Discovering a Passion: Greg’s Story

Greg had long contemplated joining a gym to enhance his muscle strength and flexibility. When the Y opened just down the road, he thought this would be a great opportunity to pursue these goals and explore what the Y had to offer. He quickly came to see that it is “a bunch of friendly people working toward their own well-being as well as the community’s health”.

He was immediately drawn to the Qi Gong class, having always wanted to learn about Chinese cooking. Imagine his surprise when the instructor asked everyone to take off their shoes and socks and start waving their arms all over! However, Greg’s mantra is always to “keep an open mind” and by the end of the class, he felt good and decided to keep attending.

Qi Gong soon became Greg’s passion. It not only helped his balance, flexibility, and muscle tone but also unexpectedly sharpened his mental acuity through the challenge of memorizing intricate movements and forms.

He recently decided to share his passion by becoming an instructor. His biggest fear was that he wouldn’t have the bandwidth to complete all the necessary training. He quipped, “Turns out I had the bandwidth, but our internet didn’t, and that made all the e-learning more difficult, but still doable”. In the end, though he says “All the training and learning to become an instructor has been very useful in understanding fitness better”. Knowing the ‘why’ behind the exercises enabled him to master the ‘what’ and ‘how’ more effectively.

The Y has transformed his life in several positive ways. His flexibility and balance have greatly improved, and he’s enjoyed meeting wonderful people, both members and staff. Exploring the diverse equipment and facilities has been exciting for him. His favorite machine, the treadmill, allows him to practice various agility moves such as side steps, skipping, Karate blocks and punches, Nordic skiing technique, slow motion walking, and upper body form movements, all while enjoying a great HIIT workout. He’s discovered that the Y’s base of knowledge and learning is far broader than he ever imagined.

Reflecting on his experience, Greg expressed gratitude for the Y’s role in his life, both as a member and now as an instructor. “It’s been a very good experience physically and mentally.”