Shoot Me Over The Moon

It was Tuesday night, and I was suffering with so much pain I didn't think I was going to be able to make Boot Camp in the morning. My legs were throbbing, and the sciatica pain running through my glutes was unbearable. Muscle spasms exploded along my back and, stiffness permeated my neck. I was a mess. I took some Alleve, but it did nothing to reconcile the pain. In addition, I had been traveling all day through southern Ohio and had not caught up on my rest. I was tired.

What to do? I would have to wait till morning and hope things would change through the night.

The alarm rang off at 4:00am and I was exhausted. I got up and sat on the edge of the bed and said to myself, "I don't think I can make it today. I think I may need to take a break. I am utterly spent".

I went to the bathroom and the throbbing had stopped, but I felt the inflammation with my sciatica and subsequent nerve pain was engulfing me. I wasn't feeling good, not at all. Too much activity and too little rest had left me in a very compromising position.

Next, I sat at the end of the tub and asked myself what I should do. I felt like I was beating myself up. But I didn't want to give up boot camp today.

Who came to my mind? My trainer, Brian. I also thought of a couple of my comrades, Little Rocket & Star. Without a doubt, it was the accountability factor that struck the deepest chord with me. As much as I was ready to give it a rest today, I thought of Brian and my commitment to him and this boot camp. I thought of my commitment to myself. Which choice would cause me the least amount of emotional or physical pain?

I decided to keep putting one foot ahead of the other. Get to the camp, and if I could only go through the motions of each exercise, I would let Brian know. At least I would have fulfilled my responsibility.

The good news was that this would be upper body day. So other than the shoulder work, I would not be aggravating the pain through my legs and glutes. I could take it easy on my shoulder exercises.

I stumbled in a little late. The camp was doing warm-ups with the ladder, but thankfully I had missed it. There was something else that caught my attention. By the grace of God, this was going to be a festival of music showcasing Michael Jackson and Prince! This was a miracle! :)

Oh my God! Was this a dream, or did I need to pinch myself???!!!! If there was ever a time when I needed the inspiration and upbeat rhythms of Michael, it was now. Brian must have read my mind.

The "Gold Star" teased me: "Your boyfriend's been waiting for you!" ;)

Huh? My boyfriend?

"Yeah", 'Star' piped! "He was here before you got here! You know, Michael!" LOL :)

And there it was! The sounds of Michael, under the stars and the light of the moon! It was all I needed to get me through this very challenging day! It was better than a shot of morphine! :)

I pulled together my crumpled spirits, and decided "this was it"! How could I not feel good under the circumstances! :)

I looked up at the stars and smiled, "The Universe must reward us when we try hard to do the right thing, step up to the plate, and we need something extra to pull us through".

As the workout began, I realized that this was not going to be an easy day. We did lots of circuits for the upper body that was interspersed with some cardio. And the cardio also included lower body work like squats.

The first circuit included walk-outs, (talk about double duty tough!) power squats, bicep/military press combo, and the chop saw. Wow! What a lineup! How did I ever survive that??! :) I did!

We also did various sets with the bands that included pullbacks, rows, bicep curls, reverse flys for our deltoids and a front lateral raise with the bands too. The bands will trick you. I heard all the strongest from the camp wail "Oh Lordy" with those bands! LoL!

The toughest part of the camp was running with 3 of the fastest BiG Dogs, including the Blazin B and Little Rocket, doing figure 8 runs and other cardio enjoyments! :) We were moving so fast it literally took my breath away. Why I chose to challenge myself with the best when I was half dead coming into camp proved to me the strength of mental determination and positive reinforcement. We can overcome so much if we decide and we are positive.:)

This was not only an extraordinarily "mad" tough workout today, but it was the most fun day I could ever remember! :) Brian was clowning with the MJ music and even bobbed his head and shook his cute little bootie for us! :) Heehee! He was wearing his white work gloves, which I had never noticed before.

I was smiling and having so much fun I couldn't think of the pain I was experiencing. It seemed to temporarily vanish. As we were running from one set to another, I whispered to Brian, "You took my heart today with your playlist. Now you need to take off one of those gloves to maintain the authenticity of the Michael tradition!"

I promised him I would sew sequins on his glove for next time. :)

He just laughed. He was pumping us all up, especially the campers who seemed to lack a little luster and energy by pointing out that this music was simply "Feel Good" music! How could anybody be dragging with music like this?

I simply had to agree. This music made me so happy I came to boot camp this morning and didn't give up on myself! It seemed to even release my natural painkillers and endorphins in my body. The debilitation seemed to recede at the moment. Yet, music has always been a tremendous healer for me.

I pondered with Gold Star how disappointed I would have been if I had missed this day.

"I can't believe I almost didn't come! I would have kicked myself for the next 2 camps if had I missed this day", I cried.

Has there ever been a camp devoted to Michael Jackson and Prince?Not to my knowledge. It was the best surprise, the best reward I could have ever had! :)

And what is the lesson we can learn from this, friends and fitness warriors? You never know what kind of surprise or reward you will get at the Adventure BootCamp! Whether it be a free shopping spree for t-shirts, gift cards for creating the best Halloween costume, or a playlist of music that ignites your fire and heals your pain............Brian is full of great surprises! So don't miss camp!! :)

For me? Brian, you can shoot me over the moon anytime with that Michael Jackson playlist! You had my heart! :)

And what else? Well.......maybe the Universe rewards us after all with a little miracles from time to time. I know it did today! :)

Signing off with the pinK tiger........

(.....moonwalking.......)