• One of our newest recruits the inspirational Hannah Foxley recounts her Tough Guy experiences

I met Tim through a business development programme that we are both on and I liked his attitude and energy. He is obsessed with good health and nutrition and this is something that has become close to my heart.

I have recently finished a year of grueling cancer treatment, having been diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 33 and being unlucky enough to have it return before I had even finished chemo.

Cancer taught me a lot about myself and my strength of mind and I have learned to face my fears and just do it anyway.

I had never been down right unhealthy but I knew that I needed to really step things up a gear and start to look after my body.

Tim invited me to a pop-up bootcamp one Saturday in January and I went along to see what it was all about. I hadn’t been to the gym for about two months as I had been so busy with the business and I really wanted to get myself fit and healthy after the battering my body had taken.  I was annoyed with myself for letting things go over Christmas.

I really enjoyed it and although I couldn’t move the next day, I was hooked! I started to go regularly. Tim, Phil and some of their clients were due to take part in the Tough Guy challenge on 31 January and they set about trying to convince me to join them. My answer was ‘absolutely no way!’ I wasn’t fit enough and it was going to be freezing cold. I told them that my poor body had already taken enough of a battering and I wasn’t going to put it through something so crazy. The problem is that I have a bit of a maverick side, and that side of me was saying ‘go on’ do it! So with a bit of persuasion from Phil, I found myself agreeing to take someone else’s place three days before the event. I had done two weeks’ training, hadn’t practiced taking a plunge in a cold pool, had no wet suit and not even sleeves! I bought a pair of waterproof gloves so my hands wouldn’t take too much of a battering and that was the extent of my preparation! What a lunatic!

Tim and Phil’s clients are all lovely and there is a real team spirit both at the boot camps and on the coach on the way to Tough Guy.

We left London at 7am on Sunday morning to drive up to Wolverhampton for this crazy challenge. I had made a point of not doing much research about the obstacles and what horrors might await me as I figured that I would find out soon enough anyway and sometimes it’s better to just get on and do it rather than worry about what is coming up.

Long story short, Tough Guy was very challenging, although a walk in the park compared to chemo! About 75 per cent of the time is spent in freezing cold water, followed by being stuck up on massive A frames with the wind whipping away at your wet, cold body. We walked through fire, got electrocuted, balanced on ropes and climbed through tires and concrete tubes. I managed to get 90% of the way around and then the hyperthermia kicked in and I found myself delirious, with no control whatsoever over my body, in the first aid tent trying to get warm. Tim said that he was very impressed that I managed to get that far with no training and I was pleased too, but annoyed that I didn’t finish, so I will be going back for round two next year as I have to complete it.

I now have a bit of a taste for the adrenaline junky type challenges and have managed to convince Tim and some of the other ladies to join me in the Tough Mudder challenge in June, although Phil refuses to play! We will all train as a team again and get really fit and ready for it. This challenge is 10 to 12 miles and so will require a high level of cardio fitness. It’s makes it so much more enjoyable training as a team and we cheer each other on.

Over the last five weeks that I have been training with Tim and following his nutritional advice I have already seen a huge difference in my body and energy levels. Being healthy is about mindset and I have actually found it very easy to follow his advice. I have cut all of the bad things from my diet, such as sugar, wheat and all other processed food and I now eat naturally. My diet is a combination of fish, meat, eggs and lots of fresh vegetables.

Bootcamp is making me fitter and stronger and I love the team spirit between us all. I wasn’t really trying to lose weight, but I have lost about ¾ of a stone and I feel amazing. I now need to go and buy some new clothes!

Follow Hannah on twitter here!

We’ve secured a location for evening sessions and classes are underway! Try our £10 introductory week offer and come on down to our London Bridge classes every Tuesday and Wednesday at 18:30!

Keen to get fit but struggle with early mornings? The why not sign up to our new London Bridge evening classes!

Click here to sign up and try an introductory week for only £10.

Sessions will be held every Tuesday and Wednesday at 18:30, at the following address:-

The Bridge
81 Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 0NQ

Click Here for directions.

If you have any queries, give us a shout at info@sexyinthecitybootcamps.com

Click here for your £10 introductory week

We’ve still got places available so don’t forget to tell all your friends.

• Thanks to everyone who helped us hit our Tough Guy target!

After the incredibly grueling Tough Guy challenge, we are delighted to announce that not only did our team of badass SITC girls battle against, hypothermia, electrocution and freezing temperatures to kick the Tough Guy’s butt, but we also successfully raised over £5,000 for The Stroke Association! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated and a huge well done to the girls. You did us proud. We wanted you to raise expectations of what we can achieve, and after Sunday you definitely proved it!

Watch the team in action The Tough Guy Challenge 2013!

‘Everyone did really well and the girls surpassed our our expectations. We’re really pleased with the amount we’ve raised. I now have man death flu.’
Phil

‘It was the hardest thing I have ever done IN MY LIFE. The cold, the mud, the pain that you feel EVERYWHERE, seeing people stop in their tracks and scream out in pain due to cramp, are memories that will probably stay with me for a while. Slowly but surely though I’m starting to feel more proud of what I achieved on Sunday. I guess it’s made me realise that I’m a stronger person that I thought I was – I’ve been through a lot in my life that I thought that was hard to deal with, but this really pushed me further than I could have imagined and I’m proud to say that I achieved it with a bunch of just-as-amazing women.’
Jess

‘I did surprise myself by actually enjoying quite a lot of it. My favourite bit was swinging across the ropes and climbing the big A frames. Worst bit was the torture chamber – hearing the screams ahead and knowing what was coming…. And the cold – it was sooo unbearable and I did actually break down in tears at one point!‘
Danielle

‘I am now able to lift my arms above my head without yelping! I have a superb collection of bruises and scrapes on my arms and legs, which is a great look for client meetings. My favourite part was probably the climbing frames and ropes, my least favourite part was getting hypothermia and having no control whatsoever over my body for about an hour! It all still seems a bit of a blur. The water wasn’t actually that bad, it was freezing your butt off at the top of the climbing frames waiting for the ditherers who were scared of heights to move that was a killer! I feel very proud of myself for being a complete mentalist and competing after only attending bootcamp 5 times over 2 weeks with only my gym gear and a pair of gloves! Does the fact that I am thinking of having another crack at it next year make me completely insane?!‘
Hannah

‘I’m feeling better and better about our achievement as I read the brutal, vivid accounts of the race demonstrating how freaking tough anyone who took part is!’
Natalie

WELL DONE TEAM SITC YOU ARE ALL IRON MAIDENS!

If you haven’t already, there’s still time to donate, so please CLICK HERE and give to a good cause.

• To raise money for The Stroke Association and to prove that we’re serious about our imminent Tough Guy challenge, last Saturday we braved the freezing cold snowy waters of Parliament Hill Lido with a few hardcore members of the team, all in the name of charity!

We’re raising funds for The Stroke Association and we’re delighted to announce we’ve raised over £2,000! But we’ve still got a long way to go to reach our target, so please give generously, every penny counts. Please share our Just Giving page with all your friends.

“It was much, much worse than an ice bath, but it got easier!” said Tim.

“Please give generously so I didn’t lose all my digits in vain,” said Phil.

We’re taking a team of 20 brave SITC ladies to the ultimate challenge The Tough Guy 10k adventure race on 27th January. They’ve all shown lots of true grit in their training, but we’ll have to wait and see how they survive the big day!

We’re doing it all for charity but we’ve still got a long way to go to reach our target, so please give generously, every penny counts. Visit our Just Giving and give as much as you can! And keep your eye on our blog for further training updates.

• Evening Bootcamps in London Bridge start next week!

That’s right… you have all been demanding it and now we have finally managed to secure a location for evening sessions!

We’re starting next Tuesday 22nd January, and guess what… Until the end of this week you can get your first month for only £49 (usually £79). CLICK HERE to claim your discount.

Sessions will be held every Tuesday and Wednesday at 18:30, at the following address:-

The Bridge
81 Southwark Bridge Road
London
SE1 0NQ

Click Here for directions.

If you have any queries, give us a shout at info@sexyinthecitybootcamps.com. 

Click here to book your place on the early bird deal for just £49 for the first month!

We’ve still got places available so don’t forget to tell all your friends. We can’t wait to get started!

As part of his training for the SITC Tough Guy challenge 2013, SITC founder Phil Hawksworth tentatively takes up running…

I went for a run!

So what right? This is a big deal for me, as I hate running. The ice cold water, electrocution and barbed wire that the Tough Guy promises really don’t bring up as much resentment in my mind as having to go out running on a weekend. It hurts and it’s boring and it interrupts my normal training… but I must say I thoroughly enjoyed it this week. We had about half the team along with us and the sociability of it; along with some fresh air (luckily the weather was decent) made for a good afternoon.

I think I have learned something about the success of my own business! I have always believed in the huge benefits of making working out social and enjoyable, but equally have always enjoyed my training and genuinely wanted to do it regardless. However I realise that for a lot of people they don’t enjoy it – at least initially – and just like me with running, being part of a group and having a laugh while doing it makes it tolerable and even, dare I say, likable.

When you begin to enjoy working out and become part of a group who are living a healthy lifestyle and bettering themselves it becomes contagious and all of a sudden you have transformed from a typical sedentary, unhealthy person in to a lifetime of being healthy, fit, active and happy.

So, the moral of the story is find some pals and get working out!

To follow Phil’s progress on Twitter visit: twitter.com/PhilSITC

To sponsor Phil for the Tough Guy challenge click here: www.justgiving.com/SITCvTheToughGuy

• Fancy giving one of our infamous SITC bootcamps a try and having a fun and fit weekend? Then why not pop along to one of our all new SITC Pop-up Bootcamps!

Starting this Saturday, 12th January 2013, 12:00pm at a secret central London indoor location.

To secure your place on the SITC Pop-up Bootcamp, post, tweet, share or forward this post and then all you need to do is pay £10 to our fundraising page, Click here for details. Make sure you include your email address when you make your donation so we can contact you with the secret location (there is an option to block your email, but please don’t tick it!) and remember to leave the following message:

‘I want to come to the SITC Pop-up Bootcamp – please tell me the secret location.’

All of the money raised will be going to the Stroke Association. We’ll reveal the exciting secret location to you on receiving payment. Then simply show up in your gym kit and get ready to sweat!

Our Pop-up Bootcamps come with a guaranteed good time. Drop us a mail on info@sexyinthecitybootcamps.com with any queries.

Here is the link again to book: www.justgiving.com/SITCvTheToughGuy

See you on Saturday!

Team SITC

As part of their training for the SITC Tough Guy challenge 2013, three of our team members Jess, Merry and Danielle AKA ‘The Iron Maidens’ have started writing a training blog!

So, it’s week 9. This is no longer funny, it’s no longer a crazy novelty – reality is sinking in. Jess has blogged about pain, and Merry about mental preparation. Now I’m going to tell you what’s really terrifying me – the cold!

Walking the plank

Part of the Tough Guy Challenge involves ‘walking the plank’ and jumping into and swimming across a lake! Remember this is JANUARY we’re talking about! Paul Williams, who did Tough Guy last year (yes he was one of the lucky ones to live to tell the tale), said that those at the front of the pack had to chip through a layer of ice before they could get into the lake. O to the M to the G….

I’ve been living in the UK for nearly 10 years (after growing up in the somewhat more hospitable climes of the Caribbean). Over that period, I’ve spent a total of 20 seconds in British water – on a Cornish beach, in August. I literally walked in up to my knees, a wave crashed over me, I freaked out and ran to the safety of my towel. I literally thought my toes would drop off and I would die of hypothermia – true story.

Ice baths?!

So how do you prepare for a casual swim around a pond, in January? We’ve been told that we should now be taking ice baths to get used to the pain of freezing cold water. And brave Merry, ACTUALLY did this last night!! I just can’t bring myself to do this, although I know Jess and I need to give it a go…

Our trainers Tim and Phil organised a practise swim at the Parliament Hill Lido last Saturday, but the three of us (conveniently but legitimately) couldn’t make it.

I now really really wish we had gone, just to get it over with, and hopefully overcome the fear of the cold water. There’s another ‘practise swim’ in January, so we will be sure to go along, and will take photos of course. Maybe this will help us get over the fear of cold water before the big day? or maybe, it will just send us over the edge and make the event even more terrifying! … Thoughts? Suggestions?

The training continues over Christmas as we try to build up our strength and endurance, so spare a thought for us as you’re snuggled up on the couch with a hot chocolate!

Fundraising and baking

We’re also hard at work on the fundraising front – after all that’s what this ridiculous challenge is all about. Although we’re part of a team of 20 women, the three of us are aiming to raise £1,000 for the Stroke Association.

We’ve brought some homemade Christmas treats into work today in exchange for donations (yes we’re bribing people with food!), and please also remember to sponsor us via the Just Giving Page if you can spare a few pennies.

We need all the support and encouragement we can get, and you know it’s for a great cause!

Thanks muchly,

Danielle

I’ve been training hard for the up-coming Tough Guy race on 27^th January…well kinda! I suffer from shin splints, so one of my main priorities has been getting that fixed, thanks to some great work from the guys at ART London my ankle and foot joints are now unlocked, and mostly functional which means I am soon going to have to bite the bullet and go running, which I hate. A lot. I like to lift heavy things over my head (and then drop them). I think anything over a set of 5 reps – approximately 5 seconds – to be cardio and dislike it intensely. So running 10k isn’t exactly my idea of fun.

My other main priority is getting used to the cold, I honestly think every single member of our team is plenty capable of doing everything that will be thrown at them, but whether they have the grit and perseverance to do it when they are cold, tired, muddy and staring down the barrel of hypothermia… I don’t know. Everyone I have spoken to has mentioned the cold and that being the main reason up to a third of the competitors drop out.

So that said, I did my first ice bath last week. By ice bath I mean a cold water bath, I didn’t actually make it so far as ice, but the cold tap was plenty enough for the time being! It is pretty grim, but I have experimented with them before and they do get easier as you acclimatise, thankfully! This week I have been doing lots of outdoor swimming, but unfortunately I won’t be able to join the team jumping in Parliament Hill Lido this weekend due to being in Egypt. Outdoor swimming is still outdoor swimming… so what if it’s 26 degrees? Ahem…

I will be back on the ice baths when I return to England, probably after a couple of days just getting used to it being generally cold again. This is the thing I have been trying to drill home to the members taking part and have been met with some rather disdainful looks as I enthuse about the need for jumping in freezing water. You need to get used to it!

I am going to make sure I go swimming outside for real, in England, before January. Possibly even on Christmas day in The Serpentine. I will report back when I have more news, and after I have started doing some running!

Until then, if you would like to sponsor us, I’m sure it will make everyone feel better about getting in to the icy water on Saturday and just the general torture of training for this damn thing. Check out our Just Giving page. Every little helps for a great cause…

• Have you got true grit?

To test your true grit, we’re holding free winter outdoor SITC team run and weight training sessions, starting this Sunday 9th December. Meet us at Hyde Park outside the Lanesborough Hotel at 10.00 this Sunday and prove to us that you’re hardcore! The following training days will be held on 16th and 30th of December, and 6th and 20th January.

Then for the really badass amongst you, we’re going to brave the freezing cold water of Parliament Hill Lido on 15th December! Join us from 10.00 for an icy swim!

We’re raising funds for The Stroke Association and Tim and Phil have promised to stay in the water for 15 minutes for every £500 raised! Please share our Just Giving page with all your friends. We’re hoping to raise as much money as possible and we need all your help. We plan to go back for a second ice cold dip on 19th January if we haven’t died of frost bite by then…

See you all in the park,

Sexy in the City