Jade’s Weight Loss Journey: Workout DVD -vs- Bootcamp

There are many things that stick out in my head as to why my current weight loss plan is working versus all the other ones, but I am going to talk about a major one in today's blog: pushing yourself.

In the past, I would buy all sorts of workout DVDs. Flatten and tone your belly, butt blaster, extra fat burning . . . Who knows how much money was spent on them. Don't get me wrong, some of them can be really good workouts, but it's how you yourself use those DVDs. When I would pop in a DVD, I would slowly get into the groove, maybe not do all the moves, take a break when I needed . . . you get the picture. I would really only give 60-70% of myself to the workout. Better than nothing, but I wasn't seeing the results I wanted to. (Granted I wasn't eating the healthiest either . . . but I'll save the nutrition for the next blog.)

Now that I have been going to a gym, I have noticed how I really give it my all during their bootcamps. (If you think Military style bootcamp . . . don't worry, they are not THAT tough!) It's my body doing the work for both, so why would I give more at the gym then at home. Even when I do a DVD at home vs doing a bootcamp, I can tell I don't push myself like I do at the gym. Why is that?

I feel its because you are surrounded by others who have different fitness levels doing the same workout and wanting the same benefits. If I see someone in worse shape than me really giving it their all at the gym, I think to myself "if they can do it, so can I!" If I see someone in great shape really giving it their all, that is also motivating. You see the results of the hard work right in front of your eyes. You also have a trainer watching you. They are there to make sure you are benefiting from the workouts. They make sure you are doing the moves right to be getting the most out of the workout. If you don't have the correct form, you won't be seeing much as a result. I tell my trainers Nate and Danielle that if they feel I can do more and push harder to not be scared to make me really push during the workout. I am there to lose the weight, not to look pretty while doing it.

If you feel you slack during your at home workouts and you want to see results from your hard work, try out a gym that has bootcamps. That would be my recommendation. You will be surprised at how much you can really do. You will never know until you try. I still laugh at Nate when he shows us what we are going to do. I think to myself, there is no way I can do that, and guess what . . . I try it, and I can! You can too!

Here’s to good health!