Unleashing The Warrior at Pure Power Bootcamp - Tour of Duty Journey Week 2,Day 3

http://purepowerbootcamp.com/

Tour of Duty Journal 

Week 2, Day 3:

So far so good. I am getting better at not feeling naucious and as if I am about to throw up at Bootcamp. Now I'm just dealing with being sore all over my body and having tummy cramps when I run. They told it me it was probobly because I was dehydrated; but with all this jumping up and down, on going running who wouldn't be?! Hence I kinda think maybe they are right and thinking I should probobly eat a bit before I go. The only thing is  I'm nervous to humiliate myself and throw up. That would not be good - I would be mortified! Anyhow thinking probobly something small would work. Something that would give me some fuel/energy for all the morning stuff I need to do at bootcamp. Apple? Blueberries? Bananas? 

Anyhow, I saw this really good quote that I think will help me endure this journey to the end. It was called "Success" Below is the write up...Oh! and also below is Lauren's Unleashing the Warrior questions article that I found on the website. It really made me think of where I would like to see my progress go.  It's a good article; answering the questions helps in focusing and thinking about what direction one is moving towards. I highly advise reading and answering the questions.

Success:

is not a race. 

leads to success.

is always a work in progress.

is a journey; focus on progress.

doesn't come to you; you go to it.

is achieved by trying, trying again.

Discipline is REMEMBERING what you want.

"One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself. "
— Leonardo da Vinci

UNLEASH THE WARRIOR WITHIN

In every person there is a warrior within. It is finding the COURAGE to step out of the box and break the boundaries that keep you prisoner. Society cannot tell you what sort of person you "should" be. Women more than men are deeply concerned about what kind of "life" they should be leading. Forget it. You must answer to YOU so you need to identify certain things before you can break the chains that constrain you. Ask yourself some questions:

1. What kind of person am I?
   Am I a born participant or a spectator?
2. Am I a leader or a spectator?
   Am I an individualist or a "chameleon"?
    
3. Am I an idealist or a realist?
4. Am I a self-motivator, or do I feel I need something from the outside?
   What kind of job/career do I have?
   Am I in a career I truly believe in, outside of the money or the benefits?
   Am I a climber-out to make more money and advance in status?
   Am I self employed or do I work for someone else?
   Am I happy and/or satisfied with where I am and what I am doing?
    
5. WHAT ARE MY GOALS? WHAT SORT OF PERSON WOULD I LIKE TO BE?

Time out here. Those last questions - "What are my goals"? and "What sort of person would I like to be? - are the most important ones of all. Answering either question-especially the latter - will probably not be easy. Force yourself to do some soul searching. HAVE THE COURAGE to face your deepest desires without feeling the need to apologize to anyone for having them (no matter what they are) or to yourself for having failed (as yet) to fulfill them. Then have the COURAGE to determine what kind of person you would like to be. Do not worry about how different or disparate it may be from the person you- or others see you as at present. Remember: Living things that do not grow must die. Keep that in mind. You were not born to push yourself from one day to another in a state of numbed and boring sameness. The real test of courage is how you live in your daily life. a sense of one's self, as distinct from other people and society, is crucial. It takes courage to find it, but once you do, a lot more courage will follow. A valuable secret: Courage breeds more courage.

YOU NEED TO FEEL GREAT ABOUT YOU IN ORDER TO BE COURAGEOUS. A NEW DAY IS A NEW BEGINNING. GET UP AND EXERCISE! YOUR POWER, YOUR CONFIDENCE STEMS FROM YOU CORE YOUR POSTURE. WHEN YOU LEAVE YOUR HOUSE IN THE MORNING, FOCUS ON YOU BEING THAT WARRIOR. YOUR CHIN IS UP, YOUR SHOULDERS ARE BACK, YOUR STOMACH IS TIGHT AND YOU ARE READY TO CONQUER! GO OUT AND DIG DEEP AND FIND YOUR PURE POWER!!!

- Lauren Brenner

Looking for few good Volunteers to help assemble the Memorial wall at Northport Veterans Hospital...

http://www.northport.va.gov/calendar.asp?action=detail&EID=61505&thisyear=2011&thisMonth=10&day=28

Hi Everyone,

Just got news of a wonderful event that is coming to New York. Specifically in Long Island at the Northport Veterans Hospital. It is a replica of the Washington DC Dignity Vietnam Memorial Wall. This  is sure to be interesting to see as it is a wonderful piece of art with much significance. With that mentioned, right now we are looking for a couple of good volunteers to help with the arrival and celebration of this art piece. There are different volunteer roles that you can choose from such as:

                                    Publicity                               Ground Site / Construction

                                    Safety                                    Motorcycle Escort

                                   Hospitality                            Food Service

Below I have included a volunteer application; if you have any questions you can call (631) 261-4400 ext 2991 or feel free to zap me an email or post a comment at the bottom of this blog. Below is also a description and a little more historical background of the wall. Hope you enjoy. Cheers,nency

Northport Veterans Medical Center, 79 Middleville Road, Northport, NY 11768

"This October 28, 29, and 30 Northport VAMC, the Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 11, and Dignity Memorial will host the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall, a 3/4-scale replica of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC, which bears the names of more than 58,000 Americans who died or are missing in Vietnam. Visitation to the wall will be 24 hours a day for all three days. Information on specific ceremonies will be posted soon. Please come to help remember and honor our fallen patriots and all of America's military service members."

http://www.dignitymemorial.com/dm20/en_US/main/dm/veterans/vietnam-wall-tour.page

Volunteer Role Descriptions 

Publicity:

-Distribute/posting flyers and other tools used to spread the word about the wall's visit to Northport VA

-Encourage scouts, students, houses of worship, and civic groups to promote visitation to the wall

Ground Site & Construction:

-Assist with the unloading truck and installation of wall

-Cleaning off Wall panels and walkways daily

-Clean up litter around Wall Grounds

-Disassemble Wall and reload truck

-Help to remove plants from the last day of the wall

Safety:

-Assist with traffic and parking

-Assist with crowd control

-Assist with First Aid should anyone need it

-Provide visitor assistance

Motorcycle Escort:

-Helping to escort the Dignity Memorial Wall form Citi Field in Queens to Northport

-Work with Chair person to recruit riders for wall escort

Hospitality:

-Assist with food donations

-Help work computers for visitors

-Help with name rubbing on wall

-Hand out programs during event

-Help count number of visitors at event

Food Services:

-Solicit food vendors

-Assist with picking up food and beverages

-Assist with serving food to volunteers

-Clean up food area

Getting Motivated at Pure Power Bootcamp,NYC - Tour of Duty Journal Week 2,Day 2

http://purepowerbootcamp.com/

Week 2 , Day 2... motivation is key as with that, all things are possible :)

Tour of Duty Journal, Week 2, Day 2

K, things are getting better. My routine is still out of whack but I'm trugging along. I've been thinking a lot of my food habits and think I'll be needing lots of veggies and more veggie stuff! And protein. With all these crazy exercises at bootcamp I really don't see how I'll ever improve if I don't have the right fuel to give me the energy to do all the on going, never ending squat thrusts, rock climbers, and the other exercises we do. I have to admit some of the exercises I have no idea what they are called but I do know they work because I can feel it all over! Speaking of feeling, I'm starting to somewhat be able to move again - my legs are sore and I am definately feeling some muscles I never knew existed. And speaking of muscles, today I felt it all on my stomach as Russo had me do these weird twisty stomach things. He said Tuesdays were Ab days at Bootcamp and after today, I believe him. I was really humiliated and just wanted to cringe because I was completly out of breath. But regardless I think something  is bound to happen if I keep going. Something good as there is nooooo way all this jumping, running, and doing all the other crazy exercises that we do can have zero to no impact on changing my current weight. Something is bound to fall off. Even if it's 5 pds - 5 pounds is 5 pds and that's improvement. Slowly but surely we're gonna make it! Oh speaking of making it, I saw this article in Oxygen Magazine and I tore it out because it was really inspiring to see a story of how other women have reached their goal.  I thought it was pretty exciting.

"Believe in your inner strength to succeed."

-Kelly Lovan

So I was thinking of different ways I could help motivate myself and I really need new shoes. But I really want cool ones and I think I found them. I saw them on Nike's website and plan on going there to see if they will work. They look cute;white with silver lurex so if that's  the case you know that they will stay sparkly for a long time. (To clarify any confusion here - lurex is a thread that is weaved into the fabric, and because of this does not "fall off" - in other words it is not sprayed on glitter. Just wanted to clarify-my fashionista getting the best of me here!) The style is called the Nike Shox Navina Sparkle Shoe and it comes in white, black, and gray. I'm looking at the white one as I think being they are white they will attract more sparkle by the light. We'll see, hopefully they are comfortable and will work for bootcamp. :) Nike. Nike Shox Navina Shoes Sparkle! Below is a pic I found of the shoe and I must add they are really comfy and the lurex in the fabric holds up really well too!

Gaining momentum at Pure Power Bootcamp,NYC - Tour of Duty Journal, Week 2, Day 1

http://purepowerbootcamp.com/

Hi again! Hope everyone was able to weather the storm! This is week 2, Day 1 of my Tour of Duty at Pure Power Bootcamp. Since I had the weekend to rejuvinate all my energies and aliviate all my soreness I felt a little bit more adjusted on week 2. I  knew Monday would be the start of some more new adventures such as....Learning the anatomy of a correct squat thrust, doing jumping jacks and realizing I need to work on my jumping, trying to hold up a tire while I ran, and the list goes on. The mental part though is a bit different. I realized that I needed to Trust my new self awareness and the path that I was embarking on. Change is the only constant and even though it felt uncomfortable I knew it was where I would have the most personal growth and I just had to find my own pace. So with that mentioned, I advise all that are embarking on this journey to just Trust your instincts and Trust those that help you get to your  desired destination. It may be uncomfortable but nothing that is worth pursuing ever comes easy. Trust, the 2nd  PPBC Leadership principle.

Tour of Duty Journal - Week 2, Day 1

Today wasn't any easier as last week but I do have to mention that I'm not as sore as the first day. The exercises are still difficult and there are still times I feel naucious and as if I am going to throw up. I still can't do most of the course. Some things are just too difficult or simply put really tall and being that I don't have much height it only makes it a little bit more tricky for me. Regardless though, somehow I am managing to push through all that and just try and finish. The schedule is still hard to get used to as I feel quite tired afterwards and really don't want to go to work. I was  thinking how all this is essencially a lifestyle change. I really can't go back to how I lived before if I want to see results. My foods, activities, and way of thinking really has to progress into a new way of being. Here are some of my thoughts about that and what I think I need to do:

- change attitude

- change old habits that do not help me in progressing to better health

- look at the future not the past

- embrace the level of where I am at and think of what I can do to get to the next level of improvement

- think of ways that will help motivate and be encouraging

- get new cool shoes and new water bottle (I need new shoes to get me pumped up to work out and a regular    water bottle that I can bring so I don't miss out on the short 5-10 second water breaks!)

"A good wish changes nothing. 

One good decision changes everything."

-Ellen Parr

This is a little article I found about finding your own pace and keeping at it. Even if it's not the fastest pace, what matters is that you just keep plugging along. In doing so you are slowly but surely going to reach your destination. I thought it was pretty fitting considering I am the weakest link in my bootcamp class and know I have a ways to go to get back to where I would like to be. This keeps things in perspective.

Do you ever get frustrated that your working hard and not seeing results as quickly as you wish? (Ummm yes!) Many don't realize they are building a foundation for their health and that success does not happen overnight. It is a important aspect to create a strong foundation even for times of crisis. Remind yourself you only fail if you quit. So don't worry if things seem to be happening in slow motion. Concentrate on building a solid foundation and learning from all your steps.

The "How" of to support our K-9 Troops....

http://soldiersangels.org/k-9-support-team.html


http://www.facebook.com/pages/Soldiers-Angels-K-9-Team-OFFICIAL/162850740459334

Hello all...
So this week in particular I noticed that there was a lot of attention in general to Service K-9 Teams and the strong human/animal bond that these teams have for one another. With that said, I just wanted to write about the how one can go about in supporting our K-9 Teams that are deployed. So before anything, the first thing you need to do is go to the Soldiers Angels webpage (the link is above) and sign up to adopt a K-9 Team. Then once you have your soldiers information and get a email from the team leader explaining how things work, the fun begins. For more info or perhaps if you have questions beforehand you can email k9team@soldiersangels.org and they will get back to you. Or you can also find them/like them on their Facebook page too! (above is their link) So without further delay below is the how of to support our K-9 troops. Oh! and if there are any questions you can feel free to email me at  nency@msnewyorkus.com or just leave/ask me your question on the comment section below of this blog.. Ok,  Enjoy :)
Cheers,nency

First things first you'll need a box. You can get a "Free" box at the Post Office! These boxes are wonderful as they are free and there are three different sizes. You can stuff these boxes with as much as possible and still the weight does not affect the postage rate. The postage ranges for $5 dollars to $7 dollars. 

Once you have your box ready to go, the fun begins as you write a note of encouragement. If you like to draw that will work too! Today we used a card and also a drawing...

As we all know dogs love treats; being that these are working dogs choose treats that are more practical then "just for fun." This simply helps them stay focused on their job duties and in doing so out of harms way. In this case, my assistant, Little Miss. Sparkles chose some dental chews. For the human we chose the all time, all American favorite of Oreo Cookie treats to help keep the morale up for the handler. It goes both ways -happy dog/ happy  handler make one great, happy K-9 team!

One of the items that is most requested are doggie wipes of all kinds. Here we have some for the teeth and also for overall hygiene. It's not necessarily for the "beauty" that these items are requested but more so for the well being. Dental wipes help the dogs with keeping healthy teeth and also great for preventing infections that may occur from cuts/wounds. The bath wipes in general are great for everything from keeping the doggie clean and free of parasites, cleaning ears, wiping off dirt/pebbles that may irritate paws.. the list goes on an on on the different ways these pet wipes are useful...

Grooming...oh yes, this is definitely something that is requested but again not for the "beauty" reasons, simply for the practicality of it. Nail clippers.. have you ever had a broken nail that is painful or needs to be kept - well this happens to dogs too and nothing is worse then having a nail that "hurts" when your working. Sturdy combs help keep the overall doggie clean - remember these are dogs that are working in some of the most intense weather conditions (the desert is a prime example) and with that said, after a days work they tend to accumulate a lot of  "dirt/gunk" on themselves and their paws. 

Clean paws and staying hydrated are crucial for the overall health of a dog but especially for the working dog. Above you will see an example of a doggie water bottle. (This one above is for your visual reference as it belongs to my assistant. She was nice enough to let us take a picture so you can see what we were referring to) PawGuard, helps keep paws healthy and free of abrasions from a hard days work.

 Lastly, but not least.. something to keep the overall morale up for both K-9 and Handler. In this box we included some reading material and some Bubbles that will help in relaxing both on their downtime. 

The final step is having one last inspection that we got everything and all is good to go. I'm lucky that I have an assistant that gives me the last "Paw of Approval" so then we know for sure all is good. Below is my assistant hard at work...

              Looking over box for all safety       Inspecting box for all safety

    A lick on the nose signifies the box is safe. All treats are yummy and 

                           from one canine to another all is doggie approved.....

Building a Pilar of Strength at Pure Power Bootcamp, NYC - Tour of Duty, Day 4

http://purepowerbootcamp.com/

Hello!
Ok, so day four of my Tour of Duty...
Oh how one week can change you... little did I know the adventure I was embarking on. I think the best word to describe day four would be "Courage"  as this day I realized these were not going to to be your ordinary gym sessions and there fore I had to muster up the courage and starting running with it. It was the beginning of building a pilar of strength... Courage, the 8th PPBC Leadership Principle.

Tour of Duty, Day 4:

Well today wasn't as mentally difficult yet it wasn't any easier. We are supposed to do these hurdles,wall climbing,and some over the wall stuff. I can't do any as I'm not very strong in my arms. Most of all this stuff I find to be pulling your own weight and I really can't do that. It all seems so crazy. I've been thinking of the quote at the bottom of the page - "getting out of your comfort zone" and have thought about what that means. Essencially by me doing so would really signify experiencing new things, new people, and getting out of my shell. Which technically could be fun. Even though this is hands down the most difficult physical thing I've ever done; since I already paid for it I think it would be really unproductive of me to just stop. I have to at least try and see what can occur if I just keep going. I do have to admit, it would be nice to be able to do all the hurdles and climb the three walls with out any help. That would be quite exciting if I say so myself. 

"Comfort is an illusion. A false security bred from familiar things and familiar ways. It narrows the mind, weakens the body  and robs the soul of spirit and determination. Comfort is neither welcome nor tolerated here"  -quote from a PPBC handout

"The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is to high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it."  
- Michelangelo

Being Inspired at Pure Power Bootcamp, NYC - Tour of Duty, Day 3...

http://purepowerbootcamp.com/

Hi Everyone,

Back and blogging about my Tour of Duty at Pure Power Bootcamp  :). So far as you can see it's been quite  an experience. Even though it's only been 2 days, it's been 2 days of much self reflection and thought. Little did I know though how much day 3 had in store for me. It was the a little thing called "wisdom" which I must add is PPBC's tenth principle of leadership.... Below is my entry, enjoy!

Tour of Duty: Day 3...

I went today! Although it isn't any easier then the first day when I felt like throwing up and not being able to catch my breath. I'm still the weakest link and wonder if I'll ever be able to not be. There was a girl in the class today (I thought she was the instructor as she looked like one of Michelangelo's sculptures - kid you not! She was chiseled and turns out she wasn't an instructor). She said she started last April. I kinda thought about it, that's probably when my Tour of Duty will end and I'll be able to decide if I will be continuing with all this. I also realized that I can't be so hard on myself as Rome wasn't built in one day. I really can't expect to be all buffed out when I'm just not at that level. I think things just take time and  I need to embrace where I'm at and try everyday to get out of my shell and just be. I'm glad that girl was there as I realized that things take time to accomplish and become. Taking baby steps and then go to the next level once your stronger and have that foundation. I suppose right now I'm not even building the foundation, instead just starting to collect all the materials that will create it.

"Life isn't about finding yourself. 
Life is about creating yourself"
-unknown 

To Do For My Visual Board:

-use glitter sticks

-get more magazines for cut outs              

-double stick tape

-get more fun stickers and glue sticks @ the .99 cent store

I think I need to make a vision board for bootcamp. This is really hard so I need to help myself and be creative in the process. I need visuals. I'm running out of fun stickers - I need more stickers. Visually I know how I want to be - strong and back to my size. I saw a cut out of making a visual board in Self Magazine. I think this could work. It looks like fun. Besides that, I was reading a article that Lauren wrote. Not sure how long ago it was but I found it on the CNN news link of one of her interview videos on the bootcamp website. Anyhow, these were  the two most important bootcamp q's to ponder for the board:

1)What are my goals?

Be size 0/2

2)What sort of person do I want to be?

Inspiring, a leader, fun/confident and like Dara Torres

You can't give up at Pure Power Bootcamp, NYC - Tour of Duty, Day 2....

http://purepowerbootcamp.com/

Hello Again..

Getting back on track and keeping up with my blogging and also on taking you through the journey of a Tour of Duty at Pure Power Bootcamp, NYC. I was thinking about how to blog it to make sense and figured the best way to do so is probobly blogging about it the same way the Tour of Duty is done. That being either 3x's per week for 12 weeks or 4x's per week for 8 weeks. I signed up for the 4x's per week one so I'll be sharing with you my journal entries just like that. And speaking of entries, since journals are meant to inspire, you'll notice that I doodle a lot (my own little creative mind thinking away) and also I like to include pictures of people that I look up to as role models. When ever your pursuing anything meaningful in life, one of the most important aspects that will help you achieve that goal is to surround yourself with those that exude positive energy & light!  Above you'll see a picture of one of my all time favorite role models - Dara Torres. I really like Torres for many reasons but perhaps the most profound reason is simply because she believes in goals and dreams and pursues them full throttle. Even if everyone around her thinks otherwise. That for me is admirable and the fact that she doesn't give up regardless how difficult the situation is. And speaking of not giving up...that is exactly the lesson I learned the second day of my Tour of Duty....


Day 2:
K, I'm a looser - I didn't go today because I just don't think I'll really be able to do all this. I already paid for the 8 weeks, so I feel really bad for not going but I suppose it's my own insecurity that keeps me from getting out of my shell. I was reading the handouts that they gave us. It talks about moving out of your comfort zone and I know that that's exactly what I need to do. I'm just being so insecure not to mention I'm incredibly embarrassed that I'm so out of shape. That and there are barely any female trainers (at least that I have seen - with exception of the owner.) Which I'm not sure when she teaches. Anyhow, I'll try again tomarrow and we'll see how far I can get...

"The road to success has many obstacles. If you trip and fall, don't stay down. Get back up, dust yourself off and keep going. Winners never quit and quitters never win."

Sometimes life can be quite challenging but it is made easier when one answers questions that can clarify the purpose and reasoning of why you are doing what you are doing... Here are some of my questions which helped me in really zoning in and being clear of why I had signed up for bootcamp. They are quite simple but once one thinks about things, they get you up and running giving you a vision of how you want to see yourself and where you're going. Below are some questions I asked myself...

1)What do you ultimately want to accomplish?

Ultimately, I would like to be back to my normal size "0/2" and be able to be strong.

2)Why do you want to accomplish this?

I would like to be strong for myself and feel good about myself.

3)How long do you think this will take?

I'm honestly not sure. I really haven't ever had to loose weight so I don't know. Being realistic, I'm thinking perhaps  6-12 months.

How it all began at Pure Power Bootcamp, NYC...

http://purepowerbootcamp.com/

Hello All,
Today I am writing about a really wonderful place and how "it all began at Pure Power Bootcamp." I chose that as my title to my blog today because so many things really did begin here. For those of you that may not know my academic background, in a nutshell I attended art school in San Francisco and it was there that I was trained to always have a journal so I could record and stay in tune with all the things that would inspire my little heart to design beautiful clothing. After the first semester it became natural to carry a journal/notebook where ever I went and record my thoughts. With that mentioned, it was only natural for me to keep a journal about my journey of when I first started at Pure Power Bootcamp. With this first blog  I hope not only to inspire but somehow reach all those that have goals and dreams or if they were like me when I started, may not know just yet how BIG they really can dream once they start a Tour of Duty at Pure Power Bootcamp NYC. Above is my journal and below you will find my first entry...Enjoy and I'll keep you posted on the next one soon...
xoxo,nency

March 2010:
It all began Monday March 15th at 5:30am...
Day 1: Umm... ok so I started the bootcamp today and it was quite difficult. We did a lot of cardio non-stop. A lot of sit-ups and I am totally embarrased because I just didn't realize how incredibly out of shape I am. I couldn't even do 5 let alone 1 sit up. Besides that, I felt like throwing up a couple of times. Not to mention I felt like a looser because I was totally the weakest link of the group. There are two trainers and they both seem quite intense (Russo/Nicio - not sure if I'm spelling that correctly) Anyhow, I'm not sure if I'll make it to the 6th week. I am in total pain all over and can barley move my entire body. I've never done anything so physically challenging. I just hope I'll be able to do all this. Loosing weight seems like it is going to be a lot more difficult then I had really ever imagined. I hope I'll be able to do all this and be the size 0/2 that was I was before. Also, besides that I can't help but feel really tired; not to mention hungry after the workout. I really hope all this works...

 Honor. Trust. Respect. Integrity. Duty. Loyalty. Power. Courage. Diginity. Wisdom. Pride.

"Comfort is an illusion. A false security bred from familiar things and familiar ways. It narrows the mind, weakens the body, and robs the soul of spirit and determination. Comfort is neither welcome nor tolerated here." 

- A quote from one of my PPBC handouts