Second Annual Lean Machine Fitness Competition at the Darien Y

The Darien YMCA’s second annual Lean Machine Fitness Competition will be held for eight weeks starting Sunday, January 5thand ending Saturday, March 1st. Registration has begun in the Darien Y Wellness Center and is open to both members and non-members of the Darien Y.

The Lean Machine competition is a customized system for losing weight and getting fit. The competition is focused on percentage of body fat lost, instead of judging winners based on number of pounds lost. This provides competitors a level playing field and an equal chance to win the competition. Suzanne Ponticello, Director of Health and Fitness at the Darien Y, stresses that Lean Machine is “really applicable to anybody, regardless of age, gender, or fitness capacity.”

Upon signing up, participants will receive 2 group training sessions a week with a YMCA trainer, along with; a weekly nutritional class taught by Suzanne Ponticello, a weekly food and exercise plan provided by email, optional weekly weigh-ins and before and after pictures, a 10% discount at Embody Fitness Gourmet throughout the duration of the competition, 10% off all personal training packages purchased from January 5th- January 11th, a Living. Longer. Stronger. T-shirt, and a chance to win one of three amazing prizes.

Competitors are eligible to win over $3,000 in prizes. The first place prize includes a complimentary one- month membership to the Darien Y, a 10-pack of personal training sessions, a 5-pack of one hour massages, a $100 Embody Fitness Gourmet gift certificate. There are second and third place prizes as well.

Last year’s first place winner was Peter Sikora. Sikora lost 14.2% of his body fat, 18.9 pounds, and 17.6 inches. Sikora describes how he and his wife were both impacted by Lean Machine; “Before we started Lean Machine we had separate but equally dysfunctional routines. I played soccer, jogged, lifted weights and swam, which should have been sufficient but my diet habits were totally wrecking my results and it really showed up in my body fat analysis…With Lean Machine we've both learned the short comings of our old routines and habits and we're getting much better results with a lot less work.” Now Peter and his wife are using the nutritional tools they learned while competing in Lean Machine.

The second place competitor lost 13.6 inches and 7.5% of her body fat. Surprisingly though, she did not lose a single pound. This is why Ponticello stresses that “The scale is not the be-all and end-all. That’s what I want to teach people.” The third place winner was an 18- year old boy, further proving Ponticello’s point that the competition is suited for any age, gender, and fitness ability.

Lean Machine cost $400 for members, which comes to just $25 per training session, and all the extras, and $500 for non-members. For more information regarding Lean Machine, email wellnesscenter@darien-ymca.org.