Newton’s West Suburban YMCA in Newton Corner announced that beginning Wednesday April 2, they will launch a series of on-line daily swimming sessions.
Said YMCA Vice-Chair Aaron Goldman, “Like virtually every organization in the country we have been scrambling to come up with ways we can continue to fulfill our mission during these extraordinary times.”
Hundreds of people rely on a daily swim at the Y to keep themselves fit and healthy. We worry that with the Y shut down, and people staying home, our members are not going to get the exercise they need.
Our virtual swimming pool will open tomorrow with a full schedule
- 6 – 8 AM Adult swim
- 8-10 AM Senior swim
- 10-11 AM Jazzerswim class
- 11-12 AM Pilataswim class
- 12-2 PM Toddler splash
- 2-4 Youth swim
- 4-6 Swim team practice
- 6-7 – Closed for daily maintenance
- 7-9 – Adult swim
- 9-10 Couples moonlight swim
Says Goldman “At this point, this is all an experiment. We’ll see how it goes for the first week. If the pool doesn’t get too crowded we may also open the pool for non-members as a public service until this crisis over.”
I’ve become addicted to swimming at the Y pool at least three times a week and really miss it. I wish Jerry had acknowledged that this virtual swimming scheme was my idea and I passed it along to the management late last week. Yoga and deep meditation are also needed for this to work effectively because you have to convince yourself that your bathtub is actually an Olympic sized swimming pool.
I’ve always wanted to learn the butterfly. Hope to get a chance now.
The WSYMCA has been a Newton community resource for over 140 years. The Y’s doors may be closed but their mission continues. Like many non profits these are challenging times & I hope their members will stick with them & maintain their memberships. Here are other online Wellness & Fitness programs to check out.
https://www.wsymca.org/coronavirus-updates-info/virtual-ymca/wsy-wellness
My wife and I just signed up for the Couples Moonlight Swim. It looks amazing
What is the CDC guidance on the sanctioned process for removal of a “Snickers bar” from the virtual pool? Asking for a friend…
Also the YMCA’s email newsletter also has a few more ingenious tips for getting exercise while all our gyms are closed.
It may be hard to imagine but many of your gym activities can actually be reasonably well replicated at home.
For example:
Treadmills – until you can get back to the gym, go for a walk. It turns out that you can replicate many of the features of a treadmill yourself. You can adjust your speed, distance, up hill, down hill. It’s kind of remarkable. Crazy, I know.
Stairmaster – Likewise if you live in a multi-story building you can even replicate the basic operation of these devices at home
Treadmills can be replicated with some dish soap on the floor in front of your kitchen sink. But do hang on to the counter until you get your stride going.
I highly recommend a good floor waxing with pledge as a substitute for a slip and slide. Risky Business slide scene 101.