Testimonials

I am now seven weeks into a program with Maresa of WBW and couldn’t be more pleased. The experience has been exceptional in every respect. While my initial objective in working with Maresa had been to jump-start a stubborn ‘pandemic’ metabolism, I have been surprised by noticeable improvements in stamina, flexibility, and balance, along with significant and verifiable improvements in resting, active and recovery heart rates. I am again able to comfortably fit into pre-pandemic clothes.

 

After my second Covid vaccination I was forced to confront 25 (plus) lbs. of Covid hibernation weight. While I have yo-yoed in a 25 lbs. range before, this weight was pure flab bereft of the muscle tone I had typically been able to maintain prior to and my local gym’s closure. With the prospect of zoom calls in sweatpants ending and dress pants feeling tourniquet tight, I resorted to a previously successful run, bike, hike exercise program (1500 calories of burn per day), and a restricted Keto-based diet (1000 calories a day, 90% from fat protein). This time, even after two weeks of adherence, the scale barely budged. My ‘program’ also produced some undesirable cardio, digestive and mental acuity (brain fog) side-effects. 

 

While I was aware of the health benefits of weight training - which was highly recommended by both my GP and cardiologist – lifting weights had invariably aggravated old athletic injuries and surgeries that included: hip and rotator cuff bursitis, a herniated disk, an ACL reconstruction, and Achille’s tendon rupture repair. As a result, I defaulted to cardio-only activity. With my new Covid weight gain, I found running made my reconstructed knee swell to painful, football-like proportions. I also found getting ‘barked at’ by a remote Peleton or Apple Fitness instructor wasn’t for me! 

 

Upon relating my fitness frustrations to a friend, he strongly encouraged me to schedule a consultation with Maresa at WBW, which I did in early June.  In this initial consultation, I reviewed my lengthy list of injuries and surgeries, and history of chronic atrial fibrillation. (Marisa had unique familiarity with AFIB from her rehabilitation work with RRMC’c cardiology unit.) I also reviewed my draconian approach to weight control. Undeterred by my medical challenges and fitness misconceptions, we blocked out one-hour appointments for three-days a week. 

 

The WBW facility is spotless and organized. Equipment includes ‘old school’ free weights, with new-tech TRX apparatus, resistance bands, kettle bells and slam balls. Versus weight machines, I soon found that the WBW equipment more efficiently produces injury-free results. Of course, this doesn’t happen by accident. For each session, Maresa has prepared a detailed exercise plan that has a yoga-like flow to it. As you work through the plan, for each exercise she demonstrates and stresses proper form and movement. While there are some recurring exercises, there are new ones incorporated in every session. 

 

In my situation, when a particular exercise has aggravated an injury, she has been able quickly modified the motion, and/or reduced the weight amount (often in small, 2 ½ pound increments), such that you are still able to work the surrounding muscle without discomfort. This has resulted in greatly improved flexibility of my rotator cuff, as well as improved stability in my reconstructed knee. Improvements in my core strength have largely eliminated the back pain from my herniated disk. Muscle tone is slowly returning to my mid-section!

 

As relates to Maresa and WBW, I can’t recommend them more highly. My only regret in working them is that they didn’t hit my radar sooner, as I would have been that much further in achieving my goals.