Posted by Matt Shurrie
Former U.S. General Norman Schwarzkopf has nothing on personal trainer Marla Arndt.
For those of you not old enough to remember, Schwarzkopf was commander of the Coalition Forces during the Gulf War of 1991.
And I have to think that even he'd be sweating and more than a little winded after attending one of Arndt's rigorous boot camps.
At least that's how I felt tonight as one of the nine participants in Arndt's regular sessions at the Montessori school on Waterloo Avenue.
During our roughly one-hour session we were put through our paces -- yes, that includes me.
From the moment we hit the stairs running until the final cool down stretches, there wasn't a person in the gymnasium who didn't look a little worse for wear when it was all over (sorry ladies, please don't take that as an insult).
I, for one, was my usual sweaty self -- looking like I had just climbed out of a nearby swimming pool.
You'd be amazed at how much of a workout can be squeezed into a 60-minute session. Tonight's session included a number of workout stations, including a wall squat with a pair of 12-pound weights, jumping jacks, push ups, up and downs and a number of upper body exercises.
Good thing I wasn't alone during this trip to hell and back (just teasing Marla).
The women who also attended the session -- they're the regulars, I was just a newbie -- impressed me with both their stamina and never-give-up attitude. It was quite inspiring to see so many people fighting through pain and fatigue. All for their personal betterment.
There was a brief moment that I thought about not attending the camp -- but those around me strongly encouraged me to get my arse out there. I'm very glad that I did.
And while I can't say if or when I'll be back -- I'm grateful that I had the interact with some great people.
