I wouldn’t say I’m lazy. I do yoga. I’d walk my dog if I had one. During the eight years I lived in New York City, I got my cardio by running around town to events, running to catch cabs, running just to keep up with everyone else. Here in the “Walking City,” though, everyday life isn’t much of a workout—which may explain why so many Bostonians are insatiable gym rats: Membership at the swank Sports Club/LA is said to be near capacity, the women-only Healthworks downtown is undergoing a $4 million renovation, and this month New York–bred Equinox opens in the Back Bay. (The last will house more than 100 cardio machines and an outdoor obstacle course that, no kidding, recalls ’90s reality-TV phenomenon American Gladiators.) As for me, eventually I was shamed into joining a gym, too, and now pay $150 to steam three times a month.

But that’s not going to help when it comes to prancing around on the beach this summer. Which brings me to my most grueling assignment to date: finding a fail-safe fitness program for the motivationally impaired. Over the course of a year, I cross-trained with top local athletes, endured an interesting array of morning-after aches and pains, and finally judged each regimen on whether it was compelling enough to stick with—and not just when swimsuit season looms. These seven made the cut:

1. Suffering as a Group at Ultimate Bootcamp

I’m sure there are worse situations a girl standing on a city street corner at 5:45 a.m. could find herself in, but as I shiver at the cold, rain-soaked intersection of Beacon and Charles, decked out in $80 running pants and brand-new sneakers, I’ll be damned. I’ve always hated this time of day—that horrible predawn stretch during which only bad things happen, like violent crimes, “one last drink,” or running around the Common with a bunch of strangers.

It’s day one of Ultimate Bootcamp, a four-week outdoor fitness program typically offered weekday mornings from April through December in four locations around Boston. Created by personal trainers Peter Lavelle and Jill Tomich, the hourlong group-based format will be familiar to anyone who’s ever played organized sports: lots of running, made “fun” with team activities like relays, suicide sprints, and, one day, a sadistic version of freeze tag in which the victim must submit interminably to plank position (something like a half pushup, for the luckily uninitiated).

The class, say Lavelle and Tomich, is designed to provide a jump-start for those who haven’t worked out in a while. Today Lavelle leads us on an uphill jog along the perimeter of the Common; legs burning, I envy the early-rising idlers who sit smugly on their benches as I wheeze by. My coworker Sascha, bless her, has agreed to come with me, and fares slightly better. The atmosphere is actually much more amiable than the name “bootcamp” suggests, though as we puff and curse our way through mountain climbers and high kicks up the steps of the Soldiers and Sailors Monument, Sascha and I decide the Irish-born Lavelle had been trained by the IRA. Later we learn he’s a reformed party boy who hosts infamous Thanksgiving Day bongo jam sessions. Tomich is an architect by day.

At the end of an hour, I’m ready for class to be over. But I’m surprised to realize that, as the weeks progress, I go to sleep looking forward to the next morning’s installment. Both Sascha and I make it through the full session, more or less, and by the last day I find I’m able to run up the hill (and then some) without breaking a sweat.

The sell: This group-based combination of calisthenics, plyometrics, resistance training, relay races, and partner drills keeps things interesting—and keeps you coming back. Expect to shed excess weight as you add cardiovascular and muscular strength: “All muscle groups are worked in the program,” says Lavelle. “Even some you didn’t know you had!”
The experience: My jeans aren’t looser, but they look better. I’ve lost 2 pounds and gained Superwoman amounts of energy. Best of all: I can run for 10 minutes and not be left clutching my side.
Calories burned: 700–800 per hour.
Class details: $269 per session; less for returning campers. Weekend and single-day classes also available. Locations in Boston, Charlestown, Quincy, and Watertown; 617-787-1224, ultimatebootcamp.com.

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