Greater Joliet Area YMCA

GREATER JOLIET AREA YMCA

C.W. Avery, Central City, Galowich, Morris

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Honoring Fathers – A Longtime YMCA Tradition

More than a century ago, Sonora Louis Smart Dodd aspired to create a holiday to honor fathers. Dodd, the daughter of a single father and Civil War veteran, was inspired by a Mother’s Day sermon and wondered why there was no holiday for fathers. After securing support from ministers in Spokane, Wash., her idea came to fruition with the first Father’s Day celebration at the Spokane YMCA on June 19, 1910.

On Sunday, June 15, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA joins the nation in celebrating Father’s Day and recognizing the impact fathers and adult male role models make in children’s lives. Nationally, one out of three children lives in a home without their biological father, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

And, societal factors such as unemployment, work-life balance or a lack of resources can affect fathers’ ability to seek support in strengthening their parenting skills and more fully engaging in the lives of their children. A leading nonprofit in fostering positive youth development, the Y remains dedicated to providing resources and opportunities for fathers to further involve themselves in the well-being and development of their children.

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YMCA Founder’s Day: Celebrating 170 Years

June 6 marks the 170th anniversary of the Y—a global organization that began with a simple but powerful idea: a strong, supportive community can help people build healthier, happier lives. Since it’s founding, the Y has grown into one of the world’s largest volunteer organizations and become renowned for its commitment to helping people of every background reach their potential.

From its humble beginnings on June 6, 1844 in London by George Williams and 11 friends, the Y saw to and met the practical and spiritual needs of young men flocking to London during the Industrial Revolution. Since then, the Y has grown and changed, meeting the needs of children, families and adults in 10,000 communities in the U.S. and 119 countries around the globe. Along the way, the Y is responsible for a number of innovations that influenced history and are part of our daily lives.

For instance:
• Basketball and volleyball were both invented at the Y.
• Night school and English as a Second Language (ESL) classes began at the Y.
• The world’s first indoor pool was at a Y, and the concept of group swim lessons started at the Y.
• The United Service Organizations (USO) was created with help from the Y, and the Peace Corps was patterned after a Y program.
• Father’s Day was created at a Y.

For 86 years, the Greater Joliet Area YMCA has been a leading nonprofit dedicated to strengthening our community through youth development, healthy living and social responsibility. We’ve been able to help thousands of community members by providing swim lessons, before and after school care, fitness programs and much more.

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My Y Memory: Michele Brown

IMG_7525In this photo, I was probably about eight-years-old, and my brother was about six. My mom signed us up for a week of day camp (like Galowich’s), where you went every day for a week. Our camp was at an actual campsite, though. We were bused from a local grade school to the campsite each day. I remember playing a lot of outdoor games, especially capture the flag. I was pretty little, so I remember being disappointed that I was captured so early in the game.

I vividly remember making a plaster of paris casts of animal footprints in the ground. I made a deer print casting. It was one of my favorite things I did that week. On the last night, we had an overnight, complete with campfire, stories, songs and s’mores.  I remember feeling very grown-up and independent when I walked around the campsite in the dark with my flashlight. I’ve always loved campfires, and I’m sure it started with that first one. My brother and I only went that one week, but I never forgot it.

I’ve sent all three of my girls to a sleep-away camp when they were younger. In two weeks, my youngest child, my 12-year-old son Josh, is going to YMCA Camp Benson for the second time. He had a great experience last year, and this year he’s old enough to do a few more things he couldn’t do last year. I hope to continue to send him in the years to come.

Michele Brown is the Membership Director for the Galowich and Smith Family YMCAs.

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Nourishing Thoughts: Superfood for Thought

When it comes to functional superfoods, walnuts appear on nearly every list out there. Once cast aside because of their high fat content, they have worked their way to the top of the list of healthiest foods. Heart healthy, brain healthy, and just plain yummy, walnuts deserve a place in everyone’s pantry.

We now know that eating high-fat whole foods is not associated with obesity. This is because these foods are more satiating and cause you to eat less overall. And walnuts contain only healthy fats, including the omega-3 fatty acids shown to support brain function, reduce inflammation, and improve cholesterol levels. In addition to the healthy and beneficial fats in walnuts, they also pack a powerful dose of high-quality antioxidants. One ounce of walnuts has as many antioxidants as the average person gets from fruits and vegetables in a day.

Some quick and easy ways to increase your walnut consumption is to add them to oatmeal, muffins, salads and even smoothies. Or just eat them out of hand.

Just remember, while they are a healthy food, they are very calorically dense. A one-ounce serving is just 14 halves, and contains 185 calories and 19 grams of fat. Don’t fret about the fat content—it’s healthy fat and will keep you full. Just don’t mindlessly eat your way through the whole bag!

During these summer months, active and busy kids can certainly benefit from this great source of dense, portable nutrition. However, it can be tough to get kids to eat whole nuts, even if they’re disguised in other foods. Not so anymore, with this delicious recipe for the young, and young-at-heart! Sweet, chewy and satisfying, these quick-and-easy bars are a delicious way to enjoy your walnuts.
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What is Nia?

“What is Nia?”—That’s the million-dollar question, says licensed Nia instructor Kendra Dicker-Deutsch. Is it a dance class? A martial arts program? Well, according to Kendra, it’s both. In fact, Nia even draws inspiration from yoga. Nia, which is now offered at the C.W. Avery Family YMCA, is perfect for those looking for a change of pace, but still want to focus on cardio, strength and meditation. Learn all about Nia in our Q&A with Kendra below:

How would you describe Nia to someone who has never heard of it?
Nia is a fusion-based fitness class that combines the fun of dancing and expression, the power and intensity of martial arts and the meditative feeling of yoga.

To what ages would you recommend this program?
I think it’s great for any age. I found it in my late 20’s. Nia is perfect for anyone who is looking for a cardio workout that is fun, gentle and healing for the joints.

What kind of movements do you do?
We have so many routines that have their own flavor and feature their own style of music. Nia is based in seven cycles. We work to get your body moving as to how it was designed, usually focusing on a body part or a sound.

What else should be our readers know about Nia?
It’s a time to connect with yourself. Nia blends so many things into one class—cardio, meditation and strengthening. Each hour hosts a variety of expressive movements. We don’t simply jump into high intensity. We take time to warm up the joints so that the body is ready to go and ready to move.

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Nourishing Thoughts

Eggcelent News

Eggs have a lot going for them. Their versatility is amazing—they can be scrambled, fried, poached, or even made ahead into grab-and-go mini frittatas (recipe below!). They play well at every meal, from the obvious choices at breakfast, to hardboiled eggs on a lunchtime salad, to a light but satisfying veggie-packed frittata for dinner.

Packed with protein, vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, eggs may be the most perfect food—except for one little problem.

Cholesterol.

Each egg contains about 190 milligrams of cholesterol, whereas the recommended daily intake is only 300 milligrams. However, it turns out the science and reasoning behind that recommendation is flawed. Once, researchers thought that the more cholesterol you eat, the more you’d have in your body. More recently studies, however, find little correlation between dietary and body cholesterol.

Of course, many egg lovers get around the cholesterol problem by tossing the yolks. However, science agrees that in healthy people, eating up to three whole eggs per day is totally safe. So eat the whole egg!

Other than packing all that cholesterol, the yolks contain most of the vitamins, minerals and fats. These fats are the healthy omega-3 kind, and many farmers supplement the hens’ diets with omega-3 oils to produce eggs with even higher levels of these brain-boosting fats. Beyond that, the yolks just taste good and make your meal even more satisfying.

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