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GI Jane Bootcamp

Closer Online’s Staff Writer Heidi Vella and Editor Kelby McNally gritted their teeth last weekend as they headed off to the GI Jane fitness bootcamp to see if they could banish their Christmas bulges.

Did they succeed? Find out below…

Scary times

Situated in Sittingbourne, Kent, our camp - a gorgeous Tudor manor house of the most beautiful décor  – was quite literally in the middle of nowhere! A scary thought for the two city girls who are never further than 5 minutes away from some sort of Public house…ahem!

After a couple of reassuring words to each other (“We can do this! If Kerry Katona can do it, so can we” and the sort…) we arrived. Ushered straight into our gym gear and led back down stairs we proceeded to get weighed and measured, which, in all honesty, was probably the scariest part of the weekend!

Introduced to our trainers, Steve Penberthy and Paul Newcombe (of ‘Staff’ as we were asked to address them) who boast 24years in the Royal Navy, transforming Kerry Katona’s bod and training champion athletes between them, we had the feeling we were in good hands. With no time to lose, we took part in an individual fitness test (not before warming up and bonding with the other eight girls over some water, of course.)

The trainers stress the importance of bonding with your fellow bootcampers - apparently there would be days, or periods, when your strength and will are ebbing and you may rely on them to pull you through. Ahh! What have we got ourselves in to?

In our group were two ladies in their fifties with others ranging from early twenties to late forties, proving that GI Jane bootcamp really is for everyone.

After a dinner of Salmon and stir-fried vegetables – all meals are tailored to a 1500 calorie diet – we headed to our room anticipating tomorrow.

Tough times

The next day - a little apprehensive and bleary eyed - we ‘fell-in’ (lined-up military style) at 6.30am in the exercise room. 

Our day consisted of several ‘details’ or planned physical activities to you and I, each lasting around an hour, designed to strengthen and push our bodies to the limit.

To put a long story short, our day consisted of a 30 minute warm-up, power walking, body core training, sprinting, the iron lady challenge, circuit training, SAQ (speed, agility and quickness) training and finally a body pump class! That was 12 hours of exercise all in all. It was tough, we won’t lie.

After what had felt like the longest day of our lives, we were given a nutritional talk by Lisa Fox. As a former physical trainer to soldiers heading to Afghanistan who now works with injured soldiers, helping them get back to as close their former self as possible, she really knew her stuff!

Realisation

The next morning - aching like you wouldn’t believe - we were put through our paces once more. Starting off with another power walk, we then went into some body core training and finished off with an army assault course before we said our goodbyes at 12pm.

We left the rest of the girls to complete their week of training. And brave girls they are. It takes a lot of determination and good spirit to complete a weekend, let alone a week at the GI Jane bootcamp. It isn’t for the faint hearted, but, as the two older ladies in our group proved, it is do-able whatever your age, and as we proved, whatever your fitness!

It wouldn’t be possible without our two trainers, in particular Steve, who has trained gold winning Olympic medallists and clearly revels in helping these ladies obtain their goal. He told us he takes as much pride training bootcamp pupils as he does Olympic medallists, and we believe him too.

The Verdict
 
After only a day and a half we felt fitter, more energetic and certainly slimmer! Best of all we have come away realising how important exercise and equipped with enough knowledge to get fit in our front rooms. Now we know we really do have no excuse!

Kelby McNally lost three pounds and Heidi Vella lost half a pound in weight at the GI Jane bootcamp. For more information on GI Jane bootcamp visit: www.gijanebootcamp.co.uk

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