Oh, Waffles!

Last month, I started seeing a trainer at the gym. The gym matched me with Waffa because she has experience with individuals like me who have lost a lot of weight. At this stage, she wants me to stop losing weight. Wait, what?! That's right. I need to stop losing weight so my body, specifically my skin, can catch up. She's helping me tone my body by building muscle. I had a very high BMI for someone size. As it turns out, I don't have much muscle... depressing, I know, but that's why I'm working on it.

About 48 hours after each training session with Waffa, or as Dan labeled her "Waffles," my back, hip, and muscles ache. With each movement, I groan "Oh, Waffles!" and think about how the pain means I'm building muscles, right?

This upcoming week will be my first week without training. Waffa is leaving me on my own to shed some of my holiday weight. In case you were curious, after finally losing the Halloween and Thanksgiving weight, I packed out about NINE (9) pounds of Christmas cookies and Mom's home cooking. I had to vow to hit the gym at least 5 days this week. This morning, I went to Yogilates AND did cardio afterwards. I'm a beast. lol. It's only Saturday, but I'm determined to start my week without Waffa off right. The following week, she is measuring my BMI again. I'm excited to see if I've made any progress :)

Indoor Rock Climbing at Elite Climbing

Since New Year's Day fell on a Sunday, Dan and I had Monday off to observe the holiday. With all the craziness from the holidays, it was nice for the two of us to take time out to just spend some fun  time together and a belated date to celebrate the nine years we've been together. So, we made a date for rock climbing and dinner in South Jersey. 

We went to Elite Climbing in Maple Shade, NJ. On Mondays, the run a BOGO deal on Beginner Packages, so we lucked out. Dan and I learned how to belay one another and then we just jumped into the climbing thing. I did it! I climbed to the tops of quite a few walls before my arms got too tired. We had a blast. Before we left, the owner offered to give us both complimentary one month memberships! We took him up on his offer, and we're going again this weekend and hope to go each weekend this month.

After climbing, we changed our clothes and went to dinner at Iron Hill Brewery. We started the meal with an amazing hummus platter (we'll get it again, for sure). Then, I decided to stay sensible by having the Mediterranean chicken salad as my entree so I could splurge over some heavenly limoncello cake with blueberry compote. As I savored each bite of cake, Dan helped me put things in perspective-- I just climbed a freaking rock wall! Looking back, 85+ pounds ago, I could have never imagined I'd accomplish such a feat. Now, I can't wait to do it again. 

  

Battling Holiday Weight Gain

This time of year, I always manage to put on a few pounds. What can I say? It's hard to resist the bowls of candy, fresh baked cookies, tables of finger foods, cheese plates with dried meats, and endless desserts. After Thanksgiving and eating all the Halloween candy we had from getting ZERO trick-or-treaters this year, I gained 6 POUNDS! I'm tired of the scale moving in the wrong direction... so on Saturday, I joined a gym and started logging my points (including activity) and nutrition (dairy, veggies, water, etc.). As of Tuesday, I have already lost two of those holiday pounds. 

I signed up for this gym for its group classes. I have started going to a group class every day. So far, I've done: 

• Dance
• Yoga
• Kickboxing
• Combo:  step, weights, abs, balance

I'm trying to get Dan to try a cycling class, but I'm far too scared to even step foot into the cycling room. I'd rather stick to dancing, thanks.

Stay tuned for more entries from me, considering I'm back on the wagon again. Unfortunately, working out every day means I'm losing free time. I'll be back to let you know how it's going and provide tips on battling those holiday pounds. Wish me luck!