YMCA asks Edmontonians to ‘Take the challenge’
Forget watching the scale; lasting wellness comes from incremental health changes.
That’s the message the YMCA is hoping to spread with its new initiative, the Community Health Challenge, which launches Monday and runs for 12 weeks.
The focus of this program is to encourage the community to adopt sustainable long-term lifestyle changes.
“We really want to help people improve their overall quality of life,” says Jenna Buckley, adult fitness and lifestyle coordinator at the Jamie Platz Family YMCA. “We will be teaching a series of micro habits, plus tips and tricks that will have a lasting and beneficial impact on every aspect of health.”
To give Albertans a push towards the path of better health, the Y intends to lead by example, recruiting 15 volunteer participants—all with varying ages, health histories and fitness levels. They will meet with personal trainers in an effort to overhaul their health.
“Each of the participants is experiencing different challenges when it comes to achieving their health goals,” says Amy Stecyk, director of fund development for YMCA of Northern Alberta.
“We’ve chosen them purposefully to prove that no matter your fitness level, or well-being and health challenge, there are ways to overcome barriers and improve your health.”
The process will begin by identifying the various barriers and challenges to meeting their health and wellness goals. From there, a team of YMCA Staff will help each participant implement small but beneficial techniques into their daily lives, which will be instrumental in creating long-term success.
They’ll also meet weekly in groups of three for a fitness class tailored to their needs and goals, and receive weekly one-on-one personal training sessions and nutritional counselling. Each participant will keep a journal to track his or her progress.
It’s this emphasis on developing and implementing ongoing health and well-being routines that will make the lasting difference, Stecyk says.
“Studies show that consistent lifestyle changes focusing on eating right and exercising, however small they may be, have a significant impact on a person over time,” she says.
“Our goal is to help our community members understand that zeroing in on improved well-being – and not just on weight loss alone – is where the emphasis should be.”
Challenging all albertans to get healthy
Challenge participants and community members are encouraged to get involved at four free public workshops hosted by the Don Wheaton Family YMCA, starting January.
The first workshop, which happens on Saturday, Jan. 20, from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., will focus on how to get started on the journey to better health.
The second workshop is presented by Holos Productivity and takes place Wednesday Jan. 31, from 6 to 7 p.m. It will feature a talk from psychology professor Lynne Honey on the causes of stress, how to make healthy choices and how to manage stressors.
The third workshop is on Wednesday, Feb. 21, from 6 to 7 p.m., and addresses how to manage healthy living with physical limitations, and includes a group fitness class that will teach participants how to modify a fitness regime in a way that works for them.
The fourth workshop, presented by Weight Watchers, happens on Saturday, March 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., and covers ways to make healthier nutritional choices.
Each workshop is free to the public, including free access to the building, on-site childcare (preregistration is required) and complimentary threehour underground heated parking.
The Y hopes these public events, along with updates from the challenge participants, will create a ripple effect, resulting in more people taking an active look at what they can do to jumpstart their own health journeys.
“Our hope is this program will ignite a desire within our community to make healthy lifestyle choices, and an understanding that improving your health situation doesn’t have to feel impossible,” says Stecyk.
“Ultimately, when people are willing to push themselves out of their comfort zones, that’s when real change can happen.
“We’re excited to see the transformations in the participants’ overall lives – and to have the community follow them along the way.”