It seems as though not a day goes by that there isn’t an article or story in the news about both the mental and physical benefits of exercise. This human need has been greatly exacerbated by how COVID has forced so many to spend far more time at home than previously. The human body was designed to move and, indeed, rewards us when we do. Exercise helps to strengthen the immune system, fight disease and makes us feel better and be better at performing our daily tasks. Always important, exercise is now even more critical in our lives through this challenging time. It makes us better parents, caregivers, partners, friends and, I would hope (!), more effective at our work.
With this in mind, I am very pleased to announce that today we are launching a new Y member benefit: virtual group exercise, featuring your favorite Y instructors! This means that Y members can now choose to join in-person group exercise classes at our Y family centers and/or log on from anywhere to join either a live streaming class or access our growing library of archived "on-demand" classes. I hope this new Y member benefit helps our members feel even more supported in their efforts to stay healthy, both physically and emotionally. Of course, we won’t complain if we also attract new Y members as a result of this offering!
Check out this exciting new membership benefit at ymaryland.org.
Launching a new program of this magnitude requires tremendous focus and determination from a multi-disciplinary team of leaders. Thanks are owed to many, including Kelly Lepley, Monica Booker, Jeff Mazerski, Diana Beeson, Ryan Gadow, Sara Milstein, Chip Warner, and many others.
I’m excited about this. I’m also certain that this virtual offering will continue to evolve and improve as time goes on, including the addition of other Y programs and activities beyond Group Exercise.
While I don’t think that the future of the Y is an over-reliance on a virtual experience, I believe that virtual offerings are here to stay and will play an important supporting role to in-person Y experiences and programs as we begin to contemplate a post-COVID world sometime in the not-too-distant future. We all shall see!
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland