Early in 2012, just before my retirement from the NHS, I decided to get really fit in a short space of time. I was then 62 years old and the last thing I wanted was to be competing with brawny men, so I opted for GI Jane – an all-female keep-fit week in Kent. It was mid-winter in Scotland and very cold, so I thought by choosing a keep-fit camp in the south of England would allow me to escape freezing weather. Unfortunately the winter of 2012 saw Kent was blanketed with snow while Scotland basked in better weather – so much for good planning! Two Marines on annual leave from the navy were in charge of the camp which was run along military lines.
My fellow campers were at least 30 years younger than me, some were policewomen, and others were getting ready to run marathons. At the outset we were divided into two competing teams and were each issued with a personal weapon – a wood “pretend” rifle – which we were under strict instructions never to let out of our sight. In the photo I am racing with an iron box containing heavy sandbags. Tasks included running along country roads in a foursome formation at 5 am bearing a makeshift stretcher on top of each had been placed a tree trunk (“wounded soldier”). Any seemingly inane comment from us such as “it’s too heavy” or “I need a break”, was met by a stern: “So are you going to abandon your wounded comrade to enemy fire? “Another back-breaking exercise was crawling on the snowy ground for half a mile spread-eagled on a car tyre.
One day one of the girls arrived for morning line-up with her “rifle” which she had apparently forgotten under the dining table the night before. This was a capital infringement and resulted in the entire squad being punished by having to execute 50 burpees on the spot! Meals were measly and you had to eat everything. In fact you wouldn’t survive if you didn’t. someone commented that the entire days’ rations would fit into her eye socket!
I’m glad I did the week and proud of my certificate to show I survived it, but never again -I’m too much of a softie! The most important thing I learned was that keeping fit as a townie in the city can be achieved without belonging to a gym or using special equipment: by pacing yourself on quiet roads running and counting lampposts, running up and down stairs in your own home and upping the number every session, improvising weights with canned food tins……Oh, and an iron will to never give up!
