Tuck Takes Off

Darci, ready to leap over a building in a single bound. What's next, fitness modeling? Wow.

I’ve been curious about Boot Camp programs for a while now, so when I visited my family in Boca Raton last week, I jumped at the chance to join my sister, Darci, as she went through the paces under the watchful gaze of a drill seargent. Darci is near the end of a three month challenge at Evolution Fitness and she looks amazing – she is a runner and did full and half marathons when she started the program, (code for already in darn good shape) but now she hovers somewhere along the Lindsay Wagner bionic spectrum. She had to buy all new clothes (she now puts the “skinny” in skinny jeans.) Did I say  she looks AMAZING?

So there I was at 5:30 in the morning, running calisthenic drills with Darci and 35  Evolution Fitness members in a vacant parking lot outside of the Evolution gym. A super fit fella named Carmen mercilessly barked orders as our muscles burned (he laughed a lot…) We did push ups, leaps, squats, lunges, sprints, lateral shuffles…we covered pretty much every inch of the parking lot and kept going even as it began to lightly rain. I won’t lie…I was WHOOPED. Seriously. And I fancy myself to be pretty fit. HA! This was a challenge and when we finished an hour later, yes, I was close to euphoric that  I was alive.

Leapfrog to success with Evolution Fitness in Boca Raton

The secret to Darci’s success is not only the make-you-cry workouts 6 days a week (the schedule varies from  calisthenics to yoga, kettle bells, running clinics, weight training and more), but also the NUTRITION counseling.  Evolution Fitness provides nutrition lectures for those who do the 90 Day Challenge and that has really made the difference.  I train like a maniac but the hard truth is that 80% of weight loss and looking good is based on diet. Frankly, I wish Equinox, my beloved gym, had a fitness PLUS nutrition approach – I work out with great trainers but we don’t talk about food and it is the most important piece of the puzzle. Having them integrated simply makes sense. Some gems I’ve learned from Darci:

• Don’t drink your calories (drink alcohol = no weight loss.)
• Cut back on salt stat.
• Sprouted bread (she buys Ezekiel Bread – cinnamon raisin is the best) has way more vitamins and proteins than any other bread. Make this easy breakfast switch and you’re already doing great.
• Buy a juicer…and use it! Toss kale in everything you make.

Another part of the program is monthly weigh-ins and measurements. I think this is great because you really see your success and progress and it keeps you honest about what you are putting into the program. I hope Evolution Fitness expands because they are really on to something. I loved getting out of the gym and doing something super athletic yet different. This is cross-training at its best. Check them out, or check out boot camps near you. Most parks seems to have them, these days – a bit of googling and you could find a new fitness frontier. Anyone tried CrossFit? Seems to be a similar model, and they have programs all over the country. Mix it up , people! Your body will thank you. xxoo S