The sun glistened over Kenmare Bay, the May heat radiated on my back – all was quiet, peaceful, serene. Sounds beautiful, doesn’t it? A moment to treasure. And then I heard the words: “Let’s do it all again.”

Suddenly, my moment of tranquillity disappeared in an act akin to a mean child popping a balloon. Reality set it. I pulled my sweaty body from the ground, feeling the ache in my arms, the tingling in my legs, the flush in my cheeks. Glaring at our trainer, Mark Molumby, I thought, in disbelief: ‘Again? He has to be having a laugh. I can’t do it. I’m too tired. I don’t have the energy.’

There wasn’t time to think though. Moments later, 20 other girls who, like me, were sweaty and exhausted, started squatting, lunging, pulling ropes and running.

“Well, there was no way I’m going to be the first to drop out, I thought. And so that same girl, who had nothing left in the tank, broke through a wall. And when it came to that final countdown, I replaced my glare at Mark with a smile of disbelief and elation – a look that was reflected on the faces of those 20 other girls at the end of our warrior session at Pure Results bootcamp.

All levels of fitness

Set up by Kathryn Thomas last year in a bid to encourage people to break through their fitness barriers, the Pure Results bootcamp in Parknasilla Resort, Co Kerry, has been attracting people of all ages and fitness levels from across the country. And if you think you can’t do it – well, you will probably prove yourself wrong just like I did.

From brides-to-be to mothers of teenagers, skinny and not so skinny, people who train everyday to those who haven’t worked out in five years – everybody dons their fitness gear and gives it their all.

And my all certainly looked different to some of the other girls. As we embarked on our first forest walk, I watched as some sprinted off into the greenery, a few more started at a steady pace jogging, and then myself and the walkers stretched out the legs, got the arms going and stomped through the beautiful scenery of Parknasilla as fast as we could. The thing is, everybody made it to the finish line and it isn’t a race. The only person you’re in competition with is yourself – to improve on the next walk, to beat your own time.

Please sir, can I have some more?

When it came to refuelling though, we were all on an even keel. The table was a welcome sight, with its delicious plate of spicy turkey curry. As we eat first with our eyes though, I’m left whispering through gritted teeth to my new roommate: “Why have we only been given starter portions?” She looks at me, I look at her, and we both realise that this is what a daily intake of 1,400 calories looks like.

I’m not going to lie, dramatic signs of “I’m starving” escaped from my mouth several times during my week in Parknasilla, but as my grandmother always says: ‘Hunger is the best sauce.’ Before this, an ounce of porridge wouldn’t touch my lips, but on those mornings in bootcamp, it might as well have been five-star gourmet. As much as I don’t want to admit it to my mother, who has been encouraging me to eat the gloop for years, it’s now a breakfast I’m starting to tolerate – even like.

Nutritionist Jennifer O’Callaghan puts together a great meal plan for returning home, so you can keep up the results. And these are results I definitely want to maintain.

After a week of admittedly intense exercise and small portions, I dropped six pounds and four inches – 1.5 of that off my waist. In the past, it has taken me a month of saint-like determination and resolve to achieve that, but 6.5 pounds was the average weight loss during my week at camp.

Of course, stepping on the scales is one of the best parts of the week, but well before all that I was already on an adrenal high. Because, while food is a key element and, of course, we sweated it out, the whole thing is actually holistic in its approach to health and wellbeing and it really was a fantastic stress-buster.

I don’t have time for meditation, don’t you know. And before this, if anyone suggested the yoga downward dog position, it was usually met with a sarcastic quip.

But my ‘me’ week, as I started to call it, opened all these doors and helped me learn how to really switch off, how to actually relax. In fact, even if I left and hadn’t lost a pound, yes I would have been disappointed, but it still would have been worth it.

Highs and lows

It really was a week of highs and lows. There were moments when the rain was lashing down and our arms burned as we punched those boxercise pads as hard as we could, times when we’d have squatted and squatted some more and the only sound in the world we’d want to hear was the voice of trainer Niall O’Callaghan saying 5,4,3,2,1. There were instances when I’d look at my small dinner portions and momentarily think: ‘Is begging really beneath me?’

However, those moments are the ones you forget, the anecdotes you tell your friends to prove just how tough you are.

The real memories are the moments lying on a beach with the waves lapping on the shoreline, meditating and physically experiencing life’s stress starting to fade away.

The times when you complete a circuit course and, although you’re exhausted, you’re so elated and proud of yourself for accomplishing it. And afterwards, when you sit in the outdoor jacuzzi with the sun shining on your back and you realise that this is a moment for you, that after your hard work, you deserved it.

But nothing quite tops the moment when you look at those 20 other women in your group who worked just as hard as you. Somehow, you realise that in one short week, you all somehow became the most mismatched but inspirational teammates to each other – and that is some kind of wonderful.