The YMCA: Bringing wellness to your home and service to the community
Our world is stressful and unpredictable, especially these days. But health, wellness and a sense of connection to the broader community can be a solace to those who remain inside — and the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh can help fulfill all of these needs from a safe distance.
Even though Y branches are temporarily closed, its staff members are serving the community through a new digital initiative called YWithYou. This online database is filled with workouts, recipes, mindfulness exercises and other information to help people of all ages cultivate wellness during these unprecedented times — including seniors.
Through its Active At Any Age program, the Y helps seniors maintain a higher quality of life and independence through physical activity, which is essential to their wellbeing. Regular exercise provides many benefits, including a decreased risk of diseases and conditions like osteoporosis, diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary artery disease. By building stronger muscles, better balance and coordination, and by improving energy levels through physical activity, seniors can maintain or improve their basic living skills.
In addition to these resources, the Y also provides YLive — virtual group exercise classes that people can live stream and participate in from the safety of their homes. Part of the YAtHome initiative, YLive provides classes from favorite instructors at specific, local Ys — giving people familiar faces and new friends to connect with.
But the Y’s mission extends much further than health and wellness. You see, this nonprofit also provides vital services such as food pantries, emergency food services, low-income housing and programs connecting the vulnerable with critical social services. To do this good work in the community, the Y needs everyone’s support. By launching YWithYou and its digital kin, the Y hopes to help Pittsburghers with their virtual wellness endeavors while reminding them about the nonprofit’s greater impact — beyond its fitness centers.
To learn more about the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh, visit pittsburghymca.org.