Friday, 12 June 2020

Day 5 of Summer Camp

Day5:- Friday 12th June 2020

Morning Walk with ‘Doris’.

I loved my walk with ‘Doris’ this morning…. It was a very relaxing amble around the park today. Unfortunately, ‘Doris’ has been over doing it recently so it was more of a sit and chat rather than a walk. However, we did manage a loop around the park.

We notice the regular walkers in the park. It is interesting to see that the park isn’t as busy as it has been over the recent weeks… Is this due to people starting to return to work or school, or is it due to the change in the weather? It does make me wonder if everyone is OK as a couple of the regulars have missed a couple of days.

Motivations From Others.

It was great to receive a message from ‘Fatty Jen’ saying that she is back on it today. Session done. She was too hungover yesterday to do her workout but it’s allowed…. It was her birthday after all the day before!

It helps to stay focused and motivated when you are not doing things alone.. There is loads of support from others and vice-versa.. A couple of hours later, Keeley sent a video message saying that she had completed her BootCamp session and it was like being on holiday as it was nice and sunny. Well done girls…. you are both awesome and doing a grand job.

My Turn:- Pilates!

It was my turn to have a workout and I had opted for Pilates. It was with a new instructor today (Lizzie). Today’s class was full with 5 of us. I am so loving the fact that the classes are small for starting out with Yoga and Pilates as you get regular feedback from the instructors to correct your position. I am uncertain if I would be so dedicated to getting fit if I had started in larger classes.

The class starts with…… standing tall and engaging the core. It’s amazing how just breathing in and out at the right time can make such a difference to your posture and movement.

Just in with the breath, lifting the ribs engaging the core. Then arm reaches pretending you are picking apples from a tree. Remember the piece of string attached to head to make you stand yo tall. Now to circulate the arms to get the shoulders mobile. Forwards and then backwards. Change to the other side. There is still a difference between my left and right but today it doesn’t seem to be as bad. I’m sure this will change again but today it appears to be a good day.

Adding in a twist from the waist looking behind whilst the pelvis stays forward. Engaging the core back to the centre and then the opposite side. Same again but with arms out…. think I’m cheating without meaning to as I think I am using the momentum from my arms to twist further around.

Stretches to the side…. don’t bring up your shoulders. Keep them relaxed. Head to the side.

Arms up now. Pivoting then arms back a little then push arms and elbows back. Squeeze shoulder blades together. Ribs tucked in. Back in neutral position. There are sooo many instructors but after a couple of reps it appears to get easier to incorporate all the instructions. My shoulders are beginning to get tired but we continue to work the deltoids and arms are feeling heavy. It’s good for posture so I will persevere with it. One more exercise and then yes we get to do a stretch to ease it out. A few ‘aaahhhsss’ from the group. Wahoooo I’m not the only one feeling it. The other seems soo fit compared to me but I keep telling myself one day that will be me. I’m so proud of myself as to how well I’m doing. I honestly didn’t expect to see or feel the changes so soon. It hasn’t even been a week and I’m feeling amazing. Every session I feel as though I’m getting stronger. More toned. Fitter. Having more endurance and my posture is improving.

Stretches for the back. Chest out. Shoulder blades apart. Scoop in round up. Relax the arms, relax the head. Stretches out the back and opened up the chest. This feels so great.

Oh no…… sumo squats and sliding down the imaginary wall. Inhale to bend. Exhale… engage the core and back up. You should feel it is the inner thigh and glutes. It works on posture and spine muscles. My glutes are certainly feeling it today.

We stay with the legs. Calf stretch position. On train tracks. Tucking bottom under slightly. Should feel it in the calf and also front of the hips I love that it is explained as to why we need to do it. This is good for our walking posture.

Now inhaling and up onto the toes.

Working muscles in our feet now to lift our arches.

Oh No. we now add in the arms. Now up onto your toes and add in a twist/turn……. Oopss not that way….. twist the other way. Oh yeah that makes it easier!! It’s all about the balance again!!

Double oh no….. now lift the back foot. Keep your upper body still. Hips forward. No hinging. Glutes are working over time. Engage the core as you lift. It is so hard trying to ignore the glutes working hard as I feel as though I’m working extra hard just to maintain my balance.

Seriously….. sumo squats again before we move to work the other side.

It’s quite windy outside and I think it may have even started raining at this point but I don’t really notice it. I’m so hot as I’m working so hard it’s unreal.

I think we do heel raises and maybe something else and then wahooo we finally work our way down to the floor. Don’t think you are going to relax down here Gregory… you will only be disappointed.

Yip roll-downs. One vertebrae at a time and then back up. I have no idea how many we have don’t but I’m so pleased to hear those words….. just two more.

Superman here we come. Today I don’t think I did this correct all the time as usually I can feel my core engaging during the movement. I don’t think I was sucking in my belly butty to the spine when I was supposed to. Every now again I manage to coordinate the movement with my breath and engagement of the core. The balance element seems really easy compared to the beginning of the week.

Yes ‘Child’s pose’ but not here for long. We have to stick out one foot to the side. Get the foot pressed into the floor and move backwards. Should feel the stretch in the inner thigh. Oh yes I can feel it. But the good news I’ve noticed my reach is improving when I’m playing tennis.

Down onto our fronts and I am a swan!! A little one to start off with but gradually I begin to rise up some more. Opening up the chest. Sucking belly button away from the mat. On exhale try and lift away from the ice cube on the mat. Thank goodness it’s not a real ice cube as I feel as though I’m not lifting up today… at this rate I may end up with hypothermia! But yeah…. I finally come up and get the stretch.

Stretches the other way as a form of release.

I can really feel my core and glutes as worked.

Yeah seared exercises but oh no core is really been worked so much.

I don’t know about you but I’m exhausted re-living my session but you know what I am absolutely loving it.

I am sure there was some other exercises before the end of the class but I can’t remember what they were.

Extra Game of Tennis

Hurrah….. Sue was in my Pilates class today and we mentioned the other day when we were passing going to and coming from a class about taking our tennis stuff so that we can have a game during the day and today it was the case!!

I run to my car to get my kit out… OK who am I kidding… run? hahaha never… I take a leisurely walk to get my kit out and head to the courts. Again there is hardly anyone playing… some young lads were playing…. They are amazingly good. I so wish I could play like them but for now I shall just stick with my killer slice!

I feel as though I am moving around the court more freely. I now need to start running as some form of training.

After 1.5 hours of tennis, I head home for lunch, a soak in the bath and oops I had a little afternoon nap on the couch!!

Tennis Doubles with Leon v Sue and James

Wahooo more tennis…. This time it is doubles (thank goodness). So it Leon and me versus Sue and a young whippersnapper James! James is amazingly quick around the court one minute he is in the back corner and the next he has run the diagonal! He is like a ‘starfish’ with arms and legs spread eagle cutting off balls at the net. Hopefully, I will be able to play like him one day…. Keep dreaming Gregory keep dreaming. Mind you… if I carry on the way I am.. you never know it may become a reality.

Leon and I quickly lose the first set 6-1 oooppss. I feel as though I am still half asleep… Don’t worry Leon I am starting to wake up!!

We narrowly lose the second set as it goes to a tie-breaker…. No time for anymore as we had already played for 1.5 hours.

In all it was another great day at Summer Camp and I so cannot wait for tomorrow!

Thursday, 11 June 2020

Day 4 of Adult Summer Camp

Day 4:- Thursday 11th June 2020

It’s 10pm and I am so ready for bed. Today has just flown by and I didn’t have a full-on day at Summer Camp as both of my Yoga sessions were cancelled. I had mixed feelings about this… half of me was gutted and thought it’s only rain…. I am only going to get a little bit wet. I can come home and have a hot bath to warm up. The other half of me…. was thank goodness for that I am probably over doing it and really should give my body time to rest…

Unfortunately, even though I find both Yoga and Pilates challenging and I am using muscles that I didn’t even know I had…. (Really I should know my muscles as I am supposed to be studying for a Sports Massage Course….. and I would do anything for a massage right now!) I don’t really see it as exercise…. this is probably because I am more in control of my breathing rather than blowing out of my ar$e in Bootcamp and Squash! I guess I really see if as another form of relaxation and strengthening/conditioning.

I was really impressed with myself though as rather than doing just nothing…. I decided to do some of the exercises I have learnt during the week. This felt sooooo good as I was feeling a bit sore for tennis yesterday evening. Mind you… I did push myself more than usual during tennis last night as I thought if I play hard tonight…. I can be restored and fixed tomorrow at Yoga… I am not sure if this was the right attitude to have but it is working….

Tennis Doubles

As I pulled into the club carpark…. .It started to sprinkle again…. Oh no…. please don’t tell me tennis will be cancelled…. but fear not as there is blue sky ahead. I saw Matt, the Rackets Manager as I entered the club and it was great news….. hopefully some group tennis sessions will be starting next Wednesday. I shall definitely keep an eye out on the app for updates…

An email has also come through about Personal Training sessions that you can book once a week as from Monday 16th June…. This is all included within your membership at the moment… I am not sure if I am ready to do this but then I think back to the fun sessions… I had when I used to train with Stuart when I broke my leg in 2011 and that I dropped two jean sizes in a really short period of time. I shall sleep on it and see what happens come Monday… (OK OK I know I will probably be booked into a PT session on the Tuesday!)

I ended up playing doubles for just over 2 hours. It was a lovely evening with a little drizzle but before long it was sparkling all the way… Wahoo Mel and I won the either two or three sets against Leon and Sue (a husband and wife team). We mixed up the pairs and it was time for Sun and myself to take on Leon and Mel… unfortunately they were too strong for us and we lost.

It was such a lovely evening and lots of fun…. It was quite windy which was great as balls that we thought were going to go miles out of the court kept getting caught in the wind and then dropped in.

In all it was another great day at Summer Camp…

Day 3 of Summer Camp for Adults

Day 3:- Wednesday 10th June2020

What an awesome night’s sleep I had! As soon as my head touched the pillow I was out for the count and stayed asleep all night. Recently I have been waking up at 3am and staying awake for a couple of hours and then going back but not today.

I felt as though I leapt out of bed rather than the usual shuffle…… I still can’t believe the amount of movement/flexibility I have got going through my ankles. It is great. It is amazing that my knees are hurting less. I wonder if I don’t hurt as much because I am not stressed and there is less tension going through my body, or is it the weight-loss or is it because of the Yoga and Pilates? Who knows? Do I even care? Not really as my body feels great. Mind you I do want to bottle this feeling as I am sure there will be tough and challenging times ahead.

I arrive at the club way too early again, so I head out to the tennis court to hit a few balls. It’s great for me that there are so many empty courts and I can just go out and have a hit all by myself. Remember your ‘trophy pose’ for the serve…….Oh wow, my side bend feels great….. is it due to the ‘banana’ stretch yesterday? I hope I will carry on with Pilates and Yoga rather than going back to 120mph activities… OK that is one hell of an imagination I have got as if I got even run at 20mph going down hill let alone 120! Maybe I could just roll down a hill fast but run….. no chance!

I quickly head to the Spa Retreat Garden for Yoga……A different instructor for today’s session…. Ciara. She is really nice as well and so encouraging. There are only 2 other people in my class. The beauty of having small numbers in the class the instructor can tell you how to position yourself correctly. I so need to remember my right from my left! I am in the back row and I thought I would copy the lady in front but unfortunately she seems to have the same difficulties as me. It amazes me that if you change your position just a fraction it can make such a difference to your balance. My posture is appalling but I am hoping that through Yoga and Pilates this will gradually improve. I feel as though my head is starting to lift more. Ciara gives so many tips as to how we can improve our poses, focusing and drawing in breath or a slight push out on the outer edge of your foot, squeeze your ankles towards each other. My tree continues to sway in a force 9 gale today but once I focus on a point this improves. Today’s lesson followed soooo much quicker than yesterday’s session.

Oh gawd…… I am still in downward-dog and everyone else has stepped through…. and are heading towards the next pose. Tilt your pelvis, draw your belly-button towards your spine, keep your spine and pelvis neutral…. there is so much to remember. I can’t believe how hard I concentrate in the session….. and wobble!!

The session is done in the rain but you don’t really realise it is raining as you are so much in the moment you just seem to forget about what is going on around you. It is only when the instructor asks do you want to go down onto the mats… did I realise it was raining. Obviously I knew it was at the start of the class but totally forgot during the session. It is really refreshing….. However, I am thinking wearing a white t-shirt isn’t probably the best idea for sessions in the rain but it’s not that heavy.

Although, I am not always in the correct position and I am instructed to move part of my body a certain way to be in the pose…. I am loving it and slowly feel as though I am improving. I know my body is feeling the benefits and also my mind.

Yoga in the rain….. I love it… so refreshing

Wahooo Pilates

I absolutely love Pilates. I loved it before when I started Pilates after my knee operation. So I am hoping that by writing about my Summer Camp experience, I will have this reminder to carry on with it.

Why do I love it? It is gentle but challenging at the same time. Hardly any swelling of my knees. I can still feel my old knee crunching and shaking but it is pain-free. My co-ordination appears to have gone out of the window….. This tends to happen when I over-think things. Wahooo…. I got it but oh no….. direction change… I am like a rabbit in the headlights…. trying to work out which way my arms now need to go. Oh great….. I am now reaching for the sky on tip-toes….. Engage the core…. I actually am engaging it but at the moment there is a few extra layers of my own warmth that is preventing anyone from seeing that it is being engaged!

Oh no….. it’s too late…. I have started to giggle….. The class is so quiet and here I am giggling…. The instructor only said that it was a test for your co-ordination but she looked straight at me….. Pressure is on.. Come on Gregory compose yourself as you so know if you lose it with the giggling you have no chance to do anything…..Deep breath in…. maintain a focus…. Nope still not got…. thank goodness there is a pillar right by me as I kind of bounce of it!

It’s amazing how much difference there is between my left and right side of my body…. Why I am amazed by this I do not know as it is obvious there would be from years of playing squash! I am having to be a waiter with pizza trays…. I am so thinking yummy… does it come with ‘Doughballs’…. Oh no, I have drifted again…. I don’t tend to drift as much in Yoga… Not sure why.

Yeah I am now becoming a ‘human compass’ with lunges!! Lunge forward and back, 4, 3, 2, 1. Now to the East, centre, West centre. Lunge backwards and forward. OOPSS. a few wobble and a quick grab of the pillar….

Moving into Ballet moves….. now don’t think I am gracious during these movements… Swan Lake it is not……. But I totally admire all those dancers that train and have such amazing dedication, co-ordination and balance!

Rolling down in a box square for push-ups….. core strong…. with a tray of cocktails on your back… Opps think I have just dropped mine! Then stepping back to stand up and back down again……

Backdown on all fours and then right arm out, left leg back and change… All these movements are flowing..keep the core engaged.

OH NO….. we are moving towards working the butt…. I can feel the burn already and we haven’t started it yet. Staying on hands and knees, lifting the leg up, show me 8…. good and now leave it here and pulse. Remember to keep your core strong, squeeze your glutes. There were a variety of different exercises for your glutes. Hurrah…. those words I was waiting to hear….. Child’s pose. You are not in this position for long as the other side needs working to.

Back and Shoulders were worked and stomach muscles…. The core has been worked throughout all of the previous exercises but now we are targeting the deep and internal muscles…. We are waking them up….. I think mine have been asleep for years if not in a coma… but they are certainly awake now!

I can’t remember what else I did but I felt as though I have grown taller during the class. I have also learnt that my hips are narrower that what I thought they were….. this is because I was supposed to have my legs in line with my hips and my legs were out wider…. Every cloud and all that……

Oh we had a block and were allowed to use it like a pillow…. and rest our hand on the side… Don’t be fooled Gregory you have no chance of relaxing (even though the class is relaxing but you know what I mean…) Pretend you have a piece of chalk and draw around you…. and in the opposite direction. Oh and I was an oyster… lift, little squeeze and down.

We are also given a band so that we can stretch the hamstrings!

The instructor is Victoria…… She is very clear with her instructions and gives gently reminders about how to breathe into the stretch/movement. I so need these reminders otherwise I think I will be turning blue during the session. Her voice is very calming and encouraging.

The What’sApp message you love to get:- Tennis

I got a What’sApp message from Mel saying that the person she was playing has cried off and did I fancy playing earlier? ‘On my way now’ was typed so quickly!!

Before I know it I am back at the club…. Mel is already out on the court. It is such a lovely evening although there is a little sprinkle of rain. I feel as though I am moving so much better around the court. I know I still have a long-way to go but I am looking at how far I have already gone! I am getting more confident to move and lunge to hit the ball, however, I think I am supposed to take little steps to the ball.

My serve started off really strong but throughout the game it got worst and worst! But hey hoe that’s the way the cookie crumbles. I lost 3-0 but I won the beer match…. shame the bar is closed! I can’t believe how quickly the time went. We played for 2.5 hours. We had not realised that we had been on court for that length of time, it only became evident to us when we were heading back into the club and the lights went off in the bar! The patio door was locked…. OPPS… We thought we were locked out and started walking to check if we could get out… I couldn’t stop giggling…. no surprises there. We should have realised it was late as the couple that were playing on the court next to us had left! The last time, I looked at my watch was 7:35pm and it is now 8:11pm. Just as we were googling the phone number for the club whilst Mel was looking up her tennis coach’s number, David the Gym Manager appeared and he let us out via the side gate!!

Day 2 of Summer Camp for Adults

Day 2:- Tuesday 9th June 2020

Before I arrived at Summer Camp for Adults today. I prepared my pack lunch. Had a wholesome omelette and met ‘Doris’ (not her real name!) for our morning walk in Park Hill. I meet her at our rendezvous location by the Water Tower. Naturally I am 20 minutes early… why? I have no idea other than I hate being late for things…. I can hear my good old friend Zoe laughing at me as she knows that I arrive 20-30 minutes early to Summer Camp!

It’s amazing how green and still the trees are today.

Doris also has a habit of arriving early too. You can notice her from a distance by her sashay into the park and the dark sunglasses. We walk through the park talking about what is going on in the world…. It tends to be the same topics of social isolation, the weather, Covid-19, politics and now that she is moving house. Doris is not sure if she is doing the right thing. She has lived in her house for over 30 years and is wondering if moving is the right thing to do at 94! I love listening to Doris’s stories…… I have no idea if they are all true but nonetheless they are very interesting. She talks about her Play Reading groups that she used to host and many of her friends that are no longer around. Doris is a great character… sometimes she is a bit like Victor Mildrew but she is ever so kind. She hand me an envelope and inside she has printed a photo of ‘our park’ as a memento of our walks together and what the park looks like in the autumn. We spend about a hour in the park walking and talking…. OK… not all of it is walking as we often sit on the bench to chat as it makes it easier for Doris to hear.

I head of home to collect my Summer Camp kit and head off to the Club.

The club has done really well to adapt to keeping everyone safe and active during these difficult times. There are hand sanitisers at the reception desk and wonderful staff to greet you as you arrive. They check that you are OK and know where you are going. There are signs and markings throughout the club reminding you to keep your distance and arrows so that you go through a one-way system to make it safer for everyone.

First session for today is Yoga in the Spa Garden Retreat. I can’t remember what type of yoga it was but it’s the one where you stay in the stretch for a longer period of time and you just melt into the pose and they would target my connective tissues. Today’s instructor was Regi. She was really nice but to be fair all of the instructors have been great so far. They have all been helpful as I am a ‘newbie’. There is only one other person in today’s class…. it seems to be I have found the world’s best secret for classes and no-one else knows. It is great as you get so many tips and pointers as to how you need to move which I probably wouldn’t get if I was started these classes in the big studio. I tried hard to remember what I had done in today’s class but I guessed it really worked as I was right here in the moment of the class drawing my breath and not thinking about anything else. Even though the club is quiet and you are outside the birdsong soon disappears as I can hear myself….. breathe in 1…. 2…..3….4….5….6…. and out 1…..2….3…..4…. I can’t remember if this is the right way around but initially I was thinking oh no…. I have already filled out my lungs now what…. I am only on 3 and I have more breath that I am supposed to take go….. Relax remember what Regi has said just focus on your breath. Such a simple task but it was so difficult to initiate at first.

I have no idea how many poses we undertook throughout the 45 minute session but Regi explained why we were carrying them out. At first, I thought I had no hope as she mentioned something about all my joints would dry up by a certain age… Oh great …..I am well over that age so what chance have I got now.

Mind you….. I can’t remember what pose I was in but several of them were great as I felt tight in certain areas and felt as though there was a blockage somewhere in my body and before I knew it I had this warm-fussy feeling as though blood was circulating around my body with ease. Maybe my joints are so dry after all and there is hope for me yet.

During the class, at some point I was a seal, a butterfly, banana (yes that is right a banana… I always thought yoga was based on animal names… so everyday is a school day!)a melting heart and one of my favourite poses the Child’s pose as this is a resting pose… although sometimes this hurts one of my dodgy knees every now and again.

I am not 100% sure if I may have had a little nap during the class or whether I was 100% in the moment. I noticed a change in my breathing and it was as though I was snoring and it woke me up….. Please tell me this wasn’t the case… I am not sure which is potentially worst falling asleep in Yoga or nearly being sick in BootCamp!

The last dong of the session was disappointing as I could have stayed lying down for the rest of the day but all good things have to come to an end.

Next Session:- Yoga Pilates Fusion.

Double whamming yoga and pilates mixed into one session. Again there are only two people in my class.

So… what have I discovered about myself in this class…. if I drift off into my own little dream world… I have no balance whatsoever…. especially when I am supposed to be a tree that grows! I have more balance on my last operated leg than my old dodgy knee. My tree on one side was not as still as the trees in the park this morning but it’s OK I tell myself….. trees can sway in the wind… and boy oh boy am I swaying…. Focus on one spot… pull in your belly button into your spine. Honestly, I am trying…. you would never think so. You would have thought that a lumberjack was trying to chop down my tree at one point and I was busy fighting him off. Take a deep breath in and compose yourself… You can do this… oh yes… it is soooooo much easier when you find a focal point. No swaying…. yeah I am a tree and I have grown to be still.

I can already feel the benefits of Summer Camp. My thigh muscles are becoming more tone, I have increased flexibility in my ankles and my abs are starting to behave like abs!!

Tennis:- booo solo practice.

Unfortunately I didn’t get to play tennis today as my opponent landed a new contract and had to have a 5pm telephone conference. Great news for him but never mind…. Quick google on YouTube to find some serve drills. I head out to the courts. I can’t believe how empty they are. The General Manager is on one court playing and the rest of them are empty. People keep saying when they go to book them they are already all taken but this cannot be the case as when I look it clearly shows there are loads of empty courts. Never mind as I am making the most of it. I don’t last long on court as it isn’t quite the same as having solo practice at squash… at least in squash the ball comes back to you but not in tennis…. at least I get more steps in as I have to change ends regularly to collect some more balls…. Note to my future self…. bring more balls with you the next time!!

Hurrah for Amazon.

Yeah my Epsom Bath Salts have arrived….. see you later I am going for a long soak and planning the rest of Summer Camp for this week and next week.

Day 1 of Summer Camp for Adults

Day 1 at Summer Camp 8th June 2020

Well actually it isn’t really Day 1 at Summer Camp….. Last week, I decided I was going to get fit… so naturally I took the obligatory photos front, back and side… but fear not for I am not going to share it here… I stepped onto the scales and I am sure they were shouting at me….. ‘ 1 person at a time!’. Rude….. But to be fair, I can’t really blame them. At the start of Lockdown I was like yeah Joe Wicks PE Class who says a 44 year old female can’t join in with the PE class….. well it lasted a few days… I then progressed to dancing with Oti Mabuse. I absolutely loved these class but unfortunately they fell by the wayside as there was no commitment from me and I quickly took to baking in the kitchen!

Along with the photos, and weigh-in, I took measurements….. Chest, Waist, Hips and Thigh…. I am not sure if I managed to take them correctly but today when I stepped on the scales I had lost 0.9kg. 0.5cm from my chest, 5cm from my waist, 1cm from my hips and nothing from my thigh. Like I said I have no idea if they are correct but I will take that as a great start to Summer Camp… I had a practice run last week of playing tennis and over the weekend…. I did my first BootCamp session, yoga and pilates…. I absolutely loved it and it reminded me when I went to a Summer Sports Camp… Who say Summer Camp has to be for kids?? Not me…. I am creating my own Summer Camp.

So today…. I started the day with playing 1.5 hours of tennis. I loved it. I could so feel my legs from yesterdays Leg, Bums and Core workout and still the after effects from Saturday’s BootCamp!! But at least I am out there moving….

I quickly moved onto another Legs, Bums and Core session today with Claire. Now just to let you know I am not built for speed but more for comfort! 45 minutes…… OMG…… The warm-up starts and I am like….. are you sure this is just the warm-up?? It feels like a full-on workout already so god knows what else is in store for me. The dreaded step…… ouch ouch and triple ouch…. You have got this Gregory…. come on you can do it…. up, down and how low can you go? Please don’t ask as at this rate… I will be sitting on the step and not getting up. I look around me…. there are only 4 other people in the class as you are only allowed 5 plus the instructor and you are on an X… not quite the X factor but…. actually I have no idea what it is…. Claire tells me I am doing well…. I think she is lying and then she tells me she is a brilliant actress…. (Charming!) So I have gone up and down on the step, squatted over it…. pulsed, balance with leg out and many more exercises….. I can certainly feel the burn…. But I am kind of loving it…. I am feeling alive and loving being outside training. I am not really one for doing exercises indoors but hopefully I may fall in love with it again….. Only time will tell.

Yes…….. legs are over but not the class…. triceps dips……. no please no….. my arms still ache from Bootcamp and probably yesterday’s Legs, Bums and Core…. OK…I know I know… I have gone from 0 to 120mph in three days… Nothing like breaking yourself gently back into it…. But I am making the most of it! I can’t even remember what else I had to do…. but somehow I am still smiling through it and even better I am still breathing! And boy oh boy…. I am sure people on the furthest tennis court can hear that I am still breathing. Seriously, I sound like an old steam train just puffing away.

Core time…… yeah….. I get to lie down!! I could so easily roll up into the ‘fetal position’ or even better just rest my head onto my arms and sleep. That annoying little voice in my head tells me… You can do this. You have this…. We have a little disagreement but the voice in my head wins and I continue…. yeah… I am back to smiling and feeling great that I am carrying on.

Boom….. Time is up… Get in another fabulous class completed!!

1.5 HOURS OF TENNIS AND LEGS, BUMS AND CORE DONE!

Lunchtime at home:- A long soak in the bath…. ordered some Epsom Bath Salts from Amazon as I have a funny feeling I am going to ache sooooo much but hey it is going to be well worth it!

I had tuna pasta salad…. did a few household chores and I then went from the 14 year old kid at summer camp to a 14 months old baby having an afternoon nap on the couch. I am thinking why oh why did I book into BootCamp as well today? Shall I cancel it? No way…. You can do this… stay strong they say but really I am like ow ow owwwww……. will I even make it walking down the stairs or should I just get a tray and slide down them???

BootCamp with Neil…. never met him before… as you have probably gathered the drill I haven’t done any classes since joining the club other than tennis ones… oh actually I did Aqua Aerobics a few times… Totally forgot about them but I did love them. I so can’t wait to get back to relaxing in the spa when it re-opens but I keep saying to myself depending when it opens… just think how fit I will be!!

Back to BootCamp…. oh no so only 5 are allowed in a class but there are only two of us. The other guy has a t-shirt on which looks as though he is fit!! Damn… I am going to be totally exposed. There is nowhere to hide but never mind. I am here to get fit so let’s get on with it. The warm-up starts and I am like Oh boy…. I can feel it already. Neil (the instructor) says we will warm you up and get your heart pumping. GET?? Are you kidding me? I can feel it pumping already. It is feels as though it is going to jump out, it is beating that fast and hard. I really should make a note of what I do in the class so I can report back but to be fair: I didn’t know I was going to write a blog about my time at Summer Camp! Probably a silly thing to call this journey as will it still be Summer Camp in the Winter? When does Summer even start? In my world it officially started today with a practice run on Saturday and Sunday!

I have no idea of the order that I did things in but I remember doing ‘Cleans’ with a bar. I had to do 10 of these. Then salmon jumps over the bar x 10 and then Russian Twists x 10….. You had to repeat this for as many rounds as possible for 5 minutes… I have no idea how many I did but I know I worked my butt off (well I am hoping a few inches will come off it over a period of time!) and I pushed myself to the limit. Wahoo it’s breather time for 1 minute… In my head, my body is screaming out ‘please can it be longer? Just 30 seconds longer? 10 seconds? Any extra seconds will do!’ I need to have a drink and compose myself for the next set.

During the breather Neil goes through the next set of exercises that we are going to do. Shoulder Press x 10 then leaving the weight in the air and lifting the legs up together or cycling x 10…. I opted for cycling…. as I didn’t want to peak too soon!! Then it was into a groin/hip opener type exercise… Again 5 minutes followed by 1 minute rest.

Set 3:- Upright rows…. goblet squats followed by some form of burpees. You sooo knew the dreading burpees had to appear somewhere in the workout but why now? Why on the third set? Do you not know how hard I have already pushed myself…. I hardly have the strength to lift my chest off the mat. I close my eyes and pretend I am somewhere else but nope still here…

Oh no….. this is not good news…. I can feel a little bit of sick rearing it’s ugly head… come on Gregory push it back down as I push my body into that next burpee. Don’t cough as it will all come up. It will be soooo embarrassing. Deep breaths you got this girl.

Sh!T that is only 15 minutes of exercise done plus the workout and you have to do the rounds twice. What is round 2 going to bring when I am already feeling sick in round 1. I push on… I keep telling myself if I want to get fit so that I can play sport again I need to work through this. Am I going to quit in a game? No way…. it’s 2 matches each and it’s 8-8 in the fifth… I am going all the way!

Yeah I survived another day at BootCamp and my first day at Summer Camp. Get in!!