Boot camp members Andrea Messam (left) and Bridgette Ffrench (right) working up a sweat at the Shakti Mind Body and Fitness boot camp class. Keisha Shakespeare-Blackmore is feeling the pain with lateral pulldowns. - Contributed

Whew! Boot camp at Shakti Mind Body and Fitness has ended. My eight weeks of torture have come to an end. But, to be honest, I already miss it.

When I first began, it was a very rough journey for me. My bones creaked as I tried to stretch them into positions that I never thought I could get into. And as for the day I had to run, that was definitely a rough day. I thought I saw a few of my dead relatives calling me to the other side as I tried to run. Thank God for small mercies, as there was not much running thereafter.

Also, when I got on the spinning machine for the first time, I tried to do an hour and thought Michael Fisher, my instructor was the devil himself. Never before had I felt such agony from working out. Every part of my body was in pain. But I grew quite fond of spinning. Abdominal exercise was never my favourite and I don't believe it ever will be. But to get that six-pack, you have to work hard for it. And as they say, no pain no gain.

What should have been the easy part of boot camp (dieting) turned out to be just as challenging. For the first couple of weeks, I had it down pat. But to my surprise, after a while I began slipping up. First, I had some Chinese food; another day at Flair's 25th anniversary party I had a slice of cake and from then on, I slipped up here and there.

I know that cheating on a diet and boycotting work-out some mornings have resulted in my not losing as much weight as I wanted to. Despite disappointing myself, I lost eight pounds in the end. If I had stuck to working out and dieting religiously, I would have done much better. I should apologise to all who have been following my progress, but no I am not willing to disclose my initial weight. Thanks to all who showed support and kept me motivated. In fact, I am not going to stop working out; I will get back on track.

keisha.shakespeare@gleanerjm.com