Ready or Not, Here Comes Boot Camp

We had our recruitment meeting today. This is the final step before we actually begin boot camp a week from Monday. Military cadences sounded from the speakers as we entered. Inspirational quotes were on display. Tasty yet healthful food was on hand. For a moment I was smug in noting that the sample meals they offered were almost exactly what I serve up at home, but I quickly remembered that if I had anything to be smug about, I wouldn’t have found myself in need of boot camp in the first place.

A few highlights from the meeting:

We each got one of these ammo cans. We have to scrub them, oil the hinges, and keep it orderly and clean for periodic inspection. They came with a fitness/food diary, a canteen, and Dr. Drill says we’ll be collecting other items along the way. There will be lectures each week on discipline, motivating, eating and exercise.

He promised that we’ll be working our butts off. We have to be ready to work at 5:30am sharp. If one person is late, we all pay. Someone asked if we’d be taking the workouts outside on nice days. He suggested that we’d be taking it outside on the not-so-nice days. Booo!

He promised that at some point, whether or not we like him now, we won’t like him in the future. Sounds ominous, but I’m looking forward to a little hostility to fire me up on sleepy mornings.
He promised that he’ll be handing out awards each week. And when we finish the five week camp, there will be a graduation ceremony. They’re trying to find an inspirational venue. They first mentioned Bodyworlds at the Franklin Institure here in Philly, but the exhibit will be shut down by then. Bummer. Anyway, more awarding will happen at graduation. I’m going to really really try to make sure my name is on one of those awards.

“Change before you have to.” That’s the theme of this entire project. I know I need to change… too many years lacking discipline. If I’m going to be a great mom to June, I need to teach by example and I don’t want the example to be me horizontal on the couch in front of American Idol (no matter how tempting that is). So I’m putting my faith in Dr. Drill and I dedicate my efforts to June.