Tales from the Boot Camp with Dan Sheridan

So there we have it. Ten weeks' training done and dusted. Easy, right? Truthfully, it's been anything but.

When I started the LIFE Personal Fitness camp on October 12, I don't mind admitting I was concerned. The problem with fitness drives is that they're easy to talk about and justify. Doing one, however, is another thing entirely.

The size of the task seemed mountainous in week one. Though the LIFE team did their best to guide me through those tentative steps, I knew I'd taken on a serious assignment.

I was tacking my entire lifestyle and a starting weight of 105.2 kilos. Those early days of comedown headaches from ditching sugar, aching limbs and muscles and an alien diet left me asking some scary questions.

Fortunately, I was surrounded by answers, and at home the encouragement and understanding from my wife and our daughter has been nothing short of priceless. Without them, this would have been the shortest fitness camp on record.

In Liam, Allister, Nicole and Dawn, the LIFE team boasts experts equipped to deal with anything you can throw at them – screaming calf muscles, shoddy shins and a well-documented dislike of running in my case.

My fellow campers have also provided an amazing support network. We've become a close-knit group as the weeks have gone by and I couldn't have done it without you guys.

I've experienced much over the last ten weeks – elation at losing over 15 kilos in weight and agony at the onset of cramp in the dead of night. But I'll leave you with this: If you want to tackle your fitness, get a LIFE.

For more information on LIFE Personal Fitness, visit: www.your-life.co.nz

Dan Sheridan (front row, centre) with the LIFE Personal Fitness team: Renee Deville (PA), Dawn Kiddie (owner/instructor), Mike Williams (financial controller), Allister Field and Liam Knight (instructors). Pictured below is Nicole McCheyne (instructor).