Shooka Boot Camp - Day 4

The Ultimate Diet Thanks to Sandra and Victoria of Fake Bake, who brought some lovely home tanning products for us to try, I wake up looking so much healthier, and with bags of energy. [caption id="attachment_2611" align="aligncenter" width="225"]

Fake Bake home tanning kit[/caption] That is more than could be said for the Shooka team. While we are all basking in our renewed energy, the PR, Hayley, is in bed for a second day, instructor Will is ill, Stuart is coughing and Bear has sprained his ankle. The owner, John, has been to an emergency doctor and been prescribed enough drugs to get a giraffe back on it's feet. It seems that the chef is the only one still properly fit to work, but with their military backgrounds the others soldier on regardless. The boxing class proved so popular earlier in the week that we are treated to a similar but more complex session before a breakfast of quinoa, cinnamon, blueberries and pumpkin seeds. If I tried to feed this to my family they would throw back it at me, but we dutifully tuck in, and it is surprisingly edible. One of the main aims of the team at Shooka (second only to health and safety) is to aid weight loss and they are very, very good at that.  Women are restricted to 1200 calories, with an extra 300 for men, all from natural whole foods. Meanwhile we are burning 4000-5000 calories a day with up to six exercise sessions. The maths is simple, you are guaranteed to lose weight, but more importantly boot camp also teaches healthy eating habits and portion control. Following an after-breakfast kick boxing class we are presented with a large box. According to Twitter someone has a secret stash of digestive biscuits. An amnesty is declared and contraband is relinquished, including half a packet of Rowntrees Randoms that I have been keeping close all week. [caption id="attachment_2610" align="aligncenter" width="300"]

Contraband given up in the amnesty[/caption] A killer session next, alternating hill sprints with outdoor circuits involving heavy metal bars. We are all absolutely shattered by the end. Sandra, CEO of Fake Bake for the UK, had to return to her business this afternoon, leaving 6lbs lighter and several inches smaller after just three and a half days. After a hard morning it gives everyone the encouragement they need right now. [caption id="attachment_2612" align="aligncenter" width="225"]

Sandra McClumpha, CEO of Fake Bake, leaves 6lbs lighter[/caption] A fun, but tough, workout after lunch involving a pack of cards and some serious abdominal crunching followed, then a short walk at Halden Woods - the guys know when we have genuinely worked hard and when they need to ease off and we are all relieved to have an early finish and a chance to try a Lava Shell massage. The owner of Shared Beauty Secrets, who introduced lava stones to the UK, is here for the week and had arranged for a couple of therapists to come in so we could all see why this treatment is predicted to make hot stone massage a thing of the past. One by one we came out of the treatment rooms in various degrees of rapture. Unlike stones, the shells have a heated insert and stay hot for the entire treatment, and their smooth surface feels just like the therapists' hands. Definitely a treatment I would recommend. [caption id="attachment_2613" align="aligncenter" width="260"]

Lava Shell massage.
The best thing since hot stone massage.[/caption] We end the day with a supper of pearl barley risotto (another dish my family would have thrown at me, but actually very tasty) we settled down to a Q & A session on nutrition with chef Sarah Louise. She lost 4.5 stone at a boot camp and is an absolute convert. She is totally passionate about what she does and there is very little she doesn't know about food, nutrition and dieting. I am looking forward to trying some of her recipes at home - just not the quinoa.