Conklin said women make envious remarks about how “skinny” she is, and she responds directly by saying that skinny is not healthy. “I correct people and say there was a time when I was a lot skinnier and it was gross, and tell people skinny is not healthy, and skinny is not fit.”
As a program director at the Boys and Girls Club, she comes in contact with many girls with weight issues, due in part to food scarcity in their lives and limited access to healthy food options. Those kids, she said, pack ramen noodle packets, Hot Pockets, prepared frozen rolls or “eight thousand” bags of chips for their lunch. For the kids who express interest in getting fit or losing weight, she takes them swimming with her or lets them to exercise with her. She also now teaches ballet and Zumba for kids at the Boys and Girls Club, which she said has become wildly popular.
Putting herself first
Debbie Krom-Napoli of Hurley is an emergency room trauma nurse. She said when she first started working there she actually lost weight from the five to six miles in steps she takes in her 12 hour days. Krom-Napoli said late dinners following long periods of not eating put her body in “starvation mode,” amounting to its conservation of any calories. Krom-Napoli said she was always a caretaker, constantly taking care of others, but one day decided it was time to take care of herself, and so she joined Weight Watchers. “Having two kids in college and a fit husband [was motivating],” she said. “I needed to start taking care of myself instead of everyone else. I work in healthcare and need to be a better example. I work with so many nurses that smoke and eat unhealthy. I also want to someday see my grandchildren and be a ‘young’ grandmother.” Krom-Napoli has lost 30 lbs. since January. Krom-Napoli said that drinking plenty of water is paramount, making healthier meal and snack choices, and making sure that she engages in some form of movement every day.
“I am a person that needs structure and rules, tell me to do something and I will,” said Krom-Napoli. “I have a supportive family, my husband is awesome; my kids are an encouragement to me. For the first time in my life, I’m doing things for myself and not for somebody else.”
