If you had told me a year ago that I’d be waking up early voluntarily to do burpees, I would have laughed, rolled over and gone back to sleep. But here I am — working out almost every day at Burn Boot Camp and kind of loving it. It all started when my family won a trip to Atlantis in the Bahamas (yes, like a real-life game show prize), and then we found out a film crew was going to follow us around for two whole days. (That’s a story for another time.)

At first, I was motivated by the thought of being caught on camera in a swimsuit from every angle. What started as a mission to avoid awkward beach footage turned into something bigger. I kept going to Burn Boot Camp because I realized I wanted to feel strong, healthy and energized — for myself and for my family (and OK, maybe a little bit for the camera).

Burn Boot Camp made it easy to keep showing up: the workouts change every day, so I never get bored; the childcare meant I had no excuses; and best of all, I started seeing results. Real results. Like, actual muscles.

But the best part? The people. Not only is the coaching staff incredible — shout-out to Dana, Jill, Rachael, Autumn and Amanda — but my crew from Biltmore Park is the real reason I keep coming back. We sweat together, complain about metcon (metabolic conditioning) day together, and somehow find a way to laugh between sets of push-ups. They say misery loves company, but I think strong women do too.
 
I may have started this journey running from a camera, but I ended up running toward a version of myself I didn’t even know I was missing. And now? I don’t just wake up for the burpees — I wake up for the friendships, the high-fives, the sore muscles and the reminder that I can do hard things. So here’s to showing up, sweating it out and maybe even smiling through the next round of jump squats … maybe.