Eight times a year, for the past 17 years, I have had the privilege of training thousands of campers in Boot Camp Challenge®. And, every launch, every year, I get inspired, motivated, moved to tears, educated and touched (both physically and emotionally!) by my campers.

And, every year, I have wanted to tell you their stories, their struggles, their obstacles, their successes and their wins.

And so, now I am.

Meet Ang.

On Angela’s first day of camp, she cried. She came in, told me she had been watching BCC on the sidelines for the past few years. She always wanted to try it but felt certain she could not do it. She was fearful of failing. She is in her mid fifties, hadn’t exercised in years and on medicines for her cholesterol.

I remember giving her a big hug. I remember telling her how courageous she is. I remember her trembling when I measured her body fat. Fast forward a year and a half. Ang has not missed a camp in over a year. She has journaled her food for 470 days and counting! She has lost over 20lbs and last week, her doctor said he is taking her off her cholesterol medicine.

We hugged and this time, I cried.

Meet Margaret.

Mary Margaret is what I call her (most everyone gets a nickname). Mary joined our camp a year ago exactly. She was the first to arrive on the first day of camp. 5:10am, I believe (we start at 5:30am).

She is so tiny, maybe 5ft tall. A huge smile and tons of energy. She shared she had just started weight watchers and was ready to add exercise to her life. She said she had never exercised before, wasn’t sure if she could do it but wanted to give it a go. She was so brave.

When she started, Mary took all the exercise options. And, she walked. She told me she couldn’t run but it was her goal. As the months passed, Mary started running. In the summer camps, she would get to camp early so she could start her 1 mile warm-up before everyone else so she wouldn’t be last. She didn’t like holding up the other campers.

That’s Mary Margaret, always thinking about her fitness family. Now Mary runs. And, she starts with the crew and is NOT last. Actually, she is pretty fast. She also lost 30 pounds in the last year. She credits BCC and changing the way she eats.

Oh, she also had a heart attack this past Monday. Yep, I said heart attack. Doctor said it was genetic. No blockage in heart. Told her the change in her lifestyle saved her life. Mary Margaret said BCC changed her life. Mary Margaret, you changed mine :)

This is Todd.

His real name isn’t Todd, its David. Like I said, nearly everyone get a nickname. Todd joined BCC a few years back. He told me when he started he had bad knees. Walking was a struggle. Running was out of the question. He used to ref college basketball. It was his passion. And, he was real good at it.

Due to years of wear and tear, he had to hang up his basketball shoes and get a pair of new knees. Yes, two new knees. And, while getting new knees and the thought of being pain free sounded fabulous, the rehab was a concern. It would be long and tedious and painful.

But Todd did it.

As a matter of fact, the doctors said Todd was a ROCKSTAR! He healed quickly and soon was cleared and back in camp.

And, while he had new knees, his leg muscles were super imbalanced. His body had adjusted to the new knees but the muscles had to be retrained. And, that is what we did. When the campers did squats, Todd did hip extensions. When the campers did lunges, Todd did hamstring curls. When we needed a laugh, Todd told a FUNNY joke (he is also super funny!). Now Todd had new knees, some mighty strong leg muscles and a wicked sense of humor.

These are just a few of my campers.

And, I am going to continue to share their stories with you. Because they are awesome. And motivating. And courageous.

I hope they inspire you as much as they inspire me. #blessed

Smiles,
Lors

If you found this to be helpful, we would love it if you would share it with your friends.

Now get out there, and keep going for your goals one step at a time. Invest in yourself!

Hoo-Aah!
The BCC Team