FITLIFE BOOTCAMP

Click here to see all the Horses up for Adoption Right Now

Help us keep helping horses in need!! We can't do this without the help from our wonderful friends and supporters....

We've raised enough money for hay until October. Thank you all for your adoptions, donations and all the times you've come to CSS for services this summer, now we are raising money for winter hay, we need to have the funding by August to get second cutting hay.

Crossed Sabers:

As many as 60 million visitors per year
As many as 530,000 hits in one day
Visitors from 113 different countries
Visitors from every continent of the world
Thousands of horses (of 65 different breeds) in homes today with SWAP
Horses adopted in 46 of the 50 states and Canada
Between 75 and 300 adoptions each year
12 Year History

The Woman I will Be

I shall wear diamonds and a wide brimmed straw hat with ribbons and flowers on it
And I shall spend my social security on white wine and carrots
And sit in the alley of my barn and listen to my horses breathe.
I will sneak out in the middle of a summer's night And ride the dappled mare across the moonstruck meadow, if my old bones will allow. and when people come to call, I will smile and nod, As I walk them past the gardens to the barn And show, instead, the flowers growing there
In stalls fresh-lined with straw. I will shovel and sweat and wear hay in my hair as if it were a jewel. And I will be an embarrassment of all who look down on me Who have not yet found the peace in being free To love a horse as a friend, a friend who waits at midnight hour
With muzzle and nicker and patient eyes For the Woman I will be when I am old.

Baggage
by Evelyn Colbath

Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed,
All nicely tucked into my warm new bed,
I would like to open my baggage,
Lest I forget
There is so much to carry -
So much to forget.

Hmm, Yes, here it is, right on the top -
Let's unpack Loneliness, Heartache and Loss,
And there by my halter hides Fear & Shame
As I look on these things I have tried so hard to leave-
I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain.

I loved them, the others, the ones who left me,
But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me.
Will you add to my baggage?
Will you help me unpack?
Or will you just look at my things
And take me right back?

Do you have the time to help me unpack?
To put away my baggage,
To never re-pack?
I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see,
But I do come with baggage -
Will you still want me?

A young boy was walking along the beach

as high tide came in.
With every crash of the waves
he noticed that dozens of seahorses were being cast onto the beach,
where they lay gasping and squirming.
Hurriedly, he ran to each seahorse he could find
and gently tossed them back into the surf.
A man watching all this approached the boy and said;
"Son, what you are doing won't make a difference",
to which the boy replied,

"To that seahorse . . . it will".

NOTE: Crossed Sabers can not fully guarantee the accuracy of every page on this website which is huge (38,000 files and over 300 pages). We do not have the personnel or time to keep it up to date and accurate for every situation as this Stable and all its programs has always been a dynamic entity, ever changing and improving itself. We do try to make sure each page is up to date and accurate but the best thing to do If you have a question, is email or call us. Additionally Crossed Sabers can not guarantee anything that anyone says about us on line, we have no control over other people and their websites, forums or ads. I'm certain it is people trying to help us help horses but some things have been grossly inaccurate and did not come from CSS. Again, if you have questions about us, our services, our company structure, how we are licensed, how we pay taxes, how we do things or anything at all, please feel free to contact us, just don't assume that all you read on another website is accurate or that it came from us, just call 304-873-3532 or email us at crossedsabers1@aol.com or secondwindadopt@aol.com, To clear up some serious confusion, all horses that have been placed into homes through SWAP have done so by an adoption contract and application and if they were sent to another rescue for placement were done so with a signed contract that governs care, adoption, release of ownership and governs resale thus protecting the horse forever from slaughter, abuse and neglect. If any past owners would like to see any of those documents, we have all the originals in our files. Any and all original owners of horses that have been released to other rescues have been informed of such actions as a courtesy, not because it was a contractual requirement, because once a horse is donated, it is owned by SWAP and Crossed Sabers with no contractual conditions at all. All programs and services listed on this website, including SWAP is a part of Crossed Sabers Stable which has been licensed in WV for the last 12 years.

Just imagine, this could very easily be you, regardless of your age or even your weight right now. Come on, lets get healthy and fit together.....

What is Fit Life Bootcamp?

-6 week program (3 weeks here at CSS, 3 at home, students can choose to do only the first or second week but we recommend all three to get these practices into habits that will last a life time). It doesn't matter whether you have 10, 50 or 150 lbs to lose, you can start here. As soon as you get through one 6 week program and see the huge success, the second 6 week program will be a breeze. You should be able to lose one pants size in the first two weeks, THIS IS GUARANTEED OR YOUR MONEY BACK (MINUS FOOD COSTS).

When is Fit Life Bootcamps scheduled?

-3 sessions in 2008 (2 summer and 1 fall) and 4 in the years after, spring, summer 1, summer 2 and fall.

Summer Bootcamp 1: 14 June 2008 to 5 July 2008
Summer Bootcamp 2: 26 July 2008 to 16 August 2008
Fall Bootcamp: 14 September to 6 October

How many recruits/students in each Fit Life Bootcamp?

The classes are small, only room for 6 students in each session but we will run the session with only one student but its more fun with two. At least until we get additional quarters, all classes will be for women and girls age 16 and up.

How will this year be different?

The 2008 classes are our charter bootcamps so they are nearly half the price that they will be in 2009 as we will use these students to drive our curriculum, the needs to the student and the schedule. You can be part of our trial runs of our fitness camp, get fit and help us help many other students who will come to us in later years. Its a great opportunity to be part of history at CSS and SWAP, plus you get to enjoy helping and working with horses and dogs for 3 weeks, for many it will be like a great vacation.

How is Fit Life Bootcamp tied in with Crossed Sabers and the horse/dog adoption program?

This is a program that brings fitness together with helping horses and dogs, plus learning about horses or furthering your knowledge and experience with horses while getting fit and healthy. Our goal is to not only change the lives of the horses and dogs we help but to send people home with a new body and new habits that will change their life forever.

How and why does Fit Life Bootcamp work?

-A program that focuses on health, eating 3 meals and 3 snacks, lots of healthy, real unprocessed food to get the metabolism heated up. It uses both nationally known trainer and star of Extreme Makeover diet and training techniques of Michael Thurman, plus adds some Body for Life for women once the weight is off just to add variety. Both of these are lifestyle changes focused on your individual needs and problems.

-A light weight lifting program to add muscle but not bulk and to reshape the body

-A light aerobic program of hiking or walking the horses or dogs

-An easy circuit training session that includes rowing, Nordic, palate's, mini tramp, crunches (an ab machine), bow flex, stationary cycle, and elliptical.

-Daily working and helping the horses in the adoption program.

-Yoga for peace of mind, strength and long lean muscles and flexibility.

-Daily group counseling, affirmations, and goal setting. Individual counseling sessions at least weekly. We may even complete one Presidental Sports award requirements if time permits, if nothing else we can certainly start one and get well on our way to that coveted award.

What are the costs to attend a Fit Life Bootcamp?

The costs are $800. for one week per person, $1500. for two weeks and $2000. for the full 3 weeks, that includes all food, housing and equipment/supplies/vitamins.

Will my health insurance cover my attendance at a Fit Life Bootcamp?

If your doctor has recommended that you lose weight for your health, your health insurance should cover up to at least half or more of the bootcamp costs. Check with your physician to see if you can get a recommendation from him/her to cover your costs with your insurance. Check with them for details of how to get that done.

All you have to do is get yourself here and back home upon completion. We do have one airport shuttle to the Pittsburgh Airport every Saturday for arrivals and departures.

What does a normal day or look like at a Fit Life Bootcamp?

Weekdays (monday through friday)

6am weight training

7am breakfast, clean up room, personal time, prep food for snacks and lunch

8am to 11 am help with the horses, sometimes an informal class or formal class, sometimes grooming, feeding, turn out, taking care of horses with special care, bathes

11am snack

11:30 horse training or walking, evaluations, pictures and video of horse moving or lunging

1pm lunch

1:30 horse training/grooming/bathing/walking or evaluations or anything needed for a horse to be adopted by a home

3pm snack

3:30pm dog grooming/hike/bathing

6pm dinner

7pm yoga, dance class, circuit training

8pm snack and group counseling

8pm till 10 personal time, reflection and affirmations, review goals and objectives

Weekends

7am morning feeding horses and turn out

7:30 weight training

9am breakfast

10am Saturday weekly challenge and horse turn out

11am snack

11:30 more of the Saturday challenge

1pm lunch

1:30pm hike or circuit training

3pm snack

3:30pm yoga class

5pm bring in horses, feed, straighten up barn, groom if needed

6pm dinner

7pm Prep food for the next week, personal time,

8pm snack, group counseling

8 till 10pm, personal time, reflection, affirmations, review goals and objectives, prep for next day

Food selections

Every meal and snack has a protein and a carb, the protein is usually either grilled fish, tuna, grilled chicken, turkey sausage, ground turkey or egg whites or egg substitutes. Each meal/snack has at least 3 or 4 oz. of protein.

The carbs the first week are usually salads, greens, green beans, and a variety of vegetables and fruits, the fruits are usually berries (strawberries, blue berries, blackberries or rasberries) but on occasion another type of fruit or vegetables. In the second week heavier natural concentrated carbs such as baked potato or baked sweet potato are added and eaten at lunch or before.

The meat, salads and carbs are usually made in advance and then just heated up. Other than that, we drink a lot of water

Saturday is also a shuttle day to the PIT airport and return for students needing to leave or arrive. It is also a day for our weekly challenge if we do one. It might be something doing 500 sit ups in one day to hiking 5, 10 or even 20 miles for the more advanced weeks. It is also a store day for any groceries we need.

Sunday is also a day for evaluations, new weigh ins and measurements, personal and group counseling, affirmations, rest, personal care/laundry, time to reflect on goals and the important reasons you want to change your life. Saturday is also the day we cook all or most of our food for the week. We will feed and turn out horses but most of our horse work is Monday through Friday.

How did the FitLife Bootcamp get started at Crossed Sabers?

-Summer interns would come to SWAP to volunteer with their additional freshman 15 or 20 lbs and without even trying, would be fit and slim when leaving and sadly most ate very unhealthy, against the council of the executor. Some came back over and over again because of those wonderful perks to our work.

-Our Owner/Director has struggled with weight issues all her life, blessed with terrible genetics, then the 23 years while in the military where bi-annual weigh ins were both intimidating but required. As an officer and leader it was imperative to meet the public weigh ins and the military weight standards, which were always completed in front of the 100 to 300 men that she worked with and who worked for her. To make weigh ins she had to work hard and eventually resorted in nearly starving herself to death, eating only one time a day in order to always make 'military weight' and the physical fitness tests.

Luckily while in the military she did learn to love training, teaching others and working out. She obtained several Presidential Sports Awards in several areas (cross training, cross country skiing, walking and jogging) and several Excellence in Fitness Awards from the military, along with running a few road races (like the Army 10 miler in Washington, DC) and biathlons, never winning (of course) but always thrilled to finish. Most were done to control her weight. Click here to get the full background on the Owner/Director of the FitLife Bootcamp.

She has always continued to struggle, but even more so after a horse accident in 97 in which she broke her back. After being flat on her back for several months. She was starting over again. It took years to get her body back to work at nearly 100% and she had to find a healthy way to eat in order to start to get her weight and strength back when she could not run or work out at the level she did in the military. She had to find a diet that would work with lighter activity if she was going to keep up with the long days and the hard work of having a horse farm and this adoption program.

She found Michael Thurman and Body for Life which both essentially had all the answers she needed and realized they will work for everyone. She still struggles and always will with her genetics and weight after so many years from the damages done by eating only one meal a day. Like so many that struggle today (over 60% of Americans are considered obese) she learned the hard way that by not eating several times a day makes your body goes into a starvation mode, saving and storing every morsel of food, doing exactly the opposite of what its intended to do or what you want it to do. Now at 51 she has to be concerned about her health, for herself and for the animals that need her.

All that coupled with the 23 years in the military and the her extensive experience in training and educating (both undergrad and graduate degrees in Education), this was a perfect option for CSS/SWAP to teach people about horses, about helping horses and about getting fit and healthy at the time time.

It is a perfect and easy way to get healthy and fit and its very individualized, every person only does what they can and you only work to the level at where you can talk comfortably and work out. So don't be intimidated by the word bootcamp. Its called bootcamp because it is a life change and a start to a new life, a healthy fit life.

Sign up today and be part of this ground breaking year at SWAP. With women helping women/girls and women helping horses. FitLife Bootcamp!!

With questions and sign up forms, contact us at fitlifebootcamp@aol.com or 304-873-3532


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Saving the life of one horse may not change the world,
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