Thursday, January 20, 2011

How To Be A Better Boot Camper

Boot camp is 6AM in the morning and it is a challenging workout. For some, those two facts can be daunting. There is no reason to feel anxiety when waking up with these simple rules because we have game planned the first part of your day for you. Its as simple as a bit of organization on your part and planning to make your whole day go so smoothly, it feels like you didn't have to even try at all.

Set your alarm

Before you go to bed, you should run a check list of things that you can do before your head hits the pillow. First, you should set your alarm. Unless you are used to waking up between 4:30 and 5:30AM you are going to need one that is loud enough to wake you out of your sleep. When you set your alarm allow yourself some extra time to get out of bed, especially if you like the snooze button.  Allow yourself enough time to get all your finish your daily hygiene routine and leave some time for a quick breakfast.

 Prepare your food the night before
When preparing your dinner, make sure you leave out a container so you can use some of that food for lunch the next day. It will not only save you time, but money. You will be less likely to order out while at the office and if you don’t get to it at lunch you will always have dinner for the next day. You can use this time while preparing dinner to also prepare a breakfast for yourself. You can boil an egg and put it in the refrigerator for the next day. Make sure the breakfast you are saving for yourself is easy to prepare, but won’t go bad by the next day. Pouring milk or water in a bowl to make instant oatmeal is also a great idea. You can simply reheat it and it will be ready for you in less than 2 minutes whether you use a pot or a microwave.  

Pick your clothes out the day before
You know you are going to boot camp, so prepare for it. Take a few seconds to check the forecast and prepare accordingly. If it’s going to be cold, set out layers for yourself. If it’s hot, shorts and a t-shirt should do the trick. Leave your shoes that you want to wear out so you can just put them on and be out the door. Your clothes can be set on a dresser or even in your bathroom if you are really into saving time. During the winter, you can save even more time by putting your socks on while you are waiting for warm water to trickle out of your faucets.
                    Get to bed early
This is one of the most important things besides actually setting your alarm to get up. If you don’t go to bed early, you probably won’t even hear your alarm go off when it’s time to get up. Whether you are first starting boot camp, or are a seasoned Forger, you should get around 8 hours of sleep. We start boot camp at 6AM so going to bed anytime after 11PM will probably make it a difficult go once you get to class. Try to get to bed between 9 and 10:30PM. You will need the rest for class, besides nothing good really ever happens after 10PM anyway!
Put your stuff close to the door
Your water bottle, towel and or yoga mat should be right by the door. You put them here so you don’t have to go searching for them every time you come to class.  If you put them all together, it prevents you from wasting precious preparation time and you don’t have to worry if you forgot something. Another thing to do is always keep your stuff in the same place by the door, rather than in the general vicinity. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that lost or misplaced keys were the reason for tardiness for boot campers. A key rack or a table could be a great way to keep your stuff all organized so you can be ready rock and roll.

If you follow these simple rules to boot camp, you will be prepared for class with an unmatched readiness. You will achieve greatness in all that you do and take one more step toward conquering all that is fitness…Forge ON!

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