All mothers know it can be tough to find time for a workout. Instead of sacrificing family time to hit the gym, Heather discovered she could combine the two. She’s spent the last decade getting active with her whole family at the Mississauga YMCA:
“I’ve always loved to swim, but all of the city pools near my home have such limited hours, which made it tough to fit workouts into my schedule. Ten years ago, my husband gave me a membership to the Mississauga YMCA for Christmas; he had called around looking for pools with better hours, and the Y told him I could swim whenever I wanted - even as early as 5:00 am!
I started out just swimming laps like I had always done, but quickly discovered the AquaFit classes. Having an instructor was really helpful for me: they tell you what to do and why. You’re not just mindlessly doing exercises; your instructor tells you where you should be feeling it, and where you should see results.
They also get you to socialize with your classmates by telling you to introduce yourself to someone new. I’ve made tons of friends that way, and for the last few years, we’ve been holding potlucks so we can spend more time together out of class. There are people from every different walk of life in these classes, so my classmates are always teaching me something new. I believe that having a strong social life is just as important to good health as being strong physically, and the Y has provided me with that social component.
The fall after I joined the Mississauga YMCA, my son started swimming lessons there too. He loved it so much that now he volunteers at the pool every Saturday. My daughter comes to AquaFit classes with me now as well, and my husband loves getting his cardio on the bike or running track. We love doing the Family Swim, but even when we’re each doing our own thing, we’re all at the Y together. I’m so glad my family has found this positive, welcoming place: I see the YMCA core values at work here every day.”
Invest in more quality time with your family, and watch everyone’s health and wellbeing soar! Browse our selection of family friendly programs and start getting active as a team.
“I’ve always loved to swim, but all of the city pools near my home have such limited hours, which made it tough to fit workouts into my schedule. Ten years ago, my husband gave me a membership to the Mississauga YMCA for Christmas; he had called around looking for pools with better hours, and the Y told him I could swim whenever I wanted - even as early as 5:00 am!
I started out just swimming laps like I had always done, but quickly discovered the AquaFit classes. Having an instructor was really helpful for me: they tell you what to do and why. You’re not just mindlessly doing exercises; your instructor tells you where you should be feeling it, and where you should see results.
They also get you to socialize with your classmates by telling you to introduce yourself to someone new. I’ve made tons of friends that way, and for the last few years, we’ve been holding potlucks so we can spend more time together out of class. There are people from every different walk of life in these classes, so my classmates are always teaching me something new. I believe that having a strong social life is just as important to good health as being strong physically, and the Y has provided me with that social component.
The fall after I joined the Mississauga YMCA, my son started swimming lessons there too. He loved it so much that now he volunteers at the pool every Saturday. My daughter comes to AquaFit classes with me now as well, and my husband loves getting his cardio on the bike or running track. We love doing the Family Swim, but even when we’re each doing our own thing, we’re all at the Y together. I’m so glad my family has found this positive, welcoming place: I see the YMCA core values at work here every day.”
Invest in more quality time with your family, and watch everyone’s health and wellbeing soar! Browse our selection of family friendly programs and start getting active as a team.
