YMCA of the North Blog

As a Freshman coming to the University of Minnesota, I saw the University YMCA as an opportunity to work in the Twin Cities community and utilize the values and skills I had obtained from my past experiences with the YMCA. I was able to find a community within the University YMCA where I felt welcomed, respected, and important. This experience helped me handle the immensity of the University of Minnesota that was intimidating to me as a young college student.

I arrived in the fall of 1963. Working with students we eventually initiated several new U-Y programs began including Project Motivation (student mentors for inner city children) Project Friendship (mentors for incarcerated youth), and a signature series of Conferences on Values in Higher Education for top University student leaders and faculty.

At the Y, we believe everyone has a right to good health. Which is why we did everything we could to make sure Amanda could end her long commute to Courage Center for her cerebral palsy therapy and instead get her therapy workout at the Downtown St Paul YMCA.  The right access and the right equipment made all a big difference. 

They say time heals all wounds but what a person does with the scars that remain is the real test. Mike Stahl has passed that test and then some.

When Amy’s husband Jeff was deployed to Kuwait from May 2011-May 2012, she found herself a single parent with a son suffering from Asperger’s Syndrome. Determined to get herself back into shape, she joined the Y and committed herself to being healthy.

Every Y member has a story. Most are “normal,” some are “special,” each is unique. This story illustrates the strength of the human spirit, and the Y’s dedication to helping people remain strong in spirit, mind and body.

 

In the late ‘90s Michael Lyght was extremely healthy, active, and enjoying his work in a local hospital and at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design. He exercised regularly at the Downtown Y. Next on his list was learning windsurfing and in-line skating.

 

Then—suddenly—came headaches, blurred vision, numbness on his right side, six grueling weeks in Intensive Care, and the diagnosis of a life-threatening brain-stem infection.

 

“This is too dangerous for surgery,” his doctors said. Antibiotics beat back the infection, but Michael was left paralyzed in his arms and legs. “My right arm hung limp, flopping around like a mudflap on a semi,” he recalls.

 

Michael spent the next six months learning life in a wheelchair and wondering about his future.

 

“I didn’t get depressed,” he says. “I remember thinking, I wouldn’t even be able to get to a bridge, never mind jump off it.”

 

Michael fought back. A major battleground was the workout room at the Downtown YMCA. He started slow with weights and adapted cardio equipment, but soon saw progress. Over time he regained his fitness (losing more than 50 pounds), got strength in his arms, and traded in his wheelchair for a cane.

 

In 1998 Michael received the “YMCA Inspirational Award” from the Downtown Y staff and members. “He’s our locker room hero,” a Y friend said.

 

Today Michael maintains his daily workout regimen and uses that cane only sporadically. He remains positive, upbeat, looking to the future. How does he do it?

 

“The Y has been a wonderful support,” he says. “The staff and members have been very encouraging.”

 

Michael also offers these practical points for others facing life-changing challenges.

 

1. Surround yourself with good people.
2. Look within yourself—find your personal strength and determination.
3. Be consistent—create a routine that you miss when you miss it.
4. On those days when you don’t feel like doing it—do it anyway.
5. Be motivated by your results and progress—they will come!

 

If you need special support to help you begin or maintain your fitness journey, or if you know someone else who does, please feel free to contact your local Y’s Fitness department. The Y is here to help!

This chapter of my life began six years ago. As a pack a day smoker, I was breathing heavily just walking up the stairs. I felt as if I dropped and sagged everywhere and had basically let myself go.

My body needed some serious maintenance and I finally thought, “That’s it!” I need to do something. I made a conscious decision to commit to improving my health, which included quitting smoking and exercising (not necessarily in that order).

I set a date to quit smoking. February 1, 2006. I decided to join the Y because most of my family members already belonged. I was still smoking when I joined the Y, so cardio was out of the question.

Working out on the machines was a chore…zzzzzzz. My sister introduced me to Body Pump and exercising actually became fun. I really wanted to take the next step and enter a more intensive cardio arena. I’d gained over 20 pounds after I quit smoking and I needed something new.

I had walked by Jennie’s TurboKick classes MANY times, but was very intimidated. I decided it was now or never. In my first few classes I anxiously tried to keep up - my brain and body weren’t on the same page. 

But I admit I was hooked in no time. People are drawn to the positive energy in the class (or maybe it’s Jennie coaxing us…”You’re tired; I DON’T CARE”). Gotta love it! Jennie’s classes are very fun, upbeat, and challenging in a good way. She makes workouts fun!

I feel as if I’ve awakened from a long slumber. I’ve shaken off the cobwebs of a sedentary lifestyle and have a new lease on life. I may not have lost the whole 20 pounds I gained six years ago, but more importantly, I’m healthier!

Thanks to Fitness Instructor Jennie Berglund for sharing this story!

 

Healthy Recipe - Fast. Healthy. Vegetarian: Angel Hair with Tri-color Tomato Sauce.