YMCA offers local online workouts as Stay-At-Home Order extended
As the Province of Ontario announced an extension of the current Stay-At-Home Order on Thursday, May 13, 2021, the YMCA of Eastern Ontario has announced a locally-based workout program, safe for residents to participate in from home.
The series of 10 free classes per week beginning on Monday, May 17, 2021 aims to not only help residents maintain a healthy level activity, but also motivate and stimulate during a time that’s causing widespread mental health issues due to current restrictions, explained Rob Adams, CEO for the YMCA of Eastern Ontario.
“Successive lockdowns are taking their toll on people’s mental health and we know that physical activity can help,” Adams said in a statement. “Anticipating today’s provincial announcement to extend the lockdown, our staff wanted to help by doing what they do best – helping people get up and get moving!”
While YMCA Canada will continue to offer their free online workouts through ‘YMCA at Home,’ the eastern Ontario branch of the Y wanted to connect with their members more personally, as was done during the first provincial lockdown. According to the YMCA of Eastern Ontario, this upcoming series will cover a wide range of exercises for those of all abilities, from sit-fit, gentle stretch, and seniors’ strength classes, to more vigorous rip, tabata, and cardio blast classes. The classes will run from 30 minutes to one hour in duration. And the best part? Tseries will be led by local instructors that Y members are familiar with!
“We really miss seeing our members and hope they know that we’re thinking of them,” said Adams. “This is one of the ways we trying to continue to serve our communities during the pandemic.”
According to a news release from the YMCA of Eastern Ontario, there are a number of services their organization has provided and continues to provide to support local residents during the pandemic. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the local Y has offered emergency childcare to essential workers, provided access to its Kingston facility for Artillery Park members while that location was being used as a temporary shelter, is providing transportation for residents of rural Leeds Grenville to vaccination sites, and has provided new service to Seely’s Bay, Sydenham and Rideau Heights. The Y is also exploring new partnerships like those with the Town of Prescott and Providence Manor.
“I’m so proud of my team,” said Adams. “We always say that service is in the YMCA DNA and our staff have proved this time and time again.”
The local workouts will be available at the Y’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts, as well as on Y’s website at eo.ymca.ca/virtual-y, beginning on Monday, May 17, 2021. Please see the schedule for the workouts below.
