Clean The Beach Boot Camp
A Non-Capitalistic Approach To Fitness That Actually Does The World Some Good!
“Help The Environment, In Exchange For A Leaner Body!”
Who doesn’t like some peaceful time out in nature? A trip to the beach sounds quite relaxing, doesn’t it? Well not so much, if it also happens to be littered with trash left behind by other visitors to the beach. If it also happens to be a popular tourist destination, then you’re in for some colossal coastal mess! That is precisely what happened, with one very aware individual.
In the mids of 2012, Health & Fitness Specialist and Personal Trainer, Krix Luther.
in Phuket, Thailand. which receives more than a million visitors during peak season. Fortunately, this was not an individual who gave up easily without a fight. And like a beacon of hope, an initiative started by just that one man, took on the task, quite successfully, of clearing up litter discarded by millions! An initiative quite aptly named for all the health, fitness and environment conscious that visit this little beach town – Clean The Beach Boot Camp!
Krix Luther, ex Professional Thai Boxer and a renowned personal trainer in the small Rawai town of Phuket, when conducting one of his boot camp session on the beach, just couldn’t ignore all the trash that was littered around the beach. As a fitness instructor, it didn’t take him any time to connect the consequences of the piling garbage to the health of those exposed to such an environment. While he tries exposing all the various myths generated from the fitness industry on his fitness blog, it would have been too hypocritical for him to go ahead with the fitness class while turning a blind eye to all the pollution behind him.
The Hypocrisy Of The Fitness Industry
With all the money that the fitness industry seems to pour into marketing and advertising that splashes in your face wherever you go, one would think the world is full of lean and healthy people. Alas, the truth is quite plain to see. The World Health Organization(WHO) statistics estimates more than 1.9 Billion adults to be overweight. Children are not safe either, with over 41 million being on the heavier side. Something smells fishy.
And all these experts from the booming fitness industry, have they done anything about the mess the environment is in? Do they even actually care? Surely one can see the adverse effect, a dirty environment has, on the health of a person. Of course, corporates have long known to be partially blind to the right cause, when it comes to making money. And what’s the point of wasting money on the environment eh? Especially when that advertising budget is so much more important!
That is where Clean The Beach Boot Camp (CBBC) cuts off from the rest. The focus solely on getting the job done, and that is a healthy you and a healthy environment. Krix has put in a lot of research into the boot camp workout routines to ensure great results. Since one of the most common desires is to lose some weight, here’s why CBBC Is Great For Fat Loss. A solid two-day workout session in exchange for helping clear some of the litter on the beach you trained on. Isn’t that a good bargain? There is no business to grow here, only a network of highly aware and healthy individuals.
Because A Healthy Body Needs A Healthy Environment…
No matter how much you take care of your health through proper diet and exercise, ultimately it is all for nothing if the environment you live in is polluted. The current consumerist world dumps about 8 Billion metric tons of plastic into our oceans every day. The amount of trash generated in Phuket is way more than it’s two 750 ton incinerators can handle. What happens to the rest of the garbage? Off to a landfill, it goes. Landfills, of course, are a significant source of land pollution. As the trash here breaks down, the pollutants seep down and eventually reaches the groundwater. This along with all the garbage dumped into the ocean leads to a major water pollution crisis. With the soil and water is polluted, not only is our water source but, even our food source, such as seafood is contaminated. How do you think all this would work out for your health?
Taking Matters Into Your Own Hand: The Birth Of CBBC
Remember the day we told about earlier, when Krix had had enough with the garbage on his beach? It wasn’t just smoke. There was going to be fire. He understood it was a much bigger war than one man alone could fight against. However this battle, he must have a plan that he could implement all by himself. Something any individual, who felt responsible and was willing, could implement. And it would be such individual battles that would eventually win the war against pollution that is destroying our environment. After months of planning, Krix was finally ready. On 11th of May 2013, the first ever Clean The Beach Bootcamp was held to a modest number of participants. This marked an important beginning. It would be one of the manny CBBC sessions to be eventually held all around the world. In just the next 4 years, Clean The Beach Bootcamp would end up clearing over 1.12 million pounds of trash and soon go on to become the largest beach cleanup organisation across the globe.
Clean The Beach Bootcamp – A Healthy Revolution!
So, are you wondering, what is a boot camp? With origins tracing back to 1888, a boot camp is a super intensive fitness training routine – military style! And although it’s not training you for war, the boot camp training routine has been found to be extremely effective. History Of CBBC gives you more details on the boot camp style training.
CBBC – A Non-Commercial Approach To Improve The Health Of The Body, And The Planet!
And here’s the revolution part – This unique workout routine under the supervision of a reputed personal trainer is offered to its participants absolutely free of cost! What’s the catch? Just that, after the workout session, you must take a few walks up and down the beach you trained on while collecting any trash that is littered about. Not only are you helping the environment here, but even that walk after the workout is an excellent way for the body to cool down after an intensive workout session. And that is why, although you’ll be dripping in sweat, not only will you feel revitalised later, but will even have a clean conscience for taking due responsibility for your body as well as the environment.
How The Beach Fits In..
The beach doesn’t just fit in, but is, in fact, the most critical element of this whole clean-up initiative. For one, being out in nature and working out barefoot on the sand, has many benefits. Secondly, it being a popular beach destination, there are a lot of tourists as well as locals visiting the beach. Working out and then clearing up the litter later gives a live example of conscious living. And what better way to spread awareness to millions about keeping your body fit and the environment clean? And third and most important, the beach acts like a barometer to the pollution level of the entire city. This is because all trash sooner or later ends up in the ocean, many of which get washed ashore. From the inland, the trash finds its way into some river or stream. Take a look at the 10 most polluted river in the world, and you can see the horrific state in which pollution has left some of the biggest rivers around the world. Remember that all of these rivers eventually end up in the ocean.
Is It That Important To Clean The Beach?
Well keeping aside the fact that that’s actually the deal you make in exchange for this super effective boot camp session, it is imperative from both the personal and the environmental point of view that the beach be kept clean.
The ocean is our primary source of water and also an important source of oxygen and food. All the trash that ends up there leaks out deadly toxins and other contaminants into the ocean. The garbage that you see on the beach also get washed into the ocean. Much of this trash if you observe, is plastic. Most of which could have easily been avoided if people made more conscious lifestyle choices such as these 5 simple steps to reduce plastic waste. And besides, doing all the cleaning in front of the other visitors and vendors on the beach sends across a powerful message. Spreading awareness is just as important as taking direct action.
Clean The Beach Bootcamp is where a good deed can earn you a leaner body!
In Krix’s experience, participants not only feel rejuvenated and stronger but also have an equally strong sense of accomplishment and satisfaction on completing the CBBC session. The good karma points you earn is the icing on the cake!
Overall, from the response, it has received and the amount of litter it has managed to clear up, Clean The Beach Bootcamp certainly is a great initiative that has been executed well. Not only does it cater to the fitness needs of its participants, but it also addresses the concerns regarding the state of the environment.
Benefits Of Clean The Beach Bootcamp:
- Helps burn fat and lose weight
- Increased metabolic rate
- Improved cardiovascular fitness
- Leaves you feeling energetic and rejuvenated
- Promotes and spreads awareness regarding keeping the environment clean
- A strong sense of accomplishment
- Good karma points for your service to the environment!
It is only a matter of time before dedication and commitment behind a good cause start showing results. In just about a months time CBBC would have completed 6 very successful years. What began with only 5 participants, is now over 8000 health and environmentally conscious participants from across the globe sending an unequivocal and strong message by directly taking action. Not just locals visitors but even the local businesses on the beach have now joined hands with CBBC and helps ensure that the beaches are kept clean. Of course, as one would have expected, CBBC is no longer limited to just keeping the coast of Phuket clean. It has spread its wings across Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, China, Kuwait and India. You will now find a weekend Clean The Beach Bootcamp weekend session happening all around the globe.
Sure, it’s not always been a smooth ride. Being a volunteer-based organisation, CBBC has had to face many hurdles in its time. From jealous local vendors who are angry out of embarrassment, probably because they contribute to the litter on the beach, to financial concerns that are needed to run this camp successfully. For a long time, Krix had shouldered this burden alone. As it has been growing over the years, many have begun to show their support, either through volunteering and assisting with the various activities of the camp or financially. If you too, would like to lend a hand to this great cause but are short of time, you can always show financial support and Donate to CBBC.
If you happen to be near one of the many locations where CBBC sessions are conducted, do not hesitate to drop in. As one would expect, you will meet other great and aware human beings. Participate in one, and you will feel great, not just body wise, but an overall sense of happiness at having even done your bit for the planet. Share this news with your friends – spreading awareness could lead to cleaner beaches, and who doesn’t want that? And, If you’ve already attended one, then please share your experience in the comments below!