An English Rose: Cross fit, the new boot camp

Today we had meetings with Reebok UK in Manchester, and afterwards they put us up to a cross fit session. For those of you who don't know what Cross Fit is (I had only heard of it before I did my research) its basically a brand and way of exercise which claims to 'forge elite fitness' using circuit training and body-weight training methods.

So, so many people go to the gym 2, 3, 4 or even more times a week but don't push themselves enough to get results that they could be achieving from shorter, more intense workouts. I sound like I'm reeling off something I've been told today, but when you think about it and use your common sense its so true, and I have had first hand experience of this so can vouch for this.

I'm going on holiday in a few weeks and have decided to get serious about getting in shape for it. I used to go to the gym a couple of times a week and use the cardio machines without a real time or distance aim, just doing a general workout to work up a bit of a sweat. I didn't notice any change in myself, but I have now been going to gym classes 3 times a week for 3 weeks and have noticed toning already. I now fit into trousers I couldn't zip up a couple of months ago with ease, and need to sell a pair of chinos I bought in autumn because they're now too baggy even with a belt! But I haven't lost weight on the scales, so this means I have gained muscle because as we all know muscle weighs more than fat. Result! I've been doing body pump, boxercise, washboard abs and body step, which I found all a challenge, especially body pump - I was aching for 4 days after my first session!! I find those classes a good mix of cardio and toning which is perfect for me.

So my point in all this is that I highly recommend Cross Fit and totally believe it's claim to get you fit in less time than you think possible, using intense sessions to push your fitness boundaries. This is exactly what the gym classes do for me - for an hour at a time I am pushed along with the help of a fitness trainer, loud music, and a class of mainly women. The hour goes by much quicker than it does on my own in the main gym, and I actually enjoy it once I'm there! I feel achy the day afterwards which I never do at the gym on the cardio machines, and I've seen results I've never seen before! I am sad to say but my boyfriend was right, if you put your mind to it, eat well and work hard a couple of times a week it makes a difference quickly! I can't recommend classes/group workouts more! Here are a couple of photos from today:

My friend Hannan busting some moves to my manager's 'tunes'! Bearing in mind it was a 3 hour journey both ways we had to find ways to entertain ourselves!