Boot Camper Stories

“There is camaraderie with the group at boot camp that’s different from being in a class at the gym. You mesh as a group, and the support is phenomenal. You have different sizes, different ages, but we’re all helping each other out. The term boot camp can be intimidating, but it’s just because of the variety of exercises we do,” said Lisa Beckham, who has been participating in Bay Area Boot Camp since November 2005.

Beckham, who lives in Campbell with her husband, son and daughter, has always exercised. Though she’d been going to the gym for years, she was getting tired of the routine, “My motivation wasn’t there. There’s that stuffy feeling at the gym. I’d decided I wanted something different. When I was at my hair dresser’s, I saw an ad for Bay Area Boot Camp. The headline said, ‘Tired of the gym? Need a change?’ I took it as a sign, went home, checked out the website, talked to my husband about it, and signed up.”

From the beginning, Beckham appreciated the variety and challenge of Bay Area Boot Camp workouts, “Every day is different,” she said, “I love the workouts. I love being outside. It’s convenient, and it’s tremendous cross training. The first time we did agility work on an obstacle course, though I’d never done it, it was refreshing, new, and different.”

The cross training is important for Beckham, who is preparing for the Nike half marathon and the Las Vegas marathon with The Leukemia and Lymphoma’s Team in Training program while she continues to participate in boot camp.

Bay Area Boot Camp “has helped my running speed get better. I’ve felt stronger and better in my runs – I noticed a difference from the first session. It’s fitness in another realm.”

Beckham is happy with the progress she’s made since joining Bay Area Boot Camp, though she’s always looking to take her fitness up a notch.

After taking a month off to do some personal training with her husband and son, Beckham is ready to return to Boot Camp, “I’ll never say I’ve reached my fitness goals. There’s always something else I can do.”

“It’s an amazing thing - such a high being out there with women who all have different goals.”

In January of this year, it became painfully obvious that power walking two mornings a week with my neighbors just was not enough to keep fit and stop stubborn middle-age weight gain.  I knew a gym membership or aerobics class would not work either.  I had tried them all, over the years, and always got bored.  I had heard of Boot Camp and though it sounded somewhat intimidating for someone my age and fitness level, the website photos and testimonials gave me encouragement.  The other challenge would be getting up before the sun to make it to the 6 a.m. camp in Campbell.  But the time had come for drastic measures, so I registered for the 3 day a week camp.

The current session had already begun so my first class was on a Wednesday, at the track.  I couldn’t remember the last time I actually attempted to RUN.  But I did run and jog, and walk a little too.  When that class was over, I felt that I had pushed myself more than I ever would have pushed myself in any other fitness activity.  Trust me, I was physically spent but I also had a rush of adrenaline and felt very proud of myself too.  High on endorphins, as I headed for home, I decided to drop in on my parents, who live in Campbell.  Knowing my Mom is an early riser, I knew she would love a surprise visit at 7 a.m.   I did have a great visit with my parents that morning and as I left my Mom said, “See you on Friday, I’ll have tea ready”.   What a great added benefit I thought, not only will I be getting a much needed workout, I will also get to see more of parents.  With all the stresses of work and life and their associated time constraints, I never seem able to make as much time as I want to spend with my aging parents, let alone to exercise.  Now it seems I had found a way and the time to do both!

And so it began.  Even on those dark, cold, and sometimes wet mornings, when I debated with myself to go, or, not to go, I always went.  Never wanting to be a quitter, but just as importantly, not wanting to disappoint my parents.  You see, soon after I started Boot Camp, my father had a fall and his health declined seriously.  My visits became the highlight of the day for both my parents.  So I signed up for the next session and the next one after that.  Over the weeks and months, I felt myself getting stronger and gaining more endurance, but at the same time my Dad’s heart was getting weaker.  On Saturday, April 14th, my Dad passed away, at home in his sleep.  I find comfort in knowing that he passed away peacefully, and also in knowing that I had seen him the morning before, and all those other mornings for all those weeks in the months prior.  So I am profoundly thankful that I discovered Boot Camp.  For me, my health, my family and now for all my future morning visits with my Mom!

Audrey Dussault had been in the mortgage industry for 11 years when she decided that she wanted to join the Santa Cruz Sheriff’s Department.

Ready to make a major career change, she balked when she looked at the requirements for the department’s physical fitness test – the most daunting of which involved scaling a 6 foot wall. She knew she wasn’t in shape to pass, and that she wasn’t going to be able to get in shape on her own.

“I had no idea where to begin,” Audrey says, “So I looked online and found Bay Area Boot Camp and read the testimonials. I had read one from a woman named Janet who needed help getting over the wall and passing her physical test. Her testimonial raved about Mary Beth and what Bay Area Boot Camp did for her. I knew that this was the place for me to start my training. I knew that if they could help her achieve her goals they could help me.”

After two months of training with Bay Area Boot Camp, Audrey learned to scale the wall.

“I know I will be able to pass the physical test for the Sheriff’s Department, or any other law enforcement agency for that matter,” she says.

“If you said to me two months ago: ‘You’ll be able to scale a 6 foot wall in 14 seconds, run 220 yards in under a minute and run a mile in 10 minutes,’ I wouldn’t have believed you - not for all the money in the world,” she adds, “But today, I know that I can get my 5 foot body over that 6 foot wall with out any problems, I can run that 220 yards in under a minute, I can run that mile in 10 minutes, and I know that I will only get better and faster.”

BABC: What was your fitness level like when you started Bay Area Boot Camp?
Audrey: Fitness Level. That’s funny. I had thought I had an okay fitness level. I was always active as a kid and through the years did step classes at my local gym, but I hadn’t done anything like that in a long time. So when I started camp I was in rough shape. I could barely run around the block with out almost hyperventilating. It was truly a sad sight.

BABC: What had you been doing to keep in shape prior to joining boot camp?
Audrey: Does praying count? I did the occasional hike here and there, but really I didn’t do anything that I kept up. When I lost my gym membership, I pretty much stopped doing everything. Up until I started camp, I had done nothing for about a year, a year and a half. Before that, I did Weight Watchers and was pretty successful and lost about 25 pounds. But with life come different challenges, and I ended up gaining most of it back.

BABC: Did you have any reservations about the program before you started?
Audrey: The only reservation I had about the program was track day. I don’t have a natural love for running, so having a day just for that intimidated me. I made sure my coach knew who to contact in case of an emergency, and she reassured me that I would be fine. They were very supportive and told me to do what I could at the pace I could do it. Though I’m still not a “run for funner,” it’s not as intimidating to me.

BABC: What was/has been the most challenging part of boot camp for you?
Audrey: Pushing myself to get better and faster. I tend to get to a stage where I get comfortable at the level that I’m at and think that because I’m still doing the work that should be good enough. I find I need that extra push from the coaches to get me to push myself beyond my comfort level and to believe that I can do more then what I think I can. So getting past that and pushing myself has been hard. But Jenni and Mary Beth have been amazing, and they both seem to be able to get me to do things that I never thought I could. It feels great when I’m done and I have this amazing sense of accomplishment. I maybe sweaty, and beat, and torn up, but to know I did something like scale a 6 foot wall in front of 20 men is very liberating, and very awesome!!!!

BABC: When did you begin seeing results from boot camp?
Audrey: I felt a change during the 3rd week of my first camp. I felt tighter, but I didn’t see actual physical changes until I finished up my 2nd camp. Now I’m finally seeing a change. It’s been great. I’ve lost a total of 13 ½ inches around my whole body since I started camp. I feel great, I sleep much better and I just feel very good about myself. I’m much more confident with everything I do. The biggest accomplishment for me though is that I have cut 5 minutes from my mile time and continue to get faster. Being able to do that is a miracle for me, considering I could barely make it around the track once two months ago.

BABC: What would you say to someone who might be reluctant to try Bay Area Boot Camp?
Audrey: Try one camp and see how it goes. If you’re not hooked by the end of one camp cycle, you’ll have at least met some great people, have had a wonderful experience, and got in 4 weeks of great workouts.

BABC: Why would you recommend boot camp over other fitness programs?
Audrey: Boot camp is amazing. It’s different every day and when you think you’re going to do the same thing, they change it up. The women that come here are real, normal, and really looking to change themselves. We all help motivate each other when it gets tough and we become each other’s support system for the hour that we’re there. The coaches are knowledgeable and really care that you succeed. You tell them where you want to go, and they’ll do everything they can to get you there. With amazing coaches, an excellent work out plan, and a built in support system, really, what more could you ask for? I really can’t say enough positive things about boot camp. It’s definitely changed my life, and I feel that I will always have the support right there to help me. Mary Beth and the rest of the coaches are there to really help and truly want you to succeed. I’d never get that personal attention at a big gym.

In December 2004 I decided that I was once again going to make the New Year’s resolution of losing weight and getting into better shape. Since college I had struggled with my weight and body fat fluctuating up and down and now I was finally at my wit’s end. I was tired of feeling sluggish and limited because my diet was too rich in carbohydrates. My clothing was always too tight and I never felt comfortable unless I was in elastic waistband pants or sweat-pants. I had done the Atkins, South Beach and other high protein, low carbohydrate diets that always left me feeling deprived and upset with myself. Although I had a rigorous Bikram Yoga practice I was limited in my postures because my stomach was too bloated or my hips and thighs too large. Everything seemed like a struggle and I was finally done with it.

January 2005 was my first Bay Area Boot Camp session. I couldn’t believe what I was about to do - getting up at 4:30AM every morning to go to camp at 5:30AM seemed like suicide but I recalled my university swimming, triathlon and rowing days and said to myself, “Kelli, this is something you will get used to again!” There were four of us who joined Bay Area Boot Camp for the first time in January and became very close over the next several months. We’ve since called ourselves the “Fab Four” because we were the original four campers who were brave enough to sign up for the first ever 5:30AM San Mateo session. Each day we would congregate at Central Park in San Mateo waiting for our instructor Heather or Mary Beth to give us the drills. We all struggled but I think I did the most. I had not used these muscles in many years and each day they were reminding me through every squat, push-up, sit-up and run that they were back with a vengeance.

Month after month I continued to work and eventually it got easier. I began to see little breakthroughs like being able to run a mile under 10 minutes, then 9 minutes, then eight minutes. Doing squats got easier and push-ups, although always hard, seemed to become smoother and require less heavy breathing. Month after month, even as the camp grew in numbers, the other three of our “Fab Four” continued to encourage me and made me feel like I was not alone. We complained together, laughed together, pushed one another and became friends in our quest to be better physically, emotionally, and as women. I drew strength from them as well as my instructors Heather and Mary Beth and slowly began to notice that I was transforming.

I began to like what I saw in the mirror and at each pre/post Boot Camp evaluation session with Heather the numbers dropped. First it was 180 pounds and 37% body fat, then it was 160 pounds and 33% body fat, then 151 pounds and 27% body fat and then finally 147 pounds and 25% body fat. I had gone from physically obese to physically fit in six months and I could not believe it! I lost so many inches that my pants size went from a 12-14 to a 6! I had not been a size 6 since my undergraduate college experience.

Along the way my yoga practice got more efficient and stronger and my diet changed dramatically. I began to eat a vegetarian macrobiotic diet (with the occasional piece of cheese) and lost many of the cravings I had before my Boot Camp sessions began. I also did a 10-day cleanse that helped me get rid of the toxins and bacteria in my body.

I have never felt better in my life than I do now and I owe my motivation, dedication and transformation to the “Fab Four”, Heather, Mary Beth, all of my fellow boot campers and the Bay Area Boot Camp program. Thank you for the wonderful gifts you have given me and for helping me become a better me!

CoQ10 has been studied for years in the U.S., Europe, and Japan for its role in producing cellular energy and re-energizing the heart and other muscles.

“I had always envisioned that 36 would be the year of me, to get a life and get back in shape, all those cliché things,” Campbell Boot Camper Joan Holland says, “Well, 36 came and went, and all of a sudden I was 38, looking back two years thinking—“Where did that time go? I’d better do something, NOW!”   

“I’ve always been a slender person, and never really had to work hard for that. But by 38, I had a clue that wasn’t always going to be the case.  I didn’t feel good in my own skin, and wanted to fix that.  I saw a magazine ad for Bay Area Boot Camp for Women, and signed up, sight unseen.”

A year and a half later, Joan remains hooked on Bay Area Boot Camp, “I’m definitely a group exerciser – I need the power of the group to get me out the door.  If left to my own devices, I’d probably go back to the hibernating mode.”

“Through boot camp I’ve realized that I actually have more than just a passing interest in fitness,” she says, “I find it both fun and rewarding, and maybe even a little bit compelling.”

As a wife and mother, Joan doesn’t have a whole lot of time for herself. That said, she “can’t think of anything that can top the joys, challenges, and pride that come with 14 years of being a full time mom.”

“We’ve got 4 kids, and though I’ll admit to a slight bias, they really are all terrific and interesting individuals.   Tyler is 14, Austin is 11, Jenny is 9, and Cameron is 7.   We love our entourage of pets—a golden retriever named Einstein (though he really isn’t), a ball python named Nitsua, a rat named Lucky (she really is!), and one last remaining fish from the class guppy project.”

“However, as such, I don’t have a lot of time for myself,” she explains, “Boot camp is the one thing I do that is completely mine, and I’m loving it!”

Working out, Joan says, makes her feel energized and strong, “Aside from the obvious -- keeping my favorite jeans fitting the way I like -- this creates a more positive outlook, about myself and in general, so I’m in a better mood and less susceptible to stress and irritation.”

The friends she’s made at Bay Area Boot Camp – both with the coaches and with other campers – have also been a great source of stress management.

“What can be better than a fitness routine that includes meeting a diverse group of women who listen, share, and offer friendship?” she says, “It may be the physical activity that keeps me fit, but it’s the friendships that keep me sane and motivated.”

“So now 38 has come and gone, and 40 is just a couple weeks away. This time, instead of looking back on wasted time, thinking ‘what happened?’, I will look back on my recent half-marathon, thinking ‘wasn’t that great?’ and I will look forward to a future of fitness.”

Nettie Kelly will probably never reach her fitness goals. Since participating in team sports in her youth, she’s continued to explore her passion for athletics as an adult: running marathons, coaching girls field hockey and lacrosse, leading wilderness backpacking trips, facilitating ropes course groups, and sailing tall ships around and beyond the San Francisco Bay. In other words, she’s constantly searching for a new physical challenge.

Two and a half years ago, Nettie attended her first Bay Area Boot Camp session, after completing her first marathon 5 months earlier.

“I knew I could run on the treadmill at the gym,” Nettie continued, “but it would be hard to convince myself to do circuit training with weights. For the marathon, I didn’t do any strength training – just running. I wanted to kickstart a strength-training routine, and I liked the idea of doing it outdoors.”

Although getting up before dawn to attend class at San Francisco’s Aquatic Park was challenging at first – Nettie lives south of Twin Peaks – her fellow campers motivated her to keep attending workouts.

“Just the other day someone from my class called me the night before to make sure I was going. I love knowing there are a bunch of women that support me and push me. I grew up playing team sports, and as an adult I don’t have that kind of outlet. [Boot Camp] offers that kind of camaraderie and friendship. It’s something I’ve been missing since college.”

Two thirds of the way through her first boot camp session, Nettie noticed herself getting stronger and feeling good about doing something active every day. She carried this sense of well-being into her work as Executive Director of San Francisco’s Tall Ship Education Academy, an innovative academic model of experience-based courses that empower teenage girls to engage in life and choose positive paths for themselves. 

After a few months, she approached Bay Area Boot Camp about the possibility of establishing a community partnership with the Tall Ship Education Academy.

“I am dumbfounded by how girls aren’t encouraged to participate in physical activity – especially teenage girls,” Nettie said, “Their health is neglected. I ask [the girls in our program] if they’ve ever participated in team sports, and most of them say no.”

To help meet this need, Bay Area Boot Camp began to provide training for participants in the Tall Ship Semester for Girls program, helping them develop the strength and balance they would need to thrive for 6 weeks at sea. At the same time, BABC provided fundraising support for the 3-day Women’s Sailing Challenge, an adventure voyage that explores sailing in and beyond the Bay and raises awareness about Tall Ship Academy programs.

“[Bay Area Boot Camp Co-founder] Heather [Glenn] realized that our organizational missions are in sync. Teamwork is as integral to boot camp as it is to our programs, and we’re both looking to empower women and girls.

“A lot of the women I’ve met through boot camp are interested in the Women’s Challenge,” Nettie continued, “I hope [our organizations] can continue to collaborate through this program.”

For almost 15 years I avoided being in front of a camera; behind the lens taking the picture was the only place I felt comfortable.  If a picture WAS taken of me I'd think "who is that?". My face changed to someone unrecognizable.  I'd run the other way if I saw someone in a store who knew me when I was 50 pounds lighter.  Checking the fit of clothes in a mirror is something I avoided altogether.  Elastic waistbands were by best fashion statement.  Whether in a picture or in the mirror, I was unrecognizable even to me.

My social life was shrinking.  I was too embarrassed to be at social functions as I could not find anything both appropriate and comfortable to wear.  If I was put into a corner to join a gathering, I would feign ill so as not to go.  I wasn’t ill.  Just heavy and insecure with no self confidence.  I was in hibernation.

In the Spring of last year, I saw my niece lose a significant number of pounds.  She did it by going to the gym regularly and watching her nutrition.  We formed a support group across the miles.  In a 4-month period she lost almost 20 pounds while I lost 7.  After having a gym membership for more than 20 years, I found it boring and unmotivating.  At that rate, it would take me years to lose the 50 pounds I needed to.  I all but gave up.

When I called a friend to see if she wanted to join me at the gym, she declined because she was going to this “killer” boot camp workout for the next 4 weeks.  Curious to see how this kept her interest, I joined the next camp session.  INCREDIBLE.  Thought I’d never make it up the stairs at work after the first few workouts. Running the mile at track was humbling, but I did it.  Four weeks later, I had lost 10% body fat and over 7 inches!!!  I signed up again and again.

More important than the 35 pounds I’ve lost or the 1 ½ sizes (so far), the self esteem and confidence have put a spring in my step.  The weight loss truly makes me feel like I’m 20 years of age all over again.  My face I can now recognize.  I will gladly get into the picture.  I now am able to pick out a piece of clothing on the rack in my size, and it will fit!  Best of all is after almost 29 years of marriage; my husband calls me, his 49yr old wife “HOT”.  When I joined for the first time last year my goal was to be a fabulous 50 this year while in Tahiti.  I will be.

Thank you Bay Area Boot Camp!

Success story update: Since the story was submitted, I have lost 5 lbs. more for a total of 40lbs. I am also 2 days away from age 50 and feeling great! (7/19/07)

As a busy working mom, I have never written a "thank you" note to anyone for any service I have ever purchased... except for this note to you. So why am I writing this one? Because the results I have gotten from participating in Bay Area Adventure Boot Camp are really quite amazing!!  Your workout program has yielded almost unbelievable changes in my physique, general health, mental attitude, and energy levels!! 

This past spring, I looked in the mirror one morning and hardly recognized myself.  After having two children, and holding down a demanding job with erratic hours and extensive travel, I could forgive myself a few extra pounds.  But the woman I saw was fatigued, fat and frumpy.  I thought, "Who are you?"

With my fiftieth birthday approaching, I also began to panic about my future.  I was heavy and worried about my health.  Several members of my family have high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart-related aliments.

And, my body had begun to develop quirks - none of them good.  A little hip thing.  A shoulder thing.  A twinge here, an ache there.   Outside, well, as I just mentioned, there was that looming birthday.  

I had tried every species of fad diet.   These were never successful in the long term.  They never provided what I really needed, which was to get fit and healthy.   And, feeling awkward about my low fitness level had kept me from serious exercise.  I belonged to a gym, but climbing the stairs to the machines was a huge mental struggle.  I was a self-proclaimed weights-phobe.  I spent most of my "gym workout" on an exercise bike (so much easier to read the paper and magazines that way!!). I decided to get my body back.

A few days later, while flipping through the local San Mateo paper, I noticed an advertisement for your boot camp.  The ad photo was a bit intimidating - a lineup of seemingly super-fit women who looked to be engaged in some turbo, aerobic routine. But, I thought, "Maybe it is time to have some help with this and listen to somebody else!" 

I went to the 5:30-6:30 a.m. class in San Mateo Central Park four times a week. 

In that first week, I felt like a walking bruise. But, in a short time, the aches abated. Since then, the changes have surfaced. I feel previously unknown muscles switch on from a dead sleep-strength coming from odd places. I find myself bouncing up stairs. I run faster. I jump higher. I now finally dare to go sleeveless.

After four months, I have lost more than 20 pounds and now wear a size 4. The inches just melted away.  With the help of your fun, focused workouts, I'm in better shape than I've ever been in my life!  Now I no longer look at every reflection of myself and see a map of disappointments.  I stand straighter. I breathe deeper.

I simply could not have done this alone.  You've taught me the importance of taking care of myself and guided me to embrace fitness as a lifestyle, not just another task!!! You've also found the secret to making the entire undertaking a ton of fun, and a great opportunity to meet other fabulous women who struggle with their fitness goals. A million heartfelt thanks!

Campbell resident and wine industry executive Cheryl Murphy Durzy has always worked out. Before starting Bay Area Boot Camp in February, 2006, she ran 3-4 miles several times a week – but she was bored with her fitness routine and unmotivated to exercise.
“I was doing cardio only workouts and getting no results. I knew I needed to do something with weights, but I didn’t want to do it myself, and getting a personal trainer was too expensive. I wanted to take my fitness to the next level.”

Although she’d done some internet research on boot camp, Cheryl - who works as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Clos LaChance winery - didn’t know what to expect going into her first session.

“I didn’t sleep the night before my first day. I was worried that it was going to be too hard, that I was going to be behind everybody. But I was comfortable from the first day.”

She started to see results within two weeks of starting Bay Area Boot Camp, “I lost a couple of pounds, and several inches. I was toned. And my clothes fit so much better.”

“The coaches are always pushing us to go faster and harder, to do more reps,” Cheryl explained, “They’re very knowledgeable and experienced – but also positive and encouraging when they correct you. They really help you go beyond what you think you can do.”
“I couldn’t do two pushups when I started,” she continued, “Now I can do 40! But I’m also really hard on myself and always trying to beat myself. I had an amazing day when I ran a 7:12 mile, and I’m still determined to better my time.”

She may have to temporarily postpone that goal, however, as she’s recently become pregnant with her second child.

“I’ve been toning down my workouts lately, and the boot camp coaches have been great about allowing me to modify the exercises. I plan on continuing boot camp until I’m five months along, and then I plan to start again as soon as I can after the baby is born. It’s the best way to get back in shape after having a kid.”

The camaraderie that Bay Area Boot Camp provides is also an unexpected bonus that keeps Cheryl motivated to get up at 5:30 to join her workout companions, “The girls in camp are really fun. We talk and we’ve become friends. It takes me back to my high school sports days, when exercising didn’t feel like working out.”

Feeling stronger and more energetic as a result of boot camp, she can’t imagine going back to the gym or getting a personal trainer.
“The hour I’m in boot camp is my time,” she said, “I have a husband, a 2-year old, a house, and a job, and it’s great to have people tell me that I’m doing a great job – since that’s what I do for everyone else all day long.”

Six months ago, Courtney Tarantino was fed up with her fitness level: “I was in a complacent state. Nothing was working. After a few weeks at the gym I got bored with the workouts.”

A former high school soccer player who had always been athletic and who “knew what it felt like to be in shape,” Tarantino decided that she needed to take a big step to achieve the results she wanted. She signed  up for Bay Area Boot Camp after hearing about a similar program from her cousin.

“I was nervous to see how I was going to be [compared to the other boot campers]. I didn’t want to embarrass myself. My fitness level was not great – I ran an 11:57 mile in the fitness test at the beginning.”

Although boot camp was challenging for her at the beginning – she toughed out her first workout in the midst of a nasty San Francisco rainstorm – Tarantino admitted to herself that she would need to work hard to get back in shape and lose weight.

She was quickly rewarded for her efforts.

“During the first camp, my endurance and strength changed from the first week to the last week. I ran the mile in just over 10 minutes. I’d gained half a pound, but I felt my body restructuring itself. I looked different. I felt different. And it was fun. By the end, it was not hard to get up at 5 am to go work out.”

She’s even gotten her mother, who signed up with her from the first session, hooked on the program.

“My mom beat me at everything when I first started,” Tarantino said, “But I finally did beat her by one second in the mile.”
After attending boot camp for six months, Tarantino is fifteen pounds lighter, runs a mile in less than nine minutes and feels “a million times better than before.”

“The [boot camp] coaches are interested in me and my success,” Tarantino said, “They push me to go all out, and they’re really encouraging.”

“The all women part is huge for me,” Tarantino added, “There’s a team atmosphere. I know someone is expecting me to show up. And the workouts are constantly changing – it doesn’t [actually] feel like you’re working out.”

Tarantino has no plans to return to the gym in the foreseeable future. “I thought I would do one session then go back to the gym,” Tarantino said, “but the program is fun and different every day – I have never gotten into a rut.”

“So I decided to stick with it. I see the results right in front of my face.”

When we asked Burlingame resident and former pastry chef Maria Tulipani what the most challenging
thing about boot camp was, she said:

“Getting up even if (choose one) it is raining, cold, I'm tired, my cat is snuggled up perfectly under my arm,
it's Monday, it's Friday, The Great Pumpkin didn't come, etc., etc."

Nonetheless, Maria was determined to get back in shape - and fulfill her longtime dream of a tandem hanglide off Mt Tamalpais.
As she begins her fifth boot camp session, not only is Maria ready for her tandem hanglide, but she's also full of energy and inspiration to keep working toward her fitness goals.

Why did you decide to get involved in boot camp?
I was looking for a way to regain some of my former athleticism (children who are entering high school now would have been infants then!) and had been contemplating a personal trainer when I came across the BABC website.

What was your fitness level like when you started?
My first pre-camp [evaluation] showed me in the danger levels for hip/waist ratio and the body fat index. I had started being more active in the months prior to boot camp but needed to work harder and be more inspired.

What had you been doing prior to boot camp to keep in shape?
In May of 2006 I began regular exercise after a rather loooooong hiatus. I was swimming a mile a few times a week, working out at the gym a few times a week. I had tried a very popular diet center where people go to meetings and weigh in regularly but found some people went there just to obsess about food they weren’t eating. I was losing weight sloooowly (about a pound a week over the course of 8 months) prior to joining boot camp.

Did you have any reservations about the program before you started?
I had been concerned about keeping up, having read about some of the women being accomplished athletes. My weight was also a concern, such as “Oh, check out the newbie, poor soul. She’ll likely not make it through the week” – totally ridiculous and unfounded fears. It helped there were a few other newbies that started the same week as I did – hey, Laurie! -  and we could encourage and gauge our progress amongst ourselves instead of comparing to those that had been with the program a long time. It’s helpful that in class we’re sometimes separated out by fitness levels, and also helpful that sometimes we’re not!

When did you begin seeing results from boot camp? What were they?
I definitely felt differently right from the start. The soreness even felt good to me as I realized I was actually working out as opposed to halfheartedly slogging through time at the gym. An increase in energy that lasted hours was the most noticeable difference (and aided in curbing the occasional workplace narcolepsy!).

Have you reached your fitness goals? If not, what do you hope to achieve?
I have just completed my fourth session and have not reached my fitness goals – but have been greatly encouraged by my progress at each post-camp evaluation and am continually inspired by the other women at camp.

What would you say to someone who might be reluctant to try Bay Area Boot Camp?
Get your bu…Naw just kidding. Try it. Make it through one whole session. You will be outside under the stars and moon in the beautiful Bay Area we are all so fortunate to be living in. Don’t give up and don’t be hard on yourself. Know that wherever you are starting from is an ok place, no one is judging you here and, in fact, more often than not you will be cheered on by your fellow campers - whatever your fitness level. Try finding that at the gym!

Why would you recommend Bay Area Boot Camp over other fitness programs?
The camaraderie, the variety, the enjoyment, the results!