The Blues Head West for Boot Camp

Local therapist Dr. Rick Blue, posed the question, “What 79 and 77-year-old would choose to spend two weeks at an adult boot camp in San Diego, required to rise at 6:30 a.m. and finish at 6 p.m., being active the entire time?”

Blue and his wife, Estee, apparently fit that bill as they returned for their fourth time to Premier Fitness Camp — designed to stretch them to their limits in structured exercise, diet, and wellness. The Carlsbad Omni Hotel and Spa boasts its 400 lush green acres, oversized Jacuzzi tubs, flatscreen TVs, holistic programming, and state-of-the-art equipment, all with seaside luxury, sunshine and saltwater, surf, and good vibes.

There, Blue said, is where “good health and great attitude are part of the culture.”

The camp makes health and fitness highly personal. Health markers, habits, stressors, lifestyle, blood pressure and personality are all factored in. Due to the claim that “99 percent of people who diet will gain back the lost weight plus an extra 10 pounds within a year,” Premier Fitness Camp uses Enneagram categories to understand personality type to gain self-awareness.

The Blues flew into San Diego and made their way into the OMNI La Costa 5 Resort and Spa at Carlsbad where campers have a room in the resort, according to Blue.

“But that’s where it ends. The resort is beautiful, but the boot camp is on the grounds where all campers eat meals together and exercise as a unit. It doesn’t matter what condition one is in. The program adjusts to each person’s needs…but everyone learns every exercise. The fun part of boot camp is hiking, exercising on the beach, and going on field trips when not in the gym. Some of the hikes are difficult and everyone is assessed with fitness tests and bloodwork. No alcohol, no salt, no sugar, no gluten.”

Is it a good value?

Blue says, “Yes, consider a room in a beautiful resort, three meals a day, and a full schedule of exercise and classes. It depends on how one wants to spend leisure time. For us, it is the positivity from campers (only 24 at a time) and staff making this truly a learning experience…it’s worth spending $5,000 for one week on wellness.”

While at the resort, he posted on Facebook grueling workout photos and the day’s chalkboard of meals: blueberry pancakes with strawberry yogurt and fresh mint, mushroom truffle risotto, grilled chicken, broccolini and pineapple salsa.

Blue is a poster child for senior fitness. In Atlanta, as a senior jogger, he rises at 4:30 a.m. to hit the road most days and posts his results and trophies in various races he enters on weekends. Not coincidentally, he published research on aerobic running as treatment for moderate depression, among many other topics.

Example of Premier Fitness Camp Agenda

MOVE session
Nutrition 101
Zumba toning
EAT session: common obstacles to losing weight
Boxing
Circle Up Circuit
Balance and coordination
Cardiff beach hike
Stretch it out
Laundry drop-off
Cooking demo – falafel fun
Max muscle
THINK session: science behind motivation
The Row House
Breath and core
Slow Flow yoga
Aqua blast
Pilates
Batiquitos Lagoon walk