Healthy Living in Connecticut Blog

The other day, I wrote about my team in the latest challenge I'm doing for the Northwest CT YMCA. Part of the requirements of the challenge is strength training. Many people do not get adequate protein, but body builders especially need extra protein in order to build lean muscle. Also, if someone doesn't have enough protein, they could lose some of the muscle they already have.

It's difficult to find the right balance of protein that you need. I've seen so many different guidelines but I'm listening to what my trainer advises, which is one gram of protein per pound of weight. Oftentimes, this means having a supplemental protein shake as it would be difficult to get enough protein from food alone.

I thought I was done with wellness challenges. I did two challenges at the Northwest CT YMCA, two walking challenges sponsored by the Bridgeport Regional Business Council and even a triathlon challenge at the Greater Waterbury YMCA, all in about two years.

Now I'm in another challenge at the Northwest CT YMCA, this one being titled the "Fitness Commitment Challenge". The only reason I decided to join this challenge is that it focuses on something the other ones didn't, that being body fat percentage. My trainer wants my body fat to be around 13 so I still have a way to go.

Wow, what a workout today! My trainer mixed up the workout again as he don't like me staying on the same workout too long. He didn't check my body fat percentage this time around but will do so again in two weeks. My weight was exactly the same as two weeks ago, so I don't need to adjust what I'm eating. He advised me to continue eating lots of protein and clean eating.

I've been doing circuit training for a while and now he wants me to focus on doing each set three times in a row with a 20 second rest in-between. This changes the intensity of the workout and doesn't give the muscles a chance to rest much after each set. The good thing is the workouts won't take as long. But I will have to go to the gym nearly every day in order to complete each routine.

I've written about the dangers of childhood obesity before. It's nice to see that the State of Connecticut wants to do something about this problem. I thought I would post their press release as it is such an important cause. Three schools will be awarded $100,000 for a state of the art gym. What better way to help kids get into shape?

As many of you know, so many kids are making the wrong food choices and not getting enough exercise. We need to do something to encourage exercise. We also need to educate both kids and adults about proper nutrition. Too many parents take their kids to McDonald's instead of cooking at home.

I don't write about anorexia nervosa much as my sister had it so long that I tend to shy away from focusing on the subject too much. But I just read such an awesome story about a recovering anorexic that I had to share it. As many of you probably remember, my older sister passed away from anorexia nervosa a little over two years ago. This kind of story shows that as difficult a case as anorexia is, there is hope if people are persistent and confront the sick individual.

A case in point is Lauryn Lax. She was a member of the YMCA near Nashville, TN. The other members of the YMCA actually staged an intervention and the great thing about it is that it worked! Read about it here.