While summer draws many area children to camps, a dozen Oakton mothers have also been going to camp as well — a fitness boot camp arranged by two mothers and attended by their friends.
"Everyone wanted to do it. It was amazing," said Beth Robertson, one of the two mothers who arranged the camp.
For several days each week throughout June, the mothers have spent their weekday mornings exercising in Robertson's driveway, located on a quiet neighborhood street in Oakton.
They exercise not only to stay fit, but also for the camaraderie they and their children have while working out. As their mothers whittle and shape their muscles, one or two baby-sitters watch the children in the back yard.
"It's very difficult to work out. It's very costly," Robertson said, explaining the challenges of bringing two or three children to a gym.
Robertson and fellow Oakton mother Kim Gatchel had already been exercising for several weeks with personal trainer Carlos Rojas, who owns the Vienna-based Innovative Functional Fitness. The two mothers were working out in Robertson's home when they decided to go outdoors one day. Once outside, they came up with the idea of inviting their friends to exercise with them, too. They e-mailed their friends, and the boot camp was born.
"They just enjoyed it so much that the phone calls started coming through," Rojas said.
During the exercise sessions, the mothers work with weights and medicine balls, jump rope, and do some resistance training. They learn about nutrition and monitor their progress throughout the month.
The children play on the swing set and the hammock in the back yard, and sometimes they come up to the driveway to cheer on their mommies.
"This is like going to a friend's house. The kids are having fun," said Gatchel. "It's a play date for the grown-ups."