Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

I've been eating healthy foods for over three years now. Mostly vegetables and fruit with minimal turkey, chicken and eggs. I do get a lot of nutrients from the food choices I make, but from what I've been reading, making smoothies gives you the ability to absorb even more nutrients. I figured it would be worth a try.

Last week, I made my first smoothie with broccoli and cauliflower. I thought it tasted disgusting, to be honest. I love eating broccoli and cauliflower whole, but juicing them was not a good idea. Maybe it was the way I made them, maybe I didn't add enough ingredients.

I just had my body fat checked again yesterday at Southern Connecticut State University. I had it tested a little over a month ago and wanted to see if there was a difference since then.

The numbers were good but it wasn't a big drop. I went from 13.35 down to 13.24 percent. That's okay, at least it's in the right direction! The woman who checked my body fat explained that it's a slow process as the body fat gets closer to 10 percent. I have patience though and I'm enjoying the results in my arms, chest and legs. I love having more muscle and I notice I have a lot more energy. Some other people have commented on that as well.

My motive is to build strength, and one way to help with this goal is the kettlebell swing.

I attended a workshop at the local YMCA yesterday and the instructor went through the process of how to do them properly. A lot of people do these exercises incorrectly at first, so it's important to find a class if you're interested in learning the technique.

I keep saying I don't want to do another challenge... I keep thinking I've done enough of them... Then another fitness challenge comes along and I sign up for it! I guess I have trouble turning away from fitness challenges, but I'm ready for this one!

For the fourth year in a row, I'm participating in the Bridgeport Regional Business Council steps challenge. This year, the competition is called the "Walk to Wellness Challenge". I once again signed on with most of the same team mates from last year at work. There are a lot of good competitors on my team.

I look forward to Wednesday evenings for the Tabata class at the Northwest CT YMCA in Torrington.

What is Tabata?

Tabata is a high-intensity workout that has fitness and weight-loss benefits. Is it like CrossFit? Is it like circuit training? It is a bit of both. Tabata training is intense and It offers maximum workouts in shorter periods of time. Tabata comes from the man who invented it - Dr. Izumi Tabata, a Japanese physician and researcher. He conducted a study using an interval-based training model. His objective was to see if athletes would benefit from a 20/10 session repeated eight times. 20/10 means 20 seconds of all-out exercise followed by 10 seconds of rest. This adds up to four minutes total.