Get Your Sweat On

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 5:45 AM — a group of ladies of all ages begin their day with a fitness boot camp led by Joy Poulsen, chief inspiration officer and Castro Valley resident.

Joy invited me to come watch the class, even encouraged me to workout with her and the ladies. I decided to take on this early (I mean, EARLY!) morning workout challenge not knowing what I was getting into. I was sure in for a surprise Wednesday morning.

I arrived Wednesday morning at the Castro Valley Community Center ready to get in a good morning working. A few minutes later, more ladies started walking into the auditorium.

Joy had us start warming up our muscles by just simply walking around the gym. You could tell these ladies already established a friendship with one another. One lady walked in and another exclaimed, “You’re shrinking! You’re looking REAL GOOD!” The two women walking behind me were giving each other tips about what foods are good to eat as healthy snacks. I felt like I was a part of a supportive environment after being there for only 5 minutes.

Joy announced we would be doing a 30-minute workout from the infamous Insanity workout, created by Shaun T. I cried a little inside when she said this. For those who do not know what Insanity is, be grateful. It will kick anyone’s butt the first few weeks of starting it. (Watch a preview of Insanity right here!)

We started off with a light jog, going into high-knee runs, then into heismans and power jacks. We did each exercise for a minute, and then did it all over again for two more times — with no breaks in between. Halfway through the warm-up, I already felt sweat dripping down my face.

“SWEAT IS FAT CELLS CRYING!” the ladies would yell when we all wanted to just give up.

After that killer warm-up, we did a series of cardio, arm and abs workouts. It was nice how Joy modified some of the exercises if we weren’t able to do them…I did a lot of these modifications. Whenever I stopped to take a break from these intense exercises, I would look around the room and see all these ladies (young and old) pushing themselves to get through the workout. It’s easy to do this when you’re around a group of supportive ladies that are looking to improve their fitness and health like you. Not to mention, Joy is always yelling words of encouragement — “C’mon ladies! You got this!” “PUSH LADIES! PUSH!”

After sweating, huffing and puffing, we ended the 30-minute workout with a nice 5-minute cool-down. Even though I was struggling through the workout, I ended it feeling better than ever. And this is partly why Joy started these weekly workout classes.

 “I’m able to use my love of fitness to help women feel good about themselves,” says Paulsen.

In 2009, her classes started outside of Castro Valley’s Five Canyons Park with only five women. These women told their friends, and their friends told their friends — soon enough, Joy had to move her classes to the Castro Valley Community Center.

These fitness classes appeal to a lot of ladies because the classes are much different from just taking a class at the gym or working out on your own.

Robin Galas, three-year fitness boot camp veteran and previous gym member, says, “I don’t have to think. I just show up and someone works me out harder than I would ever think to work myself out.”

But these classes are more than just fitness classes…it’s a supportive, non-judgmental environment where they have been able to form a sisterhood with each other.

“It’s all women. It’s a community,” says Alexandra Slife, four-year fitness boot camp veteran. “We help each other out and we motivate each other.”

“I love it! It’s what I need to keep going,” exclaimed Laurie Ford, two-year fitness boot camp veteran.

If you’re tired of working out by yourself or if you just want to start your day feeling good about yourself, I encourage you to register for Joy’s Rise & Shine Boot Camps. Monthly memberships start at $95 for two classes a week, or $143 for all three classes a week. Classes are every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Each day there is a different coach and type of exercise, which can range from self-defense or hardcore cardio. For more information about the fitness classes or even healthy recipes and workouts, please visit Joy Paulsen’s website.