This post is written by long-time YMCA member and champion dragon boat racer Dianne Mowat.
I have been a Y member for many years, but in the early days I was just concerned with maintaining a dress size -- I wasn't really thinking about getting strong.
My big change came when I went from participating in a community dragon boat team to a competitive crew. I had to ‘earn’ my seat in the boat, which meant lifting heavy weights. That's when I started scheduling personal training sessions at the Y, because no one should start a weight program without first getting some guidance from a personal trainer---you could really injure yourself!
Since training with Dominique at the Central YMCA I have gained so much muscle and endurance, and drastically improved my paddling. In fact, I am now a two-time dragon boating national champion, and am off to race in the World Club Crews in Ravenna, Italy in September with my team, Outer Harbour Senior Women! (Fun fact: The "senior" division in dragon boating consists of women over 40, but at 60 years old I'm able to not only keep up with women younger than me, but also beat them!)
Since ramping up my training at the Y my overall health and been significantly positively impacted. For example, before starting personal training, I had the bones of a 70-year-old was was clinically diagnosed as low bone density. Today, my bone density has improved so much that my doctor has taken me off all my bone medications.
I owe a lot to the Y. The YMCA is different from most other gyms because it is a community. The people here, including both the staff and other members, are what really make this place a home. Everyone pushes everyone else to stick with their fitness routine, to the point where if I miss a day I have members call me to tell me to get my butt to the gym! Needless to say, I LOVE starting my morning at the Y!
