My Y Story: New Year's Resolutions at the Y
We can’t believe it, 2023 is here! The turn of the calendar can bring a renewed focus on what goals you’re setting out to achieve over the next 12 months. And we here at the YMCA hope to be with you as you embark on that personal journey throughout the year.
Members of our YMCA community have expressed how our facilities are helping them achieve their resolutions. Michael Williams, an Active Older Adult member who frequents the Maplewood branch, shared how the Y helps his mind just as much as his body.
“It’s a place where I come to and maintain my sanity,” said Williams, who balances his time at the Y between working two jobs. “It makes me calm, it takes the stress off of me. When you work two jobs, this is what you need. And I stay physically fit.”
At 62 years old, Williams has relied on the Y to reach peak physical shape — one that any member would be thrilled to have.
While visiting our Northwest branch, Erin Jackson was able to share how helpful the Y has been in her post-pregnancy training. Jackson, 34, has been able to get back into a workout routine as she raises her 9-week-old son, Owen.
Jackson has been attending the Northwest YMCA since she was 5 years old and even attended camps as a child. Now in her adult years, the Y allows her to be the center of the focus, even for a moment at a time.
“It’s just a good place to kind of focus on myself and things for me and to be healthy,” Jackson said. “When I come in, I just focus though, so I don’t really talk to a lot of people. But I’ve always loved the Y, grew up at the Y.”
Kitta Souvannarath is also a frequent visitor of our Northwest Y. He has experienced a tremendous path in life; after being born in a refugee camp in Laos in Southeast Asia, Souvannarath’s parents fled to Thailand. They would then leave Thailand for the United States when Souvannarath was 6 months old, and he’s been living in Rochester ever since.
Souvannarath, 42, has been a member of the Y for nearly a year now. And considering it’d be a place for himself and his two daughters, Avery and Abby, Kitta has enjoyed the family-oriented culture of the facilities.
“I originally joined the Y to put my kids in swim lessons and whatnot, because they love the water,” Souvannarath said. “And then I figured, since I’m already a member, let me just utilize the gym. And then I just kind of changed my lifestyle, lost a bunch of weight, and now I’m just trying to keep it off at this point, doing what I can.
“Everyone was really helpful here. If I had any questions of any sort, I just asked people and they were really welcoming, and everyone was really nice.”