Wrangling eight moms for a one-hour fitness boot camp the week before Christmas might have been a little harder had it not been for the promise of working out with Tommy Europe, personal trainer, ex-CFLer and star of Slice network’s The Last 10 Pounds Bootcamp and Bulging Brides (check slice.ca or local TV listings for dates and times).

Europe’s tough-love approach to fitness is renowned and he didn’t go easy on our group of moms (I should know — I was one of them). “Everything you are doing for your kids is because you are trying to be the best mom, right? Well, you have to be the best person to yourself too,” says Europe, and that includes working out, hard, for no less than half an hour each day. “It’s not one of those things where you jump on the bike or the treadmill and read a magazine or watch TV — you’re just catching up on current events. You have to push yourself, and that’s what most people can’t do. They don’t push themselves, so they stay in that nice comfortable spot and stay in their nice comfortable body.”

So what should you be doing to ramp up your fitness routine?

1 Get moving. “You can work out while you play with your kids. You can work on your core, you can walk and you can run. I think people limit themselves because they say they are too busy. Always make time for yourself,” says Europe. If you can’t devote a half-hour block to exercise, he suggests working out for 10 minutes, three times a day (skipping rope, climbing stairs). And, if you can talk easily while you’re working out, you’re not working out that hard, he says.

2 Eat properly. That means a balanced meal plan. “If you don’t know what one is, consult a dietitian.” (Find one at dietitians.ca.)

3 Find a fitness partner, preferably someone a little more advanced than you. “They’re going to push you harder.” If you aren’t sure you are working out effectively, consider booking a trainer for a couple of sessions to ensure you are performing the exercises correctly and safely.

“Tommy’s workout gave me some great tips on technique and new workout exercises that I can easily fit into my routine at the gym or at home…I especially love (or hate — fine line here!) the ladder walk out and back with the added army squat! Tommy reminded me that workouts and a good nutrition plan should be my lifestyle, not a phase or fad. His tips on keeping it fresh and new really helped me see that changing my routine every four to six weeks will motivate me and help eliminate boredom. I came away from the workout feeling like I had been put back on track.”
Elaine King, mom of Michael, 3, Whitby, Ont.

Keep reading for more of the moves Europe taught us.