to another).

There were a lot of hikers of all ages on the trails and too many dogs to count. Some of the hikers were practically running up the trail. One particularly fit woman passed us on the way up and was already making her descent when we ran into her again about a quarter mile before we reached the summit. 

Other hikers zipped along with their dogs racing in front of them, disappearing into the woods like gnomes just seconds after saying hello to us.

Charlotte asked us Fit Campers to take a photo of ourselves at the top of the Pinnacle and e-mail it to her and I was happy to oblige. The view was definitely worth the effort it took to get there.

I get by with a little help from my friends

Today's Fit Camp was torture. Absolute torture. If it wasn't for the support of my fellow campers I would have thrown in the towel.

After greeting us in the lobby of the Swimming Hole, Charlotte instructed us to jog down the rec path and around the building to the soccer field behind it. Once we arrived we were divided into teams and instructed to spring to the end of the field, pick up a clipboard and answer a question that was written on it, and sprint back. We had to do that six times and that was just our warm up.

Next we had to line up behind a rope ladder that had been stretched out on the field. Using some fancy footwork we had to step in and out of the rungs of the ladder, then run to a bench where we had to do 10 tricep dips before running to a bench where we had to hold a plank pose (a type of static pushup) for 25 seconds.

We did that three times before we were assigned two other obstacle courses using the rope ladder and benches.

Then, it was on to our final challenge. The television show "Survivor" had nothing on us with this one. We were divided into two-person team. One person was given a car tire and told to swing it between their legs and toss it over their head; then chase it, pick it up and toss it again until they reached the end of the field; and finally pick it up, hold it over their head and run back with it.

Meanwhile, the second person was given a medicine ball and told to do squats and overhead extensions while cheering their tire-throwing partner on.

I knew I was in trouble when I tried to lift the tire and found that I could barely hoist it over my head. I was terrified that I would smack it into my face, ending my Fit Camp training forever. 

I gingerly tossed it only to watch it roll a few feet behind me. Discouraged, I realized that it could take me all day to get it to the end of the field. And I had no idea how I was going to run back to the starting line with it.

That's when my fellow Fit Camper rushed in to help. Justin, who had just broken a Fit Camp tire toss record, offered to toss the tire every other time for me. I would then run after it before giving it a toss. When we reached the end of the field, he grabbed one side of the tire and helped me carry it home.

During my second turn (yes, we had to do the tire toss twice) Kelly ran over to help me. This time, I declined her help when it was time to carry the tire back. I couldn't quite lift it over my head with my arms stretched out as Charlotte had demonstrated but I was able to kind of rest it atop my head just high enough to see where I was going.

Luckily, no one wanted to jog as we made our way back to the Swimming Hole after a quick stretch. Then, it was time to hit the rowing machine rowing 1,000 meters four times and writing down our fastest time for Charlotte. A 10-minute ride on the stationary bike concluded the workout.

Spinning with Jim

Today, I have the day off from Fit Camp. No Fit Camp homework assignments. No Fit Camp group exercise sessions.

Yesterday, our homework assignment was to spend 10 minutes working out hard on five different pieces of cardiovascular equipment. Then, it was off to the weight room to work on lower-body strength routines.

Saturday, I took a 7:15 a.m. Spinning class to make up for the Krankcycle class I missed on Friday. Our instructor Jim, an energetic senior citizen, has the physique of a cyclist who could ride to the top of Mount Washington without running out of steam. In his class, you're guaranteed to work hard and sweat buckets.

He starts off easy, playing New-Age music and telling  us to keep the resistance on our bikes low, "as if we're pedaling down an easy, flat road like the Rec Path." It's  relaxing until the music changes to a more pulsating beat and Jim tells us to turn up the resistance a bit.

At the midpoint of the class we're struggling to get up our first big hill, pushing up the resistance every minute for four minutes as we rise out of the saddles of our bikes and pedal standing up. Just when I'm not sure if I can pedal any farther, Jim announces that we've crested the hill and tells us to loosen the resistance as we ease back into our saddles.

By the end of the class I've pedaled over 20 miles, according to the speedometer and I'm sure I've burned a couple hundred calories. Not a bad way to start the day, even if it takes all the motivation I can muster to drag myself out of bed so early on a weekend.

So much to do, so little time

Our Fit Camp assignments vary from assignments that can take two hours to complete to one-hour workouts and an occasional day off.

Today it's a killer: A 6:15 a.m. Krankcycle class; a four-mile walk/jog/run; four rounds of the "Fish" game on the Concept 2 rowing machine; and an upper body strength-training workout.

I have to skip the Krankcycle class because I have to wait until my kids are at school to workout. That means that tomorrow--- on what would have been a day off --- I'll be taking a 7:15 a.m. Spin class to make it up along with a Kranking class on Monday morning.

Still, I make it to the gym by 8:15 a.m. and manage to squeeze in the other exercise before heading to work. I'm dragging because yesterday, after my Fit Camp workout, I decided to get more exercise in while my kids had their swim lesson. I completed 10 laps back and forth the pool, trying to fine tune the proper kicking techniques Charlotte showed me yesterday. After her lesson, my oldest daughter hopped in the water alongside me and we did a few laps together.

Fit Camp is teaching me to squeeze in exercise wherever I can to fit my schedule. No more, "I don't have time to exercise" excuses for me.

Taking the plunge

Today my Fit Camp comrades and I hit the pool.

First, we warmed up by doing 20 minutes on the Spin bike and 15 minutes on the Krankcycle. Then, it was a mad dash the locker rooms to change into our swim suits.

Charlotte announced that we would be swimming laps and asked us each to complete one lap so she could assess our abilities.

I'm a self-taught swimmer. I can swim well enough to prevent myself from drowning using a doggie-paddle type stroke, but until today I had never attempted to complete a lap at a public pool.

After we completed our initial laps, Charlotte divided us into two teams. The campers on my team were given flippers to help us swim better. We were asked to swim five laps across the pool and back. The other team wasn't given flippers and was asked to swim 10 laps.

Wearing the yellow flippers, I felt like a huge, uncoordinated duck. I wasn't sure if I would make it across the pool with them, but I didn't want to be the first-ever Fit Camper to have to be rescued by a lifeguard so I swam on. By the time I completed my fifth lap, I had grown used to them and looked like a slightly more graceful swimming duck.

Just when we thought it was over, Charlotte gave us one more assignment. She handed out kick boards and asked us to hold them upright under the water while we sprinted halfway across the pool and back again. The kick boards added extra resistance as we hopped, ran, walked and basically made it across any which way we could before handing off the kick boards to our partners who then sprinted with them. We took turns until each person had completed five laps.

When it was over, one team had broken a record, finishing faster than any Fit Camp team since 2006.

We had barely hoisted ourselves out of the pool when Charlotte handed us our assignments for next week. Looks like more running, strength training and a hike up the Pinnacle. Enough to whip us into shape, that's for sure.

I'm running as fast as I can

For me,  no athletic activity inspires as much dread and fear as running.

Here's why: When I was in high school we had a once-a-year fitness test. It was usually held on the first warm spring day and we were required to run four times around the track, a distance of one mile.

Our gym teacher stood at the finish line holding a clipboard, a stopwatch, and a megaphone. If you stopped running before you completed the mile she would pick up the megaphone and yell something like, "Pick up the pace," or "Is that how you'd run if your house were on fire?"

I was a chubby kid. Even worse, I was short which meant I had to move my legs that much faster to keep up with everyone else. Worst of all, outside of gym class I did no physical activity at all making my annual mandatory mile run that much more painful.

Usually, time I completed the first lap, I had a stitch in my side. By time I completed the second, I was gasping for air. During the third time around the track, my knees and ankles were throbbing. As I made it into the final lap, I was often the only one left on the track. The others had already made it back into the locker room and were changing out of the navy and gold polyester gym shorts we were required to wear.

The gym teacher would roll her eyes and click her tongue when I finally crossed the finish line, noting my time in bright red ink.

So, my heart skipped a beat yesterday during Fit Camp when we were ushered into into the group exercise room where a series of rubber domes had been set up. We were split into two teams and told that each person had to run eight laps along the domes in a figure-eight pattern before passing the baton to the next person in line.

I was the second person to run for my team and I felt like I was in one of those horror movies where everything seems to be happening in slow motion. I ran my fastest — which isn't very fast — while my teammates cheered me on.

I was flushed with relief when I finished my final lap. But, there was still more running to do. Our independent assignment was to run/jog/walk three miles or for 30 minutes, whichever came first.

I approached the treadmill with the trepidation usually reserved for cowboys approaching a mechanical bull. But once I started moving some of my fear lifted and during the next half hour  found myself constantly increasing the miles-per-hour setting as I eased from a brisk walk to a light jog.

Tomorrow, more challenges await. Our assignment is to walk/jog/run for 40 minutes at a good pace. I'm actually looking forward to improving my speed.

One of the best thing about Fit Camp is that it forces you to do things that you didn't think you could do, or that you were afraid to do, or that you had absolutely no desire to do. Chances are I'll never run a marathon, but maybe I'll eventually be able to run a mile easily on the treadmill and that will be quite a personal accomplishment.

Slow or lazy?

Am I just naturally slow or am I lazy? That's the question I was asking myself today as I stepped, jogged, rowed and cycled through my Fit Camp workout.

I challenged myself to work at a faster-than-normal pace on each piece of equipment, but at times I felt as if I were moving in slow motion. I wondered if some people are just naturally faster than others or if it's just a mind-over-matter thing. Can you will yourself to run a faster mile or are you constrained by some genetic predisposition that will prevent you from ever surpassing a certain level of speed?

At one point, on the stationary bike, I looked down at my thigh and asked it to pedal faster. It did for a couple of seconds before easing back to a slower rpm. But, when it was time for the treadmill, I was able to go at a quicker pace than yesterday without feeling any worse for the wear.

So, I've added a new fitness goal to my list: Before Fit Camp ends I want to increase my speed on the treadmill, stationary bike and Arc trainer by 20 percent or more. It will be a quasi-scientific experiment I'll conduct on myself.

Let the fun begin

Today we had our first Fit Camp group bootcamp. In a single hour we ran on the treadmill, worked out hard on the Arc trainer machine, took a Kranking class and did some weight-training and abdominal exercises. Whew!

It was the first time I had run (actually it was a slow jog) since high school. I set the pace on the treadmill at 4 miles an hour (the person next to me had theirs set at 8 miles per hour) and felt slightly winded when it was over. I guess I'm not in as good cardiovascular shape as I thought I was.

One of the great things about Fit Camp is that it forces you to do things you wouldn't be inclined to do on your own (like jogging in my case). Or, taking a new type of group exercise class.

Tomorrow my assignment is to hit five cardiovascular machines (the bike, the treadmill, the Arc trainer, the eliptical machine and the rowing machine). The goal is to work out as hard as you can for 10 minutes on each machine. Afterward, Charlotte has given us some abdominal exercises to do.

I'm actually looking forward to the challange, though that might change when I'm struggling to get through 50+ minutes of hardcore exercise.

Pick your vice, just don't sin twice

Wine, beer, or a cider doughnut? Those were the choices I faced at 5 p.m. yesterday as I headed over to a Stowe Development Review Board meeting.

While I was on my way, I ran into my editor, Tom, who told me the Stowe Visitor's Center was having a grand reopening celebration complete with treats. Feeling tired and hungry after a busy day at the office, I made a beeline for the center, determined to get some sustenance.

Before Fit Camp, I would have had a glass of wine, cheese and crackers and a cider doughnut. But, none of these items are on the clean-eating menu I've been following.

According to the clean-eating principles outlined in "The Eat Clean Diet," if you must cheat, you should choose sugar or wine, but never both. That's because your body processes alcohol in the same way it processes sugar. It causes your blood glucose levels to rise and the excess calories are quickly converted to fat.

So, I choose the cider doughnut, reasoning that it would be more filling than a glass of wine and that it would provide just enough of an energy boost to get me through the meeting without dozing off.

This morning, I resumed my clean-eating plan: steel-cut oatmeal with fresh blueberries and Agave natural sweetener before my morning workout; lowfat yogurt and water afterward.

Hopefully, I'll make it through the day without cheating.

Day One of Fit Camp

A body-fat test. A cardiovascular fitness test. A workout journal. That's what awaited me and my nine Fit Camp comrades today after a brief getting-to-know-you meeting.

Today was the first day of Fit Camp. Our trainer Charlotte Brynn handed out our weekly schedule, which lists our workout requirements. Today was a 30-minute cardio time test to see how much distance we could cover on a cardio machine of our choice. Tomorrow, we're assigned 30 minutes on the ARC trainer and a 15-minute walk/jog down the recreation path. The remainder of the week holds classes ranging from yoga to Spinning, weight-training and more cardio, plus a boot camp session on Thursday.

The people in our group represent a variety of ages, fitness levels and backgrounds. Some are moms, trying to get back in shape. Others have worked out for months or years and are ready to take their fitness to the next level. A few have specific weight-loss or fitness goals in mind.

After meeting as a group and completing our cardio tests, it was time for Charlotte to snap our "before" photos (one side and one front view). Next, it was time to have our body fat measured with calipers. The skinfold test measures body fat at various locations on your arms, back, chest, stomach and waist.

My results weren't as bad as I thought they would be. I have slightly less body fat than the average person, which lands me in the "average" category. My goal for Fit Camp won't be to lose a large amount of weight; instead, I'll be focusing on replacing some of my body fat with lean muscle. This will help me keep my weight down, as the more muscle mass you have, the more calories your body burns each day.

I hope to drop my percentage of body fat by three to five percent, a reasonable goal over the next eight weeks.

Kranking things up

Tomorrow I start Fit Camp. So, today I decided to jump start my new adventure by taking a new class at the Swimming Hole --- Kranking.

Kranking is like Spinning, only you pedal with your arms instead of your legs. You place your hands on the handles and rotate them forward, sometimes moving both arms in unison; other times rotating one arm at a time. Like Spinning, you increase the tension throughout the class to challenge your muscles.

It's an intense workout that not only firms up your arms, but tones your entire core (upper body) and improves your balance and flexibility. I didn't sweat as much as I usually do when I take a spinning class, but I definitely felt my muscles working.

I'm a little worried about tomorrow. My greatest fear at this point is that my fellow Fit Campers will be seasoned athletes looking to get even more buff before ski/hockey season starts and that I'll be struggling to keep up.

And, then there's the body fat test and the "before" photo. Not to mention the fitness test.

I'll have to remember to eat an especially healthy breakfast so that I'll be in top form when the fun begins.