by Glendale Sports Center | Jan 19, 2023 | Glendale City News
by Claudia Morlan, YMCA of Metro Denver
Photo: Courtesy of EGYM
The YMCA Metro Denver has a great fitness tool that takes the guesswork out of strength training. EGYM combines state-of-the-art technology and connects individuals to electronic equipment that is personalized and adjusts to you while helping you keep a routine and making workouts fun.
The smart equipment adapts and takes you through a workout with an interactive screen. It’s been a great addition to members’ workouts, and for one group, it has made an incredible impact.
4Abilities is a group that believes in empowering their members to maximize their independence so they can lead happy and healthy lives. Director Kelly Wilson founded the group in 2018 after her son Ryan told her that no one is really disabled, everyone has abilities. Some are just different from others and those differences make us all stronger. Kelly created 4Abilities as a Program Approved Service Agency, and now runs the nonprofit to provide community-based support services to individuals with different abilities.
A healthy life means prioritizing exercise — and Kelly and the 4Abilities members knew they needed to find a place that could offer something for each of them. Each member of the group is unique, and they knew they needed to find a location that could offer diverse opportunities so that everyone could partake in exercising.
As they researched different locations, they discovered that the YMCA Metro Denver offered the EGYM circuit. EGYM proved to be accessible and non-intimidating and could be individualized to each member in a very easy way. The members immediately fell in love with the program.
“The EGYM machines are accessible for every member of our group, and the prompts are simple to follow. Our members are able to be independent and do the workouts they enjoy on their own terms,” said Wilson. “The Y has become a sweet spot and safe haven for our members, and it is one of my favorite spaces to be in with the group.”
Currently, 4Abilities members go to the Aurora YMCA three times a week. They each have found their own workouts that work best for them:
Josh loves boxing. He will put his earphones on and do his own boxing workout in a room at the Y and he will not leave until he has burned over 600 calories. He has Down Syndrome, which can lead to low muscle tone. Since he has started working out at the Y, he has gotten much stronger and has increased his muscle tone — two things that will prolong his life according to research.
Kelly’s daughter, Shannon, has scoliosis and uses the pool to swim, which is an effective low-impact workout.
Ryan enjoys EGYM, elliptical, stairs, and treadmill cardio offerings. Because of his training at the Y, he was able to climb Mount Bierstadt this past fall.
And Sean enjoys going to the Y because he can be independent and do his workouts, while also having the opportunity to be social.
“Everyone can do what they’re passionate about, which makes working out fun,” continued Wilson. “The visuals incorporated into EGYM are awesome, the machine loads the weight for members, and the screens show them how to move through the reps. The screens on the bikes allow you to pick your terrain and set up your workout for you so all you have to do is pedal. Embedding these things into the equipment helps our members develop muscle memory. They have gained so much strength in different areas because of this. You don’t get this at other gyms.”
EGYM is an amenity offered at five YMCAs throughout the metro area. Learn more about EGYM at the YMCA.
by Glendale Sports Center | Dec 16, 2022 | Glendale City News
The YMCA of Metro Denver believes that every amazing camp experience starts with each child knowing they belong. Our camps help kids develop as leaders while taking part in unique learning experiences, innovative activities, and experience the perfect combination of play and learning.
Recently, the Zweig family recounted how Y youth programs have been a monumental part of their son Scout’s development:
“Scout has really loved his time with the Y. He loves getting to interact with kids who are both older and younger than he is, as kids are much more age-segregated at school. He thrives on the physical activities they do outdoors and the games they play indoors when the weather won’t permit them to go out. He gets excited about almost every field trip, from park visits, slides, and fountains, to swimming pools and trampoline places. It’s not uncommon for Scout to suggest we do things as a family on the weekend that he learned about by going on Y field trips. And we always feel comfortable that Scout is in good hands with the Y staff.
The Y has been a stellar source of socialization for him, and we love that he gets to hang out with kids of all races, ethnicities, and social classes. The Y is a mixing pot and ensures that our kid is exposed to many different kinds of people. The staff at the Y has been great about encouraging the aspects of our son that they are in a position to see blooming even before we do. As before-and-after-school providers, and as counselors for Scout’s day-camp in the summers, the staff is in a position to see Scout interact with other kids with much greater frequency than we do. They are there to encourage his strengths, to stoke his burgeoning grit, and to help curb those behaviors that are less than desirable. As such, they are like additional parents, aunts and uncles, and older brothers and sisters — the proverbial village helping us to shape Scout into the awesome kid he continues to become. We feel like we are doing something great for him by sending him to the Y.
When we started at the Y, we thought it was just daycare. We’d intentionally chosen a school we hoped would contribute to widening Scout’s horizons, but we never imagined that his daycare would end up being an equally profound influence on him. After four years with the Y program, we are very happy to know that Scout has been part of a family of strong, confident, diverse young men and women who have had a profound effect on his development in a way that neither we nor his school could have done. We recommend the Y’s youth development programs wholeheartedly to anyone interested in giving their kid more of the world to play in.”
Registration is open for Winter Break STEAM Camps at the YMCA at the Arvada and Aurora Y locations. Information and registration dates for 2023 YMCA Summer Camps will be available in January 2023. Learn more about fun, family activities at the YMCA at www.denverymca.org/fam ily-activities.
by Mark Smiley | Nov 16, 2022 | Glendale City News
By Mark Smiley
The Company of The National Tour of MY FAIR LADY. Photo by Jeremy Daniel
Madeline Powell as Eliza Doolittle in The National Tour of MY FAIR LADY. Photo by Jeremy Daniel
My Fair Lady, opened on November 15 at The Buell Theater. Boasting such classic songs as “I Could Have Danced All Night,” “The Rain in Spain,” “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly” and “On the Street Where You Live,” MY FAIR LADY tells the story of Eliza Doolittle, a young Cockney flower seller, and Henry Higgins, a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.” But who is really being transformed?
Adapted from George Bernard Shaw’s play and Gabriel Pascal’s motion picture Pygmalion, Lerner & Lowe’s My Fair Lady, with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe, premiered on Broadway on March 15, 1956. The legendary original production won 6 Tony Awards including Best Musical and ran for 2,717 performances making it, at the time, the longest-running musical in Broadway history.
The current touring production features Madeline Powell as Eliza Doolittle, Jonathan Grunert as Professor Henry Higgins, John Adkison as Colonel Pickering, Madeline Brennan as Mrs. Pearce, Michael Hegarty as Alfred P. Doolittle, Cameron Loyal as Freddy Eynesford-Hill and Becky Saunders as Mrs. Higgins.
Accompanying Powell and Grunert is a terrific cast that heightens the incredible rags to riches flip that is showcased in this iconic production. The pacing though is what stands out about the revival. The amount of movement in and out of the numbers really keeps the action lively.
The underlining class struggle is a powerful element behind the whimsical nature of the plot. You find yourself flowing nicely with the spectacle while still hoping for that ‘a ha’ moment.
My Fair Lady runs through November 27, 2022 at the Buell Theater. For tickets or more information, visit www.denvercenter.org.
by Mark Smiley | Oct 27, 2022 | Glendale City News
The Musical Captures It All — Popular Music, Heartache and Tenderness
By Mark Smiley
Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations opened at the Buell Theatre at the Denver Performing Arts Center on October 25, 2022. The show runs through November 6, 2022, and tickets can be purchased at www.denvercenter.org.
The Broadway musical follows The Temptations’ journey from the streets of Detroit to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This show is a high-energy crowd-pleaser filled with songs everyone recognizes and can tap their feet to.
Left to Right, Harrell Holmes Jr., Elijah Ahmad Lewis, Jalen Harris, Marcus Paul James, James T. Lane from Ain’t Too Proud. Photo Credit: Emilio Madrid
The musical is two-and-one-half-hours of top-notch vocals, dancing and theatrics — including drop-splits and mic-stand tricks. With a book written by Dominique Morisseau, based on the memoir “The Temptations,” by Otis Williams (one of the original members), the story is well-constructed and personal, narrated by Marcus Paul James, who plays a likable and earnest Williams.
This musical has a brisk pace and moves through three phases of Williams’ memoir—the gathering of the legends and their rapid rise to stardom; the challenges of keeping them together against internal and external adversaries; and finally the deaths of each member of the originals other than Williams himself.
The show’s chief focus is the shifting dynamic within the group. There are a lot of highs and lows with members of this group. Jealousy, narcissism, drug use, and suicide provide somber moments in the show.
But the high energy ballads from the talented cast and Motown hits from other groups such as The Supremes keeps the audience on the edge of their seats from start to finish.
Tickets can be purchased at www.denvercenter.org.
by Glendale Sports Center | Oct 21, 2022 | Glendale City News
by Jennifer Lease, RD, Senior Manager of Nutrition at the YMCA of Metro Denver
The holiday season can feel hard when you’re focused on your health. November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and whether you’re someone working to prevent a chronic disease, like Diabetes, or manage one, the holidays can bring up stress and fear around food choices.
Here are some tips to help you stay on track with mindfulness, self-compassion, and flexibility that allow you to stay present and enjoy this time of year:
Be mindful and intentional
about your choices.
This is really all about approaching your choices and behaviors without judgment, and giving yourself permission to make the choices you do. When it comes to the holidays, there’s usually special dishes with meaning for you, as well as sweets and treats you look forward to. You deserve to enjoy those! It’s important to give yourself genuine permission to enjoy those foods so you’re not left feeling badly about those choices. Even when preventing or managing a chronic disease, there’s still room for including these foods. With intention, you can choose the dishes you don’t want to miss, include them on your plate in portion sizes that feel good for you, and feel guilt-free afterwards.
Practice gentle nutrition.
You can still keep nutrition principles in mind during holiday meals, with a bit of flexibility and grace for yourself at the same time. You can enjoy a bit of everything with some balance and portion control (and you’ll feel better after the meal, too!). The basics of a balanced plate to support blood sugar control include protein, veggies, and a starch or grain. Try filling half of your plate with veggie dishes and then take a smaller portion of the others you want to try. Holiday dishes tend to be heavy on starchy foods, so don’t forget some protein (like turkey or chicken) to create balance. Remember to check in with your hunger and fullness cues as you enjoy your meal, too, so you can stop eating when you feel comfortably full.
Don’t overcompensate for the holidays — you can get right back on track.
This may sound easier said than done. We tend to overcompensate after more indulgent meals, like those during the holidays — this can look like restricting your food intake for a day or more, exercising more than usual, or even punishing yourself with negative self-talk. The ways we overcompensate can actually worsen blood sugar control and backfire. It’s important to remember that every day is a new day to reset. When you’re mindful and intentional about your food choices and practice gentle nutrition, this feels easier — you’re better able to move onto the next day, getting back on track with your usual eating patterns to support your health.
The holiday season should be a time of joy and celebration, and that includes lots of yummy food! If you find yourself feeling stress, anxiety, or fear about food as you approach holiday meals, our Health & Well-being team at the Y can help. Learn about all of our nutrition programming and our Diabetes Prevention Program at den verymca.org.
by Glendale Sports Center | Sep 28, 2022 | Glendale City News
by Eileen Eastridge, for the YMCA of Metro Denver
Eileen Eastridge, left, and her Livestrong class at the Littleton YMCA.
On June 22, 2020, (my daughter’s birthday), I was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. The cancer was found in my breast, lung, and liver, as well as boney areas of my L3, sacrum, and left iliac. My L3 had broken and collapsed twice, and I was in severe pain and had difficulty walking.
My family and I were shocked and devastated at this news, but I did feel a sense of relief to finally know the reason for the symptoms I was experiencing. This diagnosis is a terminal one, which means that I will be dealing with treatment, symptoms, and side effects for the rest of my life, however long that may be. My husband and I discussed that we want the main perspective for my care to be “quality of life.”
The doctor prescribed a series of radiation treatments to the boney lesions, which was grueling, and made it necessary to use a walker. The radiation, coupled with monthly injections, provided miraculous results, and my bones and nerves have healed significantly.
I was also prescribed a hormone blocker and an oral chemo, which I am blessed to be able to take at home each day. This combination has done above and beyond what was expected and has even shrunk my tumors. Unfortunately, these medications come with side effects, including physical stiffness, fatigue, and low moods. I was getting weaker and weaker, and the sadness was becoming a real problem.
To help alleviate the side effects, my doctor gave me information about the LIVESTRONG at the YMCA program at the YMCA of Metro Denver, and I joined the group in December 2021. This program is a free 12-week program for cancer survivors to rebuild health and build community.
I expected to exercise and was happy to have accountability to help keep me on track. However, the icing on the cake came in the social support I found. The LIVESTRONG group is a strong dose of the very best medicine! I found a new community of supporters who understood what going through cancer is really like.
According to research from the Yale Cancer Center and Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Institute, participants in the LIVESTRONG program at the YMCA experience improved fitness and quality of life, as well as significant decreases in cancer-related fatigue. We all know that exercise can help you feel better no matter your age or skill level. However, it is especially important for people living with cancer.
LIVESTRONG at the YMCA classes teach exercise methods that are safe for people who have cancer. Over the 12 weeks of the program, the group became stronger, more flexible, and more energetic. The instructors are trained in cancer survivorship, post-rehabilitation exercise, and supportive cancer care. Survivors receive a membership at the YMCA for the duration of the program.
If cancer has impacted your life, this class can help. To learn more, visit denverymca.org/livestrong.
