The FitFil Fitness Bootcamp by Coach Leigh :)

You wouldn't imagine how terrified I was when I was first asked by Coach Jim if I wanted to help out in this new idea he had a couple of months ago. A fitness bootcamp was all he said -- something new and different, and of course, fun. (When he said "fun," of course I had to say yes! Haha.)

I was scared mainly because despite having been in the Biggest Loser Camp, I'm still not someone you'd consider fit at first glance. Fitness is an industry where image and experience counts.. and I basically had no credentials at all aside from the fact that I was able to lose weight in around 5 months. Aside from that, I wasn't really your typical fitness buff; actually, I'm not even really a fitness buff at all. I'm just a normal person trying to balance real life with being able to take care of my body. Never in my life have I been called "Coach" and I have never dreamed to be called one outside the corporate setting.

Long story short, I ended up working for Coach Jim Saret's FitFil Movement. What is it? Well, it's basically a movement to get more and more Filipinos slimmer, fitter and healthier. Together with me are my other Biggest Loser friends -- Ahia Alan, Eric, Destiny, Winwin, Edden, Hazel, Raffy, JM and Ryan.

The good thing about this camp is that it combines the three things that are most important in getting fit -- quality workouts, good nutrition and of course, MOTIVATION. I know how hard it is to spend lots of time in the gym, only to get minimal results. I also know how it feels to have a goal, to be fired up at first and to get demotivated in the next couple of days because of boredom, loneliness, or just because it feels like all the work isn't paying off the way you want it to. In this camp, the quality workouts will be from Coach Jim (4 minute workouts!), the good nutrition from Nestle Wellness, and the motivation from my BL friends and I. After all, who else better to motivate, than people who have all been through it and are still going through it, right? :)

I spent last week in Cebu for the launch of the Cebu leg of the FitFil bootcamp, and it definitely exceeded everyone's expectations. 200 people registered, and over 200 people showed up during the first day! We grouped them into beginner, intermediate and advance and Destiny and I were given one of the beginner groups.

Team Bangon-on (meaning "to be weighed" or something like that) is a group of varying ages composed of people wanting to lose weight for different reasons. I vividly recall someone saying that he wanted to lose weight because he just had a baby and realized that he wanted to see his baby all grown up. There were also those who wanted to have a better quality of life. They mentioned things that were very true to me a year ago and even up until now. Hearing their reasons made me even more motivated to go through with my own journey, while motivating them as well.

Team Bangon-on

As of last Saturday (our first weigh in), most of them have lost between 1 to 8 lbs. Imagine, that much weight lost after just one week! Unfortunately, I had to leave Cebu and be in Manila for the other things I had to do -- school, and preparation for the Manila camp. One thing I promised them though, was that when we next see each other, we will all be sexier! I definitely want to keep my end of the promise, and I hope they do too! :)

The Manila leg of the FilFil Fitness Bootcamp will be on June 25 - July 27, 2012, MWF 6-8pm at the Bonifacio High Street Grouds. The Cebu leg started last May 15 and will last until June 16, 2012, T-TH-S, 6-8pm at the Ayala Terraces.  Registration is still ongoing for both camps.
For more information, please visit www.coachjimsaret.ph