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Getting in shape just got easier, thanks to YMCA Health and Wellness Director Gail Hannan. One of the first certified public trainers in the country, Gail feels very strongly that exercise programs should be available to everyone, not just the privileged few who can afford a fancy gym.
"Fitness shouldn't be elitist," she says. To that end, Gail has teamed up with Norwalk Departments of Housing and Public Health, as well as Norwalk Public Schools, to bring low income kids into the Y.
"We introduce them to things they might not know about otherwise," she says. "We teach all the kids to swim, because this is a coastal community. Most of the kids already have access to a basketball hoop, so we expose them to racquetball and soccer - even yoga! Some of them love it, some of them hate it, but at least they're trying it."
When funding for scholarships is short, Gail finds the cash. In October she got a grant from the United Way for the Y's C.A.R.E. program (Children at Risk Exercise). Open to kids ages 5 to 16, C.A.R.E. is a medically supervised nutrition/weight management class that gets the whole family involved.
"We meet with kids twice a week, long-term," says Gail. "They really need to be involved for a year to make a permanent lifestyle change." Gail works with parents, too, on making the right food choices for their families.
"So many of them don't realize how bad soda is, or chips are," she says.
Gail also makes sure that kids in C.A.R.E. get involved in one of the many sports/fitness classes offered at the YMCA, from karate to gymnastics. A mother of two grown children who previously owned a fitness company in Westport, she's passionate about helping those in need.
"The diversity of our community is what I really love about working here," she says.
She's full of ideas, too. Among her long-term goals are bringing an affordable farmer's market to SoNo and using the Y's roof space for gardens.
"Then kids can learn how to grow their own food," she says.
And it won't be soda or chips!
For more info, call 203-866-4425 ext.305.
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