Getting in shape in the Hudson Valley, NY

lepetitfromage

Hi Everyone!

I'm 27 years old, living in Poughkeepsie, NY. I lost about 20 pounds before my wedding (in May) and somehow I've gained it all back already! (Ok, I won't lie....I know how. Not gyming because I was "too busy", indulging on not-so-healthy food at all the pre- wedding festivities and going to an all inclusive resort with an awesome buffet for my honeymoon. It's a wonder I didn't gain more than I did!


This is not my first attempt at losing weight/staying healthy. The first time was after the Freshman 15 in college....or in my case, the Freshman 30. I lost some of that, but I started exercising for the first time in my life, so I managed to build up some muscle! Yay! It was great being a student with free access to a gym! And the free yoga classes...oh how I loved those. I also ran. A lot. I lived in NYC at the time and there are just so many great places to run that I jumped right in and loved every minute of it.

Unfortunately, the joy of running didn't last as long as I would have liked. I ended up with horrible shin splints. I tried everything to make them go away- new shoes, inserts, compression sleeves, icing, stretching, you name it. After a few years of on and off running, I decided to stop torturing myself and switched to different cardio activities. I tried the treadmill with a steep incline (didn't burn as much as I'd like and made my calves enormous), tried the bike (definitely not enough calories, plus I had an embarrassing knee injury involving a door...and on top of all that it also hurt my butt haha). Finally decided to jump back on the elliptical and I couldn't be happier. The number of calories, the low impact, the massive amounts of sweat, I love it all!

So, as of lately I've been trying to hit the gym at least 3-4 times a week, staying for 60-90 minutes each time. I generally end up doing about a half hour/45 min of strength training and then the same amount on the elliptical. Every once in a while I'll switch it up and do a full day of strength or a full day of cardio, but I've finally found a routine that I'm happy with. I'd love to supplement with yoga but the classes around here are SO expensive and doing it at home is just not the same.

I'd like to lose about 40 pounds. If I lost more than that, I'd be thrilled but above all, I want to feel good. I know the number doesn't mean a whole lot but I'd like to be a little less flabby, a lot stronger and maybe even able to walk up a few flights of stairs without wanting a nap when I'm done!


Definitely looking forward to the community, motivation and support. :-) We can do it!!

lisainpotown

I live in Highland and have started a group for the Hudson Valley! Please join!