This is the crazy part of the whole Bootcamp experience -- while I dread going each time, I can't not go. I go on the weekdays, on the weekends. I go when I'm tired, and when I'm dealing with serious PMS.
I used to scoff at the idea of exercise addiction, but after speaking with Pamela Peeke, MD, spokesperson for the National chapter of the American College of Sports Medicine, and author of "Body for Life for Women," I find out that you actually can get physiologically hooked on exercise. "When you work out regularly, you're actually changing your genetic expression," she tells me. "That's how potent and powerful exercise is."
So, maybe the workout fiends in this city aren't so weird after all. And I have to admit, I'm psyched my newfound exercise habit is one that I can take pride in -- unlike my Diet Coke addiction. In fact, I can't take pride in much of my nutrition plan. If I don't work just as hard on my diet as my workout, am I just chasing my tail?
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My non-healthy eating plan
OK. Here's the cold, hard, embarrassing truth: I'm not sticking to a super-healthy eating plan while working out at Barry's. While my coworker, Anna, stuck to lean proteins and salads while she was following this hot Hollywood workout plan, I've been eating my usual diet. And that would be fruit, yogurt, and an occasional bagel for breakfast; a frozen meal for lunch; fat-free pudding, string cheese, and trail mix for snacks; and whatever Brooks cooks for dinner, from shrimp enchiladas to pizza. Oh, and some low-fat ice cream for dessert and the occasional late-night pancake run.
Even though Barry warned me at the beginning that I needed to follow a healthy eating plan to see the best results, I'm not really listening ... so how are those tight jeans fitting me after my month-long Barry's Bootcamp adventure, you wonder?
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My results
Weight: 135.5 Total weight lost in one month: 2.2 lbs
Measurements: Bust: 34 3/4" Waist: 27 1/2" Hips: 35" Arm: 10 3/4" Thigh: 19 1/2" Total inches lost all over my body in one month: 5 1/2"
So I didn't get Kim Kardashian's body -- there's a shocker! But I lost 2 pounds and a total of 5 1/4" from my body, with most inches lost on my bust and waist. And those skinny jeans I complained about? They don't leave those severe red marks anymore. I'm proud of the inches, but honestly, I'm a little disappointed. It seems like all the work I put in didn't quite equal the results I ended up with.
When Barry and I talked about how I did, he said I would have seen better results if I kept a food journal and stuck to a healthy eating plan. Looking back, I wish I kept track of my diet. Perhaps that gummy bear/French fry combo wouldn't have looked so good if I actually had to write it down.
But there's some good stuff. In terms of stamina and strength, I saw gains I didn't even dream I could make. In the beginning of the month, the fastest I could run on the treadmill was a 5.0; now I can sprint at 8.5. My starting hand weights were five pounds; now I can easily lift 12.
And the biggest change? Before Barry's, I looked at Kim K.'s body with envy and looked at my own with disgust. But during my last class, when I was dripping sweat and sprinting on the treadmill, I looked at myself in the mirror and actually saw a toned, athletic, hot body staring back at me. At the time, I chalked it up to the amazing lighting.
Now, I think I might have just seen myself ... as I really am.
It's 6:28 a.m. when I walk into Barry's Bootcamp, a West Hollywood institution that pumps out tight, toned, A-List bodies. I'm so nervous I think I might barf.
I make my way to one of the dozen treadmills that face the back wall while other bootcampers find a stepper that faces the front. I survey the scene. These people obviously take fitness seriously. They are perfectly toned, athletic looking (read: no fake boobs here), and all wear the same uniform -- a black tank, sports bra, black capri leggings, and high performance sneakers. I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror and realize I look like a bum by comparison; my shorts ride up with every step and my sneakers? The tread is peeling off the bottom.
Note to self: Glue gun the sneaks.
At exactly 6:30 a.m. the lights dim and the club music gets louder. Barry -- a cammo-wearing personal trainer who resembles Rambo -- starts barking instructions and everyone starts moving quickly. Really quickly. As I crank up the speed and start to take my light jog to what feels like a sprint, I ask myself, "What the hell did I sign up for and more importantly, why?"
Then I remember: It's Kim Kardashian's fault.
I'll admit it -- I'm mildly obsessed with Kimmy K. right now. Maybe it's because I can't avoid her. She's on every magazine cover, TV channel, and gossip site. And if there's one thing about Kim K. that drives the media wild, it's her body. The secret to Kim's curves, they say? Barry's Bootcamp, a torture chamber that's churned out other hot celeb bodies (think Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, Jessica Alba, and Katie Holmes).
So where do I come in? Despite my lack of celeb superpower DNA, I want to know if I can get the same results as the A-List elite. Is Kim K.'s body really attainable? Can I get rock-hard abs, toned arms, and a slimmer waistline in a mere 30 days? There's only one way to find out � and it starts with a measuring tape.
