Here is what the women in Booty Camp have to say about their experience:
When I started at Booty Camp this past session I hadn’t done a lick of exercise since I had my son about a year and a half ago. I dreaded the first day of class, but showed up and pushed through. I had my son via c-section and that first day I couldn’t do a single sit up and the running and almost every exercise seemed nearly impossible. Jessica, the instructor, was super encouraging, really explained the exercises well and focused strongly on form. I figured it would take a few months to bounce back but just three weeks later, I did 12 sit ups (might not seem like a lot – but it was a huge win for me) and am feeling so much stronger. There’s a real sense of camaraderie at camp which I love – but the best thing for me is the overall improvement in my mood and my general outlook on life. Booty Camp is time that I carve out just for me and I love it!”
Cindy H.
Jessica is terrific and I love the class! Thank you, Southside Booty Camp for offering the class in new areas. Magnolia Park is the perfect location. Our roving workout on Thursday took us along the Magnolia Bluff and offered up sweeping views of downtown Seattle, all of Elliott Bay, Alki, and beyond. We saw the moon set, the sun rise, and lots of sparkling ferries all while working out like fiends. I have never enjoyed a workout so much and look forward to many future classes and sessions.
Tess K.
Southside Booty camp has been about two things for me. When I first joined in the Winter session of 08/09 it was strictly about stress relief. My mother had just died from cancer and my sister was dying from cancer. I joined as a way to carve out some outdoor time and exercise – enough to be able to do all the other things my life was demanding. The workouts were hard, yet throughout the day after every workout I felt a bit of energy and a bit more space to do what I had to do. I also felt tremendous support from the women I worked out with, which was not something I expected nor was seeking. The atmosphere at Booty camp has no competition in it, no sense that I had to keep up with somebody’s idea or image of athleticism. I am welcomed at my own personal level. Some of the workout came easy to me. And some was quite difficult. I had a shoulder issue and my trainer was fabulous each time we did a shoulder workout to make sure I was protecting my shoulder.
The second part of Booty Camp for me has been the additional bonus of how my body continues to change and transform — I love the way my clothes are starting to fit! I love how my strength and endurance have been renewed. Southside Booty Camp is fun! Most of the time we are playing games outside, designed to strengthen, tone and increase our endurance, and most of the time through the intensity, I have a smile on my face and a sense of gratefulness that I am looking at Mt. Rainier and watching the ducks land on the water, rather than watching some mind-numbing TV screen of dribble, in a humid, sweaty gym!
Michelle
What I have been finding is Booty Camp has been essential to my internal processing of these deaths. I am outside daily rain or shine and each day is like a bit of a win that stays with me all day.
Clara
I’d workout at the gym a few days a week after getting off of work, but never consistently. When I was laid off in April 2009, I figured I’d have more time to work out. So I started jogging again and joined an indoor volleyball league. During a volleyball game in May, I ruptured my Achilles tendon. I had to have surgery and undergo physical therapy. I was fairly immobile and inactive for months, so I quickly got out of shape and gained some weight during this time. By the end of July, I was out of my surgical boot. In September, my doctor gave me the okay to began jogging again. I’d go jog off and on, but I wasn’t consistent.
My husband gave me a Southside Booty Camp flyer that he’d found and I joined in November. Booty camp has been AWESOME! Jessica is motivating, knowledgeable, and supportive. We all push, sweat, ache, and laugh together! Southside Booty Camp has given me the structure I need to truly get back into shape. I’ve lost weight, toned muscles, and increased the range of motion and strength in my Achilles tendon. Joining Southside Booty Camp is the single best health decision I’ve made in my 30s!
Leta
Signing up for Booty Camp was the best gift I ever gave myself! It feels great to be more fit. I’ve lost weight, I feel stronger, and I have more energy. And I’m inspired now to keep up the fitness habit!
Lora
Something that’s really nice about the Seward classes is that I’ve never dreaded going (as I have in almost every other workout class). I may have been tired after a late night, but I always look forward to it. That’s rare and wonderful.
Sachi
Southside Booty Camp has been awesome. I had been stuck in a rut with my own workouts and training, and needed something new and refreshing and challenging. I needed something that would push me to do more difficult workouts, and something that would include more strength and core training. I like the variety of the boot camp workouts and how every workout is different. The trainers are great – they’re supportive but they also challenge us. It’s also really fun and motivating to workout with a group of women!
Brita
As a someone who freely admits to having a hard time self-regulating my own workouts, Booty Camp was the perfect solution for me. I get all the motivation and instruction I need neatly packaged into a one powerful (and completely affordable) hour. Plus, I’m working out alongside some of the coolest women in the south end whose humor, wit and encouragement make every session a blast. Jessica is a patient and fun instructor, but don’t let that fool you — she makes sure you’re pushing yourself and accomplishing the exercise goals that you set out for yourself. And the real reward with Booty Camp? Getting one year older but feeling like my body is getting five years younger. My whole body has changed — and i love all the new muscles and the great tone that I could never have gotten on my own. Once you go Booty Camp, you’ll never go back.
Heather
I have been getting up to attend the 6:00 A.M Booty Camp class for many months. Jessica’s guidance, understanding and push to get us women moving is my cup of tea. I have never joined a gym, so don’t know what that is about but what I do know is that Jessica has been like a personal trainer for me. She knows every one’s name and what their weakness are and will provide them with an alternative if needed. I LOVE BOOTY CAMP and the camaraderie at 6:00 A.M is superb.
Pam
I joined South Side Booty Camp two months ago with the goal to get back into physical shape and do some preemptive body work now that I’m 40 and my body is beginning to well, head south if you will. In many ways, booty camp has transformed the way I feel about exercising and getting up at 6am doesn’t seem as bad as I thought. After 7 weeks, my body has finally begun to take shape (I’m back into my size 6 jeans). I feel stronger and look forward to coming every morning. I don’t want to stop progressing in these areas.
Gabriela
I haven’t had this much adrenaline and positive energy flowing through my body in years. I wanted to let you know that I hid my tears a couple days in class. Not because I was in so much pain – I can grunt through anything – but because all those toxins of old emotions and unresolved baggage have been pouring out of me as I reconnect with my body. It’s been freaking amazing and I am so grateful. I don’t know how woo-woo you are, but I haven’t had this mind/body connection since I birthed my son three years ago. Powerful stuff.
Alex
So yesterday when you were talking about meditation, it really hit home for me. I have a lot on my emotional plate (who doesn’t right?) right now and it seems to all be on the surface for me. I was able to push all of it out of my mind when I made it to the dock without stopping, it was a big accomplishment for me. When I was trying to run back, I couldn’t push away my emotions for some reason, and it really did affect my ability to focus on just running. Yesterday after I realized that I wasn’t able to just focus on me and running and breathing, it just made me more determined to keep on pushing myself beyond my comfort zone. I’m not sure why I felt like I needed to tell you this, but this class is doing more for me than just losing weight, and more than being a beep when I check in at a gym, so thank you.
Codie
Booty Camp has gotten me back into shape! The workout is fun and challenging. Everyday Jessica pushes us to get stronger and increase our endurance. The program is exactly what I needed to motivate me. I love going and highly recommend joining!
Erica
It is just the motivation I needed to keep working out. I love that it is women of all shapes, sizes, and fitness levels. I feel there is a place for me in this group. It is fun and challenging and… I have lost 13lbs since my first session!
Alicea
I joined South Side Booty Camp two months ago with the goal to get back into physical shape and do some preemptive body work now that I’m 40 and my body is beginning to well, head south if you will. In many ways, booty camp has transformed the way I feel about exercising and getting up at 6am doesn’t seem as bad as I thought. After 7 weeks, my body has finally begun to take shape (I’m back into my size 6 jeans). I feel stronger and look forward to coming every morning. I don’t want to stop progressing in these areas.
Gabriela
I have pushed myself farther than I thought I could. You have pushed me – I mean this in a good way. You give me just the right mix of “tough” coach and gentle nudge to push me beyond what I thought I can do. I feel so much better – I have better, sustained mental focus (clearing out the fog of menopause & middle-age!) and I have more energy. I am gaining strength and stamina. And by shifting my focus from weight loss to fitness, I am off the self-defeating weight loss cycle and on the energized lifestyle path. I feel great about it. I honestly didn’t think I would like 1) “exercising”, 2) in a group 3) with a coach/trainer and it turns out that I really like all three. And I love being outside.
Pat
Booty Camp is a unique group experience that allows women of all ages and fitness levels to succeed in achieving whatever personal goals they have. Throughout my time at camp I have struggled with an auto-immune disorder but am still able to participate and am welcomed with open arms. It has helped me to keep active through my disease and stay positive. Being outside in the park is always a great way to start the day!
Arianna
My arms are killing me today! But that means I’m building muscles, right? I really appreciate the variety of exercises in booty camp – because even if it’s hard, it’s never boring!
Tania
It was so nice to jog along the water and workout on the shore and dock. Thanks for all your patience and guidance. I’m really enjoying the workouts (and feeling stronger) and look forward to many more. I’ve never had a class outside like this and can’t believe how much I look forward to it.
Pam
I wanted to be better at 38 than I was at 37 – so four months before my 38th birthday I signed up for Southside Booty Camp and made a commitment to getting healthy and strong. I was nervous about starting camp as I hadn’t worked out regularly in almost four years and was quite out of shape. The first week of camp was hard and challenging but I went at my own pace and did the best I could. I moaned and groaned during class, but I felt exhilarated and proud every day that I attended class. The classes are full of women of all ages and all fitness levels and offers an environment is safe and comfortable. The trainers are true professionals that teach proper form and technique and encourage you to push yourself every day. It’s been four months and I feel stronger and healthier than I’ve felt in years (and though I know it’s not about weight loss, I lost 10 pounds in two months). Booty Camp definitely helped me accomplish my goal of being better at 38 than I was at 37. I plan on keeping Booty Camp as part of my daily routine and will surely be better at 39 than I am today at 38!
Cindy
Being athletic always came naturally to me. I played four sports in high school, two others in college (this was pre-Title IX), and three others until decades afterward. Then a soccer teammate’s dog bit my upper lip and phrenum, causing emotional and physical trauma, including nerve damage. That was nine years ago. I went on with life, unaware how deeply, literally and figuratively, I had been affected by the dog bite. I continued to prosper professionally and to the outside world my marriage seemed unaffected. Less than two years ago, I was told I had post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This news came after my delight in fitness had disappeared – a symptom, I also learned, of the PTSD. As I gradually learned skills to cope with PTSD, I found myself wanting to get back into shape. But I couldn’t motivate myself to make it happen. Pounding the pavement hurt, and I didn’t want to be cooped up in a gym. A year before spying the flier for Southside Booty Camp on a Columbia City kiosk, I scribbled on a post-it at work: “I want to exercise outdoors during daylight.” I plunked it on top of my desk, and there it sat.
Thank you, Booty Camp, for fulfilling my vision. Seward Park is convenient and a jewel. Jessica seamlessly integrates its physical features into our workouts. My sister Booty Campers inspire me. I take each day one at a time – – and even though I am glad when the four day Booty Camp week is over, by Sunday I am looking forward to the next week. Booty Camp is just what I needed.
Carole