January 3, 2023
Greetings!

The New Year is a great time to set personal goals and your Y is here to help! From daily group fitness classes and open swim times to disease prevention programming and pick-up basketball games, the Y community is here to help you achieve whatever you set your mind to!

When setting goals, consider setting SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic & timely) goals to help you focus, evaluate and accomplish what you set out to do. This framework can help turn vague goals into actionable ones!

We asked our staff to share their SMART goals with us for 2023. Keep reading to hear what they said!

Take a moment to set a few SMART goals for yourself—you'll thank yourself later!
Staff SMART Goals for 2023:
  • Get my body moving 2-3 times a week & plan intentional family time every week!
  • Workout 4-5 times a week!
  • Get outside (out of cell service) once a month.
  • Re-learn Spanish.
  • Be present for my family and friends by putting away my cell phone when I am with them.
  • Return to my daily yoga practice and then share that practice with others by teaching 1-2 classes a week at the Y!
  • Swim 3-4 times a week once again.
  • Drop 10 pounds to try to relieve the pressure on my bones and joints.
Start the New Year off right with a new fitness routine!
Try one of our many group exercise classes to get moving, have fun and stay healthy! Keep reading to learn about new classes on our schedule this month!
Meditation & Movement with Sarah—Mondays at 7:30 a.m. & Tuesdays at 4:15 p.m. in the Meading Room
Begin, renew or enhance your well-being with gentle movement and extended meditation. This 60-minute class will have weekly themes and guided instruction that will help bring a sense of awareness and peace of mind.
Step Aerobics with Emily—Mondays at 5:45 p.m. in the Movement Center
Join this high energy, classic cardio workout! Step Aerobics utilizes an elevated platform while doing upper body movements and is a total blast! It incorporates easy-to-learn routines set to upbeat music that will have you working up a sweat while having fun and getting your heart rate up!
WARRIOR Rhythm with Meredith—Tuesdays at 6:15 a.m. in the Movement Center
This 45-minute class is the bridge between classic group exercise and traditional yoga. With its rebel vibe, edgy playlists and sweaty flows, this format will rock your world! We intertwine mindfulness, yoga, weightlifting and HIIT training into an extraordinary experience.
100-Mile Aqua Challenge
If you watched the 2022 participants log their swim miles and want to try to reach 100 miles in a year, NOW IS YOUR CHANCE! Participants track miles, yards or laps, and those who tally 100 miles (that's equivalent to swimming the entire Panama Canal—TWICE!) over the course of a year earn a sweatshirt!

Take a guess at how many miles (COMBINED) challenge participants swam over the last year. Enter your guess at the front desk & the member whose guess is the closest will win a Y hat!

We're celebrating the 2022 100-Mile Aqua Challenge swimmers and aqua joggers on Friday, Jan. 20, at the Y! Despite its reputation as a solo sport, swimming is very social!
Aqua Zumba is moving to Saturdays!
Join your fellow water lovers for a dance party in the shallow end of the pool!
Day: Saturdays
Time: 9:05 to 10 a.m.
Location: Shallow end of the big pool

Aqua joggers may use the deep end during Deep Water Aqua Jog at the same time for their own individual workouts.
The YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program starts Jan. 24!

The YMCA's Diabetes Prevention Program, part of the CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program, is a year-long program designed to improve overall health and to help those diagnosed with prediabetes to reverse their risk of acquiring diabetes.

New session starts Jan. 24, 2023, and meets Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.
Middle School Madness
Mark your calendars for January 20 from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Y (while the Y is closed to members)! This is an opportunity for youth in grades 6-8 to build confidence, create connections, learn a new game and have fun outside of the school day.
Your Y will be CLOSED on Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This is the first year your Y will close of the holiday, based on a recommendation from our Diversity, Inclusion and Global Engagement Committee. Learn more about the Y's DIG Committee HERE.
From the Ground Up — New Y Construction Update
The new Y is well on its way to opening THIS YEAR (December 2023)! Last month, the most noticeable change was the rising of the large walls along 24th and Hilyard.

Throughout January, you will continue to see the exterior dimensions of the new Y take shape as large walls are completed along the southern and western sides of the Y. Major milestones this month will include the completion of the gymnasium’s exterior walls and the installation of structural steel components for the 2nd floor and the roof.
Open Positions at your Y!
We're hiring more AMAZING staff who want to impact our community positively. Enjoy flexible schedules, competitive wages and wonderful co-workers.

Hiring for:
  • Youth Sports Staff
  • Facilities Director
  • Group Fitness Instructors
  • Child Care Staff
  • Healthy Living Instructors
Congratulations, Tri with the Y participants!
Let's give our 2022 Tri with the Y participants a round of applause! Click the button below to see view our finisher photo gallery. Great job, everyone!

HUGE thank you to our sponsors for helping make this event possible: Team Eugene Aquatics, Klink Cycles, Run Hub NW, Slocum Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine & Eugene Magazine!
Check if Your Insurance Pays for Your Y Membership!
If your insurance covers Y membership, remember that you need to update your details every January and work out at the Y regularly/monthly.
Friendly Safety Reminders from Your Y!
  • Please help us avoid accidents by using the crosswalk to cross Patterson Street!
  • Do not leave your valuables in your car or in an unlocked locker.
  • Be kind and follow lap lane etiquette in the pool.
  • During inclement weather events, check our website for closure and class cancellation updates.
HEARD AROUND TOWN
KLCC shared the exciting news about the $2M in federal funding directed to the new Y project!

“It will support STEM learning lab, pre-school spaces and education spaces for high school kiddos," says CEO Brian Steffen about what the new Y will provide for youth.
KVAL spread the word about the $2 million in funding that the Y for the New Y from the federal omnibus package.

"If we can build a new Y without debt, it has a significant impact on the services that we can provide to the community. Rather than paying loan or lending costs, we can reinvest those into providing scholarships for low-income families to access the Y programs. We can launch heavily subsidized programs, like our disease prevention programs," says CEO Brian Steffen.
The Register-Guard listened in on a zoom call with Santa and local children last month.

"In addition to hearing Christmas wishes and enquiring whether children believe they’re on the naughty or nice list, Santa seeks out advice for where to land his sleigh and whether there is a chimney he can use to bring presents in through."
KEZI checked in on the construction progress for the new Y!

“It's a purpose-built facility that's designed to meet the health & education needs of a community today,” CEO Brian Steffen says.