I Am Adventure Boot Camp

Name:  Carolyn Sokol

Age:   46

What do you do when you’re not at boot camp?  I have three kids and I work from home running a couple of websites. The kids & work keep me busy but when I do have free time I enjoy the beach, watching movies with my kids or just relaxing with a good book.

Family?   Husband, 3 kids and a dog who thinks he’s a kid.

ABC birthday?  Jan 2013 although I had gone several years ago so I am technically a returning camper.

Is this your first camp?  If not, how many camps have you done?  14 camps

Why did you join ABC?  I find John to be motivational and the camp easier to stick with.  I’ve done other fitness programs and gym memberships in the past but I’ve never been able to sustain any other program for longer than 3 months.  Also the 9:00 time was very convenient as I drive past it at exactly 8:50 every morning so I figured that would help ensure I got there.

What are your fitness goals?  Initially, it was to lose weight of course!  Now my goal is to sustain the weight loss and actually tone my body.

What do you love most about ABC?  I like the fact that the regime changes every day and I like Kevin Carrier. I think he’s genuine. I like his sense of humor and interactions with the campers.

Did you have any fears or concerns before you started ABC?  Of course!  No one wants to be the biggest one there and it was a risk financially as I couldn’t afford to invest in something that wasn’t going to pay off. Also a big concern was that I’m an introvert by nature so I knew interacting with the other ladies would be challenging for me.

Do you have those same fears now or how has the program affected those fears?  I found there to be women of all shapes and sizes on their fitness journey so that fear was totally unfounded. The financial investment has certainly paid off as I was able to stick with this program and lose the weight. I will be honest, interacting was hard for me and took me a while. But, all it takes is ONE. One person to connect with and your chances of success skyrocket, in my opinion. It may take a few weeks or it may take a few months, but once you have a friend in camp the experience just gets better.

What has surprised you most about your experience with ABC? The fact that I’ve gone longer than a year! I have never in my life kept up with a program for longer than a year.  I have lost between 50 and 85 pounds now FOUR times. Each time it is harder, takes longer, and is easier to gain it back.

What results or accomplishments are you most proud of? The fact that I actually was motivated to do something in addition to boot camp, as if boot camp wasn’t enough?  I registered for an Iron Girl run in 2013 and that was inspiring for me.  Not so much the actual 5K run, but the sheer number of women of all different shapes & sizes, showing up with positive attitudes and a common goal, all supporting each other. It was very motivational.

What’s your favorite healthy snack?  None. You want honesty, right?  I don’t have a ‘favorite’ as that implies something you get excited about. The best of my healthy snack choices would probably be one of the protein shakes made with UMP cookies & cream muscle protein powder. Now, if you want my favorite healthy meal? Some grilled tilapia, with some veggies roasted with garlic. But that takes work so I don’t consider it a quick ‘snack.’

What’s your favorite cheat meal?  Without adoubt, pasta! Fettuccini Alfredo & mac&cheese if you want to get specific. I’m a carbo-loader, give me bread, chips and salt please.

What tips would you give others about making it to boot camp every day? Once you findthat friend, you hold each other accountable. Text each other in the morning, get that person to go & vice versa! Also, try to incorporate something else you have to do out of the house around the same time so camp is on your way there or back.  That’s two reasons to get in your car and if you’re already out, there’s not really an excuse to NOT get to camp.

What about ABC makes you laugh? OK, honesty again. In the beginning, myself. The ridiculousness of the notion that I could do any of these exercises. Everything was the modified version. For a long time. Hey, you have to be able to laugh at yourself. But now, it’s pretty exciting that I can do most of the exercises in the badass way – not modified! At least most of the time. Abs are still problematic… And I would be remiss if I didn’t say, Kevin Carrier! He’s got a good sense of humor which is really important to me. I could never train with someone if they didn’t have that!

Favorite ABC exercise and why?  Anything that I have conquered, I like.  If I can do it with the proper form and the full number of reps, I don’t hate it. It’s kind of an, “I got this!” mentality.

Least favorite ABC exercise and why?  Easy.“Over & under the fence!”  I just hate it. Probably because it’s a warm up move so it’s always difficult, my body is never ready for it and if I ever actually have to get over and under a fence I’m pretty sure I won’t make it.

Your advice to prospective boot campers?  Try it, but give it more than a month. Go until you make that one friend. And if they leave, go until you make another one.  That’s what I do.

I want to give a big “Thank You’ to Carolyn! You are AWESOME!!!! You inspire us all!

 Just a friendly reminder: Next camp starts this Monday, May 26.

 To Register Click Here

 Be sure and congratulate or ask her any questions you may have for Carolyn in a comment section below!