Todd Krevanchi is a member of our early a.m. camp. During his first camp he chose to write a diary of his camp experience to keep himself accountable and inform others of his journey. Below is his boot camp diary:

My name is Todd. I’m 36 years old, and a recent “graduate” of Totally Fit Boot Camp. While I completed TFBC, I logged the exercises done and how I felt after each class. I can’t stress enough that Barry or Laure Lovelace or any other employee of FitQuest Fitness neither encouraged me to do this, paid me to do this or had any impact on what I wrote.  

Before I show you my completed TFBC log, I want to give you a little bit of history of myself. Growing up I was always active and sports were always in season for me. I played organized basketball and baseball from early elementary school through high school, and ran cross country and track during high school as well. I was always in shape. College was no different as intramural athletics afforded me the same fitness opportunities as high school did. After graduation there were no organized activities to play and I became lazy. In addition the asthma I developed in college worsened and I was diagnosed with epilepsy. 

In 2006, I began a strict running regimen of which I went from not being able to run ¼ of a mile at the beginning to a regular daily run of 8 miles. That year I also ran my first ½ marathon. I was in the best shape of my life, and at my prime weight of 185-190 lbs. Unfortunately, I allowed my post-race “recovery” time extend way too long and I fell out of my running regimen.  

Flash forward to 2008. That summer I had a terrible time with my breathing during my softball league and saw my pulmonologist numerous times with no success. In addition, routine blood work for my epilepsy showed a dangerously high amount of eosinophils (1 of the 5 types of white blood cells). After extensive testing over the next 5 months, there was still no diagnosis, I was losing weight rapidly, had no energy, and was basically lethargic all the time. In July of 2009, I was in the hospital for an entire month as they studied what was wrong with me. No concrete conclusion was made until I made a trip to Johns Hopkins that following September when I was told I have Hypereosinophilia and Churg-Strauss syndrome. The high white eosinophil count had attacked my lungs, worsening my asthma, attacked a nerve in my left foot, leaving it numb, and my colon, as I developed ulcerative colitis. I was put on a high dosage of the steroid prednisone for almost a year. Within 3 months of taking the steroid, I had gained 60 lbs. What’s more is that my doctors told me to expect significant muscle atrophy from the high dosage as well. 

Forward ahead again now to July of 2010 and my doctor clears me to become active again. TFBC was offered as a prize in a golf tournament I was in, and although I didn’t win it, I was inspired to try it. 

Below is my journal. 

8/2/10, DAY 1: Wow! Today was a wake up to how out of shape I am. The exercises are broken down to be simple in nature, but they are anything BUT simple in execution when you’re at my stage. We began with a warm up lap and got right into it. We do many exercises with a weighted bag. Shuffles, lunges, tricep work and exercises to work your abs. In addition, resistance bands are used as well in many exercises. As an asthmatic, that was another hurdle for me. I had some difficulty today, but hopefully it subsides as the weeks go on.

8/4/10, DAY 2: I was quite sore yesterday after using muscles I haven’t used in quite a while in our first class. I was a bit nervous at what I was going to be able to perform. Again, we warmed up with a jog around the building, up and down the gradual hill on Fashion Dr., and then we went up the hill 2 times backwards which did a job on my calves. We then went into a plank position and held that as well as alternating legs which seemed to work everything. We also did tricep work by holding that position by simply using a parking berm. The hardest part of today was holding the squats with the bag. We spent a lot of time with the weighted bag again today, especially when we worked on our core, turning our torso and meeting our knees, and doing sit-up curls. Again, my asthma was an issue with some of the exercises. I hope it works its way out. If my simple descriptions sound easy (and even after I read them they do) I have 2 words for you, "try it".

8/6/10, DAY 3 (end of week 1): Each day our jogging warm up has varied. Today we ran down Fashion Dr., and then up, back down and halfway around the building. We then sprinted up a short steep hill, jogged down and did a backwards crab walk up a gradual incline 3 times. As we made our way to our home area we did step-ups on parking berms running the length of the building. When we got back, that’s when I realized that my soreness is really not gone. We did alternating sets of 15 push ups and 15 weighted ball presses, 14 push ups-14 presses until we got down to 1 and 1. My upper body was still so sore I could barely do push ups, so again, I modified, and did what I could. That was the worst of the day. Station work followed alternating cardio and tricep lunges, balanced squats using a weighted ball, and work with the heavy rope. We wrapped up again with core work using the weighted bag doing variations of sit up curls. My breathing REALLY was awful today I struggled a lot and currently have a headache from over use of my inhaler. Week 1 is over and YES, THIS KICKED MY ASS ALL WEEK, but honestly, during the day, I feel better and more energized. It’s probably too early to know if Ive gained strength or lost weight and after 1 week. I’m not gonna check. Oh, yeah, I SERIOUSLY need to pick up a yoga mat. My back and knees are killing me...

8/9/10, DAY 4: Today started week 2 and our second instructor (instructors rotate to keep things fresh). Again the warm up jog around the building, then up and down Fashion Dr., and back to our "home base". We then paired up and tried to see how many weighted bags we could have at our area at the end of 2 minutes. Next, we worked on step ups, and some quick push ups on a curb. Then, we did shuffles with ankle resistance bands while pressing the bags out, and then up. We headed back to home base to do station work of step ups on a bench, running the stairs with the weighted bag, and a weighted bag transfer between two points about 20 yards from each other. We finished with a few minutes of core. Most of my soreness is gone from week one, but Im still so out of shape that I need to modify most of the exercises for my strength level. I continue to struggle as well due to my asthma. The instructors are so energetic and motivate you throughout.

8/11/10, DAY 5: Warm up around the building and up and down the hill again. We then got in to squats against a wall with the bag on our laps. After holding for a minute we sprinted up an incline and back down. We did 3 of those. Back to our home base. We did planks as we lifted our hands up on our bag and back down. We also did bag presses. Then it was another lap around the gym. We got back and with the bag jumped over a rope side to side. More push ups, and more wall squats. Then we finished with some serious core work. We took the bag and went from over our head to our opposite toe and then alternated. More plank work balancing on one leg and arm. We finished with an ab workout of reverse curls with the bag between our knees, and doing ab circles. I can’t recommend enough that you should have some cardio base because I continue to struggle with my breathing as an asthmatic. I also continue to modify the drills to my strength and ability level. So what I describe above, I am not doing as many as instructed or as exactly as explained. We are encouraged to push ourselves but only to our strength and fitness level, so modification is okay.

8/13/10, DAY 6 (end of week 2): Our warm up jog is now around the building and up, down, back up the hill and back to home base. We then started interval work. We went to parking berms where we did a type of push up/mountain climber exercise, then squats with the weighted bag adding a press, and then we did cardio on the hill at varying speeds. We returned to home base to do push up work- A LOT OF PUSH UP WORK, then some core. We did bag smashes, alternating left to right, front raises, shoulder presses, and tricep presses. We finished with a plank walk which I hated. Today went very quickly. Of course Im still struggling with breathing which sucks because my knees felt better and stronger the faster I ran. My strength is still not near where I want it to be, but again, this class allows for exercise modification based on your strength. Today I took the plunge, got on a scale, and Im happy to say Im down 7 pounds since the start of this program... and we're only half way through.

8/16/10, DAY 7: Today's warm up was only a half lap around the gym. We then did step ups on the parking berms and quick runs around them (repeating 3 times). We did the rest of the lap back to home base to which we did squat presses with dumbbells, military presses, followed by varying cardio exercises of shuffling back and forth along parking lines. Next was tricep work both solo and with our feet on a work out ball. Then we paired up and did slides up the hill with the weighted ball passing it back and forth first, and then rolling it to one another. The ankle resistance bands came into play after that as we shuffled right and left with an overhead press included. Every so often, short push up work is thrown in to separate exercises. We finished with core work by partnering up again and doing curls with the weighted ball, then passing it to our partner and vice versa. Our last exercise was to get into a sit up position, lift our feet in the air and make circles with them. Today's class went even faster than Friday's. My breathing wasn’t as bad as previous days, however I was more concerned about my left hip. I woke up on Saturday with it very sore and I can’t seem to figure out what I did that would have made it ache. Luckily, today's workout didn’t put too much stress on it and it was only mildly painful.

8/18/10, DAY 8: Today's warm up jog included carrying the weighted ball with us. First was station work, we shuffled with the weighted bag tapping various cones placed around the parking lot, raised plank holds with knee bends, followed by running stairs and 5 push ups. We did circuit work with lunges, then lunges with dumbbell presses, followed by push ups on our dumbbells followed by alternating rows, and then step ups. We did that circuit 3 times. We partnered up and did work with the ball passing it and moving as well as squats and side passes. We finished with core work with our resistance bands and weights. We did flys and presses while working our abs. Each class is moving so quickly now. Many of the exercises done are variations on what you may have done if you played a sport in high school. MANY of the agility exercises remain the same, and a lot of the weighted ball work is similar to basketball passing drills. At one point in your life, I would bet you have done EVERY ONE of the exercises we do. One thing that I struggle with (outside of my breathing) is that the Prednisone steroid that I have been on for years has atrophied many of my muscles according to my Doctors. I have most trouble with my calves as they REALLY burn whenever we isolate them or even just stress them

8/20/10, DAY 9 (end of week 3): Half lap around the gym, then we did 3 short, but steep hill loops attacking the incline and doing a crab walk on the decline followed by stationary squats. When we returned to home base we saw that today was virtually a "prop day". First we paired up and transferred weighted balls from one place to our individual station. Then we did a set of push ups. Next was station work. We did 2 rotations of push ups, heavy rope work, and tricep dips. More cardio on the hill came after that. We returned to home and did a relay of pushing a truck tire down to a hurdle and back, then back to, and over the hurdle, a quick 4 count of core using a hula hoop, then getting a ball and returning. We finished again with core doing a variety of work with the weighted bag and scissoring our legs at varying heights off the ground. Breathing sucked today, not to mention some other health issues were working against me this morning. Ive decided I need to do Boot Camp at least a few more times as well. I didn’t check my weight today, nor did I want to. I can tell that some of my clothing is fitting better and some people have mentioned that I look better in the face.

8/23/10, DAY 10: Gym lap with half the hill added to it. We took our weighted bag to the other side of the gym where the slight hill is. We held plank position then sprinted the hill, and did mountain climbers. We returned to home where we did circuit work. A circuit of push ups into mountain climbers into jumping jacks. We started with a 4 count of each exercise, up to an 8 count. Circuit work ended with bag presses. Then stations with resistance bands in forward and backward circles; Tricep dips; Running the stairs with the bag; Squats with the bag (with a short lap in between stations). We divided up and did a cardio activity using cones; half of us stood them up while the other half tried to knock them down. Our final activity as always was core work focusing on our abs. We did slow sit ups with the bag, quick pulses from a small curl with our legs up, and finally lots of scissor work and holding our legs off the ground. Breathing wasn’t too bad today, but Ive been dealing with some other stuff that has made it difficult for me to complete the whole class without having to break away for a spell.

8/25/10, DAY 11: Gym lap followed by the hill to warm up. At home base we used the weighted ball and did a few squat exercises. We continued to use the ball and spelled out each letter of the alphabet in the air (very difficult after a while). Next we did "bear crawl suicides" for the length of the parking lot; crawl out, run back. We followed that with more ball work. Essentially passing drills. That followed by holding squats against the wall while holding the ball between your knees. We finished with core again with a variety of curls and sit ups using the ball. My breathing was very bad today and for whatever reason I felt as though I had no strength. Last class for August camp is Friday...

8/27/10, DAY 12 (end of Boot Camp): Today was our instructor's birthday so she organized our camp based on the letters H-A-P-P-Y B-I-R-T-H-D-A-Y. Of course we did a warm up jog around the building and up the hill. Next we Hopped back and forth over a parking berm, some Ab work, Plie jumps using the weighted bag, Push ups and Yoga. Then we did Burpee (a type of mountain climber), Indian Run as we jogged single file, and the last in line had to sprint to get to the front, Rest, Tug of war, Hold the wall for squats, Dropped and did 30 push ups, more Ab work, and Yes- no letter Y was done! Unfortunately my breathing continues to be an issue, and I struggle like hell to do standard push ups.

8/27/10, WRAP UP: So Boot Camp is done... for now. Coming into this class I was very concerned as to what I'd be able to do, at what level, and how some of my health and physical issues would impact these four weeks. After having been in the hospital for a month last year, and having the doctors tell me how weak and atrophied my muscles became, how much MORE they'd be affected with the high doses of prednisone I'd be on AND how weak my bones were, I knew I'd be fighting the uphill battle. In addition, the prednisone tacked on 60 lbs in 3 months. I'M IN SHITTY SHAPE AND AM FAT... there, said it. So here is what I have to say now that I'm done with my first camp. I have asthma. I always will, and it was my major struggle the whole time. Not having your lungs cooperate with what you want them to do is really frustrating. So, although I struggle with getting my wind during cardio, you might not. However I do recommend that you don’t come in blind. Have some kind of cardiovascular base so that an 800m warm up jog isn’t a struggle for you. If you do come in blind like I did, it should only take your first week of class to get that wind back. I can't do push ups, never have been able to, even back in the days of school fitness tests. The fact that im lugging around this extra 60 lbs just makes it that much tougher. MODIFICATION is always welcomed so long as you get the intended benefit of the exercise. YOUR MUSCLES WILL BURN. That’s a guarantee. You'll be sore after your first 3 classes, simply from working muscles you might never have before, but that will end in a few days. But that’s not what Im talking about. Many of the exercises are done when you hold positions focusing on abs, legs and arms. Yes, they'll burn. YOU CAN DO THIS. Because of exercise modification and the "do at your own pace" philosophy, you can do it. I FREAKING DID IT FOR CHRISSAKE! In a month (12 classes) I lost 13 lbs. That’s a pound a class. I don’t actually SEE it, however the scale said so AND some of my clothes fit better. I may have been able to lose more, but I'm on a bunch of different meds that may be impeding weight loss. Im no trainer or fitness expert, but if you ask me, you'll get your BEST results out of Boot Camp if you also supplement additional cardio work on your off days. I didn’t. Make your camp a 5 day a week camp by walking, running or biking on Tuesdays and Thursdays. STICK WITH IT. In my estimation, I'll need 3 or 4 boot camps to get me to a level where I'll be satisfied... and maybe finally will be able to do an actual push up. I can't finish without thanking and commending the 3 instructors that my 5:45 am class had. Janet Yarko, Jerry Huertas, and Liz Weyrauch. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and EXTREMELY MOTIVATING. They are "up and at 'em" and raring to go each morning. Thanks guys. Another thanks to those who were in the class with me for pushing and motivating each other as well. Finally, thanks to Barry Lovelace and Laure Lovelace of FitQuest Fitness first, for having such a program at their gym and next for having donated a free Boot Camp as a prize at a golf tournament I was in last month. Although I didn’t win the Boot Camp, it did motivate me to sign up for this one, and I believe the winner of that donated camp is signing up for the September class! Just to let everyone know, Barry and Laure did not ask me to post these updates nor did they have any input or influence on what I wrote. It was all me, and my idea to do so. If you are skeptical about Boot Camp because of your age, ability, strength or fitness level, DON'T BE, there are people just like you with the same concerns and issues and you can overcome them together.  

I hope that the above account inspires you and not deters you from trying TFBC. As I stated before, I was (and still am) on prednisone, however I am also on 4 other prescription meds, not including 2 inhalers for varying health conditions. Ive tried (and am succeeding as every class passes) to overcome the weight that my health and medications have bestowed on me. As I am writing this account, 9/17/10, I have shed 17 lbs since Day 1 of TFBC which was on 8/2/10.  Nearly 1 pound per class I've taken. Although I tend not to see the difference, shirts fit better, pants are looser, and I have gotten a lot of feedback from people who see me daily and even greater feedback from those who haven’t seen me in a while. 

It may take you more than 1 time through to get your level of fitness. Today, I signed up for the October session (my 3^rd) and have all intentions on going through until Christmas. I have referred 3 of my friends from the above account, and each of them, through private conversations have mentioned that they are benefitting from the TFBC only through the first 2 weeks. Now, all you need to do is make the commitment.