My son Jaxson and I were invited to the Y from a parent of a child in his preschool. They were short one player on the 3-4-year-old basketball team so we decided to play. Thankfully the director let us pay the member price because the teams were short players. My interest in the Y grew as we went to practice every week. I'd been a member at Planet Fitness prior to having my son, but canceled after suffering two debilitating injuries (erupted disc in back and broken collarbone).
Physical was missing from spiritual, emotional health
Prior to us playing basketball at the YMCA, I had no idea childcare was offered there. After hearing about the financial assistance I could receive, I took some time to pray about the decision to join. I was in the 
middle of trauma from ongoing family issues and had been receiving counseling from the incident while also being involved in my church. The Lord was providing for my emotional and spiritual health, but I was ignoring the physical. It was obvious that I was not balancing physical health after our experience at the Y during basketball. In the past, I used to exercise to release excess energy. Coincidentally not exercising combined with life’s personal struggles, I had lots of anxiety! After careful consideration, prayers, and fasting I decided to become a member of the Y.
IT HAS BEEN AMAZING!
Weights and stairs lead to personal training
Committed to once or twice a week, I've found that balance again. I started doing small weights and the stairs. My back injury restricts me from running (though running has been my favorite and main form of exercise over the years). Last summer I grew interested in the 30-minute Personal Training demo. I really knew little about weights and machines, and that intimidated me from using them. So I tried it and just felt a real connection with the personal trainer, Rebecca.
Strength within myself
Losing weight wasn’t my goal, just proper knowledge of how to use the equipment and shorter (30 min) workouts rather than the 1-1.5 hours of running I was used to. I signed up with Rebecca and during my journey with her, she helped me find the strength within myself. The confidence and emotional impact outweigh the physical strength I gained (no pun intended). My time with Rebecca was short due to financial reasons, but I’m grateful I connected with her and her passion to help people. Today I feel more confident using the machines and am finding subtle ways to challenge myself without injury. Rebecca was cautious in our activities not causing any pain to my weakened spine.
Jaxson loves going too
We always stop at the entrance to look up, and he asks “Mommy, is this where you work out?”
The outside pool is also wonderful! My car broke down Memorial Day weekend so Jaxson and I walked to the Y and got some relief from the heat in the pool. The kid pool is huge, bigger than any I’ve seen. On some Saturdays I would workout, go for a quick swim, then take Jaxson to the kid pool, and we didn’t have to drive anywhere.
The Lord is good
We are so grateful for the Y. The Lord is good, all the time, but it’s really special when I look back over the last year and see His hand in every step. From our first invite to play basketball to using the pool, free demo, to the Christmas Giving Tree, God is good! And I am grateful for the YMCA being His hands and feet.
