WEEK 3: My Reflections

As we come to the close of Week 3, I must say that I am thoroughly impressed with the progress the ladies have made. I have noticed a major improvement in the food journals as well as the how hard the ladies push themselves during our sessions. Even though they are rolling their eyes and snapping their necks they are excited about getting a good workout!

As I reflect on this journey, I would like to leave you and my participants with a few thoughts that I have learned from this boot camp and from my experience as a personal trainer and health educator.

“Being healthy MUST become a way of life…not just something you do for a short period of time to reach a goal.”

Every personal trainer has their own teaching style. For me, I do not use diets to help my clients obtain their goals. I use the substitution and modification method. This way you gradually work your way to a healthy lifestyle. Yes, the process may be a little bit longer than some, but in my opinion the long term benefits are more important.

"Focus on small incremental changes that you can maintain."

I have learned that you cannot force a healthy lifestyle on anyone. I use to take everything to heart when people didn't want to listen to my message or didn't want to attend my bootcamps, but I quickly learned that everyone must make that choice for themselves. With that being said, I encourage you to "make a healthy lifestyle change for yourself before its too late!"

** Be on the look out for information about September’s Boot Camp. Encourage others to participate**

As Week 2 Comes to a Close...

Today will mark then end of another successful week of boot camp. I can honestly say that I can see an improvement in the ladies. They are pushing themselves and doing what it takes to reach their goals. One thing that I think keeps the ladies motivated is the atmosphere. Everyone is friendly, cordial, and encouraging, this makes it much easier (in my opinion) to get through that gruesome hour of intense workouts.

Continue to follow our journey to “preserving our sexy” and check out a few words from Ashley H. Big shout out to Ashley for doing an EXCELLENT job on the “picnic table” exercise yesterday!

As the second week of boot camp comes to an end I must admit it has been a challenge for me. I am learning to discipline myself when it comes to working out and eating healthy. I recently lost 23 pounds between the months of January and April. I now find it a struggle to maintain my weight and not go back to old habits. Nakeitra is teaching us just that ‘discipline’. We are going through a rigorous 3 days where ALL major muscles are being targeted and afterwards you feel like you have been tortured. I am very appreciative for the time she has taken out to do this boot camp, because I must admit I am the worse of them all. My biggest challenge now is to do more than jog on the treadmill during our off days, but there will be a big reward at the end of the month, SEXINESS!!

**Don't forget to send me your health and fitness questions nhill.fitness@gmail.com**

Week 2 ON DECK!!

Today as the clock strikes 6:30 we will begin Day 1 of Week 2 of the “Last Chance Fitness Challenge.” As we go into this week, I will challenge the ladies to push themselves harder than they did the previous week. Today I will collect their food journals and “grade” them to help the ladies see what areas need improvement. I’m particularly excited about this part of the challenge because I often find that even when people think they are eating “ok” the journal says otherwise. I’m able to find all of those hidden sugars and fats that are either causing weight gain or hindering weight loss. After receiving their “grades” tomorrow, the ladies will be encouraged to adjust their eating habits in order to help them achieve their goals.

If you are interested in how the challenge has been for the ladies check out the excerpt below from Monique B. I look forward to Monique pushing herself even harder this week than last week! ENJOY!

For the first week of boot camp, things ended on a good note. The first workout day was pure hell, but once I realized I was still alive I was okay for the 2nd and 3rd day. The biggest struggle has been the way I eat. I do well on some days and then on others I fall off bad. Fast food is so easy to get hooked on and hard to stop eating. McDonald’s is my biggest obstacle on this journey to weight loss; their French fries are my enemy.

I am still recuperating from the soreness of all my body parts. Every muscle in my body ached. I have to tell myself over and over the payoff will be worth the pain. I must challenge myself to go hard the two days we exercise by ourselves. It is easy to make an excuse when you are alone; I give the faithful promise of getting to a workout the next day. The next day turns into the next day, and I am at waking up Sunday with only one additional workout day accomplished.

** Don’t forget to send me your fitness questions! nhill.fitness@gmail.com**

FITNESS CHALLENGE: 1 Week Down!

Wednesday, August 4th marked the completion of the first week of the “Last Chance Fitness Challenge.” I must say that it has been a success so far, the ladies are feeling the results already! This week I have a few words from one of the ladies: Krystal Dawn. Enjoy…and continue to follow our journey to “preserving our sexy.”



The fitness challenge is going really good so far. On the first day, my body was definitely shocked. I could see blotches and everything. The second day, which was cardio, was challenging. There were some sequences I did not think I would be able to complete, however, the competitive nature of people pushes you to try harder. While on this challenge, I have discovered how easy I have been taking it on myself. I thought I was having good workouts…and I guess you could say they were good…just not great. I would focus on one thing, and that’d be it. This fitness challenge involves an entire body workout. Having a trainer and a few people to try to keep up with, really helps me make that extra push…even when I don’t want to.


** Check out Krystal's Natural Hair blog conversationstarter411.blogspot.com***

Last Chance Fitness Challenge

As of Monday (Aug. 2) I started a “Last Chance Fitness Challenge” for ladies in the Jackson, MS area. Most of the ladies are my sorority sisters. We work Monday –Wednesday for one hour a day for the whole month of August.

I encourage the ladies to record EVERYTHING they eat in a journal each day. I plan to keep you updated on our progress as we go on this month long journey to “preserve our sexy.”

Today, we completed DAY 2, and I have learned that having someone there to push you to achieve your goals is sometimes all it takes to get us on the right track. All of the ladies have worked so hard and pushed themselves to their personal limits! We have created a great support and motivation system and I am so proud of all of them! I look forward to August 27th to see the end results!

FYI: I selected the name “Last Chance” because summer is on its way out and August is the “last chance” to get in shape before the seasons change! So, if you haven't started...I encourage you to get on it because Fall is right around the corner!

***Also, keep your questions coming! nhill.fitness@gmail.com or send them to me on Facebook***