Morrison Family YMCA taking new approach come February
by Morgan Smith
Members of the Morrison Family YMCA in Ballantyne participate in a group exercise class in the center’s new, 5,000-square-foot exercise room, completed in September. The new space, along with the two new gymnasiums, indoor track and stretching area, will play a key role in the organization’s Life Balance Series, kicking off in February, to promote healthy living as a family affair. (Morgan Smith/SCW photo)
In a family community like Ballantyne, it’s easy to get caught up with school, work and church, especially at the start of a new year. And with New Year’s resolutions facing off against conflicting schedules, it’s hard for families to find the time and convenience to be healthy in every aspect of life.
“Everyone is just so busy and going in a million different directions,” Michelle Miller, associate executive director of the Morrison Family YMCA of Ballantyne, said. “We want to find some programs and services that will help families continue with all their busyness, find time to connect with each other and also take care of themselves.”
Starting in February, the Morrison YMCA is taking a new direction for 2012, refocusing their programs to create life balance. Kicking off with a workshop called Parenting Adolescents, the organization is taking the initiative to create healthy lives all across the board – in more ways than just physical health. The YMCA is working with licensed counselors to conduct the workshops to provide more resources for parents and kids. Other topics Miller would like to address are raising teenagers, bullying in schools and healthy eating.
The organization is trying to be very intentional about making healthy lifestyles easy for the community, Miller said, and although the initiative is new and still in the works, one of the first big steps is scheduling kid programs at concurrent times with adult programs, making healthy lifestyles a family affair.
TRX Suspension Training, which stands for Total body Resistance exercise, is a new program at the Morrison YMCA. The program, which started in October, is a combination of strength and group training with the use of bands. (Morgan Smith/SCW photo)
“So mom can go take an exercise class while the child goes to youth fitness orientation or something like that… that’s one of the initiatives we’re trying to do as a part of our life balance series. We’re trying to really come up with ways to help people do this as a family,” Miller added.
Carol Bandril, a member of the Morrison YMCA, said for her family, the YMCA has brought them closer together and alleviated a lot of stress. The life balance initiative would be another way for her family to create more stability and convenience in their lives. For them, the YMCA has become a safe place where all of her family can have fun and do individual workouts, yet be connected as a family all at the same time.
“It’s really given our family our self-confidence back,” Bandril said. She and her husband have both lost around 20 pounds since joining the YMCA in September.
Bandril said it’s important for the YMCA to be family-oriented and applauds the organization for how they have connected with her kids.
“If you have to fight the kids to go, it takes away from the motivation,” she added.
Although January typically sees an increase in people at most fitness centers and health clubs, Miller said February is a great time to kick off the new life balance initiative because by that time, families are getting back into the swing of things and are fully recovered from the fast-paced holiday season. Usually by February, the volume has increased a lot, she said, although January is still very busy.
“It’s not like the doors bust open Jan. 1 and everyone comes flying in, but we have seen a real steady increase of people in terms of a volume standpoint – using the equipment and taking classes,” Miller said.
But with the recent expansion at Morrison, the typical “very full classes at the beginning of the year” haven’t been an issue with so much more space. The expansion project, which is a shared space and partnership with Forest Hill Church, was completed last September. The project added two full-size gymnasiums, a 5,000-square-foot group exercise room, an indoor track and an upstairs functional stretching area.
The expansion allowed the organization to accommodate more people and more age-specific facilities. The two new gymnasiums are designated for adults, and the other existing two gymnasiums were retrofitted to a youth and teen gymnasium and an athletic training center, which Miller described as the new area for people to do intense workout training, such as CrossFit and TRX Suspension Training. The space also is used for some youth performance programs.
“The good thing in Ballantyne is that we also have the Ballantyne Village location that actually helps dissipate some of the crowds we have,” Miller said. For 2012, the Ballantyne Village location is really investing in the yoga and Pilates programs, offering more intense yoga classes, Miller said.
The Ballantyne YMCA also opened a Corporate Wellness Center last year, located in the Ballantyne Corporate Park.
“That center really targets the corporate community to promote employee wellness, but our members have access to that as an added facility,” Miller said. The two core programs going on at the Corporate Wellness Center are Pilates Reformer and massage therapy.
Miller said the classic programs such as group exercise classes, boxing and personal training should all come in strong for 2012, as well, especially this time of year.
“A lot of one-on-one personal training does go up” because it’s “one of the most amazing returns on investment,” Miller said. “At Morrison, there is access to so much,” speaking of the amount of training facilities, nutrition education and technology assessment tools, such as Stay Healthy, which measures hydration, and Metabolic testing. Miller said accountability in personal training is an added bonus
“It really is the most bang for your buck,” Miller said.
Another classic program Miller suggests for those struggling with weight issues is the weight management program, a partnership with Carolinas HealthCare System, a program found throughout most YMCAs in the area.
“That program is kind of an oldie, but goodie, but it’s one we feel is a really good program to start the year off with.”
And as for the new year as a whole, Miller said the Morrison YMCA is still digesting all of the recent growth and getting comfortable in the new space.
“We’re ready to rock out some new programs,” she said, “and just get some people healthy.”
Comments