Wellness Overview

Create Energy And Feel Better
From Aerobics to Zumba, the YMCA offers a variety of classes and programs. Try one of our many exercise classes including Y Cycle, yoga, karate, and circuit training and much more! Offered at convenient times each day, you’re sure to find a class to match your interest and ability.

» Search Group Exercise Classes now

The Monroeville Area YMCA wellness facility features state-of-the-art resistance training equipment, an abundance of cardiovascular equipment, free weight areas, and knowledgeable staff who can help you learn to use these tools to meet your goals - giving you the confidence you need to begin a wellness program and the motivation to turn healthy activities into lifelong habits.

In addition to wellness services at our location, our Corporate and Community Wellness Department creates a wellness atmosphere that includes weight and disease management programs, health screenings, and health information lectures to promote optimum wellness.

Contact our Wellness team with any questions you might have regarding your health, nutrition or available Y programs that will help you stay on track to a healthier lifestyle.

The Yoga in You
September is a month full of health observances.  In addition to being a month of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and National Cholesterol Education awareness, it is also home to Yoga Awareness.  Through the years, yoga has been researched and is known for a wide range of health benefits. These benefits include the following:

• Decreased blood pressure
• Lowered cholesterol values
• Increased flexibility
• Weight loss
• Deeper piece of mind
• Better skeletal alignment
• Improved respiration
• Enhanced brain function
• Stronger bones and joints
• Increased circulation

Focus on the Family
There is nothing better than the sense of belonging.  Being a part of a family tells us we belong and are accepted.  It is amazing to be a part of something that has a past, a present and a promising future.  Our first great teacher is our family.  It is the place where we experience life and are molded into the people we will become.  Take time this month to celebrate being a part of that special unit.  Practice family activities such as eating dinner together, planning get-togethers, sharing in traditions, and appreciating one another.

Here is a top ten list of activities to get you started:

• Prepare your meal together as a family
• Plan a vacation. Each family member writes down their favorite vacation spot and activities they would like to do.
• Pick a location in your area with historical significance, and spend a Saturday exploring and learning. Break out your family photo albums and enjoy looking back on all your great memories.
• Spend 30 minutes each night learning words in a different language.  Choose from German, Spanish or even sign language.
• Watch movies from the year each member of your family was born.
• Get creative and make a family tree you can display.  See how far back you can trace your heritage.
• Pick an organization dear to your heart and spend the day as a family volunteering.
• Write letters and gather supplies to send to a friend in need, a soldier in service or church member on a mission trip.
• Pick an activity that everyone enjoys, such as tennis or baseball, and spend the afternoon playing.

Benefits of Eating Whole Grains
Whole grains may reduce the risk of developing many medical conditions, including the following

• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Cancer
• Diabetes
• Obesity
• Diverticulosis

How much whole grain do you need to include in your diet?
At least half of your total grain intake should come from whole grains. Children need at least two to three servings each day. One whole-grain servings equals one ounce, approximately the weight of:

• One slice of bread
• ½ cup (C) of cooked pasta
• ½ (C) of cooked hot cereal
• One serving of cold breakfast cereal

The Whole Grains Council recommends that everyone eat one serving of whole grains at every meal.  Visit the Whole Grains Council for more information.

Contributor: Kerri Napoleon, RD, CSSD, LD/N

Fat Burning Workout - Make Your Sweat Count!
Life is full of agendas.  Your life agenda may be for your career, hobbies, appointments, running errands, or school.  All agendas have one need in common…efficiency.  Your fitness is no different.  Wouldn’t you like an exercise routine that’s just as efficient as you are; one that works out the entire body effectively to burn the maximum number of calories?  Interval training is your answer! 

Interval training consists of strength training exercises mixed with cardio.  By combining these two forms of exercise, you are performing at an intensity that keeps your heart rate elevated, increasing your aerobic capacity as well as strengthening your muscles to lower your body fat percentage.

As individuals, we need to have a strong heart in order to have the stamina to participate in different activities.  Sure, taking the elevator at work is easy, but why not take the stairs?  Strength training is the only way to alter your body’s composition from adipose tissue (fat) to lean body mass (muscle).  With interval training, you accomplish both goals simultaneously.

Before starting the exercise routine, warm-up (10-15 min) with some cardio on a treadmill, bike, or elliptical machine.  Next, follow with the full-body interval program (30-45 min).  If you pick multi-muscular and multi-dimensional exercises, such as squat to press, wood-choppers or push-ups, you will gain maximum calorie burn. Lastly, you will want to cool down (5-10 min) to allow the heart rate to normalize and stretch to keep your muscles loose and prevent soreness.  With an interval training program, you will get an efficient fat burning workout and make your sweat count.