Southington Community YMCA Health & Wellness

The Southington Community YMCA offers a wide variety of cutting edge programs for all fitness levels that are motivating, challenging, fun and led by certified instructors. We offer a safe, caring environment that engages youth and teens to become active and develop healthy lifestyle habits through educational programming that is motivating and fun.

For more information, contact Karen DiGirolamo at 860-628-5597 x308.

Check out the following links to learn more about our Health & Wellness programs:

 

Sloper Spring Walk
Where: Camp Sloper (meet at McCloud Pavilion)
When:  Tuesday June 1st (rain date June 8th)
Time:  10:30 am sharp
What to bring: Yourself, water and a bag lunch
What to wear: Comfortable breathable clothes, hat and good sneakers
or hiking boots.

Come join us for a morning of nature, conversation, friendship and exercise!
Take a walk around Sloper Pond and visit Sunset Point, Pirates Point, and McKenzie’s
Point.   After our hike sit down at Pooler Pavilion by the water and enjoy your
lunch and chat with fellow hikers.
Registration is required: please sign up at The Women’s Center fitness desk or
Call (860) 426-1904

New in Spring 2
Outdoor Yoga: Enjoy 45 minutes of Yoga at beautiful Camp Sloper. All levels welcome. Bring your own mat. In case of inclement weather, class will be held in a pavilion.
Bootcamp on Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 pm! Due to overwhelming attendance, we've added an additional night of Bootcamp!
Kid's Fitness Camp Mondays and Wednesdays 5:30-6:15! We are pleased to offer an additional Kid's Fitness Camp to accommodate working parents.

A new session of Fit Forever begins Thursday April 29th. Learn how to lose weight, become stronger, and eat right for life through our weekly classes!

If you can't fit Fit Forever in your schedule, sign up for a Nutrition Assessment! We offer various packages to give you a personalized calorie plan and do a comparison analysis of your weekly meals.

Triathlon Training for Women

The Southington Community YMCA is offering Triathlon Training for Women, led by Jen McAuliffe, USA Triathlon certified Level 1 Coach and certified Personal Trainer. Training begins April 18 through July 24, and will take place on Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:00 pm and Saturdays from 8:00 to 9:30 am. Full, Program and non-YMCA members are welcome. A meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 31 to distribute information packets. This training is a coaching resource for women of all ages and abilities for any level from the beginner to the intermediate competitor and is a great for women looking for a challenge. Make new friends, meet new challenges and experience the benefits of a multi-sport activity. A fee is required. For more information contact Jen or Michele at (860) 426-1904. Registration may be made at the YMCA Membership Services Desk or online at www.southington-cheshireymca.org

Personal Training for Golf

Improve the Most Important Aspect of Your Game: your golf specific muscles! Now is the time to get ready for golf season. You will train one-on-one with one of our certified personal trainers who will take you through a strength training circuit and flexibility exercises designed to target your golf specific muscles. You will improve strength, flexibility, posture, range of motion and balance. Check our personal training brochure for package rates. Stop by the Health and Wellness Center or the Woman’s Center for more information.

Yoga Run

This class is for all levels. The class begins with a 45 minute walk/run on the bike trail and ends with 45 minutes of yoga. Wednesday, 6:30-8:15 PM.

 Outdoor Yoga

This yoga class takes place at beautiful Camp Sloper. Saturday, 8:30-9:15 AM.

 Please print the following press releases as soon as possible. Thank you very much for your time.

Fit Forever- Eating Well for Life

This 8 week program will help members create a well rounded fitness plan that balances exercise and food. Class meets weekly and includes the basics of eating, balance of carbs, proteins and fats, how to shop for and plan meals, basic nutrition facts, setting realistic goals to lose body fat and the importance of exercise. This program includes three 15-minute private meetings to test body fat, review food logs and discuss progress and eight 45 minute group classes and a food journal and binder with information from each class. Class takes place at the Southington Community YMCA on Thursday from 6:30 to 7:15 PM beginning September 3, 2009. This program is open to full and program YMCA members.  There is a fee to attend this program and registration is required with a new reduced fee for full members.


Fit Forever - A Success Story


Mark Schiff

Sometimes we need a “wakeup call” to motivate us into taking action and mine came in December 2008.  I was away on a business trip and had packed my “dress clothes” as I’ve done hundreds of times before.  I knew I’d put on a few pounds since my last business trip but the thought of trying my pants on before packing them never crossed my mind.  Boy was that a mistake!  When I went to get dressed for my first meeting was I ever surprised.  There was no way I could even come close to buttoning my 34” waist pants; there had to be a good two inch gap!  Try as I might it just wasn’t going to happen!  Since I couldn’t get away with unbuttoned pants and wearing jeans wouldn’t have gone over well, my only option was to run out to a near-by Kohl’s and buy a pair of pants and a belt!  When I saw that I had to buy 36” waist pants I decided right then and there that I needed to do something!

That something was signing up for The Fit Forever, Eating Well for Life program and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!  I was skeptical at first, and didn’t have very high expectations, but considering my recent experience and the fact that I was the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life I figured I had nothing to lose.  From the first meeting with Jolene and Gina I could tell that this wasn’t (a typical weight loss program), or as they pointed out, any “diet” at all.  Instead, it became crystal clear that the intent of the program was to provide education, guidance and support so we could make smarter choices when it comes to food and the importance of combining it with regular exercise.  I’ve worked-out pretty regularly since I was in high school and had always thought I ate relatively healthy, but once we started keeping our food logs I realized how wrong I was.  It was really eye-opening to see just how many calories and grams of fat I was consuming in a typical day of “healthy eating”.  Although it wasn’t easy, I worked with Jolene and Gina to makes changes (some major and some minor) in my food choices and portion sizes to bring my daily intake down to the recommended levels.  With their guidance and support I added structure and consistency to my workout routine which complimented the changes I made to my eating habits.

It’s been almost a year now since my first Fit Forever session and I’m proud to say that it’s still working.  I’ve lost 30 lbs. and more than 2” off my waist.  My cholesterol level has dropped over 70 points and my blood sugar is back to normal.  I feel better than I have in years and am no longer embarrassed to be seen without a shirt.  What started out as an effort has now become second nature.  I still have snacks and eat out like I used to but instead of cookies, potato chips, and that big juicy steak I’m having carrots and hummus, yogurt and fresh fruit, and the Catch of the Day.  When I do want to treat myself I’ll have 4 to 5 Buffalo Wings instead of a dozen and the small filet instead of the 16 oz. ribeye.

The Fit Forever program, with Jolene’s and Gina’s dedication and support, has had a profound, positive impact on my life.  I strongly recommend it to anyone who wants to make changes in theirs.

YMCA Family Member - Mark Schiff