The benefits of rising early with a clear head

I'll admit it. I am a boot camp instructor and I like to drink wine. I like to crisp fruit taste of a white wine or the bold spicy taste of a red wine. So much so, that I decided to start a wine tasting club with my friend, Emily.
So last night was our first club outing and man was it fun. We brought together girls from all different backgrounds, with all different career paths. Some married, some single, some tall, some short, but all of us united in wine. And after several bottles and lots of fun tastes and maybe a little to much of one particular variety we closed our first official wine club meeting and went home to our comfortable beds.
When my husbands alarm sounded this morning, I realized that I probably had 2 too many glasses last night and desperately needed water. But unlike most people, my second thought was that I needed to get hydrated so that I could go on my Thursday run. If I was too dehydrated, I might pull a muscle or something worse. So after a bottle of water, I decided to lay in bed a little. You see, Thursday is my day to sleep in to the late hour of 8am.
Now sleeping in to me, is not the same as it is to most people. Every morning, I rise before 5AM, quickly get dressed, brush my teeth and head out to boot camp at Blackburn Park. My job begins at 5:40am every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. So on Thursday I sleep until 8am. And that is late.
This morning when I rose with a foggy head, I realized why I quit partying and boosing it up on a frequent basis several years ago. I felt like I was waisting time. Like I had just wasted 2 hours of precious daylight and that I could have accomplished so much more. That is when I remembered how much I love to get up early and get things accomplised. And one saying kept popping into my head that a former boot camper once said, "At boot camp, we accomplish more by 7AM than most people do all day."

Lesson of the day - a wine tasting should be limited to one pour a bottle.

A Day in the Life of The American Boot Camp Company Owner

If owning your own business and being your own boss was easy, everyone would be doing it. But owning and operating a business is an even bigger challenge. For all those that think I workout all day and have fun, here you go.

4:55AM - Alarm sounds. Roll over and hit snooze
5:00AM - Alarm sounds. Grab cell phone and head to get dressed, brush my teeth and get to camp. I also check the weather on my cell phone and by opening the door to my deck.
5:18AM - Take dog out and feed.
5:20AM - Head to studio to pick up equipment/print updated attendance sheet

5:28AM - Head to Blackburn Park to daily Boot Camp Workout
5:33AM - Begin taking attendance and welcoming each client as they arrive.
5:40AM - Support Instructors arrive and help with daily nutritional counseling. I continue to take attendance and check food logs as I can.
5:55AM - Daily meeting with instructors to review upcoming workout and their rolls.
6:00AM - Workout begins!

6:00AM-6:45AM - FUN

6:45-6:50AM - Return to car and extra credit
6:55AM-7:30AM - Daily post boot camp coffee at Starbucks

8:00-8:45AM - Get ready for my day job - running the sales and marketing of The American Boot Camp Company.
9AM - Arrive at the office and check email.

9AM - Breakfast: dannon lite and fit yogurt and Nature's Path optimum granola. 1/2 cup of pineapple.

9AM-10AM - Return emails, correspond with instructors, current month boot campers and follow up with clients that didn't attend the workout and didn't let me know ahead of time.
10AM - meet with Katie, my assistant, and get her started on a new project with constant contact email and with updating my office files.
10:15AM - follow up with Team in Training about an upcoming event.
10:17AM - contact web/ad designer about printing more brochures for upcoming conference
10:20AM - contact my SCW Fitness contact about shipping manuals for certification from Atlanta rather than paying shipping costs twice. Follow up with her on outstanding invoice for teaching in February.
10:20- Mid Morning Snack - banana and almonds

10:30AM - Begin to process quarterly taxes. Pay March payroll taxes online and print out all Q1 forms. Write checks for state taxes paid quarterly. Fill out new employee forms and enter newest employee into quickbooks.

11:30AM - Check emails and return important messages. Organize upcoming instructor continuing education series for Q2, organize New Licensee email newsletter education series and make list for questions for Tara and Katie to address via email later.

12:15PM - Return sales calls to potential licensee in South Carolina and followup with new sign ups for Chastain PM and East Cobb.

12:30PM - Update homepage on the website with new information about upcoming Big Peach 5K. Remember to contact Todd about race bags.

12:45PM - Get ready for Junior League Fashionist Week where we give all Junior Leaguers 20% off boot camp and studio. Note in day planner to update Tara and Courtney on details.

1PM - Meeting with sales rep from SKIRT magazine to work on 3rd Quarter 2008-3rd Quarter 2009 budget and strategy. Looking to get rates and added value.

All this before lunch...

Decisions

Most of the life changing decisions that have occured in my life have been made for me. Usually when a change is necessry the powers that be get involved and make it so that there isn't a decision. I am ok with that, too. Just as long as I continue to live right and try to be good and just in all the daily choices I make, my good intentions usually lead to that right choice.

But for once I am at a juncture in my life that I have to consciously choose. I worry that if I choose one way I will regret it in the future. But if I choose the other way I may regret that too. And so for the past month or so I have made no decision. I have put it off using this past weekends trip as an excuse. But now that the trip is over I have to decide how to proceed. And I think for once in my life I am going to proactively make a decision.

It will be life changing for me and for many others. And every second I am second guessing myself. I try to remember all of the people that inspire me to be better, my husband and family, those clients that so generously allow me to be a part of their life changing experiences, who make me truly want to be a better trainer. And for those who can't be part of my journey. I just don't want to dissappoint anyone.

And so over the next few weeks my decisions will play out. I have this little placque on my desk that says, sometimes you just have to take the leap and build your wings on the way down.

So here's to the hope I have wings.

Courage

Today one of my favorite clients told me that 'my courage to follow my dreams' gave her a new purpose in life. And as I head back out on the road again, I realize that courage is definately needed everyday in my life. This journey is a scary one and a very lonely one. Even though I see people every day and it always seems like there are many people around me, it isn't so. I am not sure that anyone I know understands what is happening. I know there are others out there in my same boat, but in my circles they don't get it.

I am only 32. I'm a kid, really. I know that, but I can't admit it every day or I'd get bulldosed. Most people my age are having babies (as I am reminded every day) and going on vacation with their families. Not me. My business is my baby and my very patient husband bides his time on the couch while I follow my dream. It's not glamourous or much fun these days. Just alot of lonely work.

It's during weeks like the past couple when I question if I have enough courage to reach my goals. Alot of people think so. Deep down, I know so. But so did that crazy lion. Let's hope my yellow brick road appears soon.

Life is like...

a basketball game. But not just any game. That game where something is on the line - an undefeated season, a scoring record, a championship or even just the ability to say you beat a certain opponant. As March Madness is in full swing, basketball movies fill the cable stations and while wathcing "Glory Days" last night, my own childhood glory days quickly fill my mind.

It's 1989 and our 8th grade team has gone undefeated in conference play - a first in school history. Being only 13, a girls mind is already spinning, but the pressure to win and not let anyone down was incredable. As we headed to the state championship tournament our coach said something that I will never forget. He said, "This opportunity only happens to most people once in their lifetime. You should remember every moment and be extatic that you have made it this far." At that time we had no clue what he meant. Again, we were 13 - we thought we knew it all and we were SURE we would see a winning season like that again at SOME point in our lives. Little did we know. What we were also sure of was how incredibly nervous we were to be playing against the best teams in the state. Against girls that would go on to be leading scorers and all time blocking champs in high school, not to mention the future college and even WMBA stars (the WMBA didn't even exist then). We knew we were out of our league, but we played with all our hearts. When our leading scorer got hurt, we fell apart as a team.

I think back to how scared I was. How mortifying a loss in the first round was going to be. But I also remember how helpless I felt because I couldn't contribute to the win any more than I already was. At that moment I vowed never to let one player cause me to not reach my goals again.

Little did I know that my future would be much like that basketball competition. Today is quite similar in that I am a bit out of my league trying to take a company national in an industry full of giants and companies with more history. But this time there will be no one to depend on but me. This time my destany is in my own hands and my ability to sprint up the court and hustle is the only limiting factor. I am still nervous, terrified and sick to my stomach on a daily basis. But then I remember my coaches comment about this only happening once in a lifetime. And he was right - this is a once in a lifetime deal that I have. And I don't intend to lose this time.

Good thing I have been practicing.

The dirty line

So every year since we began operating it never fails that we "catch a boot camper" doing something they are not supposed to. Something that will derail their progress during the cours of the month.

The first time it happened was in the third or forth month of our first season and I got a call one Saturday afternoon. I was driving with my husband and two of our instructors who lived in Brookhaven called me. "You have got to get over here to Brewsters, there is a boot camper eating an ice cream cone!" And that is how it began...every where we went, we ran into campers. Sometimes doing regular things like going to the grocery store, other times doing not so regular things when participating in the boot camp program, like walking out of the pizza joint, or drinking a beer.

So last night when I got the call, it came from another lead instructor at a different camp. She and a friend overhead the girl at the next table talking about one of our workouts. And then they saw the beer. Immediately they called me and described the girl. I knew it would be one of two people based on the description. So now I had a decision to make. Wait until the girl wrote it down in her log, ask her directly or do nothing.

Being that this is the first week of boot camp and that St. Patrick's Day is coming up, I decided to see how group persuasion worked on her. Now this is a very delicate situation that sometimes can go very wrong. So a few minutes before the workout began and after I checked through the books of both candidates, I started to talk about food and good restaurants to eat at. I cautioned against drinking green beer and partaking in other alcohol related activities this upcoming weekend and then transitioned into the idea that drinking a beer at the restaurant just down the street from our neighborhood probably wasn't a good idea. And then I asked if anyone did so last night? I gave them plenty of time to answer and then I laid down the law - 60 squat thrusts for the group. That was enough to put this girl over the edge. She cautiously admitted it and saved the group extra work. And I let her off with only extra credit. Then I joked with her that she should find another watering hole for the next 30 days or maybe even give the program a try and not drink at all.

I thought I was being a pretty good sport about it and she laughed, too. But when it came time for the extra work at the end of the workout that she agreed to do, she quickly had an excuse why she couldnt' do it. I have to be at work at 7:30. Well that is where my patience ended. So 20 squat thrusts and 1 minute later she was on her way.

The point of this story is that The American Boot Camp Company's boot camp is an accountability based program - not just a workout routine. Without the nutritional plan, hydration check and asbtenance from junk food and alcohol, the program doesn't work. And as a lead instructor, it is often hard to convince people of that. Unfortunately it usually takes about two weeks. The frustrating part to me, is that for this girl, I didn't get two weeks because I am certain that she will drink this weekend. And that is so disappointing because on Monday, she won't see the progress that everyone else will. And on Monday, I will have to fight hard to not let her cross that line and give up.

So how will I do it? I will smile through the squat thursts and do them with her (and the rest of the group). Maybe no one will give into the temptation of Green Beer this weekend... I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Letting me down

So I was reminded today about how diverse a lead instructor needs to be when leading a group of multiple fitness levels in a results based program. Another instructor mentioned that a camper told them they felt like they were "letting me down" in their performance. My initial reaction was that I didn't want the camper to feel that way and that I should talk to them because they really weren't letting me down.

But then I took a minute to consider my role as a leader of the group. I have to make sure first that everyone is safe each day. From where we do the actualy workout (are their holes in the field, is there enough light, is there any traffic to consider), to how we transition from place to place, to how each exercise is explained and demonstrated with proper technique. I have to them make sure that everyone is challenged from the fittest person to the very out of shape person to just the right degree that they are uncomfortable constantly, but not so far that they get injured or demotivated. Then I also have to make sure the mentally I am motivating each person. Do they get enough education, positive support during the workout and firmness when necessary? Does each person feel good about themselves when they leave the workout and for the rest of the day when they are not with me, are they recovering properly? Then I have to consider if they are treating their bodies right. Are they eating enough of the right things when they leave the workout to refuel their bodies? Are they drinking enough water to stay hydrated? And I won't even touch on the support, organziation and training for the instructors that help me, or the sales to fill the camp or the administrative duties.

So as a lead instructor, I have alot to think about just during the 45 minute workout. And I always have to keep in the back of my mind - how do I help each individual reach their goals in the time they spend with me?

So what does this have to do with a camper feeling like they, "let me down"? Everything. The way you present yourself as an instructor each day is key to making all of the above responsibilities flow and mesh. Building up the raport with the client and causing them to trust you to help them is the ultimate goal for an instructor. Once you do this, they listen to every word that comes out of your mouth, so you have to come "game on" to every workout.

So at the conclusion of yesterday's workout, I carefully mentioned to a client that I know has been teetering on the edge of her comfort level and is ready for that next level that I think she has more to give. And she knew it. She just needed someone to tell her. She in turn mentioned to another instructor then that she felt like she was letting me down. And in a way, she was. By not giving her all she was letting me down, but more importantly she is letting herself down. However, she would not have know this before I mentioned because she has not been to this point in her journey before. Now that she knows, she will change her actions. She will bring her best to every workout and try just a little bit harder to not let me down and in turn to not let herself down.

Now had I gone with my first instinct, I may not have been able to demonstrate the importance of a firm yet fair approach to being a lead instructor. As a lead instructor, we can't always be their friend or their "mom". We have to show the clients that we believe in them by our tone of voice, not by physically holding their hands and patting them on the back. We have to be firm with them when they need it and not let them stay comfortable because we think they are out of shape. We have to show them that we care about their safety and will not let them get hurt, but we can't baby them by allowing them to walk when they get tired. We have to keep an eye on the back of the group at all times no matter where we are and show those people at the back that we will not let them off the hook because they are not in the great of shape. And at the same time, we must let these people know we care about their progress by spending a few seconds each day one on one with them, telling them how great we think they are doing. We don't need long speaches, just a quick acknowledgement that we see them working hard, but we know they can do just a bit more.

And when they give us more, we have to throw a party so big that the entire park heres you.

All that, just so one more camper can trust you, and so one more camper can think they let you down. And one more camper can begin their journey outside their comfort zone into a new zone of results.

Firm yet fair.