Brian Hagberg
WARREN, Pa. – The Warren County YMCA is offering a new month-long program aimed at getting people to get up and move, and it’s not just for members.
The Strong Challenge opens Oct. 19 and is free for both members and non-members alike. The ultimate goal is to get Warren Countians up and moving for at least 20 minutes per day, five days a week.
“We want to get the entirety of Warren County moving,” Warren County YMCA Marketing & Grant Director Kim Slocum said. “We’re all just tired of everything. How things are going and not having our regular life. The best way to combat that is moving.”
To encourage non-members to join the challenge, the Y is offering access to its facilities, for free, on Fridays and Saturdays throughout the duration of the challenge.
“Non-members who register will get a pass for Friday and Saturday of every week of the challenge to use as they want,” Slocum said. “They can stay attached to our Facebook page for weekly motivation.”
As with most things in 2020, there will be a social media/virtual component to the challenge. The Y will post videos and trainings to its Facebook page and to the Y:360 website.
“We’re hoping people do the challenge and post it on Facebook to get others to engage,” Slocum said. “We’ve all missed out on connectedness (this year), and this will give people a reason to connect and get moving.”
Those who register will receive a calendar for the four weeks, as well as access to training videos. Y staff will have special challenges such as “Motivation Monday,” “Encouragement Wednesday” and “Celebration Friday.” There will also be kid-friendly features like art and cooking as well.
Slocum hopes the Strong Challenge will serve as inspiration for both those who exercise regularly, and those who may have found their motivation waning a bit through the pandemic.
“For people who are already fit, use this opportunity,” Slocum said. “You know you know someone not feeling good about all that’s going on and are not exercising. “Use this to be an accountability buddy and do it with them. “There’s a role for everybody, there’s no reason not to do it.”
Strong Challenge registration opens Friday, Oct. 9. Those who wish to register can do so by going to the Y’s front desk and saying they want to sign up for the Strong Challenge.
“We’ve all been kind of knocked on our butts in 2020,” Slocum said. “We want people to get stronger while we’re moving inside. Working out and doing things helps the immune system get better. We’ve been lucky with the county being so low on cases. Let’s take the opportunity to stay low and get our immune system high.”
