subject: Fitness Boot Camp - Why It Makes A Difference [print this page] If you've been to the gym, tried workout DVDs, and still have found nothing that can push you to lose weight, you might be wondering why joining a fitness boot camp would be any different. First of all, you can never give up on yourself. If you want to lose weight and get healthy, you should keep trying until you succeed. There's no magical limit on the number of times you can fail. It's a matter of learning from your mistakes and trying new things until something clicks. For many people, a concentrated work out session like the ones found in these tough classes is just the thing they need to break through their walls. Here's why it can make a difference.
Burn Calories Fast
If you've always depended on yourself for motivation during a workout, chances are you've seldom pushed yourself to the brink of what you're capable of. There are some select individuals who can do this on their own, but they are rarely the type that would ever struggle with their weight to begin with. Ask people who played organized high school sports what their toughest workouts were, and they will likely point back to those days on the field, being pushed by the coach. The same principle applies with a fitness boot camp. There's no room for excuses and breaks. There is just total workout dedication and it can be very tough (but not undoable) for those who aren't used to being pushed.
Mixing Cardio and Weightlifting
Fitness experts have agreed for a long time that the best way to tackle the war on fat is to combine weights and cardio for the maximum punch. This is what a good boot camp aims to do. Cardio gets the heart rate up, thus forcing the metabolism to rev harder, burning calories by the truckload. Weightlifting, by comparison, burns few calories. But it builds muscle, which when present in the body helps burn calories even when you aren't doing anything. A toned physique always looks better than one that is simply skinny, anyway, so don't feel as though you're wasting your time by turning off the treadmill and picking up a dumbbell.
Strengthen Your Self-Esteem
Nothing will make you feel as powerful, accomplished, and proud of yourself as the day you step on the scale and see that goal number. Wearing those pants you thought you would never fit into again. Having old friends open their eyes in shock when they see you. But those victories may be months away, if not longer. For now, you need every confidence booster you can get and surviving a tough boot camp work out can be just the thing to give you that extra push.
