Congratulations! HEALTHY LIVING CHALLENGE IRONMAN FINISHERS
Alyssa Lombardo
Amanda Desimone-Shabrack
Ashley Pratt
Alex Foster
Brian Henebery
Caryn Stellmach
Chuck Petruccione
Dana Cleary
Danielle O'Leary
Eileen Antolini
Gail Banwell
Jennifer Magnavice
Jim O'Rourke
Joanna Pond
Joelee Cedela
Kevin Talbot
Kim Diorio
Maureen Gran
Melissa Ortiz
Mo Carleton
Monique Crane
Maner Tyson
Mike Elser
Mike O'Donnell
Melissa Martin
Nathan Collette
Pam Rotatori
Peter Smith
Robin Manna
Sheila Diener-Elser
Sherry Petruccione
Sue Broderick
Sue Talbot
Tom Ercoli
Todd Nugai
Vicky Hodge
Holiday Spinning Contest WINNERS Lots of serious Healthy Living going on at the Y over the holiday season! Congratulations to Loribeth Young and Joe Stanley. They each won a $50 gift certificate to Performance Bike for attending the most spin classes from Oct 29th-Dec 15th.
THERE'S STILL TIME TO REGISTER FOR THE NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION CLUB!
Starts January 21st, FREE for members of the Y...It's the personal support you need to challenge yourself, to set and attain your goals and to stay engaged in your wellness!
 TIME FOR TRIATHLON!!!
Are you wondering what all the buzz is about swimming, biking and running? There is still ONE MORE info meeting next Saturday, January 26th at 10am! Please attend and have your questions answered!
BRIGHTSPOTS is a way that YMCA staff can be nominated and recognized by fellow staff for great work, dedication and all around awesomeness.
Here our some recent nominees from our staff team that we think are really BRIGHT SPOTS in our organization!
Carla Morales from membership: "When I was DOD on Sunday, she was here early and ready to work. It was clear she didn't wake up minutes before her shift and roll out of bed like some kids her age would. Definitely a nice friendly fresh face to see when you first walk into the building. Throughout the day working with her, she was always smiling and greeting members, she was courteous, respectable, and just an overall pleasure to work with. When she was sitting at the counter eating lunch, I was covering for her and a member came in and asked for a tour. I replied that I would be happy to show her around in 5 minutes (when Carla was finished with her lunch - she had just finished heating it up).
When Carla heard my response, she immediately got up and said "My food can wait, members come first." I was impressed.
And of course it was one of those long tours where Carla had to re-heat her food when I came back, and she never complained.Go Carla!"
Joanna Pond from wellness:
"I would like to nominate Joanna for her spin class and her creativity and undeniable dedication to our members."
Nadia Abreau from membership:
"Nadia was the first front-line staff person we invited to a Management Team Meeting. She provided us with some great input and valuable feedback. She took a ton of notes, and after the meeting she even followed up with some additional ideas as to how the rest of the membership staff could contribute to the goals we set for 2013 at the retreat. It was refreshing to see someone new at the meeting be so engaged."
Kim & Sarah from ChildWatch
: I spent some time in Child Watch on a Thursday night, and the entire time I was in there, Kim & Sarah referred to every child who was there by name. They were doing an awesome job building relationships with the kids, and I was impressed that they could remember all of those names.
You can nominate a YMCA BrightSpot too!
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These simple steps don't cost a thing, but can potentially save you 10-25% on your monthly energy bill.
- Turn off lights and appliances when not in use. Don't forget your computer. Most new computers have sleep settings.
Plug technology into surge suppressors and turn off the whole strip when not in use.
- In the cold months, set the thermostat to 68 degrees when home, and then back to 55 - 68 degrees when unoccupied.
- In the winter, open window coverings on the sunny side of your home to take advantage of free heat from the sun. Close the coverings on cloudy days or right after the sun sets.
- In warm months, set the thermostat to 78-80 degrees when home and 5 to 10 degrees warmer at night or when you're not home.
- In the cooling season, close blinds and drapes during the day to keep heat out.
- Also, use your dishwasher, clothes washer and dryer, and cook as late in the evening as possible.
- Set your water heater to 120 degrees.
- Close foundation vents in the winter months.
- Vacuum your refrigerator coils (underneath and in the back) and don't obstruct the coils. They need air space to work.
- Dress according to the weather.
- Keep the seals (gaskets) on refrigerators and freezers clean.
- Keep your freezer as full as possible. You can place containers or plastic bottles filled with water in the empty spaces.
- Make sure food is cool and covered before it goes into the refrigerator.
- Run full loads in your washer and dryer, and use "solar drying" (clotheslines).
- Use energy saver option on your dishwasher, allowing dishes to air dry.
- If your A/C unit is on the ground, keep the area around it clean and free of obstructions to maintain air flow.
- Unplug your televisions/VCR when you're on vacation. Most new sets draw power even when they're turned off.
- If your dishwasher has a filter, keep it clean.
- Clean the reflectors underneath the burners on stovetops.
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Our LIVESTRONG participants are in their 7th week of our program, and we could not be happier with their progress. Each day they inspire us with their determination, their positive outlook on life, and their ability to push through their workouts despite how they may be feeling that day.
Our LIVESTRONG instructors have been meeting with our survivors twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays and they are already stronger. Each of them has a different type of cancer and has opened up to the group about their experience with this awful disease. They are supportive of each other and spend their workout sessions joking around with one another. They have done strength workouts, cardio interval workouts, Tai Chi, Zumba, and even a spin class! In addition to being stronger, they have reported less back pain, less knee pain, less shoulder pain, (all ailments mentioned during their intakes), notice improvements in their flexibility and say everyday tasks like walking up stairs is easier. In fact, yesterday our pancreatic cancer survivor reported that as of Monday, she is officially in remission! Her doctor said all tests came back "perfect!" - good cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar, and all clear of cancer!
The main goal has been to help each survivor return to their "old normal," and when we see the smiles on their faces as they achieve things they didn't think they were capable of post-treatment, we know we are doing just that. It has been a learning experience for our instructors too. Spending time with the survivors has made us appreciate our lives more and helps us to not worry so much about the "small stuff." It has been a rewarding experience building relationships with this group.
The next session will run in March and has five spots available.
 For more information please contact:
Meghan Curley
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RESOLUTION APOCALYPSE
Here at the Y, January looms over us like the apocalypse. We know it's coming, and that it's going to hit hard and fast. There will be casualties. We will need caffeine and lots of it.
From the member perspective, January can mean several different things. Our long-time dedicated and frequent visitor members dread this time of year...fighting the crowds in the parking lot and in the wellness center. I've actually heard them chortle about the fact that the crowds will all be gone come April. On the other end of that spectrum is the prospective member....making yet another promise year after year that THIS will be their year, that they will stick to the routine, learn something new, make a lifestyle change. As a staff person at the Y, I both love and dread this relationship with the resolution member. However, I see each one of them as an opportunity to become lifetime members of the Y and fully engaged. This excites me because I know once that shift takes place within someone there is no going back. Lives are transformed, people are happier. This leads me to a great blog entry by one of these resolution members from another Y:
"Skinny people will never know how hard it is for a fat chick to walk into a gym for the first time. It's like being dropped at a train station in a foreign country- you don't speak the language or have any friends. Just so I couldn't change my mind, I even put it on my calendar. Between 9:30 and 11:oo, I was going to the gym. Other than taking the kids swimming, I haven't set foot in a gym in 10 years. That's a travesty of it's own- but it stops today. Okay, deep breath, and I am ready.
I'm going to check the place out and get my bearings. In the large gym area next to the giant rock-climbing wall there are women bouncing all over the place with half-balls stuck to the floor, and some crazy chick yelling with headset mic. Not for me. Not today. There are some lonely stationary bikes, mats and climbing equipment outside the basketball courts. I like the idea of rock climbing. But I know I'm not stuffing my butt in a harness today. That's a goal to shoot for... in a long time.
Making my way upstairs, I come to a large circular room with windows overlooking the pool on one side and the gym on the other. It looks like a medieval torture room I once saw visiting the Tower of London, and I know I'm not the first one to make that comparison. I have no idea what any of them do, and am frankly self-conscious and a little embarassed, which does not help me want to jump on and get going. I find an information desk and stand waiting for someone to notice me.
This is a lonely place to stand. I am unsure of myself. The doubts and voices in my head get louder the longer I stand there. As a fat girl, I am already invisible most of the time, and here, in my new exercise clothes, in a land where I neither speak nor understand the language, I stand waiting, and the humiliation crawls up my back and starts to burn my shoulders. Someone please notice me.
A woman finally asks what I need. I don't know. I'm new. I think I need someone to show me what to do. But I don't know. There is a certain expectation when offering help that the helpee will know what they need. I don't. I am awkward and mask my fear with wisecracks and bravado. Help me. I am here, and that is more than half the battle, you don't even know. Tell me what to do, how to start those wicked devices upstairs that will carry me from here to a longer life.
"I'm new and I need a consultation- I am unsure how to use the equipment or where I should even be." I hope my smile hides the glazing of tears in my eyes.
She sees me. "Come with me. Didn't anyone give you a tour when you signed up? No? I'm sorry- with all the new people in January it gets hectic. Let me introduce you to Heather, and she can help." Oh thank you Lord. I like Heathers.
Heather is older than me, dressed in a track suit and invites me into her office, and I feel the color come back to my face. I am so afraid. I am so out of my comfort zone. She tells me how to sign up for a personal session- I get two free with my membership- and shows me a list of classes. She offers to walk me around the site and show me how the machines work, how to turn them on and off, and what I might expect from my personal training session. Yes, yes please... if someone would just tell me what to do, show me where to put my feet, give me a plan, I will conquer my demons and just do it...
She left me on a machine I think is usually for the geriatric crowd, but I needed a success, so I got on that contraption and kept going until my legs were weak and my shoulders were screaming not from humiliation but from fatigue. Take that, voices. Shut up. I don't have to listen to you anymore. Go away. I'm the boss now.
Making my way downstairs to the locker room, it felt like when I was little and would take off my skates after a day at the rink. Wobbly and numb. Tomorrow I will hurt, I know. But nothing will hurt as much as being invisible. I can do this. I can do hard things. And tomorrow I will be back.
And some of our resolution members WILL BE BACK. They will conquer their demons and tell the fat girl/fat guy exactly where to go. So we all need to be patient. Really patient, and hope that we can help facilitate the change that needs to take place and make them Y lifers. After all, this place is magic. We know that...but every January, it's time to let some more people in on the Healthy Living secret.
Angie Matthis & The Greater Waterbury YMCA
If you would like to make a gift to the Y please click the button below.
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
MLK Day Clothing Giveaway- Monday, Jan. 21st. 9am-noon at the NOI auditorium on North Elm Street, Waterbury. Men, women, teen and child winter clothing, all sizes. Contact: Melissa Zwang
Camp Mataucha Registration- Begins Monday, Feb. 1st - we will be accepting Camp Staff applications beginning in February.
Register now!
Session 2 Registration-Registration for Session 2 begins February 11th for MEMBERS! Winter classes fill quickly, so register early. PREVIEW NEW SESSION BROCHURE
Triathlon Club New Member Info Sessions- INTERESTED ATHLETE INFO SESSIONS:
Info Session: Saturday, 1/26/13, 10:00 AM
Club Registrations opens: 1/1/13
For more info: Chris Hibbs Triathlon Club Kickoff Party Tuesday, Feb. 12th
6p.m. Chase Collegiate
A great event for all registered 2013 Triathlon Club members. Celebrate the start of a new season and meet the athletes and sponsors of the club. For more information please or contact:
Waterbury's 100 Best Youth Celebration- Tuesday, Feb. 26th
5p.m. Palace Theatre
For more information please visit:
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SUPER SUNDAYS
Every Sunday for family members of the YMCA. Schedule is subject to change, please check with the Y for new additions!
The best family value for entertainment in town, FREE with family membership!
A whole day of fun stuff in the dead of winter to get the family moving.
- *ChildWatch 9:00 AM 12:00 PM
- Family Swim 1:30 PM 3:00 PM
- Rock Climbing 10:00 AM 12:00 PM TBA
- Family Zumba 10:00 AM 10:45 AM
- Family Open Gym 10:00 AM 12:00
- Youth Wellness 1:30 PM 3:00 PM
* ChildWatch will be themed days with movies, art projects
and Storytimes, Wii tournaments and open play. |
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CELEBRATE WATERBURY'S 100 BEST YOUNG PEOPLE!
February 26th, 2013
5:00pm Palace Theatre of Waterbury
Join us as we celebrate the youth nominated in the City of Waterbury by agencies all over the area.
For more info contact:
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