Category: Blog

While we celebrated with gratitude last Thursday, the epic winter storm in the days that followed left many of us feeling stuck — both literally and figuratively. Whether you’ve finished off the pumpkin pie while watching your driveway fill with snow; are going a little stir crazy from being stuck in the house; or are feeling certain muscles for the first time after all the shoveling, the Y can help!

Members always have access to the Y’s mobile app as part of their membership. Y360 has thousands of videos to help you and your family get moving, get centered or get creative. In honor of the Black Friday Storm of 2024, here are a few of our favorites:

Meditation Guidance: https://ymca360.org/search?q=meditation
Use when: Out-of-town guests are stuck at your house.

Stretching Techniques: https://ymca360.org/collections/38147/videos/16471
Use when: You’ve lifted and tossed ice chunks from the edge of your driveway for the third time in two days.

Children’s Activities: https://ymca360.org/categories/203
Use when: Your kids have played with every toy in the house and they’re bored now.

Lower Back Care: https://ymca360.org/categories/151/videos/4070
Use when: You’ve been sleeping on the couch since last Wednesday because your out-of-town guests have the big bedroom (See #1)

New Releases (Recipes, Crafts & Workouts): https://ymca360.org/categories/85/videos/39457
Use when: The leftovers are gone.

Literary Arts: https://ymca360.org/categories/213/videos/10950
Use when: It’s time to snuggle up with some hot chocolate and enjoy the extra time together.

On behalf of all of us at the YMCA of Greater Erie, stay safe, stay warm and we’ll see you in person soon!

We hope that you enjoy your Thanksgiving Dinner!

Don’t let all those extra calories get you down – Burn the Bird with the Y on Friday, November 29th.
We have an amazing variety of classes planned throughout the day at all of our locations.

Glenwood
8:00am – Silver sneakers/Gilmore Gym w/ Curtis
8:30am – Restorative Yoga/Holistic Center w/ Julie
9:00am – Strength Training/Studio One w/ Heidi
10:00am – Body Blitz/Studio One w/ Jeremias
10:30am – Vinyasa Yoga/Holistic Center w/ Janet
11:00am – Silver sneakers/Gilmore Gym w/ Curtis
11:30am – Zumba/Studio One w/ Olga 

Eastside
6:00am – HIIT w/ Erin
8:00am – Muscle Pump w/ Shelly Miller
8:00am – SS Yoga Stretch
9:00am – Step w/ Shelly Miller
9:00am – SS Classic
10:00am – SoulFusion w/ Deanna
10:00am – SS Yoga Stretch
1:00pm – SS Boom Move
1:45pm – SS EnerChi

County
7:00am – HIIT w/ Robin
7:45am – Core and Stretch w/ Robin

YMCA360
Enjoy hundreds of on-demand classes: www.ymca360.org/home

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month in May, the YMCA of Greater Erie is encouraging community members to care for themselves and others.

Mental health is how we think, feel and act. At the Y, we recognize that we all have mental health, and mental health is an important part of our overall health and social-emotional well-being, as well as a core component of our identity.

The Y supports the mental health of individuals and communities in all the work we do to help people reach their full potential—whether that’s teaching life skills to youth in our summer camps, supporting our staff, helping people achieve their best physical health or helping newcomer immigrants access services. This type of non-clinical support is called “community care” and includes:

• Understanding mental health as something we all have—it is how we think, feel, and act.
• Applying positive self-care practices routinely.
• Engaging in conversations in a genuine way, with empathy and the intent of building meaningful relationships.
• Understanding and applying trauma-informed guiding principles when interacting with others.
• Understanding the impact of social determinants of health, systemic racism, discrimination and marginalization on mental health.
• Modeling emotion regulation, co-regulation, and effective coping skills.
• Recognizing signs that someone may be struggling.
• Connecting individuals to primary and specialty support when needed.
• Providing initial response in crisis situations.
• Initiating dialogue and collaborating with others to embed mental health informal care support throughout the community.

All the above are informed by practices found in social-emotional learning, trauma-informed care and suicide prevention. Through this work, we can reduce the risk and impact of mental illness, provide early intervention, and support the process of healing and recovery. We also provide a critical bridge to formal mental health care providers when needed.

Everyone can play a role in mental health community care. In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Y encourages you to identify simple ways you can care for yourself and others, such as:

• Using your powers of observation to notice when someone may be struggling with a hard day, moment or situation.
• Intentionally asking “how are you?” and encouraging honest answers so others can share and feel heard.
• Bringing empathy, compassion and kindness to your daily interactions.
• When you notice someone struggling, connecting them to mental health resources like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (800-273-8255 or https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org).