MostlyWater's profile

MostlyWater

59 years old

Female

Brooklyn, NY

Member since December 7, 2011

""It's not fitness. It's LIFE.""

About Me:

Hello and thanks for reading! My name is Sara and I am a legal secretary in New York City, right across from The World Trade Center. I have been a member of Lucille Roberts, the New York Sports Club, and Blink Fitness, where I took 6 - 12 classes a week & also used the elliptical, rowing machines, Battle Ropes and the Stairmaster. When my favorite trainer from Lucille went out on his own, I signed up for unlimited classes with him which I really loved. I rounded out my exercise repertoire with online Groupon type deals for exercise classes and that way I've gotten to try new-to-me classes like aqua zumba, strip tease, etc. After 3 years of fun, in 2014, I returned to the gym experience and joined The Equinox which is truly posh and makes working out almost a spa experience. All the instructors and trainers are either celebrity trainers, former athletes or just darn good at what they do! I But after I turned 50, I started getting injured almost constantly. I fell on the ice on my way to Bootcamp, throwing out my back. Later that year, on my way to a private pilates session, I fell down subway stairs and ripped three ligaments in my ankle. Fast forward to falling on the ice and throwing out my back several more times. Then, one summer, I fell and ripped several ligaments in my other ankle. While I was in a series of orthopedic boots, it was determined that I had ripped my plantar plate and developed heel spurs. I was in pain for an entire year and it took seeing four different doctors - and finally an MRI - to diagnose. I guess if I were a racehorse, they’d shoot me! Life quickly became more about rehabilitation and strengthening then outlifting members half my age. I still think it’s fun to take fitness classes and lift the heaviest in the class, at least for my age but I quickly realized that I have to be really careful to balance not wanting to just fade away, but also not injuring myself further. It’s very hard as the Equinox has teachers that I just adore and chronic injuries prevent me from doing everything I want to do. There are constantly new, interesting classes being introduced and I am like a kid in a candy store. Too much makes me sick – literally! As I played around with trying this kind of spin class, that kind of pilates and a hot new kind of barre, entered the pandemic. As Covid raged, gyms got shut down. I did not see that coming and had thrown out a perfectly good recumbent bike years ago, thinking I’d always have a gym membership. Argh. A corner of my bedroom became my gym, with a yoga mat, some weights, paper plates for gliders, a stretched-out mini band, plus VHS tapes and DVDs from the last century. I found out about live classes on Instagram which I did every day too. After a short time, the Equinox got their app up and running with workouts from our regular instructors. But as soon as I could, I joined the Blink (again) to get in some cardio. When the Equinox restarted classes, I was there on Day One with my gym mask! But being healthy isn’t just the hour a day you spend on the treadmill. It’s eating right too. My husband is in his 60s and has some food sensitivities which makes healthy and nourishing meals for us a challenge. To add fat to the fire, at the end of 2022 I was diagnosed with diabetes. Having tried Food for Life, vegetarian, gluten free, paleo, modified paleo; all very hard times in our lives, we flirted with the idea of moderation and hoping for the best but that got thrown out the window. Diabetes cooking and eating is our new challenge plus I had to step up my activity level so I now swim, row and do the elliptical in addition to classes and sometimes double classes.

Why I want to get in shape:

I was thin my whole life, until I approached my 40th birthday when my weight had spiraled from the low 120's to 139 lbs in a matter of a few months. I was on my way to becoming borderline obese & had a hard time climbing stairs. I thought that was part of being middle-aged, but my doctor diagnosed me with an underactive thyroid, put me on Synthroid, and insisted that I lose the weight I gained, if at all possible. I had been active my whole life, dancing and running track in high school, and doing aerobics in college. As my kids got older, I took step aerobic classes at night, then bought a recumbent bike and did exercise tapes at home. I couldn't believe that my thin days were over .... Anyway, my doctor called me every so often to make sure that I was doing okay on the Synthroid, exercising, and not stuffing myself (his words, not mine). It took me five long months of hard work, exercise and eating right, but I went from 139 to 113 lbs. I then packed on another 10 lbs of muscle and ended up right where I started, low 120's. (I was so grumpy that my kids thought I had gone through menopause but I guess that's a different discussion.) One day, I walked by a gym near my office, and a little voice in my head said JOIN. And I did! I met friends with similar goals, love wearing cute exercise clothes, and have tried activities I never thought I would enjoy, like boxing and bellydancing. I have been exercising hard for more than 15 years now! As I’m in my 50’s, I’m working hard to keep my core strong as that’s where the fat accumulates. I’m still building muscle and trying to keep my body fat low as I age. When the “menopause ten” that I gained as I turned 49 turned into the “menopause twenty” while in my mid-50’s, it was time to take action again. I was the first to admit that I’d gained weight even though I continued to make good food choices and exercise. I hit an all time high for me, 138.6 lbs. My wedding ring didn’t fit and my clothes were uncomfortable to wear. Summers were miserable. I reevaluated all my food choices and nutritional needs – and am happy to state that I was able to turn that weight gain around. I don’t believe that the journey is a sprint – it’s a marathon – and it’s not all or nothing. Every workout is a new experience. Every meal is a new chance. As I weathered that, diabetes became another of my challenges and as I battled that, I lost all my weight and then some. My muscles became defined again, my clothes fit much better and my labs became better than they had been in years. A few tweaks are going a long way!

My Inspirations

  • I inspire myself. Because I'm vain. :)
  • I love my wild spandex gym clothes!

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