original bootcamp malaysia: reflections (part 02)

Posted at December 30, 2009

Exercise is important. Exercise is beneficial. You should exercise 3 times a week, 30 minutes each time to stay healthy. I know, I glanced through the brochures and sat through the TV ads. It’s tattooed in everyone’s subconscious that they should move their asses or else.

I was at a pretty low emotional point in June/ July this year. Without sounding too melodramatic, I knew I had to do something about myself though I had no idea how. Didn’t come from a sporty family, didn’t manage to stick to gym or a lot of other things for that matter, felt exhausted at the thought of jogging around the park by myself, couldn’t eat less… sounds like a recipe for ‘Fuck Your Life’.

But there was a boy whom I got along well with on-line that I did not dare meet in real life because I was overweight and that overshadowed everything. So yes, honestly it wasn’t just the walking-up-the-stairs part that got me to doing something. It was the ultimate realisation that the next time I meet a boy I am sort of fond of, this self-image issue will not be my sole setback. There, I’ve said it.

Original BootCamp Malaysia

I am a member of Miguel’s forum. One day I saw a posting by a fellow member, she wrote:

[Bootcamp Malaysia]… My 3rd week now… this military style exercise in the early mornings has been fun-filled with activities…. anyone want to join in?? http://www.bootcamp.com.my

I wrote her asking for more information. I told Jaime about it, showed her the link and suggested that we sign up. After a couple of days, the enthusiasm wavered and I was beginning to freak out at the prospect of having to actually do anything. Luckily Jaime was more gung-ho than me and to cut the story short, saw to it that I sign up for the August intake.

OBC PJ Bravo Dec 09 - Ruk and Sashi OBC PJ Bravo Dec 09 - Ruk, Ikram, Suanie

First Day of OBC – Assessment Day

I didn’t know it then that the first day of OBC is always the assessment, where your personal time is recorded after doing a series of fixed exercises. There were a bunch of scary-looking guys in red T-shirts which says ‘INSTRUCTOR’ and a bigger group in grey. As I had no sporting gear of any kind, I wore a wind breaker which I later took off because it was impossibly hot.

So I had no idea what I got myself into. I was partnered up with Pamela and she was so encouraging, screaming motivational stuff from across the field while I tried to continue moving. Months later she would tell me that I looked like I would kill her on the first day, heh.

Basically I was in too much of a shock. I blogged about it here, and later found out that the instructor whom I’d wanted to kick was Faizal. Later I thought back about it and sort of remembered Senior Sergeant Rob telling me I had to do 40 grunts for incorrect technique. Guess I blocked it out…

First Month of OBC (August 2009)

I don’t remember much about it now. I think there were lots of body aches, pain and cramps here and there. I must have been hypnotised lah, because everything about OBC is the complete opposite of my personality, character and nature. I don’t know how I got through the entire month (though I only did 10 sessions because I was in Penang) but I did. It helped a lot that Jaime and Jesse were in the same group, and I managed to open up to fellow OBC recruits. But it sure was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

I must have been out of my mind because I signed up for the second month…

Third Month of OBC (October 2009)

Observations: I dropped one size. I felt fitter. Warming up didn’t tire me out nearly as much. Certain exercises didn’t seem as daunting. Vanessa and Pamela who weren’t around for my 2nd month returned, and commented that there was a marked difference in me. I bonded with my fellow recruits, I got to know some of the instructors better and found out that they were not monsters after all :P My friends got tired of me talking about OBC all the time. Actually they were tired by my 2nd month but because they are my bestest friends, all is almost forgiven. Either that or they blank out.

One thing for sure: I definitely felt better about myself.

OBC PJ Bravo Dec 09 - Jida, Faizal, Suanie OBC PJ Bravo Dec 09 - Sim, Van, Mi Lin, Ruk, Jida, Faizal

Five months down (December 2009), hopefully more to go and lessons learnt

Mental VS Physical: Over the months I realised that my body is capable of a lot more. When Sergeant Sim informed me that it was more tiring mentally than physically, I began to take note of my own mental blockage. There were times during certain sets of exercises that I completely loathe where I caught myself thinking, I need to stop, I need to quit, I need to rest, I can’t do this anymore, I want to go home. Trust me, there were a LOT of those times. But somehow, with encouragement from my fellow recruits, I almost always go on. If you’ve known me from before OBC, you’d know that this is fucking amazingly unbelievable. I also don’t know what or when it happened.

Discipline: I am not so with this one, but I quite enjoy it. The first thing a lot of people remark when I tell them about OBC is, “CRAZY AR PAY MONEY TO GET TORTURED?!?” Discipline is a huge part of the OBC experience, and I really like it because honestly, I’ve never had much in my life so it’s a new thing for me. I had a conversation with my sister last night about this and she said the same thing. Won’t get into details, but there is a difference and she is happy :)

Weight obsession: … is a thing of the past. Last time I checked, I was 80kg then I stopped weighing myself. Definitely lost inches which is awesome. But the higher sense of accomplishment is the muscles gained. SERIOUSLY WAH LAU, I NEVER THOUGHT I’D SEE MYSELF IN A TONER BODY!!! It had never happened before in my life, and it is way way way way great! Goodbye weight obsession, hello muscle obsession :D

In laymen’s terms, I have hard calves muscles now. My flesh is firmer. I can see bits of my collar bones again. When I lean back and stretch, I don’t feel as many layers of fat rippling themselves over. My belly shrank and isn’t as flabby. My upper arms have some sort of definition. I love all of them.

Education: People often ask me if my eating habits have changed. Initially I would tell them no, that I am doing OBC but I would continue to eat whatever the hell I want. Thanks to Faizal (the same guy I’d wanted to kick), I’ve learned a lot about eating and exercising right, and how they complement each other. We were at our favourite mamak restaurant after OBC when he introduced to me the concept of being calorie-aware. Not calorie counting because that is too tedious and for most people, inhibits your enjoyment of food and ultimately the good life. Being calorie-aware is another thing. Your body needs a certain amount of calorie for maintenance. Anything more or less than that amount will result in either weight gain or loss. Call me sorhai but I never knew all that before.

Now I am more conscious of what I consume. I’ve stopped binging on food. The only soda I’d take is diet soda. Yes I know all the theories about fake sugar and aspartame etc etc. Once in a long while, I’d allow myself to drink 100 Plus, the last time was when Dharmen mentioned 100 Plus when we were doing a lot of running on the field… -_-” The only thing I’ve not been able to stop (beverage-wise) is Nescafe ais (lots of it) and beer. Even then I’ve not been boozing as much as I used to… by choice.

I am more aware of the number of meals I eat in a single day, as well as the amount of it. Sometimes it is hard not to go all out and just wallop everything in sight. Sometimes I still do that. But not all the time. Food, as in full meals was one of the reasons I gained so much weight. I don’t have the habit of snacking so the 22kg gained came from beer, double portions of rice, double portions of everything. No more.

I also learned that I don’t have a knee problem…

Fitness level: … has most definitely improved. Of course I’m still struggling at times because OBC is not a breeze. But it works. I still cannot do more than one single push-up on my toes. But I’m trying. I still have problems with running, but my endurance for it has increased. I still hate bear/ back-crawls because I suck at them, but the other day when we had to do it, it wasn’t as difficult as before. I can do 15-20 grunts non-stop and the rest I’ll just have to pause then continue on. I went to Broga Hill with some OBC friends and it wasn’t as daunting as I thought it would be. I half-walked, half-jogged around Kiara Park with Derek for a full hour and felt great after. I don’t moan as much when I have to park way further than the nearest entrance to the shopping mall, because it’s just a bit of walking mah. Won’t die one. Walking up the stairs from the basement to my office ceased to be hell.

Rain is just rain, mud is just mud, grass is just grass. They are not obstacles.

OBC PJ Bravo Dec 09 - Van, Faizal OBC PJ Bravo Dec 09 - Sim

Why OBC works for me

We often have this discussion among ourselves. Over the past few months, there have been a lot of media coverage on OBC. A lot of people signed up not fully knowing what they are in for. That’s okay because we all learn. But we also found out that OBC is not for everybody, and that is okay. It is perfectly fine to be someone who doesn’t like to be screamed or yelled at by anyone, not even the instructors. It is all right if you are not a team player, doesn’t like to work in groups. You may find other forms of exercises or work out regimes that will suit you and your needs better.

As I’ve mentioned in my previous post, my mind tends to wander off a lot. That is why gym doesn’t work for me. I think too much. It’s my nature, I’ve not tried much to control it. In OBC sessions, you don’t get time to think. You follow instructions. If they lay out 5 stations and tell you do jump-squats, jumping jacks, push-ups, sit-ups and mountain climbers at each station for 40 seconds, you stop thinking and just do it. If they tell you to keep running, do not stop, bounce back, catch up to the person in front of you, you try. You keep running, you do not stop, you bounce back then you try to catch up to the person in front of you. You will get dirty, you will get grumpy, sweat will drip down your face, you will make weird noises. It’s all good.

Like I said, not everyone can accept this working out methodology. It does not translate to you being better than me because you have enough self-discipline and motivation to go running by yourself or work out at the gym. It does not mean that I am better than you because I willingly put myself through all this and I am able to complete it. Different people, different styles, different preferences, same outcome.

The People

Where do I begin? Are there any ways to pay tribute to the instructors whose passion for the programme shows every time on the field? How do you find appropriate words to articulate the strong community spirit shared among the OBC recruits?

There’s Sergeant Sim whom I think of as The Rock of OBC Malaysia. Many times we’d try to gauge his mood that morning and estimate the number of punishment grunts we’d get. Corporal Faizal who have become a good friend outside of the field, who have opened my eyes to so many things fitness-wise, who is a success story himself if you’d know his background. Corporal Jon who dives gracefully down like a butterfly or falling leaf, who always have a smile on his face. Corporal Jason who has a cheekier smile, who puts his index finder down your back when you are doing plank holds while going, “Lower, lower…”. Corporal Dharmen whom I was scared shitless of at first, whose presence almost automatically indicates bear/ back/ front/ crab crawls. Lance Corporal Daniel (HELLO SUNSHINE!) who doesn’t lead us at PJ Bravo much, but often (used to) stay back and grin to himself while we suffered. Lance Corporal Elin who was just so persistent that two times when we had her in our group, whose fabulous fit and toned body always make me and Bev stop in our tracks and just stare.

OBC PJ Bravo Dec 09
OBC PJ Bravo Dec 2009. Missing lots of people in the photo though!

Vanessa, Pamela and Lina, the original screamers of PJ Bravo. I really cannot imagine OBC without them, and if they weren’t there I think my experience would have been a whole lot different. Nicholas who is fast becoming a solid screamer, whose overly gung-ho motivation often make me want to sit in my corner and eat buckets of potato crisps. Kevin whose bark is worse than his bite (”MOVE YOUR FAT ASS!!!”), who has so often slowed down so I could try to catch up with him. Derek the Strategist who made us laugh while doing grunts, who is just a joy to be around. Mi Lin who is so unassuming, radiating such goodness and good cheer. Sean who is so unwittingly comical whose phrase “MOTIVATE ME LAH BITCH!” has become one of my OBC slogans.

Ruk who got me into OBC, her 6th month and still going strong (”I DON’T WANT BICEPS DAMN IT!”). Oy Cheng and Joanne who run around the field with asthma inhalers in their hands, but still refusing to give up. Megaa who often complains of her fitness level dropping then proceeds to run faster and harder than any of us. Sharon who somehow always end up in front of me when running and when I try to overtake her, she goes faster. Jida who gets cranky every first week of OBC and during Bring-A-Friend days (”DON’T COME TO BOOTCAMP IF YOU WANT TO WALK!”). Susan who is 55 years old, who has had 2 operations, whose spirit and determination are just so inspiring (”HELLO DARLING!!”). My partners in OBC crime, Bev who sprints with flailing limbs and Tracy, who is just up for every crazy ideas and suggestions that Bev and I come up with.

There are a lot of fellow PJ Bravos who add sugar and spice to every session. Agnes, Tricia (I don’t care, you are an honorary PJ Bravo recruit), Sashi (who one day sat down and read my entire blog content…), Surinder, Leslie, Lai Kin, Ean Mei, Vicky, Michelle, Soo Pey (well, you’re an honorary PJ Bravo recruit too :P ), Crystal, Delores, Joan, Kenny (”COME ON BABY!!!”), Ikram, Su-Ann, Vince, Shaun and the name list goes on… not forgetting Jaime and Jessie who motivated me harder than anyone in the first month to show up. Cheers to recruits at PJ Alpha, KL Alpha, KL Bravo and PJ Charlie.

Also Rob and Selva who brought OBC to Malaysia, it was a good thing what you did. OBC has changed my life for the better.

I thank you all.

Original BootCamp Malaysia
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