YMCA Friendships are Good for Your Health

By: Jamie Kaun

At the start of a new year, many people make resolutions. And what is one of the most popular resolutions year after year? To exercise more, of course! The benefits of exercise are widely-known, including strengthening bones and muscles, gaining more energy, and improving your overall health, just to name a few. 

Joining the Y, which features numerous and diverse group fitness classes, cardio and strength machines, pools and so much more, can help you be successful in exercising regularly. But the Y offers more than just the opportunity for you to accomplish physical changes – you can also strengthen and improve your emotional wellness too, just like a group of eight members who call themselves the Hard Core Divas.   

Every morning for nearly a year, the Hard Core Divas begin their day the same way – texting one another and sharing their fitness plans for the day. They then meet up to take classes together followed by some chatting before they go their separate ways. Several of them have been Y members for a short time while others have been going for years. But what drove them to initially form their friendship at first was simple – accountability. 

I’ve seen these women interacting with one another over the last few months at the Coffman Y. I’ve said hello and briefly chatted with many of them, but I noticed the connection they have with one another. Curious and drawn to their energy, I asked them one day and learned about the special bond they’ve formed.

Positively encouraging one another, accountability, the fun of working out together with awesome group fitness instructors and pushing each other through setbacks are just a few of the reasons they say their friendship is so valuable. While physical health may have initially brought them together, their friendship has evolved into so much more. 

Besides the support they give to one another while exercising at the Y, they’ve begun strengthening their emotional and mental wellness outside of the Y too. The diverse group of women, who are in their 30s-50s and originate from countries including Canada, Venezuela, India and America, are sharing their cultures with one another through activities such as learning one another’s native language, enjoying food from their countries and many other activities with each other and their families.  

The Hard Core Divas are just one of the many groups of friends I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing since I joined the Y last summer. I regularly see people whose interactions are mainly at the Y – stay-at-home parents utilizing the childcare to achieve fitness goals and interact with other adults, older adults participating in a class, playing cards or enjoying a meal, people exercising around their work schedules, youth building a healthy foundation through sports, and so many more.

Personally, I’ve also made friends at the Y by talking to people before and after fitness classes. Just start chatting with those around you – working out is much more fun together and you might just find your own tribe! 

The Y is truly unlike any other exercise facility – you can build a healthy body, mind and spirit.